It is, yes. That said, it does not align with claims of reduced UK defense spending.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, May 08, 2026 - 05:10 pm: Edit

There are line items in the defense budget that are questionable. US or UK.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, May 22, 2026 - 10:27 pm: Edit

For those who can afford a new toy, and have enough cash just sitting around doing nothing…

Google:

Quote:” The Aerolite Spitfire Type 433 is a new, full-scale, two-seater composite replica of the legendary World War II aircraft. Developed by Great British Supermarine Ltd, it is targeted at flying clubs and private consortia at an estimated cost of £750,000, making it vastly more affordable than original vintage models.The Aerolite Spitfire ProjectBackground & Design: The project revives abandoned 1940s UK government plans to build aircraft out of a composite material called "Gordon Aerolite" to save on aluminum. The new Type 433 incorporates modern, weather-resistant composites, intelligent avionics, and modern propulsion systems.Cost & Storage: Because of its composite construction, the aircraft is weather-resistant and eliminates the need for expensive hangar storage. It costs around £750,000, compared to the £3 million-plus price tag of an original surviving Spitfire.Current Status: A full-scale concept model was unveiled in Bodmin, Cornwall, and is touring UK air shows to attract investors. The creators are seeking funding with the goal of producing a fully operational flying prototype within two and a half years.”

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 11:32 am: Edit

The Fat Electrician explains why bad guys should never touch America's boats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcJhmm3D3OY

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 04:44 pm: Edit

Memorial Day

It has now been seventeen years since I first wrote this, it still holds true to this day. Rest in Peace, my friends, my family, my service brothers and sisters.

A time to remember friends and comrades lost. Some lost in war. Some lost in peace. Some lost to old age. Some still alive but yet lost to us.

As I spend my third Memorial Day in the Iraqi Theater of Operations I remember all those brothers, sisters, friends, relatives that have answered their nation's clarion call of service. From those early days in 1775 when a small group of British Colonies decided that they had had enough. Through a Civil War that almost tore our young nation apart. In 1941 we were forcefully thrust onto the world stage to stay. The Cold War brought us even more to the forefront of the stage as millions of men and women from the United States went to serve around the world.

My own service began during this time and I trained for war as hard as I prayed for peace. For I knew, like my brothers in arms, who would pay the harshest cost if our efforts to maintain the peace failed. I lost friends and comrades during this time in accidents, both training and regular. I remember them and their families.

On September 11th 2001, again our nation's call to war was sounded and our nation's citizen soldiers answered that call. From Ground Zero, to Arlington, to the skies over Pennsylvania, warriors in and out of uniforms answered the call. Within hours we had answered that call, knowing that much sacrifice would be needed from all of us.

On Memorial Day I will close my eyes and I remember.

I will remember my Grandpa Arthur Fredrick Opel, USMCR, who died before I was old enough to realize what he'd done for country.

I will remember my Grandpa John Elmer Webster, Army of the United States, who died before I was old enough to truly talk to him about his service.

I will remember my roommate Todd Drobnick, who was killed while working as a civilian translator on Thanksgiving Day 2003 in Northern Iraq.

I will remember my friend and colleague Patrick “Tommy” McNeeley who died in Iraq.

I remember my best friend Patrick Smith, who made it home but eventually lost to the fight inside him.

I will close my eyes and walk through the fields of Lexington Commons, Cowpens, Valley Forge, Yorktown, Fort McHenry, New Orleans, Vera Cruz, Manassas/Bull Run, Antietam/Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Nashville, Appomattox, Little Big Horn. I will walk in Santiago and Manila.

I will walk along the Somme, the Meuse-Argonne. I will walk from the Philippines, to Burma, to Egypt and Libya, through Italy and France and on into Germany. I will set foot on the islands all across the Pacific and on into Japan.

I will walk up and down the Korean Peninsula from Pusan to the Yalu, across South Vietnam from Saigon to Khe Sanh.

I will travel again to Germany and visit places like Hohenfels, Augsburg, Nuremberg, and walk the Inter-German border.

I will patrol the Korean DMZ.

I will go to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. I will visit Iraq and Afghanistan.

Along this trip I will be accompanied by those that have fallen. They wear Continental Blue, Confederate Gray, Union Blue, Khaki and Olive Drab, Woodland and Desert Camouflage, and the current combat uniforms.

Those that walk beside me are the dead; they watch over the US soldier wherever he goes. Our lost comrades will never be forgotten, even if we don't know their names or faces. The memory will be guarded and cherished as long we draw breath.

Here Rest’s in Honored Glory. An American Soldier. Known but to a Few.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 01:03 pm: Edit

Trivia question:

How good (or bad) was the Curtis P-40 fighter aircraft?

Without looking it up, do you know how many confirmed or unconfirmed kills were made by P-40 pilots?

Answers to follow in another post.

To be honest, I myself tried to take a guess, and was wrong.

Good luck!

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 01:08 pm: Edit

Answer to prior trivia question:

Google AI participated in this response. There may be error(s),

Y.M.M. V.


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During World War II, Curtiss P-40 fighters were credited with destroying thousands of enemy aircraft (often estimated at around 1,000+ kills overall). Flown by American, British, Commonwealth, and Soviet forces, they produced over 200 Allied aces.Because exact individual operational data is vast, historians categorize P-40 victories into specific historic campaigns:Prior to U.S. Entry (1941–1942)The Flying Tigers (AVG): Flying in China before the U.S. officially entered the war, the American Volunteer Group was officially credited with 299 confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed.Pearl Harbor: During the December 1941 attack, two U.S. pilots managed to get aloft in P-40s and shot down seven Japanese aircraft.During World War II (USAAF & Allied Operations)Pacific & CBI Theaters: The USAAF 49th Fighter Group flew P-40s in the Southwest Pacific, claiming 668 enemy aircraft throughout the war.North Africa & Mediterranean: The 57th Fighter Group and allied Commonwealth units heavily relied on the P-40. The 57th scored at least 140 air-to-air kills, including participating in the famed "Palm Sunday Massacre," where Allied fighters shot down approximately 70 German transport planes and escorts in a single day.Commonwealth Operations: Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) pilots alone claimed exactly 100 confirmed kills in P-40s. Australian ace Clive Caldwell scored 22 of his 28.5 victories flying the fighter.

By Michael F Guntly (Ares) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 04:51 pm: Edit

I was not aware of most P-40 usage beyond the AVG, which I read about in a book for youths ("The Flying Tigers") c.1962. And the AVG got their almost 300 kills in a little over 6 months, 20 Dec 1941 to 04 Jul 1942, at which point they were absorbed into the USAAF. All while flying against superior experienced pilots in superior aircraft (as recently discussed on this board) while regularly outnumbered up to 4-1 and only losing about 14 pilots in the process.

As a youth the P-40 was my favorite WWII aircraft, not withstanding all the better aircraft that showed up during the war (that I had little to no knowledge of till later).

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 06:38 pm: Edit

The P40 was the aircraft where Chenault invented the diving attack. He ordered the Tigers to never dogfight a zero, but to climb high, dive, kill, and dive away. The P40 was a pre-war aircraft and when the war started it was what we had. Since it was in production prior to Pearl Harbor, the Brits and their commonwealth fellows got P40s when they came shopping during 1940 to 1941. It is sometimes compared to the Hurricane as a fighter that was marginally obsolescent but still better than nothing, and if handled right (no dogfights) it could score.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 08:56 pm: Edit

I am certain we could all come up with a list of iconic aircraft that symbolizes WW2 for many.

The P-40 likely makes many top ten lists.

Not going to be #1, but it was an important aircraft for the early war years.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 09:30 pm: Edit

There was a group of several aircraft that were good, but either peaked just before the war, or were not quite top tier, the P-40, the Hurricane, the MS-406, the I-16, if built the HE-112, etc.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 24, 2026 - 10:39 pm: Edit

Might have to add the Curtis P-36 (a radial engined version of the P-40) to that last catagory.

According to google,

Quote:” The Curtiss P-36 Hawk saw extensive combat during World War II. Though largely outclassed by the time the U.S. entered the war, export and captured versions achieved hundreds of aerial victories, with the Finnish Air Force alone recording over 190 kills.The P-36's combat record is highlighted by several distinct operations:Finland (Soviets): Flown by the Finnish Air Force against the Soviet Union, P-36s (affectionately called "Sussu" or "Sweetheart") were incredibly successful. They were credited with 190.3 kills for the loss of only 15 aircraft.France (Germany): During the Battle of France, the French Air Force used the P-36 (designated the Hawk 75) extensively against the Luftwaffe. They scored approximately 230 confirmed aerial victories for a loss of 29 aircraft in combat.United States (Pearl Harbor): On December 7, 1941, five U.S. Army Air Corps P-36s intercepted the second wave of the Japanese attack. These P-36s were officially credited with 2 victories (Japanese A6M2 Zeroes), marking the first aerial victories by U.S. forces in WWII.Other Theaters: The aircraft also saw localized action with the Vichy French (including combat against American aircraft) in North Africa and the Franco-Thai War, as well as with the Dutch East Indies Air Force against the Japanese.”

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 09:24 am: Edit

All while flying against superior experienced pilots

I think many would dispute that data, many AVG pilots came from Navy, Marine and USAAF.......
Though maybe having more flight time, don't believe the Japanese pilots had actually engaged other aircraft prior to the AVG....

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 09:51 am: Edit

Mark:

Google uses AI to formulate responses.

This might be one example of an AI screw up.

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 02:21 pm: Edit

China also used the P-36, before the AVG arrived.

Japanese pilots had limited experience before the AVG arrived, with both the Chinese air force, as well as Russian aircraft at Khalkhin Gol.

The primary advantage that the Japanese had was that their training regimen was very through, likely producing some of the best peace time pilots before the 1970s.

By Vincent Solfronk (Vsolfronk) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 05:43 pm: Edit

The problem with the Japanese training regimen was that it was very very demanding, so there was a high drop-out rate, and wit all Japanese armed forces training, trainers and training was harsh and cruel.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 09:19 pm: Edit

Don't know if there were separate training courses, since the Japanese pilots in China were Army Pilots....

Don't know if it was total or just the IJN, understood from texts that they only produced 200 pilots a year up to the start of the war....

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 10:31 pm: Edit

Land based, yes those were largely Army, the Navy would use China for live training to various degrees. Khalkhin Gol was an Army operation.

For those that may not know, the Japanese army, and Navy were barely on speaking terms with each other. let alone willing to work with each other to any significant degree.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, May 25, 2026 - 11:30 pm: Edit

If the rumors are to be believed, both sides were willing to resort to assassination to kill politicians and military officers viewed as hostile to their various political parties.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 12:29 am: Edit

Jeff look up the period of 1932 to 1936. One assassinated and 3 others wounds, The Feb 26 1936 in particular.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 12:42 am: Edit

Sakai flew an A5M in China. The Navy in effect had its own land based air force in addition to the carrier based aircraft Sakai for instance while qualified to fly off a crrier was alsways operating from land bd bases. The Army and navy for the most part had their own aircraft developement The army did use some A6Ms, but us primary fighter was the KI 43 Oscar. If you can find it there is a bookJapanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in WWII. Originall publidhed in Japanese in 1970, English tranlation in 1989. Covers all the fighter groups(Navy), any bios of many of the pilots.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 12:50 am: Edit

As far as the army and navy working together, try dogs and cats. The navy did not tell the army about Midway for almost 6 months.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 01:15 pm: Edit

My grandfather was an intelligence officer for the USAAC in the CBI theater, Went from recruit private to Lt colonel during the war. He knew all the big guys; his favorite was General Slim. But he knew Stilwell, Chenault, Mountbatten, Chiang, Mao and all the other high ups.

He and his brother "Uncle Chip" were assigned there because as the sons of Chinese missionaries they could speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, French, German, Latin & Greek. Note that they got pulled out of Army boot camp and sent to China having never graduated!

Uncle Chip was assigned as a USN "deception officer" (despite having never had any Navy training) and basically drank himself to death in slow motion after the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._W._Grafton

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 03:42 pm: Edit

Under the subject title of little known facts, this might be of interest to some people:

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B-23 Dragon / UC-67

A B-23 Dragon in USAAC markings during the early 1940s
General information
Type Medium bomber
National origin United States
Manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company
Primary user United States Army Air Corps
Number built 38
History
First flight 27 July 1939
Retired 1945
Developed from Douglas B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-23 Dragon is an American twin-engined bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a successor to the B-18 Bolo.

Design and development
Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve the performance of the B-18. Initially considered a redesign, the XB-22 featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 Twin Cyclone radial engines. The complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23.[1] The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and improved defensive armament. The B-23 was the first operational American bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position.[1] The tail gun was a .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun, which was fired from the prone position by a gunner using a telescopic sight.[2]

The first B-23 flew on July 27, 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.[3]


B-23 Dragon front

B-23 Dragon side
Operational history
While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18,[4] the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States.[1] The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties, although 18 of them were later converted as transports and redesignated UC-67.[4]

The B-23 also served as a testbed for new engines and systems. For example, one was used for turbosupercharger development by General Electric at Schenectady, New York. Another was used for testing cabin pressurization.[5]

After World War II, many examples were used as executive transports, with appropriate internal modifications, and as a result a large number have survived, both in public and private collections.[4] Howard Hughes (among others) used converted B-23s as personal aircraft.

The reason this came up was because I saw it on my internet feed, the”Liberty Foundation” purchased one of these rare aircraft for restoration.

Not sure where this is, though I suspect Atlanta, GA.

There are several organizations using the same name and I can’t be certain which one this is.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 04:17 pm: Edit

I might comment that the B28 high-altitude twin-engine bomber (started as a version of the B25 with a presurized cabin) has also been associated with the name "Dragon" although this never happened during WWII and was only added (by mistake, apparently) in historical references a decade later.

The B28 was a good plane but by the time it was ready for production there was no real need for it. The USAAF had figured out that to actually hit a target you had to go in fairly low. There were only three B28s built, the two prototype bombers and later a prototype recon aircraft. Regular production was never started.