Italian Newsreel - Macchi C.202 in action

First kills for the Macchi 202 Folgore over Malta CLICK HERE

Memphis Belle

Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick. The film is a fictionalization of the 1943 documentary Memphis Belle: the story of a flying fortress, about the 25th and last combat mission of an 8th Air Force B-17. The film stars Matthew Modine, Billy Zane and inctroduces Harry Connick Jr. in his screen debut.

The Memphis Belle's final target is Bremen, one of the most heavily defended German towns. The 10-men crew joins their group fellows for their mission. For the first part of their journey, they'll be escorted by friendly fighters, but twhen they'll ran out of fuel, the B-17s will have to fight the Luftwaffe on their own. The formation is repeatedly attacked by  Bf-109 and Fw-190 squadrons, loosing many bombers, including the leading aircraft. The Memphis Belle then guides the bombing group to hit the target but is badly damaged. Three out of four engines have been hit, and a large portion of the tail fin has been teared away.

Incredibly, the B-17 limps back home, but coudn't low is right landing gear. Low on fuel, they crew is forced to land anyway. The gunners desperatly try to manually low the wheel. At the very first moment, the wheel comes down, and the Memphis Belle lands bouncing over the wheel. The battered bomber stop on the grassfield, groundcrewmen and officers reach the aircraft to celebrate the flyers, who are kissing the ground and celebrating their comeback home.

Memphis Belle, air clash scene

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Spitfire Mk. IX in action

THE FIRST SPITFIRE SHOT DOWN IN WW2, CLICK HERE

Memphis Belle opening scene

HEAD-ON ATTACK ON A B-17 CLICK HERE

Deadly fights over Germany

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Liberators of the Atlantic - Coastal Command B-24 Liberator units

In 1940, the RAF purchased 20 Consolidated B-24 A - serial numbers 40-2349 to 40-2368 - under the name of Liberators B. I. The aircrafts were dellivered from  mid 1941 and sent to Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, where they were intensively tested. They were declared unsuitable for combat operations over Europe, given the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, poor defensive armament and weak performances.

The Liberator had, however, some important characteristics which could be very useful: its long range and heavy bomb load made it an ideal maritime patrol aircraft. They were passed to the Coastal Command, who was desperately looking for long range patrollers to counter the German U-boats. 

Liberator after conversion with airborne radar mounted

An extensive conversion programm started, installing ASV MK II radars and Leigh Light searchlights. Some aircrafts were given a pack of four 20mm-cannons under the fuselage, while some others were equipped with 3 ich (76mm) rockets under each wing.

The first unit to receive the Liberator GR I was No.120 Sqn, operating from Northern Ireland. The deployment of the four-engine bomber had great effects in the Battle of the Atlantic;  the Coastal Command reconnaisssance force almost doubled its range capabilities and, for the first time in the war, it was possible to cover part of the mid-Atlantic gap. For almost an entire year, No. 120 Sqn was the only unit capable of supply air cover for convoys in the previous uncovered area.
To further increase the aircraft range, armour and gun turrets were sacrificed in order to save weight and carry extra fuel; the new version was renamed VLR (Very Long Range) The Leigh Leight searchlight gave the Liberator the capability to hunt U-boats also by night, where they had been safe and undisturbed for almost three years.

In the final months on 1942, four U-boats were sunk by No.120 Sqn and the more recently-equipped No. 224 Sqn.

The US Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force also started to operate VLR Liberators on the other side of the Atlantic, and by mid-1943 they started to fly from the Azores too.

The sudden and decisive turning of the Battle of the Atlantic in May 1943 was given to many factors, and the long range cover given by the Liberators was one of the msot important.

At the end of the war, the B-24/Liberator VLR was credited with 72 sinkings (full or shared), making it the most succesfull aircrafts against the U-boats.

COASTAL COMMAND SUNDERLAND ATTACKING U-BOAT U-625 http://ww2eagles.blogspot.com/2011/06/sunderland-vs-u-boat.html

Repeat Please - Famous scene from the movie Battle of Britain

The Ten-Gun Terror. Beaufighter Attacks over sea, jungle and desert

RAF TORPEDO BOMBERS ATTACKING GERMAN SHIPS

CLICK HEREhttp://ww2eagles.blogspot.com/2011/06/raf-vs-kriegsmarine-1942.html

Belly-landed Bf-109