On This Day In Aviation History

[n33d4sp33d_85]

76 years ago today:

On this date in 1944 the second day of the Battle of the Philippine Sea saw these dive bombers had what may have been their best day.

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

94 years ago today:

On this date in 1926 the US Coast Guard opened the first permanent Coast Guard Air Stations. These Grumman amphibians used them for decades. https://www.avgeekery.com/the-albatross ... -mariner…/

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

66 years ago today:

On this date in 1954 three Boeing B-47 Stratojets crossed the Pacific Ocean in under 15 hours.

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

59 years ago today:

Eye opener- on this date in 1961 the Douglas DC-4-based Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair flew for the first time

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

60 years ago today:

On this date in 1960 the last Boeing B-29 Superfortresses were retired. Some made it back from the dead though. https://www.avgeekery.com/the-superfort ... ard-b-29…/

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

73 years ago today, the Martin XB-48 flew for the first time. It competed with the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, which proved to be a superior design, and was largely considered as a backup plan in case the B-47 ran into development problems. It never saw production or active duty, and only two prototypes were built.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwT3qGFfQF4

66 years ago today, the A-4 Skyhawk flew for the first time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azla8UIRpuI

[n33d4sp33d_85]

76 years ago today:

Eye opener: On this date in 1944 the escort carriers USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) and USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62) catapulted USAAF P-47D Thunderbolts of the 19th and 73rd Fighter Squadrons (318th Fighter Group) from their decks as part of Operation Forager- the Marianas Islands invasion.

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

79 years ago today:

#OTD in 1941, the Germans began their invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. This opened up the Eastern Front in which more forces were eventually committed than in any other theater in history.
The Eastern Front saw some of the war's largest battles and highest casualty rates. The Germans would never recover from the ultimate failure of Operation Barbarossa. The German offensive stalled in the Battle of Moscow at the end of 1941, and the subsequent Soviet winter counteroffensive pushed German troops back. The Germans became bogged down in a war of attrition for which they were unprepared.

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

69 years ago today:

On this date in 1951 one of the most often-seen carrier mishaps occurred. VF-51 Commanding Officer CDR George C Duncan struck the ramp aboard USS Midway (CV-41) while flying F9F-5 Panther BuNo 125228. The forward fuselage of the jet broke off on impact and rolled up the deck away from the fuel fire, saving Duncan's life and providing footage for movies like Men of the Fighting Lady, Midway, and The Hunt For Red October

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[n33d4sp33d_85]

78 years ago today:

#OTD in 1942 the Martin JRM Mars made its first flight. The Mars is still the largest Allied flying boat to enter production, although only seven were built. Do you know of a larger flying boat... OTHER than the Spruce Goose?

Note the nose of the XPB2M-1 prototype and how it differed from the production version. Initially contracted in 1938 to serve as a patrol bomber, by 1942 the Navy no longer needed a large, slow bomber and its role was shifted to that of transport, which is why the designation was JRM and not PB2M. There's another huge difference between the prototype and the production version, can you spot it?

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