The Soviet Tupolev Tu-4 strategic bomber was an unlicensed, reverse-engineered copy of the US WWII Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber. The Soviets used it in their first air dropped Atomic bomb tests and for launching anti-shipping missiles. It led the Soviets to produce more advanced aircraft including the Tupolev Tu-16 jet bomber and the Tupolev … Continue reading Soviet Tupolev Tu-4 Bomber →

On Monday, March 27, I am going into the hospital for hip replacement surgery and afterwards is recovery for an unknown period of time. During this period, Mike’s Research website will still be available but comments will not be monitored or approved. Hi all, I am back posting today - Mike.  

The announcement that a squadron of Centurion tanks was to reinforce the Australian forces in South Vietnam was greeted by skepticism in some quarters. Critics claimed that the mobility of the heavy tanks would be so curtailed by the rice paddies and jungle that they would eventually become static pillboxes defending the perimeter of bases. … Continue reading Centurion Tanks in Vietnam →

Officially M3 Light Tank was a WWII US tank that was supplied to Russia, Britain and other Commonwealth armies under lend-lease prior to the US entry into the war.    The US combat debut of the M3 Stuart tank in the ETO was during the Allies Invasion of North Africa where it engaged the Vichy French, … Continue reading US M3 Stuart North Africa 1942 →

The Grumman F9F Panther was one of the US Navy's first successful carrier-based jet fighter and Grumman’s first jet fighter.    It was a single-engine, straight-winged day fighter armed with four 20mm (0.79 in) cannons and could carry rockets and bombs.    The Panther was used by the US Navy and US Marine Corps in the Korean … Continue reading Grumman F9F Panther Jet →

The Ferdinand Sd.Kfz.184 was a 70 ton panzerjäger (tank hunter) armed with a 88mm Pak 43/2 L/71 main gun and used by the Germans during WWII.    Its combat debut was during Operation Citadel (German: Unternehmen Zitadelle, AKA the Battle of Kursk) in July 1943 where it was misused as a direct assault weapon and suffered … Continue reading Ferdinands/Elefants on the Eastern Front →

During World War II, many soldiers, sailors and pilots of all nations had pets and mascots in the combat zone.    Probably the most unique was a Syrian brown bear which belonged to the Polish 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps who became a war hero and a legend.         … Continue reading Wojtek, FWD HAR-1 Truck →

During the winter of 1944-45, the Italian campaign was a stalemate due to the winter weather.    The country was sodden from winter rains and the mud made armored operations impossible.    The Allies spent the winter in highly inhospitable conditions.    Bologna is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy and is … Continue reading Bologna 1945 →

Since the outbreak of WWII, hydro-electric dams were considered one of the many important strategic bombing targets in Germany.    By 1942, they were heavily protected by flak guns and torpedo nets and the Allies Air Forces had no effective means of destroying them.    The existing bombs and bombing methods at the time would had little … Continue reading Bouncing Bombs, Dam Busters →

The US M7 Medium Tank was originally designed as an up-gunned replacement for the M3/M5 Stuart Light Tank.    But requested changes pushed the design too far increasing its weight to the point where it was reclassified as a medium tank.    As a medium tank, its performance and armor protection was inferior to the battle tested … Continue reading US M7 Tank →

On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") AKA the "Battle of the Bulge".    The town of Malmédy was located on the northern edge of the bulge and was associated with the infamous massacre of US soldiers by SS Panzer troops.    During the offensive, Panzerbrigade 150 equipped … Continue reading Malmédy 1944 →

Soon after the outbreak of the Korean War, the US 1st Marine Tank Battalion was one of the armored units ordered to prepare for a rapid deployment to Korea.    Upon arrival, elements of the battalion disembarked at the port of Pusan and immediately went into combat where it was the first unit to engage and … Continue reading US 1st Marine Tank Battalion Korea 1950 →

The Panzerkampfwagen (Pz.Kpfw.) V Sd.Kfz 171 Panther armed with a 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun was considered one of the best German medium tanks of WWII.    The Germans (Hilter) made the mistake of rushing the new Panther in service before numerous teething problems were resolved and the crews were properly prepared.    Its combat debut during … Continue reading Panthers at Kursk 1943 →

In 1944, the 767th Tank Battalion supported the US 7th Infantry Division during two campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO).    This battalion was the first unit to employ the M10 Tank Destroyer in combat in the PTO on Kwajalein Island and later participated in the Leyte invasion landing on the most southern beaches … Continue reading US 767 Tank Battalion Pacific 1944 →

In 1939, Winston Churchill feared that the French Maginot and the German Siegfried lines would develop into wasteful stalemate trench warfare as in WWI.    He conceived and pursued the construction of a trench digging machine which would allow the Allies to assault the Siegfried line.   His vision was that a fleet of these machines would … Continue reading Churchill’s Nellie I →

The Elefant (German for "Elephant") Sd.Kfz.184 was a 70 ton panzerjäger (tank hunter) used by the Germans during WWII.    It was armed with a 88mm Pak 43/2 L/71 main gun and a 7.92 mm MG 34 hull machine gun.         On 21 May 1942, Henschel and Porsche submitted designs for a 45-ton … Continue reading Elefants in Italy 1944 →

An "ace" is a military pilot credited with shooting down 5 enemy aircraft during aerial combat.    During the Korean War (1950 to 1953), there were 39 US Air Force (including one US Marine on temporary duty) aces flying F-86 Sabres for the UN.   On the Communist side, there were 52 Soviet "Volunteer" Mig-15 aces flying … Continue reading Korean War US Navy only Ace →

The DUKW (commonly known as the "Duck") was a six-wheel-drive amphibious version of the 2 1/2 ton CCKW truck used by US and Allied forces during WWII and the Korean War.    The name DUKW comes from the General Motors Corporation (GMC) model nomenclature. D - Designed in 1942 U - Utility K - All-wheel drive … Continue reading DUKWs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day →

Somewhere northwest of Hill 112 (southwest of Caen) in mid-July 1944, Churchill Mk.VII tank named "BRITON" belonging to the 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and its crew was photographed.   This tank and its crew came into the limelight when these photographs were published in an issue of a popular magazine.   These model kits … Continue reading Churchill Tank BRITON →

The Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers-Marins (RBFM) was an unique French unit formed during WWII.    A group of French sailors (whose ships were either immobilized or destroyed) interned in Britain volunteered and formed an infantry battalion fought the Axis forces along side the US troops in French North Africa.    Later the battalion was transformed into a … Continue reading Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers-Marins →

The M41 Walker Bulldog was an American light tank developed for armed reconnaissance purposes and to replace the then aging World War II era M24 Chaffee tank.    It was produced by Cadillac Motor Car Division of the General Motors Corporation (GMC) at a production facility in Cleveland, Ohio between 1951 and 1954 with a … Continue reading M41 Walker Bulldog in combat →

Operation Ripper (6-31 March 1951) was a main UN offensive during the Korean war with the objective of liberating the South Korea capital Seoul and to force the communist forces back to the 38th Parallel.   The Chinese did not have any tanks and the North Koreans lost most of their tanks during the fighting in … Continue reading Operation Ripper Korea 1951 * →

The M4A3E8 was the last modification of the US Sherman tank series during WWII.  This variant also known as M4A3(76)W HVSS featured a welded hull armed with a 76mm gun and had wet ammo storage ("W") where the ammo racks were surrounded by separate small containers of a mixture of water, ethylene glycol, and a … Continue reading M4A3E8 Sherman →

On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine" AKA the Battle of the Bulge) with the objective to split the Allied armies in the Ardennes, cross the Meuse river and capture the port of Antwerp.   This would have allowed the Germans to encircle and destroy the Allied … Continue reading Celles 1944 →

The Chinese-American 1st Provisional Tank Group (1st PTG) was a joint US and Nationalist Chinese unit formed during WWII.   This lesser known unit gain little recognition while fighting in the China-Burma-India theater (CBI).   While the USAAC was flying critical supplies from India to China over the 'hump', the 1st PTG supported the allies effort to reopen … Continue reading Chinese-American 1st Provisional Tank Group →

The British Matilda A12 tank was a 60,000 lbs. (27 tons) infantry tank armed with a QF 2 Pounder (40mm, 1.57 inch) gun and a coaxial Besa 7.92mm machine gun.   One of the weaknesses of the Matilda II was the lack of a high-explosive round for its main gun.  The Matilda's main strength was its heavy … Continue reading Matilda Operation Crusader 1941 →

The Achilles was a British variant of the open turret US M10 tank destroyer up armed with the superior British Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) anti-tank gun which replaced the original US 3 inch Gun.  The conversion involved installing a new gun mantle and a counterweight on the gun barrel.  The Achilles was assigned … Continue reading M10 Achilles Chelsea →

On 17 September 1944, Operation Market Garden surprised the Germans when Allied airborne troops dropped behind the front lines around Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem.  Although scattered elements of the SS 9th "Hohenstaufen" and SS 10th "Frundsberg" Panzer-Divisions were around Arnhem at the time, the Germans still had to rush all available armour units to counter … Continue reading Panzer-Kompanie Mielke →

The  schwerer Panzerspähwagen (Fu) Sd.Kfz. 232 (8-rad) (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 232) was produced from 1938 to 1943 and carried a Fu.Ger.11 SE 100 medium range and a Fu.Spr.Ger.A short range radio.   It was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon and a coaxial 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun.  It had 8 wheel drive, 8 … Continue reading Sd.Kfz. 232 Armored Car →

This is a collection of photos taken during Desert Shield and later Storm (August 1990 to March 1991).   Most of these photos are of the lesser known units of the XVIII Airborne Corps which fought in the western Iraqi desert and north of Kuwait.  Also included are some Iraqi armor which were encountered, a controversial … Continue reading Desert Shield/Storm 1990-91 →

A field modification made by Александр Михайлович Метла (Alexander Mikhailovich Metla, "Metla" is "broom" in Russian) for the Soviet VDV airborne forces in Afghanistan in 1987 to protect convoys moving through valleys and ravines which were exposed to attacks by Mujahideen rebels.  The modification mounted a section of a BRDM-2 armored car with the turret mounting … Continue reading URAL 4320 Broom →

The 141st Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) regiment was formed in 1941 by the conversion of the 7th battalion, Royal East Kent regiment which raised itself in 1940 and the "3rd Regiment of Foot" (created in 1572 in London).  In November 1941, the regiment was assigned to the 31st Tank Brigade and in early 1944 was … Continue reading 141 RAC Regiment Crocodiles →

The Churchill Great Eastern was a WWII rocket operated ramp tank designed to overcome obstacles which cannot could be bridged by the then in service Churchill ARK.  It was able to form a bridge 60 feet (18m) long and could climb over a wall 12 feet (3.7m) high and 5 feet (1.5m) wide.  The ramp … Continue reading Churchill Great Eastern →

A carrier-capable Night fighter jet aircraft manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company in El Segundo, California was employed by the US Navy and Marines.  The first flight of the XF3D-1 occurred on 23 March 1948.  28 F3D-1s were built and the F3D-2 was first ordered in August 1949 with a total of 237 F3D-2s built … Continue reading F3D-2/EF-10B Skyknight →

The US 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR), the "Brave Rifles" was formed on 19 May 1846 and under different names fought in 11 major conflicts: Indian Wars, Mexican–American War, American Civil War, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, World War I, World War II, Desert Shield/Storm, SFOR in Bosnia, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in … Continue reading US 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment 2003 →

This blog is a collection of my research notes from my model building hobby.   I am only trying to provide fellow modelers, war gamers  and historians interesting photos and details/facts on subjects for models which I had built, currently building or going to build someday.   Since I am not a professional author, my posts are … Continue reading About my blog →