Lone Sentry Blog

Perfect SB2C Helldiver Landing

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

An example of a “Perfect Landing” by an SB2C Helldiver on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier from Naval Aviation News, March 15, 1945.

Pilot, landing signal officer, Fly 3 officer and hookman function like precision parts of a well-made machine in a perfect carrier landing. A Navy photographer caught this action.

Given a cut by the LSO, an SB2C comes in nicely over the center of the deck; deckmen line the walkway.

Arresting wire halts SB2C as Fly 3 officer and hook man sprint out to plane; teamwork speeds operation.

Fly 3 officer signals “Hold it” while hookman runs in from rear to free Helldiver from the arresting wire.

Fly 3 officer passes plane along to next director, clearing deck for the next plane in traffic pattern.

Posted in aircraft, miscellaneous, navy, photos | Tagged aircraft, aircraft carrier, helldiver, landing, navy, SB2C | Comments Off

Wreck of Italian Battleship Roma Discovered

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

The wreck of the Italian battleship Roma has been located by Italian Navy divers off the coast of Sardinia after a lenghty multi-year search. The battleship Roma was sunk by German aircraft on September 9, 1943 while underway to Malta to surrender to Allied forces. Italian Admiral Carlo Bergamini and over 1,300 sailors died when the battleship was sunk by the Luftwaffe.

Posted in navy, news | Tagged battleship, italian navy, italy, news, roma, sardinia | 2 Comments

Two PTs Battle Two German DDs

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

U.S. PT boat action in the Mediterranean from the Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin, (“All Hands Magazine”), July 1944.

Two PTs Battle Two German DDs

Two U.S. PT boats took on two German destroyers recently in the Mediterranean, lured them away from a convoy they should have protected, scared the wits out of them with a torpedo attack–and got home safely.

What’s more, the convoy is no more!

The action occurred 20 miles north of the island of Elba. The PT 212 and PT 214 were serving as a scouting unit for a light British-American force that had been striking at German convoys sneaking down the Italian coast.

About midnight the PTs contacted a group of German F-lighters (similar to our tank-landing craft) moving south with supplies for Nazis in Italy. Reporting the convoy’s course to the main Allied force, the torpedo boats cleared for action. Their job was to attack and divert the attention of two nearby German destroyers while the main force went after the F-lighters.

With a clear path ahead, the PTs opened throttle and roared toward the destroyers. At 350 yards, PT 212 released two torpedoes and PT 214 followed with one.

PT 212, under the command of Lt. (jg) Harold B. Lerner, USNR, 30, San Francisco, turned sharply, kicked the throttle wide open, and began laying a smoke screen. The destroyers opened fire, first sending up star shells to light the whole area. Then came the hail of steel from the destroyers’ guns. Once, zigzagging inside the smoke screen, the 212 came out in the clear. As the fire from the destroyers’ guns converged, she ducked for cover.

PT 214, commanded by Lt. (jg) Robert T. Boebel, USNR, 24, Milwaukee, was not so fortunate. The smoke devices failed to work and, as a result, she took several bursts from the destroyers’ light guns in her side. Fragments damaged the engine room and injured two men. But first the 214 scored a torpedo hit on one destroyer.

Meanwhile, as the PTs were playing their game of hide-and-seek, the main Allied force swooped in on the F-lighter convoy and in 40 minutes proceeded to sink or blow up the lot.

Posted in combat reports, navy | Tagged boat, DD, destroyer, mediterranean, navy, PT | Comments Off

A Fifth Army Report from the Beachhead

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

Fifth Army reports from the Anzio beachhead during Operation Shingle:

[ Video not available. ]

Posted in videos | Tagged anzio, fifth army, italy, nettuno, operation shingle, video | Comments Off

Naval Aviators

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

The naval aviators who are striking out at the enemy today were the cadets of yesterday. They are always willing to learn and are quick to profit from the mistakes of others. (Naval Aviation News, August 1944)

Posted in aircraft, photos | Tagged aircraft, aviators, cadets, naval, photos | Comments Off

British Aircraft

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

Posted in aircraft, training | Tagged aircraft, british, newsmap, poster, recognition | Comments Off

1/6th Figure: 1./PzRgt-5, Wiking Division, Hungary 1945

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

New 1/6th-scale Dragon WWII figure covering the Wiking Division fighting in Hungary in 1945: Item No. 70830, Hauptsturmfuhrer “Paul Senghas”, Commander, 1./PzRgt-5, “Wiking” Division, Hungary 1945. Scheduled for release June 2012.

Posted in scale models | Tagged 1/6th, 1945, action figures, hungary, wiking | Comments Off

Hellcat Tails Flaming Zeke

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

Hellcat Fighter Tails Flaming Japanese Zeke

All Hands Magazine, Dec. 1944. (U.S. Navy Photo.)

Posted in aircraft, photos | Tagged aircraft, combat, fighter, hellcat, photos, zeke | Comments Off

Japanese Aerial-Burst Bombs

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Lone_Sentry_Admin

Further intelligence reports on Japanese aerial-bombs used against Allied bombers:

JAPANESE AERIAL-BURST BOMBS

This article briefly outlines information received from the South Pacific regarding Japanese aerial-burst incendiary bombs.

At the present time two types of Japanese bombs are known which are designed to give aerial bursts. These bombs correspond with descriptions by pilots of bombs dropped on flights of our planes.

32 KILOGRAM BOMB

The 32-kilogram (70-pound) Model 99 high-explosive incendiary bomb appears to be the most commonly used type. This bomb is equipped with an impact nose fuse and a mechanical time tail fuse. The body of the bomb contains 198 incendiary pellets of steel filled with phosphorus and the tail contains 3J pounds of high explosive. On explosion the incendiary pellets shoot downwards in the form of a cone with an estimated danger radius of 50 to 75 yards. In addition to the incendiary effect of these pellets the bomb case supplies a fragmentation effect though probably not extending beyond 75 yards.

The bomb has angled tail fins which cause it to spin in the air.

250 KILOGRAM BOMB

The 250-kilogram (550-pound) high-explosive incendiary bomb is Type 2, Mark 3, Model 1. It is equipped with an impact nose fuse and mechanical time tail fuse. The bomb contains 73 pounds of high explosive and 756 incendiary fragments. On explosion fragments are sprayed conically downwards with great force to a range of 200 yards. Due to its angled tail fins this bomb also spins in the air.

TIME FUSE

The aerial-burst fuses used by the Japanese are all mechanical time fuses. Settings cannot be made in the airplane. The fuses do not arm until the bomb spins at the rate of 1,000 revolutions a minute. To attain this rate of spin the 250-kilogram bomb requires a drop of 3,000 feet and, therefore, must be released at this altitude or higher to insure a burst. The 32-kilogram bomb requires a similar drop. They may be set, however, to drop much greater distances before bursting.

BOMB CLUSTERS

Captured documents indicate that bomb clusters may be used against aircraft in flight. One type contains 76 bombs each weighing two-thirds of a pound while another variety contains 40 two-pound bombs. These bombs detonate on impact and are of the hollow charge variety.