Many French fighter aircraft are things of amazing grace and beauty. It is difficult to say that about the Arsenal-Delanne 10-C2.
Playlist - World War Two
Spitfire VIII; The One That Kind of Missed the Bus
The Spitfire MK.VIII could have been the definitive model of the legendary fighter. But the Focke Wulf 190, thwarted that.
Ikarus S-49; Yugoslavia’s “Doing-It-For-Themselves” Fighter
When the relationship between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union fell apart in 1948, Yugoslavia needed to replace their Russian fighters quickly
How a Stray Fighter Nearly Led to Special Forces Raid and Saddled the Swiss Air Force with a Bunch of Lemons
When an advanced German fighter had to put down in neutral Switzerland, the Nazi’s considered extreme actions to keep its technology secret.
The Koolhoven F.K.58; A Dutch Fighter Used by Poles Fighting for the French
Designed and built for the French by an obscure Dutch aircraft company, the F.K.58 ended up flying with a Free Polish Unit.
Worthy of an Oscar; The Curtiss Wright CW-21 Demon
Designed and built to a perceived need for a rapid climbing interceptor, the CW-21 Demon never really made a mark.
“Killing Rommel” (2008) by Steven Pressfield
It must first be pointed out that this is not a factual book; it is a novel and, as such, is an unusual selection to be on Military Matters, which generally deals with factual sources. The reason for its inclusion is that Pressfield manages to convey something in this book that most writers never seem to get right – the sheer confusion, boredom and terror of war.
MAC and CAM; When Merchantmen Became Aircraft Carriers
Few situations were more desperate than that of the British in the early years of World War Two when they faced being starved into submission by German blockade. Desperate times, as the saying goes, call for desperate measures. And few measures show how desperate the British were to combat the threat of submarine and air attack on their convoys than the first stopgap counters to the threat; the CAM and MAC vessels of the British and Dutch merchant marine – in essence civilian aircraft carriers!
No “Goddamn Politician Made Wars” – The Life of Charles Michael Sweeny, Mercenary of Conscience
Charles Michael Sweeny (1882-1963) is describable as the soldier-of-fortune but it would probably be fairer to call him a soldier-of-conscience. Sweeny played a role in many of the major conflicts that occurred in the first half of the twentieth century where his natural aptitude for soldiering saw him rise from the ranks of rebel and private soldier to various command positions in armies around the world.
