Picture of the day. (8 Viewers)

[Glider]

I know that it was a cultural keystone but those swords much have been totally impractical in an aircraft.

 

[Viking1066]

IJNS Zuikaku in Autumn 1944 WIKI

 

[syscom3]

Lockheed Leadership!

 

[Viking1066]

Eight WASPs gather on the ramp at Waco Field, Texas, for a final group picture before the WASP was disbanded on 20 December 1944 WIKI

 

[Warspite63]

I know that it was a cultural keystone but those swords much have been totally impractical in an aircraft.

...and extremely hazardous if parachuting ........

 

[PFVA63]

I have to admit it does bring to mind bizarre images of flyers jumping out of aircraft to attack enemy planes

[Image via MicroSoft Designer AI App

 

[Viking1066]

In April 1944, the landing ship Akitsu Maru was given a small flight deck at the Harima shipyard, turning it into an ersatz aircraft carrier. Six Ki-76 aircraft were assigned to it ALTH

 

[Viking1066]

IJN prelaunch 1917 CHIA

 

[Viking1066]

Yokosuka Ku Oppama Base 1945 BOUD

 

[Viking1066]

The three Kawasaki Ki-60 prototypes 1941 FLIK

 

[Wurger]

 

[tyrodtom]

...and extremely hazardous if parachuting ........

In most cases they were heirlooms that had been in their family for many generations, maybe they considered them good luck charms.

I carried my dads knife that he had carried at Guadalcanal when I was in Vietnam, he gave it to me, I wasn't superstitious, but I took it.
Hardly a samurai sword, but the thought was similar.

 

[Viking1066]

Nakajima B5N2 'BI-318' from the IJNS Soryu December 21-23 1941 before Hiryu and Soryu BI and BII BURI

 

[Greg Boeser]

If that is accurate, it was attacking Wake Island.

 

[Greg Boeser]

On 22 December, 1941 a strike force consisting of six A6M2s and 33 B5N2s were launched by Soryu and Hiryu to bomb Wake Island. They were intercepted by the last two flyable F4F-3s of VMF-211. CPT Frueler managed to shoot down two Soryu B5N2s before his plane was crippled by the Hiryu A6M2 flown by PO3 Tahara Isao. Tahara also shot down 2LT Davidson before he could inflict harm on the Japanese strike force.
A third Soryu B5N2 was forced to ditch due to battle damage. Four Hiryu B5N2s were damaged by AA fire.

 

[Viking1066]

A captured USAAF Curtiss P-40 at Yokota airfield, Japan with Japanese markings including the Akeno Army Air School's symbol REDD

 

[syscom3]

A Ju 87 Stuka unit near Arras, France. May, 1940

 

[Viking1066]

"Zuiyun" of 634 Kokutai in a hangar in Kure ALTH

 

[syscom3]

U.S. Coast Guard Hall PH-3 Seaplane. May 20, 1940.

 

[syscom3]

Igor Sikorsky preparing to give the public demonstration of his helicopter in
Connecticut, 20 May 1940.