Search results for ""Kagero""

Ju 87 D (Dora) is another version of this popular dive bomber. Despite the weak armor and less sufficient performance, the Stukas were still produced due to the lack of a successor. However, the plane underwent some modifications that allowed it to be used for a variety of tasks. Ju 87 D had a more efficient water and oil cooling system, a more aerodynamic fuselage and modified crew cabin that was more spacious and better thought out. Dora was driven by one of the two Junkers’ engines: Jumo 211 J-1 with 1420 hp or Jumo 211 P with 1500 hp. Fuel tanks were increased up to the capacity of 1370 l, which allowed to achieve an average flight length of 2 hours and 15 minutes. In the case of using external drop-tanks, the flight time increased to 4 hours. In relation to the Ju 87 B version D could carry much bigger load of bombs. It was a jump from 500 to about 1200 kg of bombs, and with minimum amount of fuel and for short-distance missions, the aircraft could carry up as much as 1800 kg of bombs. Individual variants – from D-1 to D-4 – differed in the used armor and equipment: D-2 – was planned for tropical operations, D-3 – was planned for night (D-3 N) or tropical missions (D-3/trop), D-4 – torpedo-bomber version.

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Before the P-47 Thunderbolt gained a “bubble top” fairing, these fighters had slightly different – some claim to be more racial – figure. In the first versions, the plane had a typical canopy built into the fuselage, which resulted in a slightly hunched line. The first copies of the P-47B underwent a series of tests at the turn of 1941 and 1942. Initially, they were not very promising. One of the planes was lost because of the tail tearing off during the dive. In addition, at heights above 9144 m, the flaps froze, it was impossible to open the cabin hood, and the forces on the rudders were very big. At high speeds, the paint covering the elevators fell off and the aerodynamic pressure inflated their sheath (they were covered with canvas), causing dangerous tail vibrations. To remedy these problems, metal sheathing was introduced, elevators shape was changed and weight flaps were added. The propulsion of the P-47B version was a 2000 HP R-2800-21 engine. The time to reach the ceiling of 4572 m was 6.7 minutes. The aircraft developed a speed of 690 km/h at an altitude of 8230 m (in horizontal flight), which was a great result.

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The decision to start the production of the Curtiss P-40 fighter was made primarily due to the relatively low airframe price and the possibility of launching it almost immediately (based on Curtiss P-36s ready fuselages). The P-40 did not have a turbocharger, but despite this the requirements were constantly increasing, especially when it comes to the maximum speed. It was requested to raise it by over 100 km/h (up to 580 km/h). It required a number of construction changes e.g. new exhaust pipes, new shape and size of the air intake to the carburetor at the top of the engine cover, moving forward the coolers under the nose. After the tests in the NACA wind tunnel it turned out that these changes were not enough. The plane underwent further aerodynamic refinements, using, among others, smooth riveting and retractable tail ring. In the end, the speed was 589 km/h at 4570 m, which gave the green light for serial production.

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The destroyer Spravedlivyy was constructed in the Severniy Sudostroitelniy Zavod imeni A.A. Zhdanova (Shipyard No. 190) in 1954–1956 as one of 27 Project 56 destroyers, also known as the Spokoinyy class (designated Kotlin by NATO). They were destroyers in the old fashion, created in the early 1950s by designers of the 53rd Central Design Bureau (CKB-53) led by head designer A.L. Fisher, who was also the author of Project 30bis (NATO: Skoryy-class).

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This book is soft bound of 76 pages in English. It comes with a hand-held pair of cardboard glasses that have one red lends and one blue one, to use to see pictures in the book in 3D. The book contains 42 black and white wartime photos. Including the front and back covers. There are 18 color photos of a Hetzer of the“Hemmann von Salza” regiment on the outskirts of Berlin, April 1945 and 72 color illustrations . These illustrations are done in 3D.

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This monograph of the most famous dive bomber of World War II focuses on the design and combat operations of the late marks of the Stuka: the Ju 87D dive bomber and strike aircraft and the Ju 87G tank buster. In addition to the detailed description of the design, the book covers combat operations of the Luftwaffe units equipped with the D and G models, as well as the biographies of the most prominent aircrews who flew those aircraft in combat. The text is supplemented by original photographs and 3D drawings showing details of the design.

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Israel Aircraft Industries manufactured 51 single and ten two-seater Mirage 5s, the IDFAF named them Nesher; after an outstanding performance in the Yom Kippur War, most were sold to Argentina late 70s. By the beginning of the decade, the Argentina Air Force was in the process of modernizing its fleet of combat aircraft. While that stage had begun some years earlier with the introduction of the first batch of Douglas A-4P Skyhawk, it began with the incorporation of the BAC Canberra (intended to replace veteran Avro Lincoln and Lancaster killed in 1967) bombers and the signing of the contract for the first supersonic jet FAA: the Mirage III.

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The Fiat G.55 Centauro fighter was designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli at the Fiat factory in 1942 and flown in the spring of the same year (April 30). The plane was to be a response to the demand for an interceptor capable of operating at high altitudes, which was dictated by the increasing intensity of Allied air raids on Italian cities and military infrastructure. A total of 130 copies of this machine were produced.Most Fiats G.55 were stationed in bases in northern Italy, from which they defended industrial plants located in these regions. The G.55 fighters were very highly rated by the pilots who considered them superior to the German Bf 109s G and K versions, and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A. Unfortunately, due to the bombing of Fiat factories and problems with the supply of a sufficient number of Daimler Benz 603 engines, the production of the aircraft was stopped.Published in Kagero’s renowned Top Drawings series for modellers and military historians, this volume detailssize=2 color="#333333"> the history of the Fiat G.55 Centauro fighter and includes size=2>10 quality colour profiles and drawings in scale.color="#333333">

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The German heavy tank destroyer Panzerjäger Tiger (P) (Sd.Kfz. 184) Ferdinand was based on the chassis of the Tiger (P) tank designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The vehicle was not accepted by army, but because 90 chassis have already been produced at the Nibelungenwerke plant, it was decided that they could be usefully developed. This is how the tank destroyer based on the Tiger (P) chassis was born.

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Aleksander Siewierski, originally from Georgia, was in the United States in 1917 and was there when the revolution in Russia broke out. As Alexander Seversky, he founded the Seversky Aero Corporation. Alexander Kartvelli (also a Georgian) became his main designer. Unfortunately, financial problems led to firing Seversky, and his company changed its name to Republic Aviation Corporation. The projects started and developed by Seversky, which resulted in the P-35 fighter, were continued, though.As a result of its further development, a design for the XP-41 high-altitude fighter equipped with a turbocharger was prepared. Only a prototype was built, while many of its solutions went to a more advanced aircraft, designated AP-4, and finally P-43.

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The author of this monograph would like to inform his reader right away that he does not claim to cover the following topic as fully as it could possibly be. At the present time, there are many historical documents, schematic drawings that once were placed in secret archives, memories of historical persons, and participants of long past events. So, if the author tried to describe and publish all the materials about the only plane that took an active involvement in the Second World War - it would be a multivolume publication with an appendix consisting of a thick folder with numerous drafts…The purpose of this monograph is the author’s desire to introduce the reader to a remarkable fighter aircraft, that which had a great influence on both the pre-war development of Soviet aircraft, and the military developments that occurred in the first few months of the war between Germany and the USSR. And at the same time about its creator - Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, who had the unspoken title of "King of fighters" during his lifetime. Those readers, who are interested in the technical matter of the topic, could refer to some earlier publications about the I-16 aircraft. Unfortunately, only one publication was published in English. But you may find Russian-language publications, detailed declassified drawings, and a technical description of the aircraft in the global network.

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Messerschmitt Bf 109T was supposed to operate from German aircraft carrier “Graf Zeppelin”. The plane was equipped with arresting hook and had enlarged wing span up to 11,08 m. It did not have folding wings because “Graf Zeppelin’s” elevators were supposed to be enough big to fit planes with fixed wings. Anyway the wings could be detached for transport. There were versions T-1 and T-2 developed. Fighters served in JG 77 and JG 11 units.

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M3 General Lee – an American medium tank from World War II era, also used by the British army. In the US, known as Lee, in the United Kingdom as Grant. M3 tank was created as a result of the need to replace the obsolete M2 tank, which did not match the WWII battlefield. The serial production began in August 1941. The M3 tank had many components from the M2 light tank, including chassis, Wright R975 EC2 star engine and the shape of the combat compartment.

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Yubari, the smallest of Japanese cruisers built after World War I, was in fact an experimental design. The ship was intended as a test bed for new technologies to be employed in the construction of the future Furutaka class heavy cruisers. The ship’s lead designer Fujimoto Kikuo, working under the supervision of the Imperial Navy’s chief naval architect Hiraga Yuzuru, set out to create a fast and heavily armed cruiser with the lightest displacement possible. What emerged was a vessel capable of the same speed, range and broadside weight as those of 5,500 ton ships, but with a significantly lower displacement. The construction of the cruiser was initially authorized under the 1917 8-4 Fleet Program, but funding wasn’t available until the launch of the 1921 8-6 Fleet Program, where the ship was listed under the name Ayase. The blueprints were formally approved in October 1921 and on December 23, 1921 the ship was renamed Yubari – a reference to the river Yubarigawa in Hokkaido. Sea trials of the cruiser confirmed her expected sea keeping characteristics, but also showed she was overweight – not an uncommon feature for Japanese designs. After she had been completed, Yubari’s normal displacement (with a 25 percent fuel reserve) was 419 tons (14 percent) above the design figures. This had a detrimental effect on the ship’s speed. During a one-mile run carried out on July 5, 1923 Yubari (displacing 3,463 tons) reached the top speed of 34.786 kt with the machinery producing 61,336 hp at 409.87 rpm. With 75 percent of fuel on board, the cruiser’s draft increased by 61 cm, which increased drag and resulted in the drop of speed below the expected 35.5 kt.

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The book presents color profiles of selected tanks fighting on the Eastern Front, both on the Soviet and German sides. The book comes with a decal sheet.

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The Brandenburg class battleships were the first blue water warships of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy), in the end of 19th century, and can be categorized as the first German pre-dreadnought ships. Imperial German Navy was founded in 1871 under the auspices of Kaiser Wilhem I. The German Navy was created around the small Prussian Navy. Initially the Germans ordered several obsolete ironclads. However, the new German Navy was only capable for coastal defense operations and could not be considered as an instrument for the WeltPolitik and for the projection of German power worldwide. In 1888 the most modern ships of the German fleet were the six Siegfried class (3.400 tons) and two Odin class coastal defense ships. The new Kaiser Wilhem II the architect of the German Naval expansion, decided to challenge England’s hegemony in the seas. As first step he established in 1888 the Imperial Naval Office (Reichmarineamt) a governmental agency monitoring the design, development and financing of the new fleet units. Under the leadership of Vice-Admiral Alexander von Monts, the Imperial Naval Office started to implement the naval visions of Kaiser Wilhem II.

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The German heavy tank Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger is a vehicle known even to laymen. It was heavily armored and armed with a deadly 88 mm gun. Despite their legend, the Tigers were plagued by several technical problems, especially with propulsion, which often did not allow them to fully use their combat potential.The main motivator for designing the Pz.Kpfw. VI was eager to install a Flak 36 antiaircraft gun 36 caliber 88 in the turret. It was a weapon that could destroy Soviet tanks on long distances. In addition, it was necessary to build a tank able to withstand fire from the T-34/76 guns, which effectively eliminated the German medium tanks Pz.Kpfw. III and IV.A competition for a tank that fulfills these requirements was set, and in April 1942 the prototypes of Porshe and Henschel went for the final duel. After a series of tests, the tank developed by Henshel proved to be better. It received the designation Sd.Kfz. 181 Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1 and went into production at the plants in Kassel-Mittelfeld and Wegmann AG.The tank was plagued by many teething problems, and as a result, many subsequent construction changes were introduced in the course of production. Considering the periods of their implementation, it is possible to extract Tigers of early production series, vehicles after modification and vehicles of late production series.

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The "Smelyi" type destroyer, Project 30 bis (Skoryi class, according to NATO classification), was the first destroyer designed and built after World War two with new shipbuilding technologies available in the USSR. World War Two demonstrated that all early-built Soviet destroyers had serious flaws. Poor seaworthiness, hull fragility, lack of displacement reserves for modernization. The technical design and working drawings of the new EM were developed under the leadership of the main designer A.L. Fisher. On 28 January 1947, by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N3 149-75 "On the construction of destroyers of the 30K and 30 bis Projects", the technical design developed in TsKB-53 was approved. The construction of ships of this series was to take place at four shipyards: No. 190 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), No. 200 in Mikolayov, No. 199 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and No. 402 in Molotov (now the town of Severodvinsk).

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The history of Japanese memoir literature began over a thousand years ago, its greatest practitioners being women of the "middle ranks" whose literary talents won many of them positions as ladies-in-waiting at the Heian imperial court. As female writers they both inhabited and helped create a discursive world obsessed with the arts of concealment and self-display, the perils and possibilities—erotic, political, and literary—of real and metaphorical peepholes. As memoirists they were virtuosos in the exacting art of feminine self-representation. Fictions of Femininity explores the Heian memoirists' creations of themselves in four texts: Kagero nikki (The Kagero Memoir, after 974), Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book, after 994), Sarashina nikki (The Sarashina Memoir, after 1058), and Sanuki no suke nikki (The Memoir of the Sanuki Assistant Handmaid, after 1108). Essays on the individual memoirs pursue a dual interest, asking how each text works as a rhetorical construct and how it reflects the author's negotiations with Heian fictions about women and writing. Letting the memoirs themselves set the terms for exploring gender constructions, Fictions of Femininity addresses a spectrum of related issues. The reading of The Kagero Memoir probes two traditional avenues of feminine expression: the writing of waka and the discourse of Buddhist nunhood. Two essays on The Sarashina Memoir reveal a fine weave of literary, religious, and autoerotic fantasies, highlighting the intellectual gifts of a memoirist long misread as naive and girlish. The essay on The Memoir of the Sanuki Assistant Handmaid examines the use of spirit possession as metaphor for commemorative writing, tracing the balancing act its author performed in the midst of political intrigues at court. The relationship between the memoir and voyeurism takes center stage in the closing essay on The Pillow Book, which compares its author's treatment of the thematics of "seeing and being seen" with that of her chief rival, Murasaki Shikibu, creator of The Tale of Genji. Taken together, the essays in this book underscore the diversity of the Heian memoirists' responses to their roles as women and as writers in one of the most unusual epochs of Japanese history.

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