Photo of the week
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This midweeks photo.
North American XB-70 Valkyrie landing with drag chutes deployed, 4 Feb 1969.
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This weekends photo.
Taken in Denmark a FW-190 warms up its engine before a sortie.
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This weekends extra.
Mustang Mark III FX889 with a 'Malcolm hood' at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, served with No. 122 Squadron RAF and later No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron RAF. The hood improved all-round cockpit visibility.FX889 was famously photographed at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, showcasing the distinct blister-shaped canopy that replaced the original framed, multi-part greenhouse design.
The aircraft originally rolled off the North American Aviation production line as a P-51B-1-NA with the USAAF serial number 43-12378 -
This midweeks photo.
British Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I fighters being built at the Itchen Works.
In 1938 the pressing need to meet the aircraft delivery targets for Spitfire, Walrus and Stranraer aircraft for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy prompted Supermarine to increase their production capacity in Southampton by building a new factory just up the River Itchen from the existing Woolston Works.
The new site was purchased from the Southern Gas Company and Ship builders and, like Woolston, was sandwiched between the river, with a concrete slipway for the flying boats, and the Southern Railway line, on an embankment along the eastern side of Hazel Road.
Initially it was intended that the Itchen Works, as the new factory was called, would take on the task of building the Stranraer and Walrus flying boats for the Royal Navy. However, it soon became apparent that the demand for Spitfires for the Royal Air Force and the problems of sub-contracted sub-assembly work meant that Itchen started to take on responsibility for the production of Spitfire fuselages. -
This weekends photo.
Lieutenant Herbert Schramm in the cockpit of a JG-53 Messerschmitt Bf.109E fighter at an airfield in northern France.
Herbert Schramm (13 October 1913 – 1 December 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 42 aerial victories claimed in 480 combat missions. He claimed 28 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and further 14 victories over the Western Allies.
Born in Wetzlar, Schramm was a pilot and flight instructor prior to joining the Luftwaffe. Posted to Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing), he claimed his first aerial victory on 14 May 1940 during the Battle of France. He then fought in the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Following 25 aerial victories claimed, Schramm was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in August 1941. In early 1942, his unit fought in the Mediterranean theater. In April 1942, Schramm served as a fighter pilot instructor. On 13 August 1943, Schramm was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). On 1 December 1943, he was killed in action near Eupen during aerial combat with United States Army Air Forces fighters. Posthumously, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
