May 01 2014
Colonel Miloslav Bitton, who has died aged 94, ran escape lines out of Czechoslovakia in the Second World War before serving with the Desert Rats in the Eighth Army and then as an RAF fighter pilot in bombing raids over Germany. Read his obituary on The Telegraph
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2014/05/01/colonel-miloslav-bitton-%e2%80%a0/
Apr 30 2014
William Ash, who has died aged 96, was a Texan ‘hobo’ turned Spitfire pilot who became celebrated for his numerous failed attempts to escape from Stalag Luft III. Read his biography on The Telegraph
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2014/04/30/william-ash-%e2%80%a0/
Mar 02 2014
Rostislav Belyakov joined the Mikoyan-Gurevich company in 1941 as a young aeronautical engineer, and succeeded MiG founder Artem Mikoyan in 1969. He was chief designer for the MiG-23, MiG-25 and MiG-29 projects. Belyakov died aged 94 on February 28 in Moscow. Source
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2014/03/02/rostislav-belyakov-%e2%80%a0/
Feb 28 2014
Born in 1918, Miroslav Standera flew against the Nazis with the French air force in 1940, and was seriously injured during a dogfight. After France’s fall, he joined the Royal Air Force and flew with No 312 Squadron during the Battle of Britain before moving on to twin-engine fighter-bombers making night-time raids over France and …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2014/02/28/miroslav-standera-%e2%80%a0/
Oct 24 2013
The P-51D Mustang “Galveston Gal”, owned and operated for recreational flights by the Lone Star Flight Museum, crashed today in the Gulf of Mexico. The pilot and his passenger were killed in the accident. Fishermen alerted the US Coast Gaurd after witnessing the aircraft plunging in the water. Search and rescue team later found the …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/10/24/two-killed-in-p-51-mustang-galveston-gal-crash/
Sep 29 2013
Air Commodore Gordon Henry Steege DSO, DFC (30 October 1917 – 1 September 2013) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He became a fighter ace in World War II, credited with eight aerial victories. Joining the RAAF in July 1937, Steege first saw action with No. 3 Squadron in the Middle East, where he was …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/09/29/air-commodore-gordon-steege-%e2%80%a0/
Sep 18 2013
Georges Marcelin, who served as a mechanic with the famous “Normandie-Niémen” Free French fighter group during World War Two, died yesterday at the age of 92. In october 1943, the French mechanics of the group were replaced by Soviet mechanics and Georges Marcelin was assigned to the “Ardennes” fighter group, flying the P-40 Warhawk and …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/09/18/george-marcelin-%e2%80%a0/
Aug 01 2013
Squadron Leader Tony Gaze, who died on 29 July 2013 at the age of 93, was a Second World War Spitfire fighter ace and later became a highly successful motor racing driver. Born on 3 February 1920, he was credited with 12.5 aerial victories during the Second World War and flew jets and gliders after …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/08/01/squadron-leader-tony-gaze-%e2%80%a0/
Jun 23 2013
More sad news: Wingwalker Jane Wicker and pilot Charlie Schwenker were killed in the crash of their Stearman during a demontration at the Dayton airshow yesterday. The biplane appears to have stalled while it was flying inverted with limited speed. The aircraft burst into flames upon impact, killing Wicker and Schwenker instantly.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/06/23/jane-wicker-and-charlie-schwenker-killed-in-stearman-crash/
Jun 03 2013
The pilot of a Sk 50, the military designation of the Saab 91 Safir, was killed in the crash of his aircraft Saturday afternoon at an airshow in Søderhamn, Sweden. The causes of the accident are unknown at this time. The airshow was cancelled following the accident. Source
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/06/03/pilot-killed-in-sk-50-crash-in-sweden/
May 05 2013
A pilot was killed today when a Hispano Ha-200 Saeta crashed during an airshow in Madrid. The causes of the accident are unknown at this time. The pilot is Ladislao Tejedor Romero, a 35-year old experienced military pilot and assistant to the Spanish Defence Minister. Romero died from burns suffered in the crash after he was …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/05/05/pilot-killed-in-ha-200-saeta-crash-in-spain/
Apr 07 2013
We are saddened to learn the death of Henri Bourrassier, who passed away on April 6. Henri Bourrassier flew the B-26 Marauder with the Free French “Bretagne” bomber group during World War Two. He later flew Dakotas and Noratlas transport aircraft for the French Air Force in during the wars in Indochina and Algeria. He …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/04/07/henri-bourrassier-%e2%80%a0/
Mar 24 2013
Col. Robert J. “Shorty” Rankin, a World War II fighter ace of the 56th Fighter Group, passed away on March 14, 2013 in his winter home in Florida, aged 94. He was credited with 10 confirmed, 1 probable victories and 2 damaged e/a, and was the first P-47 Thunderbolt to achieve “ace-in-a-day” status by destroying …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/03/24/col-robert-j-shorty-rankin-%e2%80%a0/
Mar 05 2013
Thomas Griffin, who was the navigator on the ninth aircraft of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo , died on February 26 aged 96. With the passing of Thomas Griffin, there are now only four surviving members of this legendary mission. Its success was mostly psychologival, as America needed some positive news in …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/03/05/thomas-griffin-%e2%80%a0/
Feb 20 2013
Kenneth Allen Jernstedt, who flew with the legendary Flying Tigers, died on February 5 aged 95. Born in 1917, Jernstedt flew with the US Marine Corps before joining the American Volunteer Group in 1941 to fight the Japanese in China. By the time he left the AVG in 1942, he was credited with three confirmed …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/02/20/ken-jernstedt-%e2%80%a0/
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