Finished Entries

[RAFF-35]

FFN Surcouf

Here's the build thread; https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=54932.new#new

Operation Downfall
The culmination of Surcouf's wartime career came during preparations for Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.
Before the projected landings, the submarine operated continuously off the coasts of Kyushu and Shikoku.
Night after night she slipped through Japanese patrol lines and launched reconnaissance teams from her motor-launch boats. These commandos surveyed beaches, measured tides, sampled sand for vehicle trafficability, mapped obstacles, and monitored Japanese troop movements.
Many of these missions took place within sight of Japanese positions.
On several occasions the commandos narrowly avoided capture, returning to the submarine with invaluable intelligence that later shaped Allied invasion planning.
Simultaneously, Surcouf conducted an aggressive campaign of deception.
Appearing unexpectedly along different stretches of coastline, she would surface briefly and bombard selected targets. Sometimes she attacked military facilities; at other times she deliberately struck secondary positions to create confusion.
A few rapid salvos would crash ashore before disappearing beneath the waves.
The unpredictable bombardments forced defenders to disperse troops and artillery along vast stretches of coastline, complicating their preparations against the anticipated invasion.
American planners later credited these operations with creating significant uncertainty within Japanese regional commands and helping to ensure the successful landings of Operation Downfall.

[nönöbär]

Bell P-262 – America's Captured Jet

After capturing German Me 262 jets in 1945, the USAAF rebuilt them as Bell P-262 fighters for Operation Downfall. Deployed over Kyushu, they unexpectedly encountered Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-202 jets—virtually identical aircraft. The resulting high-speed "Mirror War" marked one of history's first jet-versus-jet campaigns and foreshadowed the future of aerial combat.

Full story here

[nönöbär]

Mitsubishi Ki-202 "Kanji - Japan's Last Hope

Using Me 262 plans delivered by submarine from Germany, Japan developed the Mitsubishi Ki-202 "Kanji," a near-identical jet fighter. Entering limited service during Operation Downfall, Ki-202s defended Kyushu against American Bell P-262s. The resulting "Mirror War" saw identical German-derived jets clash, symbolizing Japan's final technologically advanced resistance.

Full stroy here

[Rick Lowe]

 

[McColm]

The Douglas Gremlin GRA.1 call sign Delta Bravo aka Douglas Barder with some nose art. After a crash the rear end of the Lisunov Li-2 licensed built Douglas DC-3 bodged with the front end of a C-47 Skytrain. The bush-mechanics tried their best to hide the gap but the floor was uneven and this example is a bit quirky in it's stance.


http://flic.kr/p/2smLK2J


http://flic.kr/p/2smTEc7


http://flic.kr/p/2smRzPQYou cannot view this attachment.

[McColm]

The Douglas Skyliner GR.1 based on several designs for a light bomber.



http://flic.kr/p/2smRPsB


http://flic.kr/p/2smSxdH

You cannot view this attachment.

[McColm]

Boeing Silvertown ACI, with the FASS  layout using the AN/APS-20C radar sets in the nose, belly, upper fuselage and the forth which was located at the rear but replaced with an ECM device.


http://flic.kr/p/2smSyne


http://flic.kr/p/2smTgAD


http://flic.kr/p/2smMGuh

You cannot view this attachment.

[McColm]

The collaboration between Lockheed and Boeing produced the Lockheed B-30 Excalibur II by stretching the C-69 fuselage to accommodate the two bomb bays and the tail fin  plus the remote controlled guns from the B-29 Superfortress. They shared the same engines but not the propellers as these were from the Douglas DC-4.
The landing gear was specified by the Royal Air Force, this example has the long-range fuel tank fitted to the rear bomb bay.. The Excalibur II was flown by the RAF as a bomber and used in anti-submarine warfare role.


http://flic.kr/p/2smUR5T


http://flic.kr/p/2smSLLH


http://flic.kr/p/2smTNcQ

You cannot view this attachment.

[RAFF-35]

Tapp Praying Mantis

Link here; https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=55055.0

Among the countless armoured vehicles conceived during the Second World War, few were as bizarre  or as innovative as the Tapp Praying Mantis. Conceived by the inventive Ernest James Tapp of County Commercial Cars, the vehicle showed a serious attempt to solve one of warfare's oldest problems: how to fire upon an enemy while exposing as little of oneself as possible.
Tapp patented the design in 1937, years before war engulfed Europe. Construction of working prototypes, however, did not begin until 1943. Instead of exposing an entire vehicle to enemy fire, the Praying Mantis would remain hidden behind walls, hedges, rubble, or embankments, raising only its weapons above cover to engage targets.
The vehicle's unconventional shape reflected this purpose. Its compact lower hull housed the engine and running gear, while above it sat a long, narrow crew compartment known as the Control Chamber. Unlike the crews of conventional tanks, the Mantis's two-man crew (Driver and Gunner) operated the vehicle while lying prone, facing forward toward a small rotating turret mounted at the front. This turret, nicknamed the Helmet, carried a pair of Bren Light Machine Guns.
The true genius of the design lay in its hydraulic lifting mechanism. At the crew's feet was a powerful hydraulic system capable of raising the entire Control Chamber to an angle of approximately fifty-five degrees. At maximum elevation, the turret could reach an impressive height of 11.5 feet (3.48 metres) above the ground. The vehicle could even continue moving while the chamber was raised. Fully lowered, the Mantis sat so close to the ground that it could conceal itself behind low bushes, roadside banks, or even patches of tall grass. Moments later, it could rise suddenly above cover, unleash a burst of fire, and disappear again before an enemy had time to react.
Trials with the second prototype demonstrated both the promise and the shortcomings of the concept. The vehicle's unusual controls proved difficult to master, and crews frequently complained of severe motion sickness caused by the swaying of the elevated fighting compartment. Military officials initially dismissed the design in 1944 as impractical.
Yet one influential officer saw potential where others saw failure.
Major General Percy Hobart, famous for championing unconventional armoured vehicles, became fascinated by the Praying Mantis. He recognised that while the machine might be unsuitable for conventional battlefield manoeuvres, it possessed unique advantages in urban combat. The brutal street fighting witnessed during the final campaigns in Europe, particularly in Berlin, only reinforced Hobart's belief that troops needed a vehicle capable of engaging enemies concealed behind walls, barricades, and inside buildings.
A further combat evaluation ordered by Hobart convinced him that the concept deserved a second chance. He successfully lobbied the Directorate of Mechanisation to continue development, and a refined version of the Mantis was approved for production. An order for 150 vehicles followed.
The war in Europe ended before the first production vehicles could arrive, denying the Praying Mantis the opportunity to fight on the continent. However, another conflict loomed. As Allied planners prepared for Operation Downfall, the Mantis found itself with a new mission.
Weighing just over four tons, the Praying Mantis was one of the few armoured fighting vehicles light enough for airborne deployment. During the opening stages of the invasion of Kyūshū, Allied forces suffered from a chronic shortage of armoured vehicles ashore. In many sectors, infantry units could rely only upon Willys Jeeps, a handful of surviving LVT Buffaloes, and the newly arrived Mantis vehicles.
The little machine quickly proved its worth.
Although its armour could not withstand artillery fire, it was more than sufficient against the light machine guns, rifles, and improvised anti-tank weapons fielded by the Japanese People's Army, whose fanatical "Glorious Death of One Hundred Million" doctrine drove desperate resistance across the island. Japanese armoured forces were scarce, leaving the Mantis largely free to perform the role for which it had been designed.
In support of infantry assaults, the vehicle became notorious for its startling combat style. Hidden behind walls or rubble, it would suddenly rise above cover, its twin Bren guns opening fire from seemingly impossible angles. In villages and towns, crews exploited the vehicle's height to engage enemy positions on upper floors, reaching windows and firing points that ordinary armoured vehicles could not effectively target. Defenders often found themselves under fire from a vehicle they could scarcely see.
The Mantis also excelled as a reconnaissance platform. Its remarkably low profile allowed it to infiltrate forward positions, observe enemy activity, and withdraw before detection. During the chaotic early weeks of the campaign, when transport assets were stretched thin, some units even employed the vehicle as a light artillery/ supply tractor.

[RAFF-35]

The Bristol Heracles build can be found here;

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=55016.new#new

The Heracles was developed by Bristol during the midpoint of the Second World War, having attracted official attention from the British Air Ministry. They sought the development of a rugged aircraft capable of carrying various cargoes, including a 3-ton truck, and able to use unimproved airstrips. Various changes to the design were made to accommodate their requirements, including stretching the nose of the original design to accommodate a Morris Quad FAT plus its artillery piece. Its first flight was in December 1945. The military version became known as the Heracles and the civil version was called the Freighter.

During the opening stages of Operation Downfall,  Allied losses during the amphibious landings were incredibly high. The Japanese fully anticipated the invasion plan for X-Day as part of their Operation Ketsugō, and effectively set up shore batteries,  sea mines and deployed kamikaze attacks using aircraft, speed boats and divers on troop transport ships and other non armoured support vessels. Over 400 Allied ships had been sunk and the forces that were able to land on Kyūshū were minuscule. They were constantly under attack from the Japanese, and Kamidaiko tanks caused mayhem by rolling in to the poorly organized Allied camps and detonating.
Support from the sea was lacking due to the high naval losses already experienced. The only option then was resupply by air. The Hamilcar and Horsa gliders used during D-Day were all non-flightworthy so more would need to be ordered. The venerable C-47 was able to air-drop some supplies, but for things like artillery pieces and support trucks etc, only the Heracles could do the job. Especially beneficial in this situation was its STOL ability as there weren't many suitable areas for landing strips under allied control. Importantly,  after unloading the supplies, Heracles's would then be loaded up with medevac patients to be taken away for treatment.