1 [REGISTER] [ACE OF THE MONTH] Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto………………………………………………………. 2 #A6M2 Mod 21, Petty Officer First Class Tetsuzo Iwamoto, Zuikaku Carrier Air Group, Pearl Harbor Attack, 7th December 1941. Camouflage created by max_86z [AIR FORCES] Israeli Air Force………………………………………………………………………………. 6 'P-51D-5 of the Israeli Air Force, 1956' skin by _TerremotO_ [EVENT] Landing in Normandy……………………………………………………………………………. 10 D-Day wallpaper [VEHICLE PROFILE] TBF-1c / Avenger Mk 1………………………………………………………….. 12 A TBF-1C of the VC-8. Camouflage with custom damage textures created by Hueynam1234 [VEHICLE PROFILE] M46 Patton…………………………………………………………………………… 16 M46 Patton 64th Tank Bat. [Han River 1951] camouflage created by Tiger_VI [EVENT] Battles over Malta………………………………………………………………………………… 19 Malta Siege wallpaper [NATIONAL FORCES] 653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion……………………………………. 21 Jagdtiger 653rd Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion *Germany 1945+, camouflage created by Tiger_VI [AIR FORCES] Mexican Expeditionary Air Forces…………………………………………………. 24 P-47 wallpaper in Mexican Air Forces camouflage; Republic P-47D-28 from Escuadrón 201, camouflage created by RiderR2 [VEHICLE PROFILE] Hawker Sea Fury……………………………………………………….. 27 Sea Fury wallpaper; Historical skin of Peter "Hoagy" Carmichael's Hawker Sea Fury, the legendary one that shot down a MiG-15 over Korea. Camouflage created by printf8via [HISTORICAL] Guns of the Air, the RCMs and HMGs………………………………… 31 [VEHICLE PROFILE] PzKpfw KV-1B 756(r)…………………………………………………. 35 KV-1B wallpaper [NATIONAL FORCES] The Irish Air Corps……………………………………………………………… 39 No.1 Fighter Squadron, Irish Army Air Corps at Baldonnel, Ireland, by CmdNomad [EVENT] Blue on Blue…………………………………………………………………………………………. 42 US light tanks wallpaper 1 #A6M2 Mod 21, Petty Officer First Class Tetsuzo Iwamoto, Zuikaku Carrier Air Group, Pearl Harbor Attack, 7th December 1941. Camouflage created by max_86z [ACE OF THE MONTH] Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto 1. June 2015 – Author: Mark Barber, War Thunder Historical Consultant Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in June insubordinate, rebellious and 1916 in the Karafuto Prefecture of sometimes outright rude nature. Japan, the third of his parents’ three sons and one daughter. His father was The young Iwamoto graduated from a policeman by trade and became a high school in 1934 but had already high ranking official after the family decided that a farmer’s life was not move to Sapporo. After his father for him. Whilst ostensibly travelling retired the family moved to the away from home to take his college smaller city of Masuda, where entrance exams, Iwamoto joined the Tetsuzo attended the city’s Imperial Japanese Navy as an enlisted Agricultural and Forestry High School rating, a move which deeply whilst his parents changed vocation disappointed his parents who were to farming. Whilst he was a gifted counting on his help with the family student both academically and farm. After about a year and a half’s physically, his popularity with his service Iwamoto was working as a teachers was poor due to his mechanic onboard the carrier Ryujo; inspired by the lifestyle of the 2 embarked aviators, he set his sights Japanese A5M fighters engaged the on joining the elite fraternity of naval hostile aircraft and Iwamoto shot fighter pilots. After passing his down an incredible four enemy entrance exams Iwamoto commenced aircraft with a fifth probable. On April flying training and graduated in 29th Iwamoto repeated the incredible December 1936. feat of shooting down four aircraft in a day and, by the time he was ordered back to Japan in September, he had 14 kills from 82 sorties and was the top Japanese naval ace of the war. After a tour as an instructor, Petty Officer First Class Iwamoto returned to the front line onboard the carrier Zuikaku, now flying the legendary A6M ‘Zero’ fighter. Iwamoto was airborne for the day of infamy – the attack on Pearl Harbor – but flew air cover over the carrier group itself rather than escorting the actual raid. Iwamoto was heavily involved in the air war in the Pacific from the outset, regularly leading flights of A6Ms against their American, British and Tetsuzo Iwamoto Australian counterparts. Iwamoto flew in the violent air engagements of Six months of advanced flying training the Battle of the Coral Sea in May followed, including embarked 1942, during which Zuikaku’s air operations. However, Iwamoto would group suffered significant losses. This not see combat until February 1938. necessitated a return to Japan for Now part of the 12th Air Group, resupply and to train replacement Airman First Class Iwamoto was sent aircrew which resulted in Iwamoto to China where hostilities had been and his comrades missing the Battle raging between China and Japan since of Midway. July 1937. In his first combat mission, his flight was attacked by a large The devastating losses of Midway formation of Chinese I-15 and I-16 resulted in Iwamoto being pressed fighters over Nanchang. Breaking back into service as a pilot instructor away from the bombers they had in an effort to join the small team in been charged to protect, the Japan who frantically tried to train new aircrew to stem the advancing 3 allies. After a year of instructional to the growing sentiment of anti- duties, Chief Petty Officer Iwamoto militarism he now faced, Iwamoto returned to the front line and joined developed drinking problems and the 253rd Air Group, flying A6Ms from plunged into depression. When the Rabaul in November 1943. Involved in Allied Occupation Forces finally daily air combat, the experienced departed Japan in 1952, Iwamoto fighter leader led his cadre of briefly found employment in a increasingly junior and less spinning mill but even this was not to experienced pilots against the might last – the next year he began to suffer of the US Navy and USAAF. Whilst from abdominal pains and after operating from Rabaul, Iwamoto filed several operations he grew claims for a staggering 142 enemy increasingly weak. In May 1955, aged aircraft shot down. only 38, Tetsuzo Iwamoto died of septicemia from the last of his After withdrawing from Rabaul, operations. Several sources claim his Iwamoto returned to Japan in June final words were to his wife: “when I 1944 for a brief respite from the front get well, I want to fly again.” line, before fighting in the skies over Formosa and the Philippines during Iwamoto’s final number of kills autumn and the winter. In November remains open to debate. A 1944 Iwamoto’s skill and leadership combination of the Japanese practice were further recognised when he was of crediting victories to a squadron commissioned as an officer in the rather than an individual, lost records ranks of the Japanese Navy, holding and discrepancies between the the rank of Ensign. Iwamoto’s last confirmation process in Japan and operational sorties were flown with allied nations mean that the final tally the 203rd Air Group, defending will never be known: most sources Kyushu and Okinawa in the furthest officially credit Iwamoto with 80 kills; Southwest reaches of Japan against his war diary claims 202 individual the long ranged B-29 attacks and the victories, 26 shared and 22 might of the US Navy’s carrier borne unconfirmed. His wartime service air power. The last few months of resulted in the award of the Order of Iwamoto’s war were spent training the Golden Kite, 5th Class. An kamikaze pilots at Iwakuni airfield on outspoken, opinionated and brash Honshu island. man on the ground, Iwamoto was conversely a tactically minded and Iwamoto was promoted to Sub- cool headed aviator who favoured hit Lieutenant on his enforced retirement and run tactics over dogfighting. from the Japanese Navy following his There is a very good chance that he nation’s surrender, Unable to find was, and forever will be, the greatest work in a post war Japan, in part due Japanese fighter ace of all time. 4 With an upcoming update, we will add Cherryblossom Killmarkings used by Tetsuzo Iwamoto made by Jej 'CharlieFoxtrot' Ortiz 5 'P-51D-5 of the Israeli Air Force, 1956' skin by _TerremotO_ | download here [AIR FORCES] Israeli Air Force 3. June 2015 - Author: Jan "RayPall" Kozák The direct predecessor of the Israeli five days after neighboring Arab Air Force ( , English countries responded by quick abbreviation IAF) was called Sherut offensive, starting so-called War of Avir, which was name for an air wing Independence. of Israeli Haganah underground armed forces. This air corps initially The first aircraft acquired were Avia S- possessed only a small number of 199 fighters - Czechoslovakian various militarised civil aircraft, but conversion of Messerschmitt Bf 109 Israeli agents soon negotiated aircraft G-6, equipped with Junkers Jumo deliveries from Czechoslovakia, as the 211F inline engine instead of the Czechs already supplied Israel with standard Daimler-Benz DB 605. infantry weapons and ammunition at Despite S-199’s poor handling the time. characteristics, the first Israeli fighter squadron was formed, and following Dismantled fighters were then ferried the official founding of the Israeli Air to Israel by air, with the first deliveries force on the 28th May 1948, four S- arriving on 20th May 1948 - six days 199s, nicknamed Sakeen (“Knife” in after Israel declared statehood, and Hebrew), were deployed for the first 6 time on the 29th May, conducting Spitfire. Until the end of hostilities, ground attack sorties against Egyptian new types of aircraft were purchased forces near Ashdod. from various sources, including Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, de Havilland Mosquito fighter bombers, and North American P-51 Mustang fighters. After the end of the War of Independence, foreign volunteer pilots, representing the core of IAF flying personnel during the war, were dismissed, and the IAF started to rely on Israeli pilots only. Tactical doctrines were developed including the importance of aerial reconnaissance, new squadrons were formed from acquired foreign planes. During the early 1950s, the IAF also entered the jet era by acquiring Gloster Meteor jet fighters in 1953.