Clik here to view.
Padre Steve’s Favorite Fighter Aircraft Part One: The Messerschmitt 109...
The Me-109-B2. The B Variant was first tested in Combat with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War This is a three part series on my favorite fighter aircraft of all-time, the Messerschmitt 109. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wings of Gold: U. S. Navy Carrier Aircraft 1935-1941
Curtiss BF2C Goshawks (US Navy Photo) As the United States Navy built up its Carrier Force in the mid to late 1930s it continued to develop aircraft specifically designed to operate from aircraft...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Into the Valley of the Shadow of Death: The Death of the Torpedo Bombers at...
Half a league half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred: ‘Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns’ he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wings of Gold: U.S. Navy Carrier Fighter Aircraft 1941-1945
F4F-4 Wildcat of VF-41 in 1942 In 1941 with war raging inEuropeand the Japanese continuing their war in China and occupied French Indo-China theUnited States rushed to build up its Naval Air Arm and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flying the Friendly Skies and Crossing the Pond
1970 American Airlines Advertisement Back when I was a kid I remember going on my first plane flights without adult supervision. I would fly from Stockton California to Long Beach to see my friend...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Anxiety: Padre Steve and Flight Delays
I am not as good of air traveler as I used to be. I get anxious when I travel by air now. Sometimes when I fly it feels like I am Mel Brooks at the beginning of the movie High Anxiety...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds: Hans-Ulrich Rudel...
Colonel Hans-Ulrich Rudel was undoubtably the greatest ground attack pilot that ever lived. His record is unsurpassed by any combat pilot flying ground attack missions. According to official Luftwaffe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rebirth of the Divine Wind: Kamikazes at Leyte Gulf
“In my opinion, there is only one way of assuring that our meager strength will be effective to a maximum degree. That is to organize suicide attack units composed of A6M Zero fighters armed with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
103 Years of Naval Aviation: Celebrating Eugene Ely and the First Flight on...
On a blustery November 14th in the year 1910 a young civilian pilot hailing from Williamsport Iowa became the first man to fly an aircraft off the deck of a ship. At the age of 24 and having taught...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stringbags vs. the Bismarck
Friends of Padre Steve’s World A couple of days ago I reposted an article about the sinking of the HMS Hood by the German Battleship Bismarck. The story of the Bismarck is an epic saga of naval...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Improbable and Unlikely: Victory at Midway
Friends of Padre Steve’s World As I mentioned earlier in the week I am publishing a number of articles on Greatest Generation as we remember the anniversaries of the Battle of Midway in 1942 and the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Brilliant Soldiers & Evil Causes: Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Friends of Padre Steve’s World I have been writing about the need to be as transparent and honest about history as possible. I have resorted to calling that un-sanitized history. I will be coming back...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Anxiety: The Plane Flight to Oktoberfest
Friends of Padre Steve’s World Today Judy and I are leaving for a trip to the Oktoberfest. I love Europe, we have lived in German and travelled in much of Europe and I do look forward to the trip with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eugene Ely and the Birth of Naval Aviation
Eugene Ely Friends of Padre Steve’s World I am back from our trip to Washing DC and my excursion to the Manassas battlefield yesterday. However today I remembered that something very important...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pearl Harbor, Tactical Success, and Failure
Friends of Padre Steve’s World, Those who have followed my writings since I began this site in 2009 know how much I study and think about the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet at Pearl...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fly the Friendly Skies
Friends of Padre Steve’s World, I’m traveling to Houston today by air. Truthfully I have never been much a fan of flying. When I was younger I actually had a big fear of crashing, but after flying all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Devastators Into the Valley of Death: The Sacrifice of the Torpedo Bombers at...
Friends of Padre Steve’s World, Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote: Half a league half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred: ‘Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot
Friends of Padre Steve’s World, It has been another long day or work in the house, dealing with contractor complications and delays, and running back and forth to Lowe’s and going in to work to take...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Divine Wind at Leyte Gulf: Kamikazes Enter the War
USS St Lo exploding after being hit by a Kamikaze Friends of Padre Steve’s World, Again I am taking some time off the Presidential campaign and am posting some articles on the Battle of Leyte Gulf....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wings of Gold: U. S. Navy Carrier Aircraft 1935-1941
Curtiss BF2C Goshawks (US Navy Photo) Friends Of Padre Steve’s World, I have decided to occasionally write about aircraft again and I begin with an ancient article from deep in my vault about U. S....
View Article
