Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was a German Luftwaffe night-fighter pilot and the highest-scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. All Schnaufer’s 121 victories were in World War II, and mostly against British four-engine bombers. For his excellent combat record, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, Germany’s highest military decoration at the time,Continue reading “Highest Scoring Night Ace – German Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer – 121 Victories”
Category Archives: Warfare
Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time
Lieutenant Junior Grade Tetsuzō Iwamoto was one of the top scoring aces among Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) fighter pilots. He joined the Imperial Navy in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over China in early 1938. He emerged as one of the top aces of the Imperial Japan during WWII, credited with at least 94Continue reading “Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time”
Messerschmitt – The Great German Aircraft Maker of World War II – Bf 109, Bf 110 and Me 262
Messerschmitt AG was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in particular the Bf 109 and Me 262. The company survived in the post-war era, undergoing a number of mergers and changing its name from Messerschmitt to Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm before being bought by Deutsche Aerospace (DASA, now part of Airbus) inContinue reading “Messerschmitt – The Great German Aircraft Maker of World War II – Bf 109, Bf 110 and Me 262”
Understanding Chinese Belligerence and India’s Strategic Options
The 10 hours of talks at the Corps Commander level on 02 Aug 2020 seem to have made no further progress in the disengagement process, as there appear to be a total lack of trust, as also, varying perceptions between the two sides. On 28 Jun 2020, the Chinese side had claimed that the “processContinue reading “Understanding Chinese Belligerence and India’s Strategic Options”
80 Years of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – The Only Use of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict
The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, with the consent of the United Kingdom, as required by the Quebec Agreement. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only uses of nuclear weapons in armed conflict ever. Continue reading “80 Years of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – The Only Use of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict”
Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War
Nguyễn Văn Cốc is a former North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter ace of the Vietnamese People’s Air Force’s (VPAF) 921st Fighter Regiment. Van Coc was shot down before scoring his first kill on Jan. 2, 1967 in Operation Bolo, a U.S. aerial ambush. He ejected and survived, and then went on to destroy an F-105 in an attack out of theContinue reading “Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War”
IAF in Ladakh – All Set For Extended Stay and Winter Operations
With little follow-on action by China after the marathon Corps Commander level talks, the two armed forces continue to be eye-ball to eye-ball across the Line of actual control (LAC). Indian Army (IA) and Indian Air Force (IAF) have always had a yearlong active action in Ladakh region ever since the Siachen glacier became theContinue reading “IAF in Ladakh – All Set For Extended Stay and Winter Operations”
Vulnerabilities of the People’s Liberation Army
It cannot be easy to maintain the largest standing army in the world. Despite serial reductions in numerical strength, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China now has about 2 million personnel. Information about the PLA is available in plenty, but does not go beyond the repetitive references to seven military regions (now five theaterContinue reading “Vulnerabilities of the People’s Liberation Army”
India China Face-off – Employment of Air Power
The marathon talks of over 14 hours between the Corps Commanders of India and China, at Chushul, on the 14th of July has reportedly gathered forward traction on the disengagement process, from all the four stand-off points. As reported by the Hindustan Times of 16 Jul 2020, officials in the know stated that, “it looksContinue reading “India China Face-off – Employment of Air Power”
Evolutionary Spiral of Electronic Warfare – Critical Operational Capability
“Next War will be won by the side that best exploits the Electromagnetic Spectrum.” – Admiral Sergei Gorshkov The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum has been employed for more than 100 years, starting with wireless telegraphy. With technological advances, the width of the Electromagnetic spectrum has been increasing exponentially for employment in communication, sensor technology, dataContinue reading “Evolutionary Spiral of Electronic Warfare – Critical Operational Capability”
Air Power Asia 