Top Drawings – serie

The rocket missile ORP Gen. T. Kosciuszko is currently one of the more valuable Polish Navy ships.Belonging to the American type Oliver Hazard Perry, together with the twin ship ORP Gen. K. Pulaski, he went under the white-and-red flag under an agreement between the governments of the United States and the Republic of Poland. The ship was built as USS Wadsworth with a tactical number FFG 9 at the Todd Pacific Shipyards in San Pedro, California.

The Fiat CR 42 designed by Ing. Celestino Rosatelli, has the undoubted characteristic of being the last single-seat fighter biplane to be manufactured during the Second World War. It represents the final evolution of the aircrafts serie since Fiat CR 30 – 32 – 33 – 40 - 41, made during the 1935-1938 years in Turin. The prototype flew the first time on 23 May 1938 and about 1800 Fiat CR 42 were produced, divided into 15 construction SERIE. There were no productive variants but only small changes along the SERIE due to various operational uses. Despite he was technically overtaken and outclassed by the opposing aircrafts, he honored his duties thanks to the skill and sacrifices of the Regia Aeronautica pilots who used it in almost all fronts war.  He was also successfully exported and used in Belgium (Aeronautique Militaire Belge), Hungary (Magyar Kiraly Hoved Légiéro), Germany (Luftwaffe) and Sweden (Flygvapnet). Surviving aircraft were deployed in the post-war era by the Scuola Caccia Aeronautica Militare Italiana Lecce-Galatina airfield and for secondary services in Milano-Linate airfield during the 1950s, both single-seater and two-seater version.

The M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage (M16 MGMC) also known as M16 half-track, was a US self-propelled antiaircraft gun built during World War Two. The chassis of the half-rack armored personnel carrier was used to build various variants of self-propelled guns. They were tested on training grounds. Some of them were accepted for military service, series production and then they would see combat. These mainly included self-propelled antiaircraft guns armed with large-caliber 12.7 mm machine guns. In the Autumn of 1941, the first vehicles of this type were tested. The basic requirement of their design was to combine the half-track transporter chassis with a self-propelled revolving turret, the very same as the ones mounted on the bomber aircraft.

The PzKpfw III (Panzerkampfwagen III) is a German medium tank designed by Daimler-Benz AG. The first tests of the vehicle took place in 1936. The construction of the PzKpfw III consisted of four main modules: the turret, the front of the hull, the rear of the hull with the engine compartment cover and the lower hull. The first version of PzKpfw III – Ausf. A – was produced in May 1937. Soon after, the Ausf. B and C versions also entered production. Ausf. D version was introduced in January 1938. Early PzKpfw III models were prototype vehicles and were not suitable for mass production on a large scale. They were powered by Maybach HL 108 TR petrol engines with 250 HP. They were armed with 37mm guns and three MG-34 machine guns (two in the turret and one in the hull).

Messerschmitt Bf 109T was supposed to operate from German aircraft carrier “Graf Zeppelin”. The plane was equipped with arresting hook and had enlarged wing span up to 11,08 m. It did not have folding wings because “Graf Zeppelin’s” elevators were supposed to be enough big to fit planes with fixed wings. Anyway the wings could be detached for transport. There were versions T-1 and T-2 developed. Fighters served in JG 77 and JG 11 units.

First prototypes of German tank destroyer Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) were built in 1937 and based on PzKpfw III Ausf. B tank. Vehicles were armed with short-barelled 75mm gun. From spring, 1942, StuG IIIs were equipped with StuK 40 75mm gun. Self propelled guns StuG III served in separated assault artillery units, and later in self propelled guns brigades. They were also used in support units of armoured divisions.

M4 Sherman was the most popular American tank of World War II. Between February, 1942, and June, 1945, a total of 49.000 units of all versions were produced. Dozens of variants of M4 tanks were created. They differed in the method of hull production (welded, riveted, casted) as well as turret, main armament and additional equipment. Several special versions were also made (especially for the needs of the Normandy landing in 1944): the floating Sherman DD (Duplex Drive), Sherman Crab (with anti-mine trawl), Sherman Dozer (with bulldozer at the front – for demining and engineering tasks), Sherman Zippo (Sherman with a flamethrower mounted instead of the main gun).

In 1936 the D-513 fighter designed by Emil Dewoitine made its first flight. It was supposed to be the successor of the slightly outdated D-500 and D-510 models, and built according to modern trends: with a closed cabin and a retractable undercarriage. Unfortunately, the tests turned out to be very disappointing. At the same time, as a result of the nationalization of the aviation industry, Dewoitine's industries were absorbed by the SNCAM. Dewoitine, however, did not give up on the project and, in cooperation with his engineers, developed a new model - the D-520.

Yakovlev Yak-3 is considered one of the best World War 2 fighters, invariably praised by those who flew it in combat for its remarkable performance. The Germans also treated it with respect, which is perhaps best illustrated by Generalleutnant Walter Schwabedissen’s remark: The Yak-3 was a tough nut to crack for our pilots. It outperformed our machines in speed, maneuverability and rate of climb. The emergence of  the Yak-3 was a compromise between the need to improve the Yak-1’s characteristics, and the limitations of Soviet aircraft industry with its outdated technologies. The basic design concept took those shortcomings into account, which allowed a rapid launch of mass production of this inexpensive fighter. This in turn provided frontline units with timely deliveries of new equipment to recoup combat losses. The key to Yak-3’s success was not due to the use of a new powerplant (in those days hard to come by in the USSR), but rather the superior performance of the M-105PF engine, which resulted in a five percent increase in power output. In combination with some serious weight shedding, the Yak-3 had a significantly better performance than the Yak-1. At altitudes up to 5,000m (which is where most of the air combat over Eastern Front took place), Yak-3 outperformed both the Bf-109 and Fw-190 in rate of climb and maneuverability. Unlike the Yak-1, the new fighter could also stay with the enemy in a dive.

The American battleship USS “California” has almost thirty years of extraordinary history. Built in 1921, it was one of the most powerful battleships of the US Navy in the interwar period. It was characterised by an interesting and harmonious silhouette, which changed significantly several times. During the war, despite its age, the ship was still modern and heavily armed. The USS “California”, known among naval enthusiasts and often chosen by modellers, became the subject of another study by Witold Koszela, who in a series of precise drawings recreated the silhouette of this battleship from the Second World War. On 24 A4 pages and 2 folded sheets we can find a historical description, technical data and professional drawings showing the ship in the years 1944–1945, as well as drawings of superstructures, armaments and details, together with sectional views and color charts.

Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär (SdKfz 166, Sturmgeschütz IV für 15cm StuH 43) was a German self-propelled assault gun. Work on the design began in 1942 with a goal of creating a vehicle well suited for the demands of urban warfare. The gun was based on the PzKpfw IV Ausf. E and F and, later, Ausf. G. Initially, the vehicle carried 15 cm StuH 43 howitzer, which was later replaced by a bespoke 15 cm StuH 23/1 L/12 weapon. Brummbär went into production in 1943.

The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito was a fast twin-engined German night fighter aircraft. The German Ta 154 night fighter which supposed to be an answer to the British Mosquito.

The French aircraft carrier "Clemenceau" is one of the largest and most powerful ships that served the Marine Nationale. Her keel was laid in November 1955 at the Brest Arsenal Ch. Atlantique in St. Nazaire, and she was launched two years later - on December 21st, 1957. Together with the twin "Foch", it was built on the basis of a project developed from the beginning of the 1950s, which included almost all of then novelties that were introduced in the construction of this type of ships. Therefore, she received, among others: a sloped flight deck with two lifts, mirror systems facilitating the approach to landing, means of observation enabling early detection of surface units and means of air attack, and modern catapults adapted to work with jet aircrafts with a large take-off mass. The length of the flight deck was 257 meters, the main runway was 165.5 meters long and 29.5 meters wide, with a deviation from the centre of the ship by 8 degrees. The hangar below it was 180 meters long and 22 meters wide. In more than forty years of service, which began on November 22, 1961, the "Clemenceau" performed countless tasks in both European and Pacific waters. She supported the activities of the land forces, incl. in former French colonies and during nuclear tests. Together with "Foch", she formed one of the strongest task force in the Mediterranean region and the waters of Western Europe.

Before the P-47 Thunderbolt gained a “bubble top” fairing, these fighters had slightly different – some claim to be more racial – figure. In the first versions, the plane had a typical canopy built into the fuselage, which resulted in a slightly hunched line. The first copies of the P-47B underwent a series of tests at the turn of 1941 and 1942. Initially, they were not very promising. One of the planes was lost because of the tail tearing off during the dive. In addition, at heights above 9144 m, the flaps froze, it was impossible to open the cabin hood, and the forces on the rudders were very big. At high speeds, the paint covering the elevators fell off and the aerodynamic pressure inflated their sheath (they were covered with canvas), causing dangerous tail vibrations. To remedy these problems, metal sheathing was introduced, elevators shape was changed and weight flaps were added. The propulsion of the P-47B version was a 2000 HP R-2800-21 engine. The time to reach the ceiling of 4572 m was 6.7 minutes. The aircraft developed a speed of 690 km/h at an altitude of 8230 m (in horizontal flight), which was a great result.

HMS Badsworth (L03) was one of eighty-six British Hunt-class escort destroyers. The class would eventually comprise four separate types built between 1939 and 1943. Design work on the class began in 1938. The Admiralty wanted to create warships optimized for convoy escort duties and patrolling. Since there was a huge demand for such vessels in the fleet, their cost was to be the deciding factor. A decision was made to design ships which would be smaller and slower than an average destroyer. In conjunction with their overall simple design this was to allow for rapid mass-scale production. The design was based on the Black Swan-class sloop, but the new destroyers were to be faster and better armed.

In May 1941 the men of the 17th Gruppo in force at the 1st Stormo Caccia, received the first batch of the new fighter designed by eng. Mario Castoldi: the MC.202 Folgore. Derived from the previous Macchi MC.200, but equipped with a more powerful and aerodynamic engine in-line layout (the Daimler Benz 601 A-1 initially German made, then later on produced on licence by Alfa Romeo) and a closed cockpit, was built in about 1100 units divided into 13 series by Macchi, Breda and SAI Ambrosini. The basic concept was never distorted, the approximately 100 changes reported during its four years of service, essentially concerned on the armoring to protect the pilot, the addition of two wing guns from 7.7 mm (in addition to the two standard 12.7 mm in front of the cockpit), an anti-sand equipment for the desert theater, a new tail unit and other secondary details. Intended for the main operational theaters, from North Africa to Russia, passing through the fighting on Malta, it proved a step forward in terms of performance compared to its predecessors but not yet adequate in terms of armament and equipment, radio in particular. At the end of 1943 the Folgore began to feel the weight of the years and was used as a basis for the development of the next MC.205.