Pokryshkin was a three-time recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union decoration during wartime - for his exceptional air combat record of 53 solo kills and 6 shared ones (though these tallies are disputed nowadays). He was airborne on the first day of Operation Barbarossa, shooting down a Bf109 after being jumped on a recon mission, and would continue...
Shestakov graduated from military college in 1936 and immediately applied for service in Spain, joining a Republican fighter squadron, where he claimed eight solo victories and 31 shared victories in 90 sorties in his I-16. At the start of Operation Barbarossa, Shestakov found himself on the Odessa front, where his regiment mauled the German and Romanian...
Hero of the Soviet Union on 18 August 1945 Mariya Ivanovna Dolina enlisted as a volunteer in the 269th Fighter Regiment in 1941 and flew 200 combat special missions in an antiquated U-2 training aircraft carrying orders, mail and medical supplies for the hard-pressed Southern Front. In 1942 she graduated to flying the fast Pe-2 twin engine bomber with the...
Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington (Medal of Honor, Navy Cross) learnt his deadly trade during a year’s tour in China as a member of the 1st American Volunteer Group (The Flying Tigers). Upon returning to the US, In 1943, he was charged to take a group of twenty-seven young men and form the new Marine Attack Squadron 214. VMA214 (Black Sheep) would earn its...
Lieutenant, Junior Grade Philip Leroy Kirkwood was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy. Flying the F4U Corsair with the Grim Reapers (VF-10) from the USS Intrepid (CV-11) Kirkwood took part in strikes against the Ryukyu Islands, Kyūshū, Okinawa and Wake Island, downing 8 enemy aircraft bringing his tally to 12....
"Tex" Hill was born in Gwangju, Korea whilst under Japanese rule but was raised in Texas. Graduating from Austin College in 1938, he entered service as a United States Naval Aviator, earning his wings as a TBD Devastator torpedo bomber pilot aboard the USS Saratoga. He also joined a Vought SB2U Vindicator Dive Bomber Squadron aboard USS Ranger. IN 1941 he...
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) developed a number of flying boats as they were uniquely suited to conditions in the Pacific theatre due to their long ranges, heavy load carrying capacity, and the ability to land anywhere. The H8K, named 'Emily' by the Allies, was by far the most modern and successful flying boat deployed by the IJN and was rated as one...
This is an expansion set for the WWII aircraft miniatures game Blood Red Skies by Warlord Games and designed by Andy Chambers. This expansion includes a squadron of USA P-38J Lightning fighters and additional accessories to add to the core game. The twin-engined fighter enjoyed its most extensive deployment and successes in the Pacific theatre. Though it...
Richard Ira Bong was the United States’ top scoring and most highly decorated Ace of the Second World War. He joined the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program in May 1941 and a year later was training on the new Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin engine fighter. When war broke out, Bong was sent to New Guinea and won a reputation for aggressively battling enemy...
Blood Red Skies: Air Strike! is a rules compendium that presents all of the rules from the original Blood Red Skies starter set and adds many new ones suitable for expanded air operations: ground and sea targets, bombing, strafing and torpedo attacks, defensive flak and terrain. Jet aircraft are introduced with the MiG Alley expansion and there is...
Blood Red Skies is a tabletop miniatures game in which you take command of a force of fighter aircraft in battle. The emphasis in Blood Red Skies is on controlling a large number of planes at once. Action in the game is fast-paced, with no pre-plotting or book-keeping required. A smallish game of Blood Red Skies, with six planes per side, can be fought in...