The first public manifest to create an Air Force for Brazil, started in 1928 when Major Lysias Rodrigues wrote an article titled “Uma necessidade premente: o ministério do ar” (an imperious need: the ministry of the air). Two years later, the French Military Mission for the Brazilian Army made the first steps in order to consolidate the creation of the an Air Force.

The idea was supported when it received the recognition of Brazilian pilots when they returned from Italy in 1934 as they described the advantages of having an Air Force.

A study group recommendation, created by the then President Getúlio Vargas at the beginning of 1940 caused the project to advance and all the structure that was entailed for the Ministry of Aeronautics. Founded on the 20th of January, 1941 as the “Forças Aereas Nacionais”, the name was later changed to the now well known “Força Aerea Brasileira” on the 22nd of May of the same year.

The Brazilian Air Force had a very important role during the Second World War when they joined the Allies. Taking part in many offensives, one of the most important was the Campaign in Italy on the 16th of July, 1944, when the Brazilian Expeditionary Force arrive in Italy and was tasked with an order to attack the supply lines of the Axis Forces.

Another purpose of the Brazilian Allied Command in the Italian Peninsula was to put pressure on the German Army by involving as many of the German troops as possible, in order to prevent the experienced German divisions from moving to France and swinging the balance in favour of the Axis.

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force was ill prepared for the campaign in Italy and they faced more issues such as unfavourable climate conditions and a terrain that was unknown to them. Despite this, they worked closely with the United States in order to make the coordination between both countries less of a problem.

Their participation, the value and qualities shown by their pilots, led them to receive Honor Citations by the Congress of the United States in recognition of all their efforts. Qualities that have persisted until today when they celebrate the birth of their Air Force.

The War Thunder Team

Khalkhin Gol, Nomonhan or the Soviet-Japanese Border war, to most people of an english speaking background, any way you say it it means a little known place between Mongolia and China, a river on the Eurasian Steppes, but in 1939 it was the site of a definitive and world changing set of battles.

The border between the Mongolian Peoples Republic and the Imperial Japanese in occupied Manchuria was still in a state of flux following the earlier territorial disputes between these forces and a low intensity guerrilla war waged on a local scale, was being prosecuted without much effect and no material gain.

The battle, in reality began when, on 11th of May 1939, a small Mongolian cavalry unit entered the disputed area beside the river which the Japanese maintained as the border. With the village of Nomonhan to the east, the Mongolians had entered a 25 mile long 10 mile wide area in search of grazing for their horses. They were quickly driven back across the river and fell back beyond artillery range by a larger Japanese unit. By the 14th, the Mongolian cavalry returned and were met by the 64th infantry regiment which forced the Mongolians back across the river again. by the 20th a reconnaissance force from the Japanese 64th regiment attempted to evict the Mongolian troops, but they were encircled and annihilated in the attempt. At the same time, savage air battles were fought in the skies above the battlefield, operating from airfields close to the front lines, fighters took to the skies many times a day with bomber formations driving deep into each others territories to conduct raids on the long and tenuous supply lines each force relied on.

The Mongolian forces reinforced again, this time with soviet troops and tanks and had occupied the Baintsagan heights, a powerful position on the flat and near featureless steppe. The Japanese had failed to notice the significant Soviet build up of men and materials, over 1000 tanks had been assembled by the Russians, with several hundred aircraft to support the 70,000 troops in the area. by contrast the Japanese had some 30,000 men available with only a limited supply of tanks. Raids, and counter raids, company sized and battalion sized attacks continued on both sides as each force built up for a decisive blow. The combats that took place were short sharp and vicious, battles for for advantageous positions were often taken at the point of the bayonet or the blade of a katana, night raids and reconnaissance by force, had become common and as these contests continued the significance of the fighting increased so that by the end of July the Japanese forces had got used to the routine.

The Soviet forces were now under the command of Georgy Zhukov and he was planning a major offensive. Massive amounts of supplies were gathered and a huge amount of material was prepared. Coming to a head on the 20th of august 1939, General Zhukov unleashed the full force of the Soviet war machine. With the attacks directed at the extended flanks of the Japanese line, the Russian armoured groups penetrated the japanese lines and proceeded to roll up the flanks meeting at the village of Nomanhan and sealing the fate of the Japanese 23rd division, instead of pursuing the routed Japanese, the Soviets dug in along the original Soviet border line, as at this time diplomatic negotiations had begun and with these, the fighting ceased.

Deputy Supreme Commander Zhukov would use the training, tactics and methods of supply and operation proven at Khalkhin Gol in July and August of 1943 to defeat the Nazi combined forces at Kursk, the methods of absorbing the attack, turning it and flanking the enemy to encircle and destroy it were all proven on the Mongolian steppe four years before.

The War Thunder Team

December 4th, 2013 was when our project entered a new stage of development: Closed Beta Test (CBT) started testing our ground equipment. Every pilot could perform daily tasks issued by Tank Command to have a chance to be invited in to the CBT. In addition, access could also be obtained by purchasing one of the Special Packages of premium tanks or taking part in numerous competitions organized and distributed by social networks and partner sites .

In the final days of CBT, more than 100 Thousand players were involved!

The War Thunder development team would like to sincerely thank all those who helped us to make better ground vehicles: those who used our forum to propose many improvements to the game, reported bugs or just enjoyed fighting battles, helping us to gather invaluable statistics.

In gratitude for this milestone in our game development , all participants will receive a unique title in game:

"First on the track"

and a unique decal :


The title and decal will only be available to players who had access to the closed beta. The decal will be available to participants in the CBT in the content of the next update.

The War Thunder Team

Dear friends, we are pleased to inform you that the Steam version of War Thunder is now available for users of Mac OS X!

Download War Thunder Steam - Mac OS X

Report Bugs here

Glenn Hammond Curtiss (born May 21, 1878 – died July 23, 1930) was born in Hammondsport, N.Y. He was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908 Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia to build flying machines.

Curtiss made the first officially witnessed flight in North America, won a race at the world's first international air meet in France, and made the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the interwar and World War II eras.

After finishing school, Curtiss worked for the telegraph company and later for the Kodak Company. Having acquired a taste for mechanics and a passion for speed, he opened a bicycle shop. He raced bicycles and won many prizes locally and statewide. When motorcycles became available, he raced them as well, and in 1902 he started to make and sell first the engines, then the complete motorcycles, at his shop. He became famous as a race rider and in 1906, riding an eight-cylinder cycle of his own construction, set a speed record of 137 miles per hour (220 kmh) , which stood for 20 years.

After the dirigible balloonist Thomas Scott Baldwin ordered an engine for one of his balloons from Curtiss, Curtiss concentrated on the area of flight. A balloon powered by a Curtiss engine won a major race at the St. Louis International Exposition in 1904. Baldwin moved to Hammondsport, and the two men manufactured the first dirigible adopted by the U.S. Army.

The successful flight of the Wright brothers in 1903 had demonstrated the potential of heavier-than-air craft, and Curtiss now turned in this direction. Alexander Graham Bell, the Scots inventor of the telephone, was a staunch supporter of aircraft development, and in 1907 established the Aerial Experiment Association at Hammondsport, placing Curtiss in charge of it’s experiments. A year later Curtiss won the Scientific American trophy flying his famous June Bug. During the following years he won many air races both in the United States and abroad. He barnstormed across the country, popularizing and romanticizing the idea of flying, he also established a number of flying schools, which benefited from his fame.

In 1908 Curtiss began to work on the problems of seaplanes and 3 years later successfully took off from, and landed again on, the water off San Diego, California. In 1912 he developed his famous flying boat; where in 1919 - his NC4, developed for the U.S. Navy, became the first airplane to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

After the outbreak of World War I Curtiss moved his manufacturing facilities to Buffalo and built, by 1919, more than 5,000 Jennies. Although he had become wealthy, these years were marred by a court fight with the Wright brothers over the invention of the aileron, which Curtiss had developed for Bell's association.

After the war Curtiss worked on automobiles and other devices as well as airplanes and was highly active in the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, but his real period of pioneering in aviation had ended by 1920.

The War Thunder Team

From 20th May 2014 at 15:00 GMT till 21st May 2014 at 15:00 GMT

Whilst flying any Spitfire, destroy 60/20/6 Enemy aircraft. (Arcade, Realistic or Simulator)

Earn Up to 100,000 Silver Lions.

If asked to name an aircraft of the Second World War, the first name which will come to mind for many will be the legendary Spitfire. Captain Eric Brown RN, world record holding test pilot and CO of the allies ‘Enemy Flight’ trials unit, named the Spitfire as the best piston engine fighter of the Second World War, of any nation. This decision came after extensive testing and simulated dogfights between fighters from both sides of the conflict. Tragically, the engineering genius who was responsible for this iconic aircraft would not live long enough to see the success of his final masterpiece.

Reginald Joseph Mitchell was born in Staffordshire, England on May 20th 1895. The son of a school teacher, Mitchell won a scholarship to a High School before leaving education at the age of 16 to become an apprentice engineer in the locomotive industry. His natural ability marked him out from his peers; as his experience grew he backed this up with further education in engineering, mechanics and mathematics at night school. At the age of 21 he was offered a job with the Supermarine Aviation Works, a company reputed for its maritime aircraft.

By 1919 Mitchell was the company’s chief designer. For the next decade and a half Mitchell was involved in the design of a vast array of aircraft, as wide ranging as fighters and bombers to the famous Supermarine Walrus which remained in service until near the end of the Second World War. However, it would be in the field of racing that Mitchell’s genius would sow the seed for his most famous creation. The Air Ministry commissioned Supermarine to design racing seaplanes for the High Speed Flight team, and in 1927 the Supermarine S5 won the world famous Schneider Trophy. This feat was repeated in 1928 by the Supermarine S6. In 1931 when Mitchell’s Supermarine S6B won the Schneider Trophy again, it conferred the right for Britain to keep the trophy permanently.

Working on the experience gained by working on the high speed racing aircraft which saw victory in the Schneider Trophy, Mitchell and his team were now ideally placed to respond to the Air Ministry’s call for a new fighter to equip the RAF. Mitchell’s 1932 Type 224 design proved inferior to the competition but Mitchell persevered, building on his experience to work on the new, all metal Type 300. However, Mitchell had by this stage been diagnosed with cancer and his health began to deteriorate.

Mitchell ignored all medical advice and doubled his efforts, desperate to provide Britain with the fighter aircraft he believed was needed. By 1937 his health had deteriorated to the point of forcing him to abandon his work, but in the last few months of his life he continued to attend test flights of the aircraft which was now known as the Spitfire.

In June 1937, at the age of 42, Reginald Mitchell succumbed to cancer. He was portrayed in the 1942 movie ‘The First of the Few’ by actor Leslie Howard, a depiction which drew some criticism from colleagues for depicting the no-nonsense, often blunt Mitchell in a very gentle light. Mitchell is best remembered for having given his life to provide his country with arguably the most famous aircraft in history.

The War Thunder Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bSnxf6lHws

eNtaK's Intro to Getting Started In War Thunder Tanks & Ground Forces.

eNtaK's youtube channel

The Finnish Air Force was first formed during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. Both Red and White Finland acquired aircraft, but the date when White Finland received a Thulin Typ D from Sweden is celebrated as the date the FAF was first formed: March 6th 1918.

Towards the end of the 1930s, the FAF was short on modern aircraft. When the Winter War against the USSR broke in November 1939, large parts of the country had to be left without air cover as the few Fokker D.XXIs and Gloster Gladiators were concentrated to key regions.

During the Winter War, Finland managed to acquire Fiat G.50s, Hawker Hurricanes, Morane-Saulnier 406s, and Brewster Buffaloes, most of which arrived too late to have a significant impact on the war that ended in March 1940.

War broke again in summer of 1941. Finland was better prepared for the Continuation War, and Brewster Buffaloes flown by veteran crews wreaked havoc against the Soviet I-153s and I-16s, as well as the new MiG-3s. In Finnish hands, the B-239 Buffalo became the most effective fighter of WWII with a kill-to-death ratio of over 30:1.

As the Continuation War progressed, Germany supplied Finland with modern weapons including Bf 109 G-2 and G-6 fighters. The most renowned Buffalo aces, such as Hans Wind and Ilmari Juutilainen, moved to Bf 109s and could keep fighting on equal terms against the new Soviet aircraft such as La-5's and Yak-9's. Juutilainen became the top scoring non-German ace of all time with 94 confirmed victories.

One reason for Finnish success were the excellent maintenance crews, which kept the ragtag air force running in extreme conditions. Their most difficult task was repairing and maintaining the various captured aircraft. The Finns operated captured equipment extensively during the Continuation War ranging from Soviet SB-2 and Pe-2 bombers to Curtiss Hawks originally captured by the Germans.

Finland produced one indigenous fighter aircraft, the VL Myrsky (”Storm”) showed on picture on left, which was somewhat successful, but did not have a significant impact on the war. Other designs like the VL Humu and VL Pyörremyrsky never left the prototype stage.

After the peace with the USSR in 1944, the FAF took part in the Lapland War to remove German forces from the country. The peace terms severely limited rebuilding of the FAF after the war, as a maximum of 60 combat aircraft was allowed. Bf 109 G's were used until 1954, when the FAF finally moved to the jet age with the de Havilland Vampire.

In War Thunder, a full collection of Aircraft used by the Finnish Air Force would include over 20 planes from four nations, ranging from the Po-2 biplane to the Vampire jet. While most of them do not have FAF camo schemes yet, more user-made skins are available every day.

The War Thunder Team

Join MetagamingTV's Golden Eagle Giveaway today at 3 p.m. GMT (30 minutes from now) on http://twitch.tv/MetagamingTV for a chance to win up to 6.000 Golden Eagles!

If you're new to the channel, read more about how it works on the #WarThunder forums here: http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/139762-golden-eagle-sunday-6k-ge-giveaway-every-sunday/

Surely, we all love our Golden Eagles! And we do love the Moderators and Game Masters, but sometimes they give us a hard time. This is your chance to get back at them and settle this once and for all, and to win Golden Eagles while you're at it!

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