Researching the 654 Sqn shoot on Objective Platinum, I stumbled on this footage of CO 4 Regiment, Lt Col Mike Wawn, being interviewed about AAC Anti Tank Ops in the Gulf. It's interesting to see Fort Flasheart in the background.
://youtu.be/sTPE4nUBzkg?si=anEXNlm487HreZ1v
Enjoying my weekend read. It is always good to take a deep dive into one of those episodes in history that are too often just glossed over. The use of aerial ramming tactics by the Luftwaffe in the twilight weeks of WWII is worthy of further investigation. This is a good source.
During our research into Project Aphrodite and Op Anvil, we visited Blythburgh Fen, the crash site of Joseph Kennedy and Wilford Willy's B24 PB4Y drone. Touched to find this tribute in Blythburgh Church. Kennedy and Wilford are listed on the memorial to the missing at ABMC Madingley.
Here's my latest book review of Defenders of the Reich by Robert Forsyth @OspreyBooks
linkedin.com/posts/mike-pet…
I took a few moments out of my day today to visit the Mission Mistress Memorial at Moreton Hall Community Centre, Bury St Edmunds. Close to the B17s crash site at Home Covert, the memorial commemorates tragic loss of the Mistress and her crew in January 1945.
There are just a few tickets left on eventbrite for my talk at Essex Records Office in Chelmsford on Tuesday, 3 February. I will be talking about the 381st BG USAAF and their time at RAF Ridgewell during WWII. Hope to see you there...
Thank you to the Events team at the Army Flying Museum, Middle Wallop, for hosting my talk tonight. It is always a pleasure to return to the home of Army Aviation to talk history.
If you are in Essex and would like to hear more about RAF Ridgewell and the 381st BG USAAF, come along to my talk at the ERO in Chelmsford. Details below:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ero-presen...
Credit: Black Thursday by Gareth Hector.
This week, in the spirit of around the clock bombing, I will be joining fellow historians Jane Gulliford Lowes & James Jefferies to record a pod for their excellent @RAFBomber_Pod podcast. I am looking forward to talking about the USAAF's two major daylight raids on Schweinfurt.
📢 Red Light - Green Light – Red Devil – Green Devil: Op FUSTIAN
📅 Monday 19 January
🕙 19:00 - also available online
🍽 Pre-Lecture Dinner option. Pre-order by 16.01.26
Hear @MikeHistorian describe the 3-day battle to seize the vital Primosole Bridge:
bit.ly/44R5bK1
armyflying.com/what-s-on/ev...
Merry Christmas to all of our contributors and listeners, we have had another great year of Mighty Eighth history in 2025. We both wish you all peaceful and enjoyable Christmas. See you all for a new series of podcasts in the New Year! Mike & Johann
What a festive bargain! Bomb Group is still receiving positive reviews, & sales are still live...
Bomb Group: The Eighth Air Force's 381st and the Allied Air Offensive over Europe:
amzn.eu/d/7OyEkNW
It has been evocative researching, interviewing, and writing about Op Granby 35 years on from my own deployment with 4 Regt AAC. December 1990, I was lucky enough to get Christmas at home in Germany. Thousands of troops were already deployed in Saudi Arabia waiting for the war to start...
As promised, my review of this excellent Vietnam history - Assault From the Sky. USMC Aviation Operations in the Vietnam War.
@casematepub
linkedin.com/posts/mike-pet…
It's been an emotional few weeks interviewing AAC veterans of Gulf War 1 (Op Granby). It has brought back a lot of memories... the contrasts with Op Telic 2003 are stark. Two very different wars for me and the AAC...
It is a huge irony that the B17C Fortress flew into its first battle unarmed. The aircraft that arrived over Pearl Harbour during the IJN attack were in transit to the Phillipines. Their guns were stowed in order to save weight on the flight from California.
I have just finished some Band of Brothers research. This is an absorbing read, made even more interesting by the fact that its scope reaches beyond the Easy Company bubble. What a fascinating character Ron Speirs was...recommended read.
It's the last issue of Soldier Magazine for 2025. I am very happy to have been asked to nominate a book of the year. I chose @almurray's Arnhem Black Tuesday. A refreshing and thought-provoking look at the controversial defeat.
Recently, I had the pleasure of contributing to the US WWII Foundation's latest film project, a documentary focused on an individual serving in England with the Mighty Eighth. Filming at Bletchley Park really added to the day. Check out the Foundation and its extensive free film programme.
Iconic
My weekend read and review covers one of the most daring raids of WWII. Although it is not a comprehensive history of Doolittle's strike on Japan, it is a really useful complimentary source that gives biographical insight into the 16 Pilots that flew the mission and their fates.
I will be at the Army Flying Museum telling the story of Ponte Primosole and Operation Fustian - The Battle of the Drop Zones. One of the few times in history that Airborne troops were both parachuted and airlanded onto the same battlefield. Information below:
On my list thanks Steven
I had the pleasure of doing some filming yesterday for a @URIWWII project linked to the 379th BG at Kimbolton. There are so many stories to tell about the men of the triangle 'K'. The remarkable 'Swamp Fire' the B17G that flew 100 missions without an abort! More to come...
It was a genuine privilege to be invited to attend the UK screening of the new @URIWWII film on Enigma at Bletchley Park today. Another informative film made in an accessible format that will open up this story to a wide audience. Look out for its general release next spring.
AAC Granby veterans - We are currently compiling the history of the AAC involvement in Gulf War 1. We welcome contributions to Ops Normal Volume 2. Please contact me at opsnormal1957@gmail.com
My review of Surviving Three Shermans...
www.linkedin.com/posts/mike-p...
I'm just coming to the end of my current read. It really is an absorbing memoir that deftly combines contemporary material, with later life interviews and historian input. Review to follow, but highly recommended.
19 January 2026 - a date for your WW2 history diary. I will be speaking at the Army Flying Museum about Operation Fustian. The British 1st Parachute Brigade will drop 1800+ troops on the Ponte Primosole crossing on the Catania Plain. More details from @armyflying
Well, no more tours for me this side of Christmas. It's time to press on with writing deadlines, @Mighty8thPod podcasts, and some more research. I am looking forward to a productive winter.
