Gunther Rall, known as the third most successful fighter ace in history. His first combat was during the Battle of France and scored his first victory on May 18, 1940 with a Curtiss Hawk Fighter. From then on, numerous victories were won by this Lieutenant-General, amounting to 272 on the Eastern Front (241 of which were against Soviet Fighters)

Despite this numerous winnings, very little is known about Gunther Rall. My Log Book is his narration of the life he lived from his youth in Nazi Germany to the gory battles of air combat over France and England.

Discover the hardships and priceless experiences he had in this tale of his legendary life. The wonderful autobiography of Gunther Rall, My Log Book will not just show the reality of combats but will also bring back the memory of the history that will inspire you to the very core meaning of fighting, surviving, and dying for a cause.

Pacific Aircraft has enabled me to explain and display an important part of our family military history. By purchasing and displaying scale models of aircraft my father flew in the Air Corps and the Coast Guard in World War II and the Army Liaison aircraft that I flew in post war years, the display provokes friends, members of the family and most importantly my grandchildren to inquire and discuss the family history.

The quality and markings of the models has been right on and the presentation entertains all that study the collection. My Father’s aircraft include the PBM, PBY, Goose, Duck, Widgeon, Kingfisher, N2S, N3N and others, while mine is limited to the L-19, L-20 and soon the L-5. I may order a scale supercub painted and marked as an L-21 as well.

The presence of the models has led my sons to want me to write down the history and the stories that go along with it. I will be adding to the collection which will necessitate several custom models to match what I experienced. I do have an L-19 that is marked exactly like the one I flew, complete with the day-glo trim in the right places. It really does bring back the memories and the 2.75 rockets are authentic. I am looking forward to putting the dialogue in writing and showcasing the planes as a display.

Only yesterday did I give to a friend your sale on Navy Carriers brochure since he served on tow of them and will probably purchase those for his home collection. Thanks for the opportunity to purchase such high quality models and even offer them on sale on occasion. My budget is limited but I can mange an occasional purchase with your reasonable offerings.

My Dad (who happens to be my major hero and also my adventure buddy) flew for the Navy out of Tripler in Honolulu. He flew several types of planes but trained on the SNJ and, in fact, my all time favorite picture of him is one where he is standing in front of this very plane as a young pilot.

Since then Dad and I have made excursions to see one of the last remaining Constellations (which he also flew) and also visited an AT-Texan (close but no banana) at the EvergreenAviation Museum in Oregon. Finally, it dawned on me one day that the only plane he’d piloted for which Dad did not have a model was the SNJ. So you can imagine how happy I was to see it in your catalogue and the Navy version too! It looked just like the one in the picture of my Dad! So I bought it for his 75th birthday. Not only did you make my Dad really happy, even more so his loving daughter who finally found something to give him that he REALLY REALLY liked! Thanks so much for keeping our dreams alive and for your commitment to quality and detail.

- Denise Cline
Portland, Oregon

As the last Chief of Staff for the Commander, US Naval Forces Europe stationed in London, I was tasked to put on a Midway mess night for our staff – an event that would prove memorable for over 100 Naval Officers and senior Navy civilians.

Our formal “dining in” in “mess kit” was held in the main Hall of London’s Imperial War Museum amidst the tanks, aircraft, rockets and artillery pieces - a setting steeped in military history and brave deeds.

Up from his regular HQ in Naples, Italy, the Commander, U S Naval Forces Europe presided over the affair as President of the Mess. Our guest of honor was a survivor of Midway and of Torpedo 8, then Ensign Albert Earnest.

He recalled how he flew one of six new TBF Avenger torpedo planes against the Japanese Carrier Battle Fleet. The new TBFs formed a detachment from the same Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) that flew from USS Hornet (CV-8) (and lost all of their TBD Devastators). Launching from Midway’s Eastern Island airfield as the Japanese raid approached in the early morning of 4 June 1942, he remembered the savage fighter and anti-aircraft fire his crew encountered while they made their historic torpedo run. Though he and a fellow crewman survived, the aircraft was much shot up and one other crewman killed.

That night, though, as he remembered events 61 years ago and yet still fresh, his every word held our full attention. Alongside the dias, we displayed a print of the flight and a TMC Pacific model of his aircraft, TBF T-8-1.

As a gift of our esteem and appreciation for his remarks and service in combat, we presented him with the print of his famous VT-8 torpedo run and the TMC model TBF Avenger, T-8-1.

As he told the story in the hall of the Imperial War Museum, his words, the model and combat art were inspirational, vivid reminders of DUTY.

Today in my study, I also display the print of the flight, signed by now Captain Earnest, along with my own TMC T-8-1 on a wall mounted display stand.

- info4nelsons
Sanford, FL