A-36 Impaler
Stolen in early 1944 by an escaped Romanian officer from an Allied forward base in Italy-on a dark and stormy night. Flown at wave top level across the Adriatic to a hidden location in the area of Transylvania, where it was re-marked and modified to carry the indigenous Vlad-13 "Flying Fencepost" anti-personnel munition, an 11' long, 8" diameter wooden rocket. Analysts suggest that the device splintered after attaining a speed of 350 meters per second (roughly the speed of sound), producing shards capable of piercing bodies.
According to legend, it flew infrequently, and only at night, and the pilot, was known only as "The Stigescu".
Interesting story, tanks for sharing. I remember reading somewhere that the Vlad rockets found some operational use on Romanian Hs 129s against ground targets, apparently with limited success. Never new they had been tried on a single-seater.
HA, HA, HA, Bryan - April Fool tag etc...:) Maybe should have saved it for Halloween? Is this the Accurate minatures A-36 in 1/48? Looks good in the drac-tastic Romanian markings. "Fangs" for the laffs!
Yes, Accurate Min's. Nice kit to build.
"Wooden Rockets", Gracie...? And what, pray tell, propelled them through the air (and at such an astounding velocity)..?
By the way, there's an A-36 Apache undergoing a complete restoration just down the road from me...I really should get down there and take some more pics of the WIP (for real).