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Boxed Astra Model 1921 (400)

The Japanese did not have very good intelligence, not like the Allies. In addition to bad intelligence, the Japanese would also have bad luck.

Most of the reconnaissance planes deployed by Nagumo were not from his carriers, but instead launched by catapults from his heavy cruisers.

One of these planes, designated number 4, was half an hour late in taking off from the heavy cruiser Tone because of problems with its catapult.

As chance would have it, that sector of the ocean this plane had been assigned to was the one containing the American carriers. And so number 4’s sighting of them would be delayed a crucial half hour.

The Japanese had overwhelming superiority in the Pacific, even though the strike at Pearl Harbor was a success, Yamamoto was disappointed that it had not caught any of the aircraft carriers in port. So he devised this plan to lure the American carriers into a trap to sink them in deep water at Midway Atoll.

Unknown to the Japanese, the Americans knew about this sneaky plan thanks to the codebreakers of Station Hypo lead by Joseph Rochefort.

With the upper hand of superior intelligence, Admiral Nimitz sent his carriers to a position designated Point Luck. He figured it was the last place the Japanese were going to look for the U.S. pacific fleet, and that turned out to be literally true.

June 1943 Polish Wellington ground crew RAF Hemswell.

An authentic Spitfire would hardly pass muster at a modern air-show.

In 1944 they did not have time to make the black and white D-Day landing markings look nice.