Polikarpov PO-2 / CSS-13

The Short Sunderland was/is a flying boat made by the Short brothers aircraft company in Britain (who also made the short sterling, Britains first 4 engine heavy bomber properly put into service) and was first put into service in 1938.

During ww2 it performed many many missions and was the quintessential flying boat for the allies. It saved many airmen and sailors from freezing to death in the cold and dark seas in its use as an air-sea rescue aircraft.

In burma at multiple points it was the only way to evacuate wounded soldiers away from the front lines with crews flying for sometimes 24 hours straight if just picking up wounded, flying them to safety and then doing it again while under near constant threat from ground fire.

It protected supply vessels in its role as a U-boat hunter (a job it did very well and a lot) even scoring the first unassisted kill against a U-boat (done by an Aussie Sunderland crew which im proud of).

It could even perform evasive maneuvers like corkscrews in spite of its dummy thickness.

I love this shot for GA News! 📸😎

Vought OS2U Kingfisher circa 1944. attached to Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 1 (CASU-1) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. USN.