Although the BT-13 Valiant was one of the most important basic training aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, it is a relatively unknown design – particularly when compared with other trainers such as the T-6 Texan or de Havilland Tiger Moth. Designed by Vultee, it bridged the gap between primary trainers and advanced fighters, introducing thousands of cadets to more demanding handling characteristics, higher speeds, and retractable-style systems in a fixed-gear airframe. Nicknamed the “Vibrator” for its pronounced airframe shudder in certain flight regimes, the BT-13 was nonetheless rugged, forgiving, and perfectly suited to preparing future combat pilots, many of whom would go on to fly frontline aircraft in every theater of the war.

Creating this template required more time than I expected, but I wanted to take whatever time was needed to represent the “Vibrator” as faithfully as possible. This first profile is of N59961 as it appeared in 2017, which is fairly close to the configuration of wartime BT-13s.

The book explores the stories of the men who flew the iconic North American Mustang Mk III and Mk IV in RAF and Commonwealth service over Italy and the Balkans. Illustrated with numerous period photographs and 24 high-quality colour profiles, it offers both visual inspiration and solid historical insight into the Mustang’s Mediterranean operations.

Aces & Leaders – The North American Mustang over Italy & the Balkans is available exclusively through Phil Listemann’s website, both in PDF and paperback version.

To order the book, please visit : https://www.raf-in-combat.com/downloads/aces-leaders-the-north-american-mustang-over-italy-and-the-balkans/

One of the greatest rewards of my work is having the chance to collaborate with families who wish to honor their ancestors. Even though my role is minor, I’m honored and humbled everytime I get an opportunity to create an illustration for such projects. Most of these projects are done privately, but in some cases the result is made public. Sharing such stories publicly not only keeps their memory alive but also connects their legacy to a wider audience, ensuring that their courage and sacrifice are never lost to history.

My collaboration with my friend Dimitris Vassilopoulos, whose remarkable work brings to light the stories of Greek pilots and aircrew who served in foreign air forces, especially during the Second World War, has brought many such opportunities. His remarkable research allows us to better understand and honor these men who otherwise might be forgotten. I strongly invite you to visit his website Greeks in Foreign Cockpits to discover the impressive breadth of his work. If you are interested in this topic, Dimitris has also written several books on the topic, with more in preparation.

In this instance, Dimitris asked me to create a profile of the B-24 “Cisco Kid II”, whose crew included Thomas C. Pappas.

Thomas Constantine Pappas was born on November 24, 1922, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Greek immigrant parents from Theodoriana in Epirus. His father, Constantine, even volunteered in the Balkan Wars before settling in the U.S., where the family embraced both their Greek roots and American life.

In 1943, Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces, training as a navigator. He mastered celestial, radio, and dead-reckoning navigation, then deployed to the Southwest Pacific, initially flying transport missions from Guadalcanal before transitioning to multi-engine bombers, including the B-24 Liberator. By early 1944, he joined the 31st Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group (Heavy), 13th Air Force, serving aboard a B-24J named Cisco Kid II. Operating from Momote Airdrome in the Admiralty Islands, he took part in bombing raids over Woleai Atoll.

Tragically, on April 20, 1944, during takeoff for another mission, Cisco Kid II suffered an engine failure and crashed. All eleven crew members, including 2nd Lieutenant Pappas, lost their lives in the ensuing explosion. The Liberator crashed near a Seabee mess hall, killing over 100 service members on the ground.

Years later, in 1974, Thomas’s mother, Angeliki, honored her son’s memory by building a small chapel dedicated to Saint Athanasios in their ancestral village of Theodoriana—an enduring tribute to his sacrifice. In August 2025, Dimitris travelled to the chapel and offered a commemorative plaque describing Thomas’ life, career and ultimate sacrifice.

Read the full story here : Thomas C. Pappas | Greeks in Foreign Cockpits

In late 2021, I created the templates for most variants of the legendary SBD Dauntless dive-bomber . The original templates showed the aircraft with closed canopies, and the twin M1919 .30 caliber machine guns were not visible as they were stored inside the fuselage in this configuration.

For a new profile representing an SBD-5 assigned to VB-5 on USS Yorktown in late 1943, I had to modify the template to represent it with all canopies opened and the gun deployed. This is the result !

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You can see the profile at 2:29, but you really should listen to the entire song !

Find out more about HBME:

• Hillbilly Moon Explosion’s website
• Hillbilly Moon Explosion on Facebook
• Hillbilly Moon Explosion’s YouTube channel

One of the first names that comes to mind in association with the Hawker Tempest is that of French ace Pierre Clostermann, and particularly his Tempest JF-E named “Le Grand Charles”. Over the years, I’ve represented this aircraft several times. The first updates were simply due to the fact that my early Tempest profiles were not nearly as good as my later work. After improving the initial profile, I decided to recreate a Tempest template from scratch to create a much better profile, and thus recreated the profile.

I’ve updated the profile again, this time for another reason. Having come across an article by renowned author Chris Thomas, I realized that the serial I had used for “Le Grand Charles” was incorrect. This latest iteration shows Le Grand Charles with the serial NV994. I also seized the opportunity to represent Clostermann’s Tempest NV724 – which replaced NV994 after it was damaged on 01 July 1945. This Tempest is the one that carries the Lorraine Cross, a symbol adopted by the Free French. Many profiles and representations of Le Grand Charles include that cross but close examination of the available photos shows that these were distinct aircraft. It is most likely that “Le Grand Charles” never sported the Croix de Lorraine, although the absence of proof is not the proof of absence.

If you’re interested in the topic, I strongly advise you to read Chris Thomas’ article on the topic. You can find it on page 26 of the February 2019 edition of Info Eduard : https://www.eduard.com/info-eduard-archive/

I’ve been working on a new template : the SBD Dauntless. I’m starting with the SBD-3 and -4 variants of this remarkable aircraft, which bore the brunt of combat against the Japanese in the early years, before it was eventually replaced by the SB2C. Despite being a dive-bomber, it was remarkably nimble once it had dropped its bomb load and proved on several occasions that it could even challenge the A6M Zero in the hands of a competent pilot. The best example of this is certainly “Swede” Vejtasa, who claimed four aerial victories in the SBD.

The wings and first profiles will be coming soon !

“Bee” Beamont’s first assigned Tempest was JN751, a Tempest Mk V Series I, with features typical of early-production Tempest Mk Vs : long-barreled Hispano Mk II cannons, external reinforcement “fishplates” on the rear fuselage and a blister on the upper wing root.

JN751 was coded R-B, a privilege reserved to Wing Commanders, and a yellow propeller spinner. It initially carried alternating 12-inch black and 24-inch white stripes on the lower surfaces of the wings, a quick recognition feature used previously on the Hawker Typhoon to minimize friendly fire from AAA units unfamiliar with the new fighter type. Aside from these features, the aircraft was in standard Day Fighter Scheme of Ocean Grey and Dark Green with Medium Sea Grey undersides. On the right side of the fuselage, a Wing Commander pennant was painted, but this was oriented in the wrong direction.

On June 5, all Allied aircraft involved in the Normandy invasion received the famous “invasion stripes”, which replaced the earlier stripes on JN751. Beamont was a successful Wing leader, developing tactics to fully exploit and capitalize on the Tempest’s capabilities. At the controls of JN751, Beamont shot down a Bf 109G West of Rouen on 8 June 1944. This was the first aerial victory scored by a Hawker Tempest, and a taste of things to come.

No 150 Wing was not active over Normandy for a long time : as Germany began launching V-1s against Great-Britain on 13 June 1944, the Tempest’s high speed made it a prime candidate for “anti-diver operations”. Beamont was instrumental in devising tactics against the V-1, which proved difficult and dangerous to intercept. When the V-1 threat ended in September/October 1944, No 150 Wing had claimed 638 V-1s destroyed, including 32 by Beamont himself, mostly in JN751.

Beamont made his last flight in JN751 on 5 September 1944 and was assigned a new Tempest Mk V Series II. JN751 was refurbished by Hawker at Langley and returned to service with No 287 Squadron in December 1944. On 18 May 1945, : it crashed on the Isle of Sheppey while trying to avoid a fog bank, killing Flight Sergeant P.C.A. Redstone.