We’re on our way to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina BuNo 2459 and the crew is spending the hours documenting what it was like to fly long patrols on the slow PBY. Here is a glimpse of some of the interior “comforts”, defensive positions, and views. Of course, in the 1942 North Atlantic, shorts and T-shirts would have been swapped for shearling coats and flight suits. Enjoy the clips! #wwii #pbycatalina #eaaairventure #warbirds #navalaviation
The PBY-5A Catalina BuNo 2459 is on its way to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI from Florida! The crew is passing through Georgia now and will be working into the Midwest for an overnight along the way. On the way out of Florida, the PBY flew over P-8 Poseidon's at Cecil Field - the same mission, 84 years apart! Before departure, we got a photo of the team at American Aero Services who worked on the PBY - there were many others that helped over the seven year span, but their dedication and excellence in craftsmanship truly made #2459 singular in regards to originality - thank you for everything, American Aero Services!
If you're interested in supporting the PBY-5A and showing your love for the airplane, please shop our new online gift shop with our PBY 2459 Merch! Go to:
Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina BuNo 2459 Collection
ahmgiftshop.org
Support the ongoing operation of Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina BuNo. 2459 - the oldest PBY flying and the highest scoring PBY in existence! Restored and operated by the American Heritage Museum, here i...
The American Heritage Museum is proud to report that Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina BuNo 2459 took its first post-restoration flight on July 6, 2026 from New Smyrna Beach, FL after a seven-year restoration back to 1942 configuration by American Aero Services. The PBY is heading to the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-in and Airshow this weekend and will be on display July 20-26 in Oshkosh, WI. For more information, please see the news article on our website.![]()
#WWII #warbirds #pbycatalina #WorldWarII #eaaairventure
Learn More & Get Tickets at ahmus.me/atdw2026 - Here's a sneak preview of the incredible new Cold War Era tanks that will be featured at America's Tank Demo Weekend on July 25th and 26th! See the new M41 Walker Bulldog, M47 Patton, M60 Main Battle Tank, M60A2 Starship, and M88 Recovery Vehicle along with our WWII tanks, the M4 Sherman, M24 Chaffee, and M36 Jackson! You don't want to miss it!![]()
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Artist: : Benjamin Tissot
Defense of the Reich
8.8 cm Flak 36 – GER | ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN
Sd.Kfz. 8 12 TON – GER | PERSONNEL CARRIER/PRIME MOVER
Kommandogerrat 38 – GER | FIRE CONTROL COMPUTER
Flak Battery Generator – GER | ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY SUPPORT
Flak Battery Searchlight – GER | ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY SUPPORT
V-1 (“JB-2 Loon” – Suspended) – GER | GUIDED MISSILE
The Defense of the Reich (also known in German as Reichsverteidigung) was the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe air arm of the combined Wehrmacht armed forces of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Nazi Germany during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German civilians, military, and civil industries by the Western Allied bombing campaigns. The day and night air battles over Germany during the war involved thousands of aircraft and aerial engagements to counter the Allied strategic bombing campaign. The Luftwaffe fighter force defended the airspace over German-occupied territory against attack, first by RAF Bomber Command and then against the United States Army Air Forces.
The constant night bombing by the RAF and daylight attacks by the USAAF added to the destruction of a major part of the German’s industries and cities, which caused the economy to collapse in the winter of 1944–45. It also pulled nearly two million Germans into defense of the homeland and diverted critical, dual-purpose 88 mm guns from an anti-tank role in the east against the advancing Red Army to an antiaircraft role inside Germany itself. By this time, the Allied armies had reached the German border and the strategic campaign became fused with the tactical battles over the front, while also completing a deliberate and methodical Allied campaign of punishment of all of Germany by destruction of German cities and civilian morale. The air campaign continued until April 1945, when the last strategic bombing missions were flown, ending just before the surrender of Germany on May 8th.
