Features of fighter aircraft staff training in the flight schools of the Red Army air force during the 2nd period of the Soviet-Axis war

The article highlights the main features of the training of flight personnel in fighter aviation schools during the period of radical change in the World War II East Front. The main components of the training of pilots are considered and analysed, such as – the system of recruiting the teaching and instructor staff, statistics of aviation accidents, the state of the airfield network and the material and technical base of educational institutions of fighter aviation, etc. The general patterns of fighter aviation schools were revealed, which manifested themselves in the loss of training time spent on overcoming everyday difficulties in places of evacuation. The factors that negatively influenced the training of flight personnel in the second period of the Soviet-Axis war and the methods of overcoming them by the personnel of aviation schools are established. It is concluded that it was necessary to timely eliminate the most significant shortcomings – interruptions in the supply of fuel, spare parts and assemblies, untimely renewal of the aircraft fleet, imperfections in the organisational and staff structure.

Combat Actions of the 1st and 3rd Air Armies in the First Rzhev-Sychev Operation: Losses and Their Replacement

The article discusses the combat work of the Red Army air force (the 1st and the 3rd air armies of the Western and Kalinin fronts, respectively) during the Rzhev-Sychev operation, focusing on the role of field aircraft repair for the replacement of losses suffered in the battle, and for maintaining the overall combat capability of the air forces in the offensive zone. The author suggests considering the battle of Rzhev as one of the largest and longest aviation battles of the Great Patriotic War. The paper offers a comparative analysis of the number of forces involved in the Rzhev-Sychevsky operation with other large-scale air operations. Drawing on hitherto unstudied sources from the collections of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and on statistical data, the author explains the tactical application of aviation in the Central part of the Soviet-German front in the summer and autumn of 1942, as well as the patterns and main causes of losses during the military operation. The author emphasizes the critical importance of field repair for an accelerated recovery of air force strike capabilities; this gave the Soviet units significant advantages over the German Luftwaffe in the region. As the paper shows, the command of the 1st and 3rd air armies were fully aware of the importance of field repair and gave it thoughtful consideration; already during the intense fighting, measures were taken to share the gained experience with other units.

Call to service: The Register of Australian Accountants for National Service 1940–1944

PurposeThe paper explores the creation in Australia of the Register of Accountants for National Service. Established at the outset of the Second World War, the Register operated for four years from June 1940 providing voluntary, non-remunerated, part-time and after-hours services to a highly stressed and seriously stretched federal government bureaucracy by members of the main Australian professional accounting bodies. Departments of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Supply and Development and Munitions were the largest consumers of the services offered.Design/methodology/approachThe study of the Register relies mainly on an extensive archive of war-time documentation from the Federal Government and various accounting professional institutes which has survived, predominantly in the National Archives of Australia. The resource is particularly rich in material covering the complex negotiation processes that brought the Register into operation together with documentation recording and reporting the work of the Register. The themes of professionalization, institutional legitimacy, volunteerism and patriotism are all invoked to explain the presence of the Register in the machinery of government that was assembled to deliver the ultimately successful war effort. Created by the principal professional accounting institutes, the Register attests to the commitment of their members to the war effort and, thereby, the importance of the profession to Australian society.FindingsThe perilous situation of Australia at a time of war provided a compelling incentive for the accounting profession to organise itself in an efficient and highly effective manner to assist with the war effort. The disparate and somewhat fractured accounting profession at the time was able to work together in a structured, cohesive and disciplined manner to provide voluntary services when called upon. To deliver the voluntary services promised, a purpose-built set of institutional arrangements was put in place. An extensive inventory of the potential services that could be provided by members of the main professional accounting bodies was conducted to facilitate the smooth matching of government needs with services available.Research limitations/implicationsDiscussion focusses only on Australia where the Register was unique. No other examples have been discovered where a profession has self-mobilised to serve a nation in a time of war. A further limitation is that the activities reported are restricted to self-reporting by the Register and a small loose collection of documents prepared by the Department of the Navy.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of the Register is the core of the originality and value of this study. How and why it came into being and the method by which it completed the “task” assigned to it stand as testament to a profession strategically placed to contribute in a substantive manner to the war effort at minimal cost to the nation.

Situational Awareness: Forecasting Successful Military Medical Teams

ABSTRACT Introduction Military healthcare providers working in military interprofessional healthcare teams (MIHTs) require situational awareness (SA) to ensure safe and efficacious patient care. This study aimed to explore SA in MIHTs to understand how SA can be reinforced and maintained in MIHTs. The research team set out to answer two questions: “What aspects of individual and team SA are particularly important for MIHTs?” and “How can we enable military healthcare providers to be effective MIHTs members with robust SA?”. Methods This study used Grounded Theory methodology collecting perspectives from 30 study participants from various backgrounds, including 11 different healthcare professions from the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy. Each study participant had experiences participating in, leading one, or leading many MIHTs. Data were collected in three cycles and analyzed within each cycle until saturation was reached. Results Five themes were robustly represented in the data set regarding SA: (1) contextually informed adaptability, (2) readiness, (3) trust, (4) communication, and (5) mission focus. Conclusions The urgency often faced by MIHTs brings SA and the principles that underpin SA into sharper focus. The SA themes identified in this research may provide insight into training effectiveness, team strengths and weaknesses, and team performance.

Leadership Behaviour and Work Motivation of Defence Leaders

This research article investigates leadership behaviour and work motivation of Indian Defence Officers of all the three wings (Army, Air Force and Navy).Present work is a blend of exploratory as well as hypothesis testing study under the survey method of research. The population of the study consisted of officers of all the three wings of Indian defence services This research has devoted more attention to the need for achievement because in every sector of organizational working individuals and group of individuals strive to achieve goals and this need is positively associated with managerial performance and success and that a need for achievement can be developed in aspiring managers. Though, small survey conclusions lack generalizability, the present study does provide certain useful insights into leadership behaviour of Indian defence officers and their motivational orientation.

Robert C. Kraut's Japan : cataloguing and contextualizing post World War Two photographic albums of Japan and the South Pacific

This applied thesis examines three albums created by US Army Air Force personnel Robert C. Kraut from 1945-46. The albums were donated by Toronto based artist Max Dean to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and serve as a case study for the process of cataloguing and contextualizing albums for future researchers and museum staff. This paper includes a literature survey examining care and handling, social and historical evolutions, and cataloguing practices related to both photographic albums and scrapbooks. An historical analysis of the photographic album as a medium, vernacular photography and the donation process of the albums into the AGO's collection follows. A detailed analysis of the narrative, material orientation, annotation, layout and materiality qualities for each album is included. A cataloguing methodology that both accounts for the albums’ unique layouts and holds to the established conventions for cataloguing albums at the AGO is discussed and described in detail.

Robert C. Kraut's Japan : cataloguing and contextualizing post World War Two photographic albums of Japan and the South Pacific

This applied thesis examines three albums created by US Army Air Force personnel Robert C. Kraut from 1945-46. The albums were donated by Toronto based artist Max Dean to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and serve as a case study for the process of cataloguing and contextualizing albums for future researchers and museum staff. This paper includes a literature survey examining care and handling, social and historical evolutions, and cataloguing practices related to both photographic albums and scrapbooks. An historical analysis of the photographic album as a medium, vernacular photography and the donation process of the albums into the AGO's collection follows. A detailed analysis of the narrative, material orientation, annotation, layout and materiality qualities for each album is included. A cataloguing methodology that both accounts for the albums’ unique layouts and holds to the established conventions for cataloguing albums at the AGO is discussed and described in detail.

Design and Analysis of Folding Mechanism for a Horizontal Stabilizer in a Helicopter

An Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) is a multi-role and multi-mission helicopter for army, air force, navy, coastguard and civil operations. For the navy, the ALH has to be accommodated inside the hangar in a ship’s deck. The hangar doesn’t accommodate the ALH and for its accommodation inside the hangar, the tail boom and horizontal stabilizer of the ALH is folded. The horizontal stabilizer is split and two machine ribs are placed at the split area where a hinge mechanism is used with a locking pin for the movement of the horizontal stabilizer (moving and non- moving segment). Two Eye and Fork End combination is used. Fork End is placed at the non-moving segment of the horizontal stabilizer, whereas Eye End is placed at the moving segment. Eye End is rotated with respect to Fork End hinge point. A detailed designing of all mechanisms involved in this context is carried out and analysis of all individual components is done. Suitable ‘Airworthy’ material has to be selected. A mechanism has to be developed in such a way that the locking pin has to be in its engaged condition when the ALH is in positive flight condition.