It was an ugly little gun, and like the drawing’s text says, “cheap and easy to make.” That’s why the moniker “grease gun” was so appropriate. The M3A1 had a stamped, riveted, and welded construction, which meant it was difficult if not impossible to work on, and was meant to be discarded if it ever… Continue reading M3A1 Submachine Gun “Grease Gun” Cutaway, 1951
Category: 1950s
Cutaways from the 1950s (1950 to 1959).
Douglas Skymaster C-54M “Flying Hospital” Cutaway, 1951
You’re looking at a Douglas Skymaster C-54M that has been converted into a 32 litter (bed) “Flying Hospital.” At the time this cutaway was drawn, the Korean War was in full force. Rather than taking wounded soldiers home by ship or rail, Military Air Transport Service’s (MATS) C-54M took them home far faster and in… Continue reading Douglas Skymaster C-54M “Flying Hospital” Cutaway, 1951
U.S. Air Force XC-99 Cargo Plane Cockpit Cutaway, 1951
Only the cockpit of the XC-99? Well, this plane was so freaking huge, we can barely show more than this. Based on a B-36 bomber, the XC-99–built by Convair–flew 7,400 hours over the span of about 10 years. Click to Enlarge to 786 x 742 px: Source: Popular Science March 1951
Home Nuclear Bomb Shelter “Foxhole” 1951
This is one of the best illustrations I’ve seen of a fallout shelter from the 1950s. The dark lighting and grim, industrious nature of the family reflect the way a real family might have behaved during an attack. Michael Amrine, who edited the well-regarded Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, wrote the text and provides sane, sober,… Continue reading Home Nuclear Bomb Shelter “Foxhole” 1951
French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956
Where’s the pilot? Well, maybe it’s not a plane. Maybe it’s a missile of some sort. But then, where’s the warhead? You’re looking at a G.H. Davis cutaway drawing, 1956, of a Leduc 021 ramjet aircraft. No pilot, no warhead. The Leduc 021 was carried up by a Languedoc airliner, Space Shuttle-style, and then released. … Continue reading French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956