Naturally, in the popular press of the time, Consolidated Vultee’s B-24 Liberator bomber would be hailed as a magnificent fighting machine, capable of plowing down any obstacle like cutting through butter. While the B-24 did have its strong points, crew members had a different angle on the craft. Lately, I have been reading Laura Hillenbrand’s… Continue reading B-24 Liberator Bomber Cutaway Drawing, 1943
Colt .45 Automatic Pistol Cutaway, 1951
This cutaway of the classic Colt .45 Automatic was part of Popular Science’s “Know Your Weapons” series that started up in 1951. This series was aimed squarely at WWII (and even WWI) veterans who had been intimately familiar with these military firearms only a few years before. Click to Enlarge to 764 x 740 px:… Continue reading Colt .45 Automatic Pistol Cutaway, 1951
Atomic Airplane Cutaway, 1951
Even though I like Ray Pioch, his 1951 cutaway drawing of this fanciful atomic airplane really isn’t very good. It’s got the typical middle-of-magazine two-color scheme, and the perspectives within this so-called atomic airplane are all wrong. That said, it was predicted that, by 1980, atomic-powered jets would already be in use. However, more realistically,… Continue reading Atomic Airplane Cutaway, 1951
Winchester M1 .30 Carbine Cutaway, 1951
Firing .30 caliber cartridges, the Winchester M1 Carbine wasn’t intended to be the ultimate killing machine Rather, it was an intentionally lightweight piece for radiomen, cooks, officers, and others for whom a firefight wasn’t their main job. Click to Enlarge to 756 x 740 px: Source: Popular Science September 1951
Soviet TU-10 Two-Jet Bomber Cutaway, 1951
This is the Tupolev TU-10 bomber. I have not been able to find information on this aircraft. If anyone has leads, please leave information in the comment section. Click to Enlarge Image to 1375 x 745 px: Source: Popular Science August 1951