The Little World

Well, political in the sense that everything military in South America is political. From the smallest rubber truncheon to the GENERAL BELGRANO, every weapon is eventually turned against the local citizens, the neighbours, or the other armed forces. It is a tradition that probably started in the Inca and Aztec days, got noisier with the Spanish, and has continued with whatever cast-off equipment they have these days.

it was certainly the case for the Panthers of the Argentinian Navy when they staged a Navy Revolt in 1963. The Argentinian Army sent a column of tanks to seize the naval base and the base commander ordered up Panthers, Texans, and Corsairs ( the old ones… ) to defend it. They rocketed the armoured column and reportedly knocked out a dozen Sherman tanks.

That’s the sort of own-goal you just don’t see in NATO or Australasia. It’s probably not as savage and intense as a soccer game, but 48 pound rockets make a pretty powerful argument. Sew a button on that one, José…

The plane has come out well, despite the paint setback and the questionable underside. I like the tradition of the squadron leader pennant still being displayed on the plane, though in these days of R/T communication and digital IFF it seems a little archaic. Also interesting to see the NAVAL anchors supplanting any national roundel on the wings…but if you look at the 1963 incident, perhaps the pilots are more NAVAL than Argentinian.