World of Warbirds

By Bryan PearceLeisure History Aviation

World of Warbirds episodes

October 23 The Prisoner’s Dive Bomber – Petlyakov Pe-2 ’Buck’
Conceived in a Soviet prison, built in 45 days, and pushed to 400+ mph—the Petlyakov Pe-2 is the most vital WWII warbird you’ve maybe never heard of.
Join me as we explore the wild story behind Russia’s high-speed dive bomber. From its origins as a pressurized high-altitude interceptor to its frantic 4-day conversion into a heavy night fighter, the Pe-2 was a brilliant, unforgiving, and heavy-handed machine that demanded real strength to fly.
I dive deep into:
The Gulag Skunkworks: How imprisoned Soviet engineers designed an iconic warbird inside an NKVD sharashka.
45 Days to Redesign: The high-stakes scramble to turn an interceptor into a deadly dive bomber.
Pilot Reactions: Real primary accounts on its wicked stall characteristics, heavy stick forces, and blistering speed.
The 4-Day Night Fighter: The bizarre, tail grenade-tossing Pe-3 experiment.
The Tragic Irony: The fate of designer Vladimir Petlyakov.
Hit play and discover the story of the Soviet Union’s ultimate schnellbomber!
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28 min
October 09 Brewster Part 2: Buccaneers, Corsairs and Controversy!
What happened to the Brewster Company after the Buffalo? We look at the SB2A Buccaneer (Bermuda) and the Brewster Corsairs... and beyond! Enjoy!

Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
F4F Wildcat
The Jug pt 1
Corsair pt 1
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21 min
September 25 Brewster Part 1: F2A Buffalo
Hero or Zero? To explore the wild contradictions of the F2A Buffalo, we look at the origins of the Brewster Company, all the up to the Battle of Midway. Enjoy!

Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
F4F Wildcat
The Jug pt 1
P-40 Warhawk
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39 min
September 11 Oil (engine oil, that is)
Today we get all oiled up...
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15 min
August 28 Double Dutch: The Fokker D.XXIII
What might have been had this twin-engine, centreline thrust been allowed to mature? We'll explore that and the colourful story of Fokker.
Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
DC-3
Hawker Fury
PBY Part 1
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17 min
August 21 Westland Whirlwind
Beautiful, sleek and sexy with a powerful cannon punch... what ever happened to the Whirlwind??
Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
Beaufighter
Westland Welkin
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25 min
August 17 EXTRA! EXTRA! DH.88 Comet
After reading about the crash of DH.88 Comet "Grosvenor House", I went down a rabbit hole of research and am excited to share it all with you! Enjoy!
Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
SM.79 "Damned Hunchback"
DC-3
DH Mosquito
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16 min
August 08 PBY Catalina Part 2
In this free-ranging episode I look at the PBY in RAAF and RCAF service, introduce you to the “The Order of the Double Sunrise", look at the Catalina's anti-sub and SAR work, and profile a couple of amazing pilots. I look at how PBY's became firefighting cats and how their DNA made it into the CL-215, 415 and eventual 515 water bombers. Lastly, we look into the future with the CATALINA SPAR™.
Thank you to special guest Eva! See her insta: yourlocal.eva
Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
DC-3
Junkers Ju-52: Iron Annie!
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43 min
July 24 PBY Catalina Part 1
Whether we call it PBY, Catalina, Canso, Nomad or even the Soviet GST...it is a hero of a Warbird of epic proportions! Part one takes us from origins to the famous Black Cats. Enjoy!
Thank you to special guest Eva! See her insta: yourlocal.eva

Previous Episodes that I refer to in this one:
Kawanishi HK Mavis
B-26 Marauder
DC-3
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44 min
July 10 Ju88: The Defectors (Baksheesh)
In a conversation with Aviation Historian Adam Estes we learn the amazing, drama-filled story of how of how a Romanian Ju88 ended up defecting to the British, then flying across the South Atlantic to America, and where it can be seen today, one of the only TWO complete Ju88 survivors!
Adam Estes on Vintage Aviation News
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1 hr

About World of Warbirds

From the publisher's feed

Each episode delivers a deep-dive engineering and operational analysis of a single aircraft. Go beyond mainstream history to discover how these legendary warbirds were designed, built, and modified for the crucible of combat. From legendary fighters and heavy bombers to overlooked cutting-edge prototypes, we cross-reference official military logs, design development records, and pilot memoirs to separate myth from historical fact. We also track down the rare survivors still in existence today, keeping these incredible engineering marvels alive.