Recent content by Garyt

"Just an observation here, but the Yamato was not commisioned one week before the war, but before hostilities with the allies began. The war had been raging on for several years already." I look at 2 periods largely, before the start of the war in Europe, and prior to the Japanese declaring war...

Always a fun topic - what were the best warships of class in WW2. However, you really have to ask is when were they built. Otherwise, it's like comparing a Panzer 3 with its 50mm gun against a late war panther. Both of these were arguably the best tank of their time, but one was built pre war...

That's my point really. If they are designed as other escort vessels with the same amount of engine space, they will be slower. But it would still seem to make sense I would think, for the oil starved Japanese Navy

Late addition here, but what about a DE class that uses coal based engines? High speed is not a priority, a DE that runs at 20 knots is acceptable. This would help with the fuel issues 2 fold, both reduces consumption with the DE's and perhaps putting more of them at sea. For that matter...

That's what I mean - the Ki43 could actually "out zero" a zero, but was even more lacking in areas like armament. At best 2 x 50 caliber, more likely 2 x 7.7 mm in the early war period. Takes a lot of time on target to down a plane with that limited of firepower. A Zero would have been...

The Val's were probably using the Type 99 number 25. This was a semi-AP bomb with about 24% explosive by weight, as opposed to a 500 pound American GP bomb about 51% explosive. The Japanese bomb was a bit more of a piercer and usually had a bit of a delay. I don't think either of the 2...

Considering the AVG was NOT fighting Zeros, give them advantages in speed, durability, and firepower. I look at it as there are two aspects of fighting, a turner and a vertical fighter. Not really any plane is all one or the other, they all have abilities in both aspects. But "turners" are...

What I think would be interesting, as GregP started to do is look at sucessful fighters of WW2, and see what sets them apart. Look at unsuccessful ones perhaps as well :D And also look at WHEN these planes were effective, at the competition at that time. For example, the Zero was a...

That I do not doubt one little bit. Finding the "right" individual at late stages of the war though became progressively tougher.

True, for the US bombing in the early war period was more effective than torpedoes. And a torpedo run makes a plane more vulnerable than a dive bomb run. But the US success with dive bombers was based largely on their successes against Japanese Carriers, which were not flight deck armored and...

I would think that the Japanese would have had problems with the alloying materials due to shortages caused by the strangulation of the Japanese economy by sub warfare. And I think they would have problems above and beyond any other major nations of WW2, the only ones in a remotely similar...

I'm not sure of the original source for this, but this has also been reposted from the original source to this forum: Seems the sub "embargo" also caused problems with finished quality.

Yes indeed Graugreist, that is what I meant. I was speaking metaphorically, as I also do not believe my cough syrup could indeed has served as aviation fuel for the Japanese. I do recall reading somewhere, though I am not sure of the source, of landing gear failing upon the landing of a few...

Other than the pilot issue, this seems to be as big of a problem as anything for the late war Japanese. I've heard of planes almost falling apart due to either faulty manufacture, poorly made parts or lack of parts. Poor fuel quality too, what there was of it. My cough syrup may has been as...