Darknes0935
Recruit
- 2
- Nov 15, 2022
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No, the A6M controls were very stiff over 250mph and solid over 300, making it faster will just make it worse.what if the A6M5 used a BMW 801 engine instead of a Sakae, could it compete with fighters like the corsair and sptifire? (remembering that this version already came with slightly acceptable armor and self-sealing fuel tanks)
I'm proud to say that I recognized this dealbreaker, too, usually I have to defer to the more aeronautically educated for tech answers. Reminds me of the old problem (before you could buy insanely fast cars off the lot) when Bucky GoFaster down the street shoehorned the big-block into the Malibu, Chevelle, Nova, El Camino and never once looked at the brakes with the leaky master cylinder…car or plane, ALL systems need to compliment each other.No, the A6M controls were very stiff over 250mph and solid over 300, making it faster will just make it worse.
Which they essentially did with the A6M8 with the Sakae replaced by the Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 engine of 1,560 hp:Japanese are probably much better off with installing one of their more powerful engines on the Zero, like the Kinsei, Ha 41 or 109.
Overlooked and probably the biggest reason for Japanese success in the initial Darwin raids was the stubborn refusal of Commonwealth pilots to listen to USN pilot Joe Foss.I love the idea but it's not possible to throw a new engine on a plane without substantial modifications to the airframe, unless the engines are approximate in weight. It's IIRC, Susumu Kajinami mentioned that the Ki-61 had a lead weight in the tail after the 61 had had its rear fuselage tank removed. My guess is that if the Zero had a heavier engine, it would have also required a counterweight in the tail.
The Kinsei and Sakae were similar in weight and size so adapting a Kinsei for a Zero's airframe wasn't a huge endeavor. Even so, Mitsubishi should have designed the Zero around the Kinsei 40 or 50-series but according to Horikoshi, Japanese high command was concerned about supply issues. Japan was heavily dependent on almost all natural resources, having little in the way of aviation materials (although it did have substantial amounts of gold at one point, which is how it managed to industralize). He compared Japan to Britain in terms of its dependence on labor-intensive manufacturing processes and its scant natural resources.
In other words, heavier aircraft would have overburdened Japanese industry and therefore the Navy preferred the Zuisei or Sakake over the Kinsei. There was never a chance a heavier engine would have been used. It also explains why the Ki-43 used the Sakae as well, despite it being a land-based aircraft.
Even so, during the Darwin raid, experienced veterans in the Zero would inflict heavy casualties on the relatively inexperienced Spitfire V pilots. It's pretty clear that pilot skill and leadership made the biggest difference between defeat and victory among machines that were somewhat close in performance.
Well, I guess I misread or he lied in his autobiographyHey BlackSheep,
re "Overlooked and probably the biggest reason for Japanese success in the initial Darwin raids was the stubborn refusal of Commonwealth pilots to listen to USN pilot Joe Foss."
While Foss was obviously a very good fighter pilot, I do not think he could have had any role in training the Australian or Commonwealth pilots slated to defend Darwin.
Port Darwin was first attacked on 19 February 1942, and the last attack was on 12 November 1942 (which was I believe the last attack on the mainland).
Foss arrived on Guadalcanal on 9 October 1942 and left Guadalcanal on/about 15 November 1942 after being diagnosed with Malaria. He spent the next 6 weeks recovering from Malaria, first in New Caledonia, and then Sydney after a second bout. He returned to Guadalcanal on 1 January 1943.
Foss never visited Australia prior to his sick leave in late-1942 - and Foss did not arrive there until after the last of the Japanese attacks on the Australian mainland.
Unless he had the ability to time travel he could have had no influence on the air combat over the Australian mainland.
Well, I guess he lied in his autobiography
I checked and couldn't locate the book in my collection, but, I do remember aHey BlackSheep,
Would you do me a favor, if you have time and still have access to his autobiography, and check if he says that his conversations/lectures with the Australian/Commonwealth pilots occurred before 30 November 1942? The official USMC records say that he did not arrive in Australia until 30 November.
The only place I have seen the claim that he performed training in Australia prior to the end of the attacks on mainland Australia is on a couple of websites. However, while the USMC has no official record of Foss teaching the Australian/Commonwealth pilots, there is mention of him doing so in some of the Australian historical records (including a couple of the Australian pilot's memoirs) - which state that he had conversations and informal discussions/lectures with Australian pilots during his stay regarding his experience fighting the Japanese at Guadalcanal.
On a whim, I checked Wikipedia (yes, I know) and it appears to have been written using material taken from the book I was referencing, A Proud American: The Autobiography of Joe Foss, although I couldn't locate a direct citation confirming so.Hey BlackSheep,
Would you do me a favor, if you have time and still have access to his autobiography, and check if he says that his conversations/lectures with the Australian/Commonwealth pilots occurred before 30 November 1942? The official USMC records say that he did not arrive in Australia until 30 November.
The only place I have seen the claim that he performed training in Australia prior to the end of the attacks on mainland Australia is on a couple of websites. However, while the USMC has no official record of Foss teaching the Australian/Commonwealth pilots, there is mention of him doing so in some of the Australian historical records (including a couple of the Australian pilot's memoirs) - which state that he had conversations and informal discussions/lectures with Australian pilots during his stay regarding his experience fighting the Japanese at Guadalcanal.