cherry blossom
Senior Airman
- 512
- Apr 23, 2007
Arboria was a neutral during WW2 and its airforce was able to buy or copy designs from almost everyone. In particular it was able to obtain the latest aero-engines from both sides. However, it suffered the great disadvantage that it had limited access to light alloys and therefore tried to equip its airforce with mostly wooden designs. What advice can our experts give?
I would like advice based on two possible scenarios. Firstly, by suggesting designs at the time that historically they entered or might have production. For example, the Arsenal VG-33 first flew in 1939 and entered production in 1940 with, according to Wikipedia, only 19 aircraft out of 40 completed being received by the Armée de l'Air by the time of Armistice. However, its engine was the same as that of the MS 406 which had slowly entered production in 1938. Thus we could imagine that the VG-33 might have entered service earlier unless some of you want to point out that France couldn't design a good radiator in 1938.
This divergence between dates occurred with other interesting wooden fighters. The Swedish FFVS J 22 first flew in 1942 and only entered service in 1943 but used a R-1830 that had entered production long before. The Finish VL Pyörremyrsky similarly only flew after WW2 in November 1945 but its DB-605 was in production from early in 1942 and a prototype could have flown with a DB-601 any time after 1938.
The most obvious source of wooden fighters may be the Soviet airforce with examples such as the LaGG-3 with its wooden construction celebrated by the name "guaranteed varnished coffin". Pilots might prefer a Yak-1 or 7 or perhaps something more exotic such as Polikarpov's I-185. The last raises the issue that it had a wooden fuselage but light alloy wings (whilst other aircraft such as the He-162 had wooden wings and metal fuselages). The Soviet designs slowly transitioned from mostly wood to mostly light alloy over 1941-5. It also raises the issue that the I-185 had a M-71 18-cylinder radial which may never have become very reliable. Could Arboria have simply bought a licence to fit a P&W R-2800, which would seem possible based on dimensions and weight?
Before leaving single engined fighters, we can note that few wooden designs had long ranges. The Tachikawa Ki-106 Tachikawa Ki-106 - fighter might have had a better range than most of the above but was probably rather over weight as well as late.
When we turn to two engined fighters, nothing approaches the performance of the de Havilland Hornet but we will have to wait a long time to get it into service.
If we are willing to use some aluminium, we might consider the mostly wooden Fokker G.1. This represents the other end of the spectrum to the Hornet in terms of performance but did fly in 1937. Perhaps, we could imagine rather better performance if it were fitted with more powerful engines. The G.1 was also tested as a dive bomber and will probably be most useful in that role.
The level bomber squadrons of Arboria will probably be equipped with CANT Z.1007 Alciones in the early war period (oddly Italian bombers were often built with wood and Italian fighters with aluminium whilst the USSR reversed those trends).
Naturally from late 1941, most bomber squadrons will use the Mosquito as will night fighter units.
Transport squadrons will probably use the Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 from the 1930s and introduce the Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 from 1940.
I would like advice based on two possible scenarios. Firstly, by suggesting designs at the time that historically they entered or might have production. For example, the Arsenal VG-33 first flew in 1939 and entered production in 1940 with, according to Wikipedia, only 19 aircraft out of 40 completed being received by the Armée de l'Air by the time of Armistice. However, its engine was the same as that of the MS 406 which had slowly entered production in 1938. Thus we could imagine that the VG-33 might have entered service earlier unless some of you want to point out that France couldn't design a good radiator in 1938.
This divergence between dates occurred with other interesting wooden fighters. The Swedish FFVS J 22 first flew in 1942 and only entered service in 1943 but used a R-1830 that had entered production long before. The Finish VL Pyörremyrsky similarly only flew after WW2 in November 1945 but its DB-605 was in production from early in 1942 and a prototype could have flown with a DB-601 any time after 1938.
The most obvious source of wooden fighters may be the Soviet airforce with examples such as the LaGG-3 with its wooden construction celebrated by the name "guaranteed varnished coffin". Pilots might prefer a Yak-1 or 7 or perhaps something more exotic such as Polikarpov's I-185. The last raises the issue that it had a wooden fuselage but light alloy wings (whilst other aircraft such as the He-162 had wooden wings and metal fuselages). The Soviet designs slowly transitioned from mostly wood to mostly light alloy over 1941-5. It also raises the issue that the I-185 had a M-71 18-cylinder radial which may never have become very reliable. Could Arboria have simply bought a licence to fit a P&W R-2800, which would seem possible based on dimensions and weight?
Before leaving single engined fighters, we can note that few wooden designs had long ranges. The Tachikawa Ki-106 Tachikawa Ki-106 - fighter might have had a better range than most of the above but was probably rather over weight as well as late.
When we turn to two engined fighters, nothing approaches the performance of the de Havilland Hornet but we will have to wait a long time to get it into service.
If we are willing to use some aluminium, we might consider the mostly wooden Fokker G.1. This represents the other end of the spectrum to the Hornet in terms of performance but did fly in 1937. Perhaps, we could imagine rather better performance if it were fitted with more powerful engines. The G.1 was also tested as a dive bomber and will probably be most useful in that role.
The level bomber squadrons of Arboria will probably be equipped with CANT Z.1007 Alciones in the early war period (oddly Italian bombers were often built with wood and Italian fighters with aluminium whilst the USSR reversed those trends).
Naturally from late 1941, most bomber squadrons will use the Mosquito as will night fighter units.
Transport squadrons will probably use the Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 from the 1930s and introduce the Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 from 1940.