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This is the crux of the issue. Had the axis powers had the industrial capacity to build and operate vast heavy bomber fleets, the war would indeed have looked very different. Also in other areas than just the air war.Not a whole lot, unless on par includes industrial base and oil.
Not a whole lot, unless on par includes industrial base and oil.
From Wiki so take it as you will.
He 111
32 prototype aircraft
12 civilian airliners
808 pre-war aircraft
5,656 aircraft (1939–1944)
SO if we assume we can replace all of the 1939-44 He 111s with 4 engine bombers we get 2828 aircraft and if we count the 1169 He 177s as using 4 separate engines with less problems we might get just under 4000 4 engine bombers.
Italians and Japanese don't have the needed engines.
May depend on what we mean by "strategic heavy bomber."What would be the needed engines? Italians made a lot of 3-engined bombers work well, so a 4-engined bomber with same engines' type is not a stretch.
Japanese certainly have the engines needed.
For the Japanese do they have good enough engines early enough (before 1944) and in enough quantities to make any difference?
The Nakajima G8N Renzan is too late and trying to use turbo Homares was a operational nightmare waiting to happen.
Four 1000 HP engines can buy you a heavy bomber that is worth 90% of the Halifax I.Yes you can make a plane with four 1000hp engines but is it really a strategic heavy bomber or is it a medium bomber with four smallish engines?
Yes, they have good enough engines already in late 1941.For the Japanese do they have good enough engines early enough (before 1944) and in enough quantities to make any difference?
Kawanishi seems the 1st to make modern and workable 4-engined military A/C in Japan, with two useful designs, so preferably having them to design a 4-engined job?A four engine giant Ki-21?
Giant Ki-20 from MitsubishiA four engine giant Ki-21?
So 90% of not very good is OK?Four 1000 HP engines can buy you a heavy bomber that is worth 90% of the Halifax I.
So 90% of not very good is OK?
My mistake, we just want "a strategic heavy bomber."
quality is not part of the requirement.
China comes to mind, if they get China out of the war, that frees up millions of men to fight in the island war.But what are the Japanese going to bomb with their four engined strategic bomber? They can't reach Hawaii, much less cities or industries on the US west coast. Grunts in the jungle on some island?
Probably the B-17, problem is it's window of opportunity is rather small. The B-17 was at least in small scale production, just about every thing else (4 engine anyway) was mostly prototypes so we can argue if a B-17B was better than a Whitley as a long range bomber in 1939. Of course we are also looking at 1939 fighters for interceptors.What would be a very good strategic heavy bomber for 1939-40, on technology of the day?
China comes to mind, if they get China out of the war, that frees up millions of men to fight in the island war.
That was the reason Roosevelt wanted the Hump opened up, to keep China in the war, so they could have it "somewhat easier" in the island campaigns.
Flying from Saigon or other places, they could play hell with the Brits in India, too. The Brits were already having a hard time keeping India in the war, the Indians wanted independence and weren't all that enthusiastic about helping the Brits keep their India colony colonized.
Politically India was split. It was only the Indian National Congress that demanded independence before supporting the war. And the Govt in India moved quickly to quell that dissent in 1942. One arriving infantry division was deployed specifically for internal control in India for example. 60,000 INC leaders found themselves in jail, some until mid-1945. Over 3.35m Indians volunteered to fight in the Indian Army making it the largest volunteer army in history, and fighting for the Allies around the world. Even during the worst of the 1943 Bengal famine, the Govt in India retained control.China comes to mind, if they get China out of the war, that frees up millions of men to fight in the island war.
That was the reason Roosevelt wanted the Hump opened up, to keep China in the war, so they could have it "somewhat easier" in the island campaigns.
Flying from Saigon or other places, they could play hell with the Brits in India, too. The Brits were already having a hard time keeping India in the war, the Indians wanted independence and weren't all that enthusiastic about helping the Brits keep their India colony colonized.