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Cockpit roominess might be somewhat exaggerated when it comes to one over the other.
The P-47N was the more roomy one, but from a strategic point of view, I'd use the P-51H for escort and use the range and tonnage capability of the P-47N to run medium to low level attack runs.
Out of the three the P-47N was better suited for that than an escort.
I read they ran 24 hour raids with the N, still requiring a 10 hour flight, still requiring the range.
Why does the P-38 always get the back seat on these types of comparisons?
It was an effective escort and proved to be a handful for Japanese aircraft.
The Japanese airmen, when surveyed, said it was their most competitive adversary at high altitude.
If it wasn't the H but instead the D model P-51, I might instead choose the P-38 for escort.
Good point. It does seem next to the Corsair, the 38 was one that won the war in the Pacific.
Speaking of the Corsair, couldn't they do the job? Launch from carriers and rendezvous with the B-29s en route, and then return to the carriers?
Even it this were a practical option, do you think HAP Arnold would ever admit to the Navy he needed their help to protect his bombers on a routine basis? Sure the Corsair could do the job, so could the Hellcat but neither would for a variety of reasons.
If I recall correctly, the USN began making fighter sweeps into Japanese mainland from February 1945 onwards with increasing strength which targeted the remnants of the Japanese Navy, fighter bases and transportation targets among others.
It is my belief that if Arnold and the USAAF would not have been very enthusiastic about asking the USN for fighter support, the USN would not have been much enthusiastic to lend them either.
When do you need it?
If you can wait until the fall of 1945 then nothing beats the P-51H. However for WWII era B-29 missions you need an aircraft that was historically available.
You may be right about a lack of enthusiasm from the USN, but then again the USN may have loved the opportunity collect another chip in the interservice rivalry poker game. It may have come in handy after the war when the USAF almost had Congress convinced that Carriers were as obsolete as Dreadnoughts.
How about the Grumman Tigercat, I am sure it had the range but not sure if it had the altitude.
When do you need it?
If you can wait until the fall of 1945 then nothing beats the P-51H. However for WWII era B-29 missions you need an aircraft that was historically available.
One of my favorite aircraft. However given the antagonistic relationship between the WWII era USA and USN I cannot imagine the U.S. Army Air Corps adopting a naval aircraft.
Speaking of the Corsair, couldn't they do the job? Launch from carriers and rendezvous with the B-29s en route, and then return to the carriers?