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Wait for those Khazanov/Medved books, you should find more details of improvements there.
About 1942. On one hand the designs were improved indeed. On the other hand, production quality dropped considerably which resulted in more non combat losses, lower serviceability rates and max speed reduction down to 505 kmh in May 1942 (according to Khazanov). Probably the worst period for Pe-2 (except the summer 1941) as speed of LW fighters continued to rise. Quality issues were addressed later when more skilled workers were given draft exemptions and Pe-2 (and some other aircraft) production lines were manned with adult men instead of undernourished teenagers. And when lend leased food supplies finally began to reach industrial centres. And foreign machine tools became available, etc... Sinews of war.
I think the Mosquito is still clearly the star bomber of the war (and definitely could have bombed Ploesti in 1942)
There was some doubt that a Mosquito could have performed a raid on Ploesti at the time of Operation Tidal Wave, though they certainly could have later from Italian bases, as was done by P-38s.
But there is no way for Mosquitoes to bomb Ploesti in 1942. The range wasn't there to fly from North Africa.
And there weren't enough bomber Mosquitoes in 1942.
It seems that common view is that in 1943 and further on the quality problems were mostly resolved. And development were mostly positive, except not very successful experiments with radial engines. Max "advertised" speed of 540 km/h has never been reached though but the later modifications were better protected and armed and (the most important in my view) pilots training and tactics improved considerably since 1941.How about 43?
S
Who knows, Ploesti was better protected in 1943.Yeah my bad i meant 43, the week after they captured Palermo.
I mean apparently 6 Pe-2s caused a buttload of damage in Ploesti so a few dozen Mosquitoes should be able to burn it down.
S
Between the Soviet raid in 1941 and the 1942 small raid by nine? B-24s the Germans were fully aware of the vulnerability of Polesti and had moved in several hundred AA guns and several fighter squadrons.Who knows, Ploesti was better protected in 1943.
Could Mossies fly Palermo-Ploesti with some bombload and then land on Soviet territory to refuel/rearm, I wonder. Shuttle raids scenario of alternate history.
A problem the PE-2 had (shared by the Russian aircraft industry) was the lack of good engines. The M-106 and M-107 were never sorted out until the very end of the war so unlike the British with a stream of ever improving Merlins they were "stuck" with an engine equivalent to an early Allison for the duration of the war.
2nd problem was the lack of aluminium alloy, The PE-2 had to, at times revert to some wooden components. Which did nothing for weight and the poor surface finish, especially after several months of Russian weather, did nothing for speed.
One needs to be really innovative when saddled with an engine (and no good alternatives) that never improves and material shortages AND demands for higher production so you can't do any extensive revision that would interrupt production.
The PE-2 while note designed to be so, was turned into the replacement for the SB bomber.
Same bomb load, same guns (to start) same engines (basicly, newer versions) but with a wing 2/3rds the size and with much shorter range.
The last was probably not a big deal as the range of the SB was pretty much unusable by 1941-42 for daylight bombers without escort.
One possibility as to why they didn't order foreign engines is that neither the US nor UK would sell them. Lend-Lease seemed to be for finished goods —aircraft, ships, trucks, etc — and spares, but not components.
According to Wiki the British sent £1.15 worth of aircraft engines, but from reading the Russian web site their biggest problem was wrecked propellers.One possibility as to why they didn't order foreign engines is that neither the US nor UK would sell them. Lend-Lease seemed to be for finished goods —aircraft, ships, trucks, etc — and spares, but not components.
According to Wiki the British sent £1.15 worth of aircraft engines, but from reading the Russian web site their biggest problem was wrecked propellers.
well,I wonder what would have happened if the Soviets had taken all of the engines out of their Hurricanes and put them in Yak-7s...
I voted the Pe-2, though there's a lot of variation among those planes.
I cannot understand enthusiasm for he A-20, unless this has been debunked, or is simple not known.
in 1944 USAAF warns pilots that A-20 is not at all an aerobatic plane. Stalls nice and straight ahead with power-off, but don't *DO NOT* try a power-on stall because it spins viciously.
Stalls at over 200mph in a steep bank.
If you find yourself in a spin at 5000 feet or less, hit the parachute. But first, stop and feather both props and make sure they're stopped (or you might as well ride it down.)
Sounds like a horrible death-trap and easy meat for anything but a bigger less maneuverable bomber. Lousy flying characteristics probably killed a lot of crews. But we have the Red Army as the often-cited source of glowing performance reports, and of course the Army and contractors touted how well the crews loved it...
I voted the Pe-2, though there's a lot of variation among those planes.
I cannot understand enthusiasm for he A-20, unless this has been debunked, or is simple not known.
in 1944 USAAF warns pilots that A-20 is not at all an aerobatic plane. Stalls nice and straight ahead with power-off, but don't *DO NOT* try a power-on stall because it spins viciously.
Stalls at over 200mph in a steep bank.
If you find yourself in a spin at 5000 feet or less, hit the parachute. But first, stop and feather both props and make sure they're stopped (or you might as well ride it down.)
Sounds like a horrible death-trap and easy meat for anything but a bigger less maneuverable bomber. Lousy flying characteristics probably killed a lot of crews. But we have the Red Army as the often-cited source of glowing performance reports, and of course the Army and contractors touted how well the crews loved it...
This is a training film for pilots unfamiliar with the type. By 1944 the Air Force had wised up about putting inexperienced kids in high performance aircraft and letting them figure things out on their own. The B-26 got a rep as a widowmaker, but the A-20 crash rate was 2 1/2 times higher.