Hi. My first post... please be gentle...
Research question: how much fuel was used during an attack, when compared to cruising, for various kinds of warbirds?
For example, how much fuel did a Dauntless or Val dive bomber use during an attack? What about a B-17? What about a Hellcat either escorting a strike or serving on CAP during a strike?
I'm looking for some definite real-world numbers (rather than aircraft test data, although that would be better than nothing). If a specific plane used X gallons of gas on average to cruise for an hour, what is Y for the gallons used from the start of an attack to the end of it?
If there is a compilation of such data somewhere, that would be most helpful and I'd certainly be grateful for references.
-Ken