fubar57
General
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Groundhog Thread Part Deux - P-39 Fantasy and Fetish - The Never Ending Story (Mods take no responsibility for head against wall injuries sustained)
- Thread starter greybeard
- Start date
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Please tell me that those are starting pay grades...
soulezoo
Senior Airman
Uh, nope!
There's still E-1 and E-2 grades...
What happened to the minimum wage of $15 an hour? And considering (at least it was when I was on active duty) that you are "on" 24 hours a day, the pay shrinks considerably. And I don't recall getting overtime when working 6 14 hour shifts a week when in the sandbox.
There's still E-1 and E-2 grades...
What happened to the minimum wage of $15 an hour? And considering (at least it was when I was on active duty) that you are "on" 24 hours a day, the pay shrinks considerably. And I don't recall getting overtime when working 6 14 hour shifts a week when in the sandbox.
soulezoo
Senior Airman
Oh, and that pay reflected is "base" pay and doesn't reflect BAH or BAS or clothing allowance.
soulezoo
Senior Airman
They didn't/don't. That was a backhanded remark directed to Unions and Democrats demanding $15 an hour living wage for McDonald's burger flippers. I don't see them demanding $15 an hour for soldiers who do much more and suffer for it.
I recommend we follow the forum rules and keep the left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, and Democrat vs. Republican BS off the forum.
Besides they are all one in the same, regardless of what they each think.
parsifal
Colonel
Ive based it on a Pacific wrecks article about the air war over New guinea 1942 and part of 1943 . If P-39s managed to improve their dismal performance after those dates, then maybe there is some substance to the claims.
Basing losses on claims data for either side is very unreliable because they are so often demonstrably wrong. that's as true for the Japanese as it is for anyone. The thing I like about the Pacific wrecks stuff is that it is overwhelmingly based on sources other than claims....usually own side loss records.
Basing losses on claims data for either side is very unreliable because they are so often demonstrably wrong. that's as true for the Japanese as it is for anyone. The thing I like about the Pacific wrecks stuff is that it is overwhelmingly based on sources other than claims....usually own side loss records.
Greg Boeser
1st Sergeant
What source data?
When I was in the USAF eons ago, 1965, E-3 was called airman 2nd class, and my base pay was about $140 a month.
Let's face it; you sign the papers, raise your right hand and swear the oath, you are trading citizenship for indentured servitude. Civilian standards, expectations, and privileges no longer apply. Some folks luck out and achieve a near civilian lifestyle, others bust their hump and get nothing but shat upon. Who said life is fair?
Cheers,
Wes
Seaman Recruit, (E-1), boot camp 1970: $87/Mo. Upon graduation, I got instant advance to Airman (E-3), $150/Mo, because of prior education. Found out after I was in, that if I'd told my recruiter about my 2 years bus driving experience and childhood tractor driving, I would have gone in as an instant E-5 SeaBee. Apparently they were desperate for all kinds of drivers and equipment operators, but nobody from Great Lakes RTC was getting orders to SeaBee billets. They must have had their own separate pipeline. IIRC E-5 back then was circa $255/Mo, and I missed out on some of the world's garden spots, such as Cam Ranh Bay, the Mekong Delta, and Diego Garcia.
Cheers,
Wes
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Hell, that's more than I live on right now. Guess I outta go re-up!
parsifal
Colonel
All up losses for Zekes in that critical 6month period March to August were about 30-35 so I can accept that as a result of those aircraft losses their pilot losses in total would be about 13-15. Its a stretch however, to claim all those losses were due to the p-39s. The Japanese losses includes losses to all causes. Many of the Japanese losses were unrelated to enemy air action. P-39 total losses in air combat were somewhat higher than IJN Zeke losses, which sounds like the P-39 was comparable to the Zeke, based on loss rates, but really isn't. The Japanese were on the attack, having to deal with flak weather and a mountain range to a much greater extent than either of the US FGs, and from an advanced strip that was much more primitive than those being used in Moresby. Many of the Zeke losses were to the defensive guns of the Allied medium bombers that continued to pound the advance airbases at Lae in particular, and a significant number of Japanese pilots were lost in accidents due to the deteriorating conditions at Lae.
It is highly unlikely that this number of pilots were lost to P-39s alone.
And, due to lack of effective warning, the P-39s mostly entered combat with an altitude and speed disadvantage (bounced from 6 o'clock high while in an intercept climb), not the best scenario to display the Airacobra's stronger points. Ask Biff what that means in a lackluster mount. An Eagle surprising a Phantom, maybe?
Cheers,
Wes
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CORSNING
Tech Sergeant
Page 15, Post #282:
P-40 vs. Yak-1 vs. Hurricane
What I am saying here is, the P-39 was never given the chance to be
like the other USAAF fighters. Even so, it was no slouch. It just could not
go up high where all the other AF fighters designated for such could.
P-40 vs. Yak-1 vs. Hurricane
What I am saying here is, the P-39 was never given the chance to be
like the other USAAF fighters. Even so, it was no slouch. It just could not
go up high where all the other AF fighters designated for such could.
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KiwiBiggles
Senior Airman
The enemy unfairly insisted on fighting at altitudes where the P-39 couldn't compete?
CORSNING
Tech Sergeant
For the most part you are right sir. North Africa and the Eastern Front of Russia are not
two of these areas!
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