Guess the Plane......?

[jj1982]

Cowardly again is an understatement. I know you english are meant to be masters of the understatement but really Bronze....I have a dislike towards the italians....same as i do the french, german, american, and just about every other goddamn country on this earth (excepting Russia). Apparently I could be classed racist or even Nationalist....but its all lies! I just dont like the nations nor the way they try and govern us!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

masters of the spam more like ....................

 

[bronzewhaler82]

Cowardly again is an understatement. I know you english are meant to be masters of the understatement but really Bronze....I have a dislike towards the italians....same as i do the french, german, american, and just about every other goddamn country on this earth (excepting Russia). Apparently I could be classed racist or even Nationalist....but its all lies! I just dont like the nations nor the way they try and govern us!

you don't half talk bollocks sometimes mate....

 

[jj1982]

you don't half talk bollocks sometimes mate....

Bollocks!

 

[cheddar cheese]

good save jj 8)

 

[bronzewhaler82]

Only cos he's had years of practice cos people are always telling him hes talking bollocks!

Besides I do wish you would cut it out with the 'you english' stuff - you consider yourself english when its convenient to you - any other time you're either welsh or cornish or a bloody martian!

 

[cheddar cheese]

 

[bronzewhaler82]

Anyone else know of any float-planes that were actually good dogfighters...? anyone got any records of how good the 'Pete' was at dogfighting? I'd be interested to know

cheers

 

[cheddar cheese]

yes, the short sunderland was a superb dogfighter no seriously though, i cant help you, sorry

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

actually, the sunderland could defend it's self very well in the air, it's supprising the reputation they got....................

 

[bronzewhaler82]

It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"

I read a story once about a Sunderland flying boat that was attacked out at sea by two Ju88 bombers....one of the Ju88s was shot down and the other so badly damaged by the sunderlands guns that it was forced to flee leaving the Sunderland to get on with its business...seriously bad-arse plane

8)

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i heard it managed to fight off 5 ME-110s !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bronzewhaler82]

Yeah i'd heard that one too - it was such a great plane - incredibly useful and tough - rescue and patrol plane as well as an effective Anti-submarine aircraft....the best of British 8)

 

[cheddar cheese]

shame they only made 147 really 8)

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

but they never really got shot down so they didn't ned anymore, it sirtainly was a welcome sight to naval convoys, you knoew you wete save when you saw on e of them flying overhead...............

 

[GermansRGeniuses]

It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"

it did but the positioning wasnt the best, four in front four in dorsal, four in rear and (occasionally) one in each waist position. but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters and the Germans didnt have the range for chasing it out usually. the other thing is that the guns were .303's, not .50's! i know someone has wondered why the brits didnt get .50's (bronze i think) already so i wont say it again

 

[bronzewhaler82]

It had more guns than the B-17...thats why the Germans branded it the "Flying Porcupine"

it did but the positioning wasnt the best, four in front four in dorsal, four in rear and (occasionally) one in each waist position. but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters and the Germans didnt have the range for chasing it out usually. the other thing is that the guns were .303's, not .50's! i know someone has wondered why the brits didnt get .50's (bronze i think) already so i wont say it again

Slight correction needed here...though it varied in different Sunderland models the best weapon setup the Sunderland had was the following....

2 machine guns in the electric nose turret
4 fixed machine guns in the nose for the pilot to control so he could fire at surface targets such as Submarines etc
2 machine guns in the Top electric Turret
2 machine guns in the waist
4 machine guns in the tail turret

I would argue that for an aircraft of this type that was the perfect weapon layout... the Sunderland also had a great deal of armament that was very effective...the Germans couldn't destroy them without a great deal of effort 8)

There was a prototype Sunderland built which WAS armed with eight .50 calibre brownings and two 0.79in cannons but only two models were built and the idea was abandoned

The Sunderland didn't 'Lurk' anywhere, it was a patrol, rescue and anti-submarine plane - i wasn't comparing the B-17 and the Sunderland - they are both different planes BUT i was saying the Sunderland had a more effective defensive layout than the B-17 - more armour too 8)

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

but the diff is that it didnt fight as many fighters since it lurked over the waters

not true, there's many stories of it fighting off oposition...........

 

[cheddar cheese]

many stories eh? name 5 different ones that aint been mentioned

 

[Gemhorse]

To answer Whaler's query of other dogfighting seaplanes, one of the Zero's, A6M2-N was very similar,[ a monoplane tho',] and was the only other single-seat fighting seaplane. Nakajima produced 327 of them, they were quite a match earlier in the war; one of their 'aces' had two B.17E's as confirmed kills. Naturally they weren't up to the progressive Allied developments and were 2nd-lined, but the last few produced were equipped as nightfighter/interceptors, but they were an imaginative highly proficent design, the central float spar was it's extra fuel tank...