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3P51 s could be built for 2P47s.????HUH????
The FW-190 is often in arguments as one of the finest piston planes ever produced.
Just because it was expensive to build doesn't mean it didn't live up to the hype.
And while the P-39 didn't perform up to American standards in the PTO or ETO, it did very well in India/Burma and I think the Russian kills in it showed what it could do when given to a determined force.
I would have to go with Jank and pick the P-51. It's given all the glory, it's the cadillac of the sky, etc. Well you know what?????? I wouldn't have a cadillac. Comfy car for sure. But Lord help your wallet when it breaks. And if you shot it with anything bigger than a .22, it was going down.
Pilots cried when they had to switch to the Mustang, as the P47 offered so much pilot protection.
I don't know if underrated is the right word regarding the P-47. I think undervalued or under appreciated might be closer to the mark. It has never been described as fragile and I can't recall reading the Thunderbolt as being under gunned. Again, without the drop tanks for whatever reason, it couldn't do what the USAAF needed most in a fighter.
If you'd got used to bouncing nimbly around the battlefield in your twin .50 equipped scout jeep, you might find an M4 Sherman a bit of a lug if it was forced on you without warning, consent, or any training, don't you think?They'd transitioned from Spits to Jugs, which they hated, and then to -51s,
By 1943 the people who believed a fighter escort were not needed were in a very small minority. The P-51B/C started to arrive in mid 1943 as proof of that. The Schweinfurt Regensburg raid was escorted as far as was possible at the time and the strategy used was to try to minimise losses. IMHO the raid was made because commitments to a strategy had been made before the materials and men needed were in place.Keep in mind that until 1943 the USAAF didn't realize that they needed a fighter with range. They kept thinking those -17s and -24s were going to elbow their way in and out of Reich airspace without long escort.
By 1943 the people who believed a fighter escort were not needed were in a very small minority. The P-51B/C started to arrive in mid 1943 as proof of that. The Schweinfurt Regensburg raid was escorted as far as was possible at the time and the strategy used was to try to minimise losses. IMHO the raid was made because commitments to a strategy had been made before the materials and men needed were in place.
If you'd got used to bouncing nimbly around the battlefield in your twin .50 equipped scout jeep, you might find an M4 Sherman a bit of a lug if it was forced on you without warning, consent, or any training, don't you think?
Let's not forget that RAF Spitfires escorted US bombers on missions into France and other targets in early 1943 (where range permitted) until they were replaced by the P-38.
RAF Spitfires escorted the Schweinfurt raid until P-47s took over to escort to Eupen which is on the border between Belgium and GermanyLet's not forget that RAF Spitfires escorted US bombers on missions into France and other targets in early 1943 (where range permitted) until they were replaced by the P-38.
Well your opinion seems to be very much IAW history, so it's at least worth the two bits that opinions seem to rate around here.And who in Hell wants to learn the ins and outs of a new plane while some jackass is trying to put you under?
I think one reason why we all seem to agree that the pilot matters as much as the equipment is because a good pilot who knows his crate -- inferior though it might be to the enemy's -- can get more out of it than an enemy who is transitioning into a new bird and doesn't know its ins and outs. Obviously not a 100% solution.
I'm no pilot, so my opinion is worth every penny you paid for it.
The Reich's awareness wasn't slow in building, was it? LW waiting at the border to take the handoff from the escorts.Indeed. But long-range penetration missions were still done sans escort past Holland or Belgium. The awareness was slow in the building, as history shows.
The Reich's awareness wasn't slow in building, was it? LW waiting at the border to take the handoff from the escorts.
What was that about "comfort zones"?but USAAF generals too often leaned on doctrine.
The pilot only matters when other factors are almost equal, that is why aircraft improved by about 200HP per year as the war progressed, no amount of pilot skill will get a Hurricane to escort a B-17 to Berlin.Absolutely. Hell, I hate going from my small truck to my mom's granny-Toyota. We all develop comfort-zones, and only get outside them for exigencies or requirements, I think.
And who in Hell wants to learn the ins and outs of a new plane while some jackass is trying to put you under?
I think one reason why we all seem to agree that the pilot matters as much as the equipment is because a good pilot who knows his crate -- inferior though it might be to the enemy's -- can get more out of it than an enemy who is transitioning into a new bird and doesn't know its ins and outs. Obviously not a 100% solution.
I'm no pilot, so my opinion is worth every penny you paid for it.
What was that about "comfort zones"?
The pilot only matters when other factors are almost equal, that is why aircraft improved by about 200HP per year as the war progressed, no amount of pilot skill will get a Hurricane to escort a B-17 to Berlin.
Exact opposite of his counterparts in IJN and IJA.That's a guy I'd happily serve under. None of this bomber-mafia bullshit or fighter-pilot elitism.
It's almost like he didn't trust his comfort-zone. ... unlike so many other general officers from all the branches.
Exact opposite of his counterparts in IJN and IJA.
"Win this war; forget about the last one!"