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Seems like a cocky comment from the test pilot?He noted that Roach's ship was not particularly interesting except straight speed, decent roll, dive and firepower.
The P-47 seems always to have been a love it it or hate it proposition. Those who got it - dive, zoom, firepower - loved it. Those who tried to fly it like a P-40 or Spitfire hated it - or got shot down in short order.
Seems like a cocky comment from the test pilot?
I always thought that only a country like the US could afford to produce and deploy the P-47 in such huge numbers. I am not surprised that foreign test pilots were surprised, the Thunderbolt could reached a weight of 8 tons, comparable to a Bf 110.
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Wassereinspritung has not been used.
German tactical trials of a P 47 made by the German in June 44.
"Die Thunderbolt, in Bodennähe geflogen bis auf 2000 m, macht einem ausserordenlich tragen und müden eindruck. Ihre Geschwindigkeitenwerte liegen unter denen der deutschen Jagdmaschinen. Dabei ist Wassereinspritung nicht verwendet worden. (Ein neuer vergleich wird normals erflogen). Bei dem gleinfalls geschlossenen start mit volleistung auf 3000m blieb sie weit hinter den leistungen der anderen 4 typen zurück. Auch bei einer steigung zwischen 8-9000m blieb sie hinter den Leistungen der Fw 190 zurück. In der kurve in 4-6000m höhe war sie der normalen Bf 109 überlegen, im sturz etwas schneller als die Bf 109."
English.
"The Thunderbolt, flying between near ground level up to 2000 meters, makes extraordinary sluggish and tired impression. Its speed is lower than those of the German fighters. Wassereinspritung has not been used. (naturally a new comparison is flown). At the same start with closed throttle to full power at 3000 m the performance is much lower than the performance of the other 4 types. Also in a climb between 8-9000 m it lagged behind the performance of the Fw 190. The turns at 4-6000m altitude were superior to the standard Bf 109, in dives it was slightly faster than the Bf 109."
You were not going to get small fighters with 2000hp engines in 1940/41 when the P-47 was planned. First flight was Mar 6 1941, 8 months before Pearl Harbor. 100/130 octane fuel didn't exist. Just plain 100 octane. The old tooth pick prop went 540lbs.
I agree Wassereinspritzung was very important to make P-47 competitive, which as dragondog says it received at end of 1943.
However at same time Luftwaffe aircraft also got essential same upgrades... Wassereinspritzung and broader propellers of /AS aircraft and C3 injection for Fw 190.
I was also referring to the fact that P-47 used a turbocharger, which were very expensive in the 1940s. The US built thousands of P-47 (and other aircraft), equipped with one.
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The AS and ASM engined Gustavs were introduced half a year later than P-47s with WI and paddle blade props, so not same time. By the time ASM Gustavs were flying, the Allies have already won the air war at ETO, landed in Normandy and about to launch Operation Bagration.
So the ASM was, as far as ww2 was concerned, too late in game.
They still cannot beat the contemporary P-47 and P-51 above 25000 ft. By the time ASM is in the game, the P-47 was cleared for 2600 HP.
The advantages of C3 injection for the Fw-190s were canceled by A-7's and A-8's heavier weight, and the fact that BMW-801 was featuring only a single-stage supercharger. So the 1944 Antons were fine with C3 injection at ~20000 ft, however, for higher altitudes, where they are likely to encounter the 4 mots and escorts, it still does not help them.
Lieutenant William Roach was flying P-47D-2-RA 42-22490 on November 7, 1943. The 355th had delayed return home because the 352nd FG was late getting to R/V. As a result, hampered by 90kts headwinds, three 355th pilots ran out of fuel. Two near Liege and one in the Channel. Roach's YFU "Beetle" spent the rest of the war in Rosarius Zirkus
Too bad he couldn't destroy the plane before it was captured.
They were out earlier, by spring of 1944 (March-April I believe), so just couple of (critical) months later than the first P-47 conversions. Non-ADI AS machines appeared perhaps earlier, they were tested in the automn of 1943 already and entered production by the end of the year.
OTOH I do not believe either at all that suddenly all P-47 just had paddle props and ADI goodstuff overnight. Such things need months.. They may have started it in December, but probably took many months. Apart from that, a new prop and a bit more power did not do away with seven tons of take off weight... the P-47 suffered less at altitude at others, but it was far from nimble.
In fact they arrived just at the same time as Mustangs and improved P-47s...
Of course they could, the AS machines were good at altitude.
MEMORANDUM REPORT ON
P-47D-10 Airplane, AAF No. 43-75035
653 km/h at 6100 (20 kft)
678 km/h at 7620 (25 kft)
697 km/h at 9144 (30 kft)
692 km/h at 10060 (33 kft)
In the meantime, a considerable number of GM-1 G-6s and G-5s were produced, though I am not sure how regularly they were employed with boosters in late 1943..
The P-51 had what exact magic property over 25 000 feet? Its engine was no better, perhaps even worse (-7) at altitude than ASM engines.