P-51 Mustang or F4U Corsair

[R988]

A note on the P-38, I was recently reading a pilot account of a Med theatre P-38 pilot who was regularly flying 6-7hour missions over Italy from North Africa. Funny thing was when he went to Britain to pick up a new aircraft and chatted with the P-38 pilots over there, he was suprised to find out they only flew 4 hour missions because they flew at a faster speed or less economical cruise settings, I forget which. I assume they flew long missions in the pacific as well.
Amazing really, 7 hours in a single seater.

 

[wmaxt]

A note on the P-38, I was recently reading a pilot account of a Med theatre P-38 pilot who was regularly flying 6-7hour missions over Italy from North Africa. Funny thing was when he went to Britain to pick up a new aircraft and chatted with the P-38 pilots over there, he was suprised to find out they only flew 4 hour missions because they flew at a faster speed or less economical cruise settings, I forget which. I assume they flew long missions in the pacific as well.
Amazing really, 7 hours in a single seater.

The Smithsonian P-38 site sets the mission that was the longest was a mission by P-38s that was 2,300mi, plus combat at the target, that could be a ~10hr mission.

In the ETO there were two conditions that limited range for the P-38s: 1. only 165gal drop tanks were used (up to 300gal tanks were used everywhere else). 2. Cruise procedures were high rpm, ~2300rpm and low MAP about 28", while everybody else used ~1,800rpm and 32"-34" MAP which gave better fuel economy and more cockpit heat (not much but it helped).

wmaxt

 

[syscom3]

"....In early 1945, Lightning pilots of the 12th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group, flew a mission that lasted 10 ½ hours and covered more than 3,220 km (2,000 miles). In August, P-38 pilots established the world's long-distance record for a World War II combat fighter when they flew from the Philippines to the Netherlands East Indies, a distance of 3,703 km (2,300 miles)....."

This had to be the mission to Singapore from bases in the PI.

Heres an interesting account of another similar mission.

http://timurileng.blogspot.com/2006_03_12_timurileng_archive.html

"Friday, March 17, 2006
Mission over Singapore

........

A Lightning photo reconnaissance aircraft was sent to Singapore Harbor in July 1945 to take photographs. However, the aircraft never returned. A second aircraft was sent out in early August but returned with combat damage and crashed on our runway at Palawan, killing the pilot. Some of the film was saved from the fire and it revealed 125 Japanese fighters on the four concrete runways at Singapore.

We were, at that time, attacking all Japanese shipping and facilities within our 850-900 mile range. Singapore had been too far to reach and had remained almost untouched through the war. The Australians, however, had landed at Labuan, North Borneo, in June and repaired the runway at that location. Using Labuan's runway as a staging base, several fighter sweeps were flown to Singapore from Palawan by flights of P-38s from the 347th Fighter Group, of which our 68th Fighter Squadron was part. The 68th had not been involved in these previous strikes.........

Two cruisers and a number of other ships along with 125 Japanese fighters were defending the most heavily fortified harbor in the world. The 68th was to send eight P-38s and pick up 16 Royal Australian Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos at Labuan en route to the target. Our pilots questioned that only eight Lightnings were scheduled into a target with so many enemy fighters ... and some of the squadron members had already celebrated the end of the war!

........

We arose several hours before daylight on 13 August to brief. Our target was the ships. The intelligence officer believed we would be intercepted by the 125 Japanese fighters. The two cruisers and other Naval vessels would be covering the shipping in the harbor.

We took off and I circled so all planes could get into formation. Then we were on course in the dark. We had no navigational aids in our P-38s so we just flew a compass heading and figured the time and distance based upon our cruising speed. This worked fine in clear weather but was dangerous when rain and clouds prevented us from seeing anything. When we were out on a maximum range mission, there was no fuel reserve and no alternative runway.

In daylight, we reached Labuan. The runway looked smooth hut had water puddles here and there. It was soft and several of our P-38s got stuck in the mud. It took a lot of power for them to get unstuck hut finally we were parked for refueling. We were carrying two 165-gal wing tanks on each P-38.

During refueling, I briefed our pilots as well as the Australians. Our call sign was Scamper. I was Scamper Red Leader. Steve Stevenson was my wingman was Red 2. Joe Salonimer was Red 3 and Johnny Massart was Red 4.

The second P-38 flight was Scamper White with "Chink" Taylor, Jack Childers, Charley Smith, and "Tib" Tibbets. Taylor was flight lead and was the alternate group leader if something happened to me. Four flights of four RAAF Mosquitos would follow as the second squadron. This made a total of 24 aircraft for the mission.

We would start engines at 0625 and take off at 0630. It was 850 miles to Singapore Harbor. To conserve fuel, we would use maximum range cruise control as taught to us by Charles Lindbergh. Without his expert advice, we couldn't have reached this long-range target. We would climb and cruise throttle way back. Our climb power would be 1900-rpm and 32-in of manifold pressure. For long-range causing, we would use 1600-rpm and 30-in of manifold pressure.

........

Pilots returned to their aircraft at about 0620. A quick look at our planes and we were ready to go. It was start engine time and the crew chief folded the ladder up into the nacelle. At 0625, I hand signaled engine start up and all propellers began turning.

At 0630, I released the brakes and started to roll - using 3000-rpm and 60in MP for takeoff. As soon as I was off the ground, I retracted the gear and held my left hand on the throttles as the P-38 quickly reached 125-mph - its single engine control speed. At 125-mph, I knew 1 had enough rudder control to continue takeoff on one engine should the other quit.

......

Flying at 10,000-ft, the weather became progressively worse and at about 400-mi out the 16 Mosquitos were forced to turn back. Light rain became very heavy rain. We had to fly in very close formation to stay together. I figured the weather might be in our favor this time. If the weather was low and it was raining over the target area, maybe it would keep the Jap fighters on the ground.

As we came in toward Singapore, we were flying at 100-ft above the ocean in light rain. About 2-mi from the target, a small ship appeared dead ahead. During the flight, we had used one wing tank at a time and dropped the empty to reduce drag. I was now using my second tank and it was nearly empty. I dropped it on the deck of the ship with an estimated 15-gal of fuel still in it. The second flight made an S-turn and strafed the deck and set the ship on fire. We didn't circle hut kept on course.

We went down to 50-ft above the water then in order to keep the ocean in sight and hoped the ship hadn't had time to reveal our arrival. A short time later, still flying 50-ft altitude, we entered the target area.

We came out of the clouds. Less than a mile ahead, between a small island on the left and another on the right, were two ships being loaded with drums of gasoline from some dozen loading barges tied alongside. Men were rolling drums across the docks and walking around.

No one saw or heard us - P-38s were very quiet on approach due to the turbo superchargers. Surprise, however, was the only thing in our favor, for otherwise we had two problems: We were still in close formation just out of the clouds and we were also at slow cruising speed.

Throttles forwards, Steve and I stayed together to attack the biggest ship - a freighter of about 10,000-tons. We were lined up right down the length of the ship and Steve opened fire at about 1500-ft out. The smaller ship, a 5000-ton merchant vessel, was anchored to the right and slightly closer to us at 90-degrees to the big ship and about 100-ft away from it, facing it.

I saw a gunner running for a gun at the bow of the merchant ship. Steve fired into the deck and hold of the freighter and set it on fire. I was almost too far in but tried a quick right turn to line up on the gunner on the merchant ship. I nearly ran into the vessel and the water beyond it, but my bullets caught the gunner. I went below the level of the decks and between the two ships as I flew out.

About that time everybody was shooting at us. The dreaded words, "Red 2, I'm hit," came over the radio. It was my wingman, Steve, and I knew from the sound of his voice that he himself was hit. He was flying to my left and above me at about 100ft of altitude.

I called and said, "Red 2, turn toward home and I'll join you." He didn't turn so I figured he was confused and didn't know the homeward heading. I called him again and told him I would join up and take him home. He never answered. Both engines were running fine but Steve was slumped over the controls. His plane was losing altitude and in a steep left turn. His plane exploded as the wingtip touched the water.

The other pilots were strafing some barges behind me. I strafed two barges that were traveling away from the burning ships. The 10,000-ton freighter was burning fiercely along the entire length of the deck. Steve's bullets had splattered the 55gal drums of gasoline on the deck and in the hold. Our tracer bullets had set everything on fire. The 5000-ton merchant ship had a small fire forward and I counted eleven barges burning.

I signaled join up by rocking my wings and six P-38s joined up with me. We had been flying in a small clear area in clouds over the target area. I set the throttles for long-range climb and we climbed into the clouds.

At 10,000-ft we flew into heavy clouds once more. We had about a ten-minute fuel reserve. It was two hours before the weather started getting better. 1 thought I was one tough guy, but I shed some tears on the trip home. This had been Steve's 50th mission. I was glad it was a volunteer mission, yet, if I had scheduled the pilots as usual, Steve would have stayed safely at home base. I thought about the war being near its end and about my mother. It was her birthday. I'd been away from "home, sweet home" for three years now, except for two days on what turned out to be a shortened leave.

As we approached the coast of Borneo, the weather was looking better and by the time we neared Labuan, the weather was clear ahead. At the field, our crew chiefs noticed that one plane was missing and each worried that it might be his plane and pilot.

...........

The next morning, 14 August 1945, we completed the mission by flying back home to Palawan. When we had landed, we had logged the 13th Air Force's last combat mission of WWII. Total flying time was eleven hours and 35 minutes. We'd traveled 2300 miles."

 

[lesofprimus]

Nice story....

 

[syscom3]

I liked the part where the Mosquito's had too turn back because they couldnt handle the weather.

Imagine that...... single pilot fighters that were better than twin manned light bombers

 

[wmaxt]

Great story, I never had the details. 11 1/2 hours sitting on a dingy ouch!

wmaxt

 

[Gnomey]

Great story syscom!

 

[JonJGoldberg]

From any angle, viewpoint, or perspective 'Sair vs Pony....

I offer the following:
Both went on to serve the US in Korea... Only 1 was still being used as a 'front-line-fighter', now as night fighter/intruder, the 'Sair. So although present in far fewer number, the 'sair was/is credited with a Mig Kill; although promptly shot down by her prey's wingman, she joins the Sea Fury as the only prop job to down the 'MIG' during the Korean conflict. Fact is Corsairs did better than any other US Navy night fighter, except one, the Skynight, even though thier were others...

With 281 WW2 aces, how do ya knock the Pony. Like your favorite running shoes, she fit the European Theater's long range high altitude fighter escort roll better than ever her 'creators' imagined. So legendary was her contributions, so in 'love' with her accoplishment, the USAF just had to use her, instead of the numerous 'Jugs' about, even though it was evident that the 'Jug' would have served them better in Korea.

So back to personal 'taste'... F4U Corsair for any 'mission tasks' that keeps us to 25,000 Ft. Above that; I'll take a Pony please...

PS >> Wonderful story Sys

 

[Gemhorse]

Been away for months but return to find Sys still has a burr under his saddle about Mosquitoes...I thought this was about Mustangs vs Corsairs ?.....

- P38's Corsairs' element was the Pacific....Mosquitoes Mustangs' element was the ETO, where the Merlins' made these two aircraft Legends....forever....Handle it, Sys

 

[syscom3]

Been away for months but return to find Sys still has a burr under his saddle about Mosquitoes...I thought this was about Mustangs vs Corsairs ?.....

- P38's Corsairs' element was the Pacific....Mosquitoes Mustangs' element was the ETO, where the Merlins' made these two aircraft Legends....forever....Handle it, Sys

I find it ironic that a single seat fighter pushed through the weather while a twin seater didnt.

- P38's Corsairs' element was the Pacific....Mosquitoes Mustangs' element was the ETO, where the Merlins' made these two aircraft Legends....forever....Handle it, Gem

 

[mkloby]

I find it ironic that a single seat fighter pushed through the weather while a twin seater didnt.

You'd be surprised the workload a single pilot is capable of handling...

 

[Wildcat]

I liked the part where the Mosquito's had too turn back because they couldnt handle the weather.

Imagine that...... single pilot fighters that were better than twin manned light bombers

Sorry to drag up an old arse thread BUT after looking into the ORB of No. 1 sqn RAAF, the only RAAF Mosquito squadron at Labuan, it is clear that they did NOT even take part in this raid. In fact the squadron only flew 4 seaward recce sorties on the date of this raid.
Either that story posted by Sys is bogus or 1 sqn completely forgot that they had 16 a/c and 32 airmen in the air that day!
Hmmm...