Pick 6 a/c to build your AF at beginning WWII

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

F4U-1 Corsair - Fighter Attack Navy
P-51 Mustang - Fighter/Escort
B-17 Flying Fortress - Heavy Bomber
B-25 Mitchell - Medium Bomber
C-47 Transport
T-6 Texan Trainer

 

[drgondog]

I suppose pilot and crew training handled by RC models and logistics solved by truck rail freight and ship only

 

[drgondog]

B-29
P-51
Mosquito (medium bomber, night intruder, recon, night fighter)
PT-19
C-46
AT-6 (do all bombardier, navigation and aerial gunnery training on B-29)

If you have to include USN - add F7F for torpedo, night fighter, day fighter, fighter bomber, recon and air superiority, and yank the Mosquito.,

 

[B-17engineer]

I'll take a go...pretend I'm Germany and I'm trying to take the war to the England/France/Allis

Il-2 (Ground attack light bombing)
P-47D (Ground attack, short escort)
B-29 (Heavy bombing, long range)
Ta-152 (Escort, Interceptor)
C-46 (Transport)
Fw 58 (trainer)

 

[merlin]

I'll pick Australia - rather than just '39 - I think I can stretch it to '39 - '41. And rather then as some have picking aircraft from different periods e.g. time hopping. I'll try and confine it to aircraft that were or could have been available in that period!

Flying-Boat recon - Short Sunderland,

Medium-torpedo/bomber - Bristol Buckfast (or with local manufacture - Brisbane) - derived from Bristol P.13/36

Army-Co-operation - Westland Lysander - IMO would have been a useful aircraft in the terrain the RAAF operated in.

Fighter - Gloster f.5/34 (P W 1830) - IMHO this and above, a better combination than the Wirraway the Boomerang.

Trainer - Harvard

Twin-engine fighter/attack Bristol Blenheim ( though I'd like to work in a version of the Gloster f.9/37)

 

[nuuumannn]

Okay then. Here's my list - bear with me. It covers all three of the armed forces' air assets in six airframes for each of the three services; the distinctive role air power plays within each service being easily discernable. The aircraft are selected based on their entering service by the end of 1940 at the very latest, but following the original stipulation that each type must be chosen for service throughout the rest of the war.

Air Force:

Spitfire: interceptor, strategic photo recon. Tough choice between the Spit and Bf 109, but the Griffon engine tipped the scales in favour of the Spit.
Wellington: heavy bomber, HCU/navigation trainer prior to 1940; after then the Manchester, which led directly to the Lancaster.
Ju 88: medium bomber, pathfinder, night fighter. Either Ju 88 or He 111 equipped with Knickebein/X Gerat/Y Gerat. The accuracy offered by this equipment was second to none in 1939 - 1940.
Beaufighter: close support, maritime strike, tactical recon, night fighter. Touch choice between Bf 110 and Beaufighter; the former had better performance, but the latter had a better weapon load for maritime strike and a better observer's position.
Hurricane: close support/anti-tank, night fighter.
AT-6: trainer, liaison.

Navy:

Kawanishi H6K: long range maritime patrol flying boat.
LB-30 Liberator: land based maritime patrol, transport.
Arado Ar 196: ship based recon.
Mitsubishi A6M: carrier based fighter.
Nakajima B5N: carrier based torpedo bomber, recon.
SBD: dive bomber, recon.

Army:

Bf 108: liaison, transport.
Mitsubishi Ki-46: recon, medium transport.
C-47: heavy transport, glider tug.
Fw 200, long range passenger transport.
Fi 156: aerial observation, liaison.
DFS 230: assault glider.

 

[HBPencil]

Six aircraft types for the RNZAF serving in the PTO and working with the idea that NZ's small population doesn't really allow for the creation of a strategic bomber force that would be large enough to have an effect. My list is tactical rather than strategic although the potential tracking and attacking of IJN vessels could have strategic value.

PBYa - SAR, anti-sub, maritime patrol, night time attacks if need be.

C-47 - transport, multi-engine trainer.

Tigermoth - basic trainer, liason.

AT-6 - advanced trainer, liason, light ground attack if things got real bad.

F4U-1D - all round fighter, ground attack and (if they're in range) anti-shipping... 2,000 pounders and Tiny Tim rockets should work against larger warships? (I nearly chose the P-51 due to its greater range and speed but went with the F4U as I feel it's a better all-rounder and more suited to the harsh conditions of the PTO).

Mosquito - Recon, night-fighter, intruder, ground attack, maritime attack, maritime patrol, light bomber. I'd operate a mixed bag of variants using as many common parts (e.g. engines) as possible (I nearly went with the PBJ instead).

 

[parsifal]

Nobody has atempted to arm one of the minor nations. And unfortunately that kinda means I have to break one of the thread parameters , being that the types be fully operational. In many cases for minor nations, there were no technological reasons why a given type was not operational, just that overseas types were there, and in the case of the allies usually available for "free" (you just had to do what you were told). Im going to ignore that. if a type was technologically ready, but simply was not initiated into production, for a minor nation, like Australia, I would argue that it was available. If minor nations are equipped from domestic sources, this also really limits what they would have available.

For Australia we had a real problem early on with the British embargo on engine techs. Im going to also assume the short sighted and highly disruptive policy was not applied as historical. i hope DG will forgive me these transgressions of the thread parameters, based on the fact that Im arming a minor from completely domestic sources.

Australia

Fighter (all roles) CAC CA15 (late). If there is dispute about this type, I would employ the turbocharged CA14
Long Range recce, strike and fighter - Mosquito (domestic)
Purpose Bomber: CA11 Woomera
Trainer (Basic) Wackett
Trainer (OTU) Wirraway
Transport: Beaufort

 

[nuuumannn]

Six aircraft types for the RNZAF serving in the PTO and working with the idea that NZ's small population doesn't really allow for the creation of a strategic bomber force that would be large enough to have an effect.

Not much of a difference between you list and reality there, HBPencil. No General Recon types like the Hudson and Ventura. I think to add to your list I would like to suggest a land based long range maritime patrol/strike type, such as the Liberator. I would also be tempted to add the Beaufighter as a maritime strike aircraft instead of the Mossie, but that's just me.

 

[HBPencil]

Not much of a difference between you list and reality there, HBPencil.

Indeed. I feel we eventually had a good mix of aircraft during the war.

I think to add to your list I would like to suggest a land based long range maritime patrol/strike type, such as the Liberator.

The B-24/PB4Y idea is a good one but not sure what I'd remove from my list to make room for it.

No General Recon types like the Hudson and Ventura... I would also be tempted to add the Beaufighter as a maritime strike aircraft instead of the Mossie, but that's just me.

I was thinking of using the Mossie for the BR squadrons. Maybe not the best choice for that role (less range than the Hudson and Ventura for starters) but then it could out run Zeros and was more multi-role. I did consider the Beaufighter (better range and maybe more durable?) but again the Mossie's speed and multi-role abilities won out.

 

[nuuumannn]

Good choices. I was thinking the Beaufighter for NZ bases primarily because of the fact that it liked the maritime role beter than the Mossie did. This wasn't a reflection of the construction or ruggedness of the Mosquito, but more its weapons carrying and its performance. The Beaufighter was slower, therefore easier to position for launching rockets and torpedoes at a vessel under way - the rockets were wildly inaccurate and careful positioning was required to get a successful strike, also the clean aerodynamics of the Mossie meant it did not like carrying a torpedo and I've read of at least one RAF unit that replaced its Mosquitoes with Beaufighters as a result, after receiving Mossies to replace its Beaufighters.

I read somewhere that there was a rumour that the RNZAF was consdiering purchasing B-25 Mitchells instead of Venturas, but I'm not certain whether this is fact or not. As for adding the Liberator, perhaps you could concentrate on combat types and leave the obvious Tiger Moth/Harvard out, maybe?

 

[HBPencil]

I read somewhere that there was a rumour that the RNZAF was consdiering purchasing B-25 Mitchells instead of Venturas, but I'm not certain whether this is fact or not. As for adding the Liberator, perhaps you could concentrate on combat types and leave the obvious Tiger Moth/Harvard out, maybe?

I have read the same, possibly in Alex Horn's book or maybe one of Bryan Cox's. From what I remember reading the RNZAF wanted B-25s to replace the Hudsons but due to US Army/Navy politics we got the PV-1, although on the plus side serving under the Navy/Marines is what got us the Corsairs.

I'll leave my list as it is (original poster's rules) but maybe I could've got the Tigermoth off my list by not having it in 'production' but rather by requisitioning light civil aircraft.

 

[R Pope]

Lots of reaching into the future for planes to start the war with! If that's allowed, I would reach a little further and take 6 F-22's! No need for trainers, bring back the pilots too. Enlist them in the Newfoundland Army, or Botswana, or whichever country you can get cheap, and in a week you own the world.
My point being, cloud-cuckoo land is one thing, but most of these choices relied on several years of hard-won experience to come to reality, that just wasn't there in 1939. (unless you are a Yank, and think the war started in 1942...)

 

[nuuumannn]

I suspect you might be missing the point of the thread, R Pope. It's just a bit of fun and doesn't bear much resemblance of reality, although HBPencil's choice of aircraft for the RNZAF are very close to what that air force actually operated.

 

[GrauGeist]

(unless you are a Yank, and think the war started in 1942...)

It sure did and we saved the world...would have been nice if the rest of the Allies helped a little...

Honestly though, we know better

 

[nuuumannn]

unless you are a Yank, and think the war started in 1942...

I thought it was 1941! Revisionists...

 

[GrauGeist]

I thought it was 1941! Revisionists...

Seems to me it was...wait, let me think a moment here...ahh yes, now I recall the obscure date:

The 7th of December, 1941

 

[nuuumannn]

The 7th of December, 1941

What happened on that date again? Not being from America I don't know what else was going on...

 

[GrauGeist]

What happened on that date again? Not being from America I don't know what else was going on...

Ahh right, well...you see, there were these two guys, they were friends...but one was in love with a nurse, but she was in love with his buddy, so he goes to England to join the RAF and fight the Germans. But he comes back and ends up in this backwater place called Pearl Harbor.

Anyway, well...the Japanese attack and he and his buddy jump in a couple P-40's and shoot down most of the Japanese in their pajamas and then...wait, what was the question again?

 

[R Pope]

When I said 1942, I was referring to the movie with Belushi in it, since most history these days comes from Hollywood........