Qualities that made for a great aircraft that don't show up in performance stats.

[Dimlee]

One major factor beyond performance stats, is the ability to keep them flying. Wars are not won by the best airplane, tank, or rifle, but through logistics. Having equipment that is robust, simple to maintain, in large quantity, operator friendly, with well trained crews, pays greater dividends than individual performance characteristics. Great example, the Tiger and Panther tanks. Compared to allied tanks, T-34 and M4 Sherman for example, they were regarded as the better vehicles. But when looked at through the logistics lens, they failed miserably. Harder to produce, highly technical and complex, difficult to maintain (without adequate spare parts), not in great enough quantity, and a host of other factors, reduced their combat effectiveness.

But Tiger Panzer is a cool machine and logistics is a subject so boring.
My favourite one:
I don't know what the hell this 'logistics' is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.
(E.J.King)

 

[XBe02Drvr]

My favourite one:
I don't know what the hell this 'logistics' is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.
(E.J.King)

And this from the man whose empire included the Military Sea Transportation Service, the Seabees, and the greatest amphibious warfare fleet the world has ever seen!
Cheers,
Wes

 

[swampyankee]

And this from the man whose empire included the Military Sea Transportation Service, the Seabees, and the greatest amphibious warfare fleet the world has ever seen!
Cheers,
Wes

...and the greatest ability to support modern warships at sea, without bases.

 

[Schweik]

That's very interesting about the Ki 100 it does sound like a perfect candidate for this thread. Reading the wiki I was surprised to learn that part of the weight saving from ki-61 was from removing a lead counterweight that had been put in to preserve the CG!

Ki 100 also sounds like a good example of plane with not the highest top speed but a good "combat speed" and a diving ability that apparently made a significant difference in combat.

 

[pbehn]

But Tiger Panzer is a cool machine and logistics is a subject so boring.
My favourite one:
I don't know what the hell this 'logistics' is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.
(E.J.King)

Logistics is something you don't have but you can not have, when it is minus 40C and all your troops are in summer clothes you don't have logistics.

 

[Schweik]

Anology might be a 'pretty good' aircraft built for local conditions, capable of being fitted with skis, to run on 'inferior" fuel and made with drain plugs to drain out all the fluids every night, so that they are actually available for Combat in say, February in Ukraine instead of 'uber' plane that is grounded with a frozen battery and congealed oil...

 

[fliger747]

Logistics, actually boring but important. It's why the great Blue Fleet that came to stay was as relentless as the tide. US Grant might have gotten ripped once in a while, but he never went away.

Grumman was so busy making planes that the spare parts just weren't available. The Navy stepped in and halted production to get some spares. Need some new tires for your F6F? Push it overboard and get a new one...

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Logistics is something you don't have but you can not have, when it is minus 40C and all your troops are in summer clothes you don't have logistics.

"But Herr Marshall, der Fuhrer said we would conquer Russia before winter! We haven't conquered Russia yet, so it can't be winter."
Cheers,
Wes

 

[XBe02Drvr]

...and the greatest ability to support modern warships at sea, without bases.

UNREP, the ultimate force multiplier.

 

[pbehn]

"But Herr Marshall, der Fuhrer said we would conquer Russia before winter! We haven't conquered Russia yet, so it can't be winter."
Cheers,
Wes

Our spies confirm that V1s are hitting central London, so forget all that scientific measurement malarkey.

 

[fliger747]

To be way off topic, the real reason the Whermacht stalled? Lack of Winter Horse Shoes...

If you have every tried to ride a horse in the winter shod with regular shoes, you will immediately understand.

 

[pbehn]

To be way off topic, the real reason the Whermacht stalled? Lack of Winter Horse Shoes...

If you have every tried to ride a horse in the winter shod with regular shoes, you will immediately understand.

Well that would be a shortage of 3.2 million horse shoes, since they started with 800,000 horses, in truth they were short of a lot of things but no shortage of hot air in Berlin.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

In truth they were short of a lot of things but no shortage of hot air in Berlin.

Logistical problem: How do you transport that hot air to the front, which has a huge shortage? Maybe it would make Tante Ju a little more buoyant and extend her range? Now there's a quality that doesn't show up in the stats!

 

[pbehn]

Logistical problem: How do you transport that hot air to the front, which has a huge shortage? Maybe it would make Tante Ju a little more buoyant and extend her range?[/QUOTE
Quite simple, on a broad gauge railway of course.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Quite simple, on a broad gauge railway of course.

"Til Stonelev's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again. It was December of forty one, we were desperate, the war had just begun."

 

[pbehn]

"Til Stonelev's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again."

I was referring to a story I read years ago about 1000 people being involved in the design of a pan Europe broad gauge railway up until days before Berlin fell. Hard to tell fantasy from reality.

 

[fliger747]

Russia still runs a broad gauge. Allegedly the "Standard Gauge" dates back to the track width of Roman Chariots which translated down to horse drawn wagons etc in England. Winter horse shoes usually have cleats built up on them by welding much like grousers on cat tracks.

 

[pbehn]

Russia still runs a broad gauge. Allegedly the "Standard Gauge" dates back to the track width of Roman Chariots which translated down to horse drawn wagons etc in England. Winter horse shoes usually have cleats built up on them by welding much like grousers on cat tracks.

The proposed broad gauge railway was 3m wide more than twice "standard gauge".

 

[Reluctant Poster]

At the start numbers were about equal because no Spitfires were sent to France, the higher number of Hurricanes reflects it being easier to produce.
Document-42: Aircraft production during the Battle of Britain

I have to say that essay must have been written by Beaverbrook's PR department. Plans to build the Merlin in the US were well underway before long before Beaverbrook was appointed Minister of Aircraft Production.

 

[Schweik]

The proposed broad gauge railway was 3m wide more than twice "standard gauge".

I suspect it does go far back, before the locomotive and the steam engine. The legally required width for a road established within the medieval Holy Roman Empire and its neighboring polities was about 3 meters, a 'lances width' .

Hellweg - Wikipedia

The goal was for the roads to be wide enough for two carts or coaches to pass by each other.

Not all roads by any means had to have such a width but these were all the big protected roads that the princes and Free Cities maintained peaceful travel by force if travellers, especially merchants, were molested on them. They appointed a Justice of the Peace of the roads and sent out little armies to arrest and punish anybody that molested those using these roads. These included the regional and local salt roads & trade routes like the Amber Road and of course the major thoroughfares like the Via Reggie and Via Imperia.


Via Regia - Wikipedia