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Wow, ctrain, I have to disagree on several points:
1. Wouldn't find it useful? Ever hear of this....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(1945)
The RAF had a Squadron of P-51s as cover for the Blenheims. At this late stage - Feb 1945 - why were they using Mustangs instead of Spits? Doesn't make sense based upon your assumption.
2.
Possibly because a prop driven airplane couldn't compete with the new jets entering service.
Thos are some very broad generalizations there.
I don't get your point ,the P-51 had range and good performance esp at altitude.Why would the LW need that range when it had airfields everywhere? The USAAF had a strategic bomber fleet to support .The LW and the Soviet Airforce needed agile ,cheap tactical fighters not heavy aircraft loaded with fuel to fight at 30.000ft .The RAF on the other hand did need a plane with long range but unfortunately they were stuck with the Spit.The P-47 had worse performance than the much smaller P-51 ,it didn't offer anything that's why it left the stage.
Generalizations ? How do you think countries produce armaments ? They decide what kind of weapons they need based on what threats they will face and build them .Each may value different things.
The P 47 didnt leave the stage it changed theatre, it was a much better ground attack A/C than the P51 and ground attack was a major part of the Normandy campaign.
All the fast aircraft ( FW190 , P-51 ,P-47 ) were not good at ground attack missions .Fast = inaccurate look up ''Air power at the Battlefront''.
The speed of an airplane is the choice of the pilot isnt it? I was refering to armament payload and most importantly its ability to withstand ground fire.
The Spitfire was the 'woodman's favourite axe' Chris, the name remained the same as we didn't want to say goodbye to the Spitfire. The final version bore little relation to the original. Whereas the 109 was clearly the same machine.
The stukas losses were prohibitive against anything that was defended, it was heavy and slow and a dive bomber with a water cooled engine. Dive bombing gives the attaker a point target. Similar for the Hs 129. The P47 had an aircooled engine which is a big plus.
If you say it it must be truego read Luftwaffe Colours ''Stuka'' for a very different opinion.By the way the losses of Stuka units in Kursk were low,how about that?
Oh yes Kursk, I forgot about Kursk. Please summarise how the stuka helped in that magnificent victory. Are you seriously suggesting that a US pilot in 1944 would be better of flying to North france in a stuka than a P 47. When a stuka drops its bombs it is still a stuka when a P 47 drops its bombs it is a very capable fighter with 8 MGs.
The Stuka had precision and armor to take on ground targets.Of course it couldn't outrun a fighter.A specialized aircraft will always outperform a general one in that particular field.The decision to use fighters in the ground attack role was political ,the USAAF leadership did not want to be subordinate to the army so they never built a ground attack craft.Even today look at the A-10 and all the drama it has generated .....
The Stuka had precision and armor to take on ground targets.Of course it couldn't outrun a fighter.A specialized aircraft will always outperform a general one in that particular field.
I can agree with that, but my point was that "conventional" piston engined aircraft had reached or were near reaching their pinnicle.
As with Njaco, however I do have to disagree a bit on the 109. It had evolved into a different machine as well.
Actually they did. Please see the 1930s "A" series aircraft and even the A-20. Also the batteries of guns stuffed into/on the sides of B-25 and B-26 bombers. Also see career of the A-36.
While the Americans may not have fielded specific anti-armor aircraft or quite as much really close support (flying artillery) I too can make excuses and say the US didn't need them as much. US Divisions and Corp generally had more artillery support available,especially ammo supply.
Dive bombers, by the very method of their attack, give light anti-aircraft defenses an excellent target. Fair warning, and a predictable, steady flight path for a number of seconds well within the range of the guns. Dive bombers work really great if the enemy has no effective fighter defenses and few, if any, automatic AA weapons. Trading dive-bombers for a ship is one thing, trading dive bombers for a crater in a road junction or for a few trucks is another.
Stuka units in the East had low loss rates despite being used in contested airspace and unlike their allied counterparts were precision weapons.
Did it ? The ME109 looked very similar at the end of its career. I'll have a look and see what you mean Chris.
Cheers
John
Actually the problem for the allies is that their ground attack units were decimated by AA AND they didn't hit anything .Stuka units in the East had low loss rates despite being used in contested airspace and unlike their allied counterparts were precision weapons.