but you yourself have admitied it was a better bomber than the B-17, which means the B-17 must have had poor defences and poor damage tollerance, is that what you're saying?
Whoever says the B-17 hasn't got high damage tolerance is a fool, and the B-17C and below were poorly defended, one of the reason the RAF saw them unsuitable.
And it was the RAFs complaints, and ideas on the B-17 that made it what it was when it was the B-17E, which was then further improved.
No, but the reason the Americans improved it was because of the ideas given to them by the RAF which combat tested the B-17C. Are you scared it might have been made what it was by the British? Well you're safe although most of the time the British are involved.
The Mustang and Corsair however...
It really stemmed from the British Purchasing Commission led by Sir Henry Self, who went Stateside in 1938 with an aim to buy US built Military aircraft, which the Brits realised they were soon gonna need - starting with Hudsons, Harvards, P-40's...the Brits had quite abit of influence on American aircraft development as the War progressed...
I don't think we needed to, they were and still are fine aircraft, their Service Record is exemplary for what they were...I was involved in painting signwriting two white ones in 1992-3 for United Nations service in the Middle East , but most today are being used in the Warbird Circuit, where they've earned their Rightful Place...
there are still quite a few acting as civil airliners, but most havehad new engines installed, it saves money, i can see where they're coming from, but it's still a shame......................
The British did have an impact on the American aircraft industry but that was primarily because they were involved in the war two years before America was. America was carefully studying the war in Europe and realized that things like self-sealing tanks and armor plating were very important. Of course, not everything the British touched turned to gold. The British order for the Lighting produced one of the most useless planes of the war, the RP-322.
Also the British combat tested a lot of American planes, the B-17C for one. And we also just outright improved them like the Mustang, which came from an order by us anyway.
True. And if ya'll had thought to put Merlins in one of those Lightning I's you ordered, WOW! That would have been something! I mean, an Alison engined Lightning was one of the best planes of the war anyway.