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At one point in 1943, when the Luftwaffe was able to maintain air superiority against the American P-38's and P-47's over France and Germany and shoot down an unacceptable number of American daylight bombers, the very high performance of the F4U made the US War Department consider using it as a land based fighter in the European Theatre. The Army Air Force was not anxious to adopt a Navy fighter and declined the early F4U-1 model of the Corsair on the basis of restricted pilot visibility. Later models, such as the definitive F4U-4, had excellent visibility except for an arc directly aft. The Corsair did not have the extreme range capability of the P-38 and the P-51, but its blend of high speed and maneuverability would have made it difficult for the German FW 190 and Bf 109 pilots to handle.
Nice article. Don't see why it couldn't be true. The reason why the F4U wasnt used in the ETO is also completely completely possible lolJust been reading an article by Chuck Hawks which states
The Super Warbirds of World War II
Its the the first time I have ever read that the F4U was ever considered for the European Theatre
I guess I understand it, in 1943 the F4U may have been a better bet than the Early versions of the P38/P47 ?
With the much improved P47D and the appearance of the P51D Mustang still some time away I guess the USAF needed options
Anyway is the article true ? Does anyone else have any more information on this ?
It is a myth that the RN pioneered the use of Corsairs on carriers. The USN had a squadron ready to deploy to the PTO with the Corsair before the RN even got any Corsairs. Look it up in Dean, "America's Hundred Thousand."
I think the problem with shifting them to the ETO is your are removing them from the PTO. Not sure if that would have been a good idea or not.
It is a myth that the RN pioneered the use of Corsairs on carriers. The USN had a squadron ready to deploy to the PTO with the Corsair before the RN even got any Corsairs. Look it up in Dean, "America's Hundred Thousand." The Corsair did serve as the high escort on some of the raids on Tirpitz but no combat resulted.
The Corsair did not have the extreme range capability of the P-38 and the P-51, but its blend of high speed and maneuverability would have made it difficult for the German FW 190 and Bf 109 pilots to handle.
That is the crux of the matter. Without the range to stay with the bombers, or in their vacinity, for the entire mission the fighters would not need to be engaged by the Luftwaffe as often.