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- #21
Wild_Bill_Kelso
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,231
- Mar 18, 2022
I don't think the Sea Hurricane Mk IIC made anywhere near 342 mph. Most Hurricane IIC didn't either.
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I can't say. This source says 340 mph.I don't think the Sea Hurricane Mk IIC made anywhere near 342 mph. Most Hurricane IIC didn't either.
Based on common knowledge here, why do you conclude this?Wildcat would eat a Hurricane for breakfast
Posted several times before, but what the hell ... from Eric Brown:
F4F-4 Wildcat Versus Sea Hurricane IIc
Here were two fighters almost evenly matched in combat performance and firepower, with the British fighter holding the edge. The Hurricane could exploit its superior rate of roll, the Wildcat its steeper angle of climb. In a dogfight the Hurricane could outturn the Wildcat, and it could even evade an astern attack by half rolling and using its superior acceleration in a dive.
Verdict: This is a combat I have fought a few times in mock trials. The Hurricane could usually get in more camera gunshots than the Wildcat, but for neither this was an easy job. The Hurricane would probably have been more vulnerable to gun strikes than the Wildcat.
That said, overall Brown rated the Wildcat as a more effective carrier fighter than the Sea Hurricane.
EDIT: re: the Hurricane's Hispano ammunition, the inner guns held 98 rounds and the outer guns 88.
My own believe is that the Hurricane could have been a more viable carrier fighter in 1941 if they had the engineering capacity to design/build the folding wing.I know we've turned down the idea of a folding wing Sea Hurricane, mostly due to the heavier weight straining the early Merlins. But the later Merlins had better power - was a folding Hurricane always going to be a dud? The folding Wildcat did okay vs its non-folder predecessor.
Both must have seemed like a rocket compared to the 270 mph Fulmar. You're not going to catch any Bettys, Sallys or Nells with that performance.Well, a fair point has been raised that the F4F-4 was barely fast enough for the Pacific Theater... Sea Hurricane was similarly barely in the fight due to speed limitations...
Both must have seemed like a rocket compared to the 270 mph Fulmar. You're not going to catch any Bettys, Sallys or Nells with that performance.
I think had the RN not lost so many carriers between Sept 1939 and Aug 1942, when every carrier they started the war with was sunk, save HMS Furious and little Argus, I think the Fulmar would have done well as you suggest. The FAA needed more aircraft of all types.I kinda like the Fulmar as an armed scout. The problem is carriers couldn't really afford specialized scouts due to such limited space (and so few carriers)
again, please look at the altitudes the Bettys, Sallys and Nells were making their best speeds.Both must have seemed like a rocket compared to the 270 mph Fulmar. You're not going to catch any Bettys, Sallys or Nells with that performance.
C'mon the Skua and Gloster Sea Gladiator were shooting down lots of Luftwaffe bombers with similar or superior performance to a Betty with much less performance, than a Fulmar II.Both must have seemed like a rocket compared to the 270 mph Fulmar. You're not going to catch any Bettys, Sallys or Nells with that performance.
C'mon the Skua and Gloster Sea Gladiator were shooting down lots Luftwaffe bombers with similar or superior performance to a Betty with much less performance, than a Fulmar II.
The Skua as 'Fleet Defender'. During the 1940 Norway campaign the Skua downed the following aircraft via front gun kills:Define "lots".
The Skua as 'Fleet Defender'. During the 1940 Norway campaign the Skua downed the following aircraft via front gun kills:
Do 26 Flying boat - 1.
Dornier 18 flying boat - 3.
Heinkel 115 floatplane - 2. (10 more by strafing)
Henkel 111 bomber -17.
Junkers Ju 88 - 5
(verified by Cull et all by cross referencing Luftwaffe loss records and operation reports)
Well somebody had to pick up the slack due to the Skuas not being available in that theater.Now what did the Wildcat do in the Pacific? "Lots".