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Originally Posted by Falcon Jun
I saw a post in WWII weapons by Southwest Pacific Vet mentioning Waco gliders and that led me to asking this question.
What if helicopter development was accelerated during the course of World War 2? Given the resources available at that time, I think it was possible to have this aircraft developed rapidly. The technological development curve during the course of World War II was very rapid.
One thing sure, if a good utility helicopter or gun ship was developed at that time, things would've been a lot different for several ground battles, especially those involving airborne operations. Of course, such a development would also include new doctrines for its use. I just can't help but think that losses in Waco glider landings would've been cut if an effective helicopter had been available at that time.
It would've been of great use in the Atlantic campaign for spotting U-boats and island hopping for both the Japanese and the US. For the Germans, I see them developing it as a transport/gunship, which would've been very useful in the Russian terrain. Of course, once this is developed, an entirely new doctrine for defeating helicopters would've followed suit.
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Even if the helicopter has been developed and put into 'circulation' of the industry they still would never be as effective at there roles as you are proposing. They would have limited range compared to a PBY or a Condor. There horsepower would never be effective enough to carry enough troops to do the island hopping without the use of many many helicoptors. They would also be very vulnable to aircraft and groud fire.
Although if they could be fitted with rockets or a heavy machine gun they could be used effectively in the close support role, such as, in an assualt like D-day, but again there would have to be minimal air defense.