Just thought I would scope out Wikipedia and see what it has on WWII aircraft starting with the graceful He-111


Type: Medium bomber
Manufacturer: Heinkel Flugzeugwerke
Designed by: Siegfried and Walter Günter
Maiden flight: 24 February1935
Introduced: 1936
Retired: 1945
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Produced: 1935–1944
Number built: 7,300 estimated
Variants: CASA 2.111

The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most famous symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. By the time of that conflict, in 1940, the He 111 was nearing obsolescence. Nonetheless, it was produced until 1944, and used increasingly in the transport and re-supply role.

History
In the early 1930s Ernst Heinkel decided to build the world's fastest passenger plane, a lofty goal met with more than a little skepticism by the German aircraft industry and its newly evolving political leadership. Heinkel entrusted the development to the Günter brothers fairly new to the company and untested.

The aircraft was superior to the already fast Lockheed 9 Orion that their design was competing against. The first example of their soon-to-be-famous Heinkel He 70 Blitz (“Lightning”) rolled off the line in 1932 and immediately started breaking records. In its normal four passenger version its speed almost reach 200 mph (320 km/h), even though it was powered by only a single 600 hp (447 kW) BMW V1 engine. The elliptical wing, which the Günther brothers had already used in the Bäumer Sausewind sports plane before they joined Heinkel, became a feature in many subsequent designs the brothers developed.

The design immediately garnered the interest of the Luftwaffe, which was looking for medium bombers for military service.
The future Heinkel He 111 was a more powerful twin-engine version of the Blitz, producing an aircraft that had many of the Blitz's features—including its elliptical inverted gull wing, small rounded control surfaces, and BMW engines. With location of the engines the only notable change in appearance, the new He 111 design was often called the Doppel-Blitz (“Double Lightning”).


Early Variants
The first prototype, He 111 V1 (W.Nr. 713, D-ADAP), first flew from Rostock-Marienehe on 24 February1935. It was followed by the civilian-equipped V2 and V4 in May 1935. The V2 (W.Nr. 715, D-ALIX) used the bomb bay as a four-seat "smoking compartment" with another six seats behind it in the rear fuselage. V2 entered service with Lufthansa in 1936, along with five newly built versions known as the He 111 C. The design was only masquerading as an airliner. The aircraft was intended to be a bomber as the Luftwaffe began rearmament. The initial reports from the test pilot, Gerhard Nitschke, were favourable. It flight performance and handling were impressive although it dropped its wing in the stall. As a result the passenger variants had their wings reduced from 25 to 23 metres. The military aircraft, the V1, V3 and V5 spanned just 22.6 metres.

The first prototypes were underpowered, as they were powered only by 578hp BMW VI 6.0 six-cylinder in-line engines. This was eventually increased to 999 hp with the fitting of the DB (Daimler-Benz)600 engines into the V5, which became the prototype of the "B" series.

Only ten He 111 A-0 models based on the V3 were built, but they proved to be underpowered and were eventually sold to China. The first He 111B made its maiden flight in the autumn of 1936. After improvements the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Air Ministry) ordered 300 He 111B-1s; the first were delivered in January 1937. The B-2 variant had its engines upgraded to the supercharged DB 600C, of 850 hp or in some cases the 600G, of 925 hp. The B-2 began to roll off the production lines at the Heinkel works in Oranienburg in 1937. In late 1937 the D-1 series entered production. However the DB600Ga engine with 1,074 hp, planned for this variant, was instead allocated to the Bf 109 and Bf 110 production lines. Heinkel then opted to use Jumo engines, and the He 111 V6 was tested with Juno 210 G engines but was vastly underpowered. However the improved 999 hp Juno 211 A-1 powerplant prompted the cancellation of the D series altogether and concentration on the design of the E series.

He 111 E
The E-1s came off the production line in February 1938, and a number of these aircraft served in the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War in March 1938. In a way the positive performance influenced later variants. The Luftwaffe believed that because the E variant outran enemy fighters there was no need to upgrade defensive weaponry, which would prove a mistake from the Battle of Britain onward. The fuselage bomb bay used four bomb racks, in later versions eight modular standard bomb racks designed to carry one SC 250, 250 kg bomb or four SC50, 50 kg bombs each in nose up orientation (which resulted in the bombs' doing a flip as they were dropped out of the aircraft). These modular standard bomb racks were a common feature on the first generation of Luftwaffe bombers (including the Junkers Ju 52), but it turned out that they limited the ordnance selection to bombs of only two sizes. Since they had to be built strongly enough to carry heavy bombs without contributing to the structural integrity of the aircraft, these racks were abandoned in later designs. The E-3 series was produced with only a few modifications, such as external bomb racks. The bomb bay was reduced on the E-5 to make way for fuel tanks which increased its range.

The He 111 design quickly ran though a series of minor design versions to fix one sort of problem or another. One of the more obvious changes started with the He 111 F models, which moved from the elliptical wing to one with straight leading and trailing edges, which could be manufactured more efficiently. The F-1 Series was entirely exported to Turkey and the 40 F-4s entered Luftwaffe service. At this time development began on the He 111J. It was powered by the DB 600 and was intended as a torpedo bomber. As a result it lacked an internal bomb bay and carried two external torpedo racks.

The RLM gave an order for the bomb bay to be retrofitted; this variant became known as the J-1. In all but powerplant it was identical to the F-4.

The He 111 P incorporated the updated Daimler-Benz DB 601 and featured a newly designed nose section, including an asymmetric Ikaria nose mounting for an MG 15 machine gun, that replaced the 'stepped' cockpit with a roomier and aerodynamically favourable glazed "dome" over the front of the aircraft. These improvements allowed the aircraft to reach 475 km/h at 5000 m and a cruise speed of 370 km/h, although a full bombload reduced this figure to 300 km/h. The design was implemented in 1937 because pilot reports indicated problems with visibility.

After World War II, however, British Royal Navy test pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown, who had flown a number of captured later model He 111s, described the view through the redesigned nose as comparable to "looking down a glass tunnel." The pilot's seat could actually be elevated close enough to the level of the upper glazing, complete with a small pivoted windscreen panel, to get the pilot's head above the level of the top of the "glass tunnel" for a better forward view for take-offs and landings. Eric Brown remarked that this was sort of a "Tiger Moth" transformation (referring to the famous British training biplane's open cockpits and windscreens) to such an advanced bomber's pilot accommodation.

Many of the He 111 Ps served during the Polish Campaign. With the Junkers Ju 88experiencing technical difficulties, the He 111 and the Dornier Do 17 formed the backbone of the Kampfwaffe. On 1 September1939 Luftwaffe records indicate the Heinkel strength at 705 (along with 533 Dorniers).

In 1940 the RLM abandoned further production of the P series in favour of the H versions, mostly because the P-series' Daimler-Benz engines were sorely needed for Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighter production.

He 111 H
The H variant of the He 111 series saw more action during the Second World War than any other. Owing to the uncertainty surrounding the delivery and availability of the DB 601 engines, Heinkel began tests with the 1,100 hp (820 kW) Junkers Jumo 211 powerplants. The somewhat larger size and greater weight of the Jumo 211 engines were unimportant considerations for a twin engine design, and the Jumo was used on almost all early-war bomber designs. When the Jumo was fitted to the P model it became the He 111 H.

The P-series was gradually replaced on the eve of war with the new the H-2, powered by Jumo 211 A-3 engines. A count on2 September1939 revealed that the Luftwaffe had a total of 787 He 111s in service, with 705 combat ready, including 400 H-1 and H-2s that had been produced in a mere four months. Production of the H-3, powered by the 1,200 hp Jumo 211 D-1, began in November 1939. After the Battle of Britain a smaller scale production of the H-4s began. This variant differed from the H-3 in that could either carry 2.000 kg of bombs internally or mount one or two external racks to carry one 1.800 kg or two 1.000 kg bombs. As these external racks blocked the internal bomb bay doors a combination of internal and external storage was not possible. The H-5 series followed in February 1941, with heavier defensive armament. Some H-3 and H-4s were equipped with barrage balloon cable cutting equipment in the shape of cutter installations forward of the engines and cockpit. They were designated H-8, but later named H8/R2.

These aircraft were difficult to fly and the production stopped.The H-6 initiated some all around improvements in design. The Jumo 211 F-1 engine of 1,350 hp increased its speed while the defensive armament was upgraded with one MG FF in the nose position, one MG 15 in the ventral turret and in each of the fuselage side windows (optional). Some H-6 variants carried tail-mounted MG 17 defensive armament. With the H-11 the Luftwaffe had at its disposal a powerful medium bomber with heavier armour and defensive armament.

One of the most interesting variants was as a glider tug, the He 111 Z, standing for Zwilling or twin. It was built from two 111 H-6s joined together with a connecting wing and a fifth engine and used to tow the giant Messerschmitt Me 321 or two Gotha Go 242 gliders. Ten He 111 Zs were built, and all served until destroyed one way or another.

At 14,000 kg take-off weight (carrying 2,000 kg of bombs internally), the He 111H achieved a top speed of 405 km/h at 6 km, improving to 435 km/h without the bomb load and at 50% fuel load. Still, this was considerably slower than the newer Junkers Ju 88 which entered service in 1940, so the He 111 was gradually withdrawn from the bomber role. The He 111 became a jack-of-all-trades as the war progressed, carrying out missions not even imagined even when the war started.

Nevertheless, the He 111 had to be kept in production until 1944 because the RLM failed to provide a successor: the He 177 Greif heavy bomber was plagued by engine problems, and the Bomber B program was eventually abandoned. The vast majority of the 7,300 He 111s produced would be the H models, largely identical to the first H introduced in 1939.

He 111 variants

• He 111 A-0: 10 aircraft built based on He 111 V3, two used for trials at Rechlin, rejected by Luftwaffe all 10 were sold to China.
• He 111 C-0: Six pre-production aircraft build.
• He 111 B-0: Pre-production aircraft, similar to He 111 A-0, but with DB600A engines.
• He 111 B-1: Production aircraft as B-0, but with DB600C engines, and defensive armament of three 7.9 mm MG 15.
• He 111 B-2: As B-1, but with DB600CG engines, and extra radiators on either side of the engine nacelles under the wings.
• He 111 D-0: Pre-production aircraft with DB600Ga engines.
• He 111 D-1: Production aircraft, only a few build.
• He 111 E-0: Pre-production aircraft, similar to B-0, but with Jumo 211A-1 engines.
• He 111 E-1: Production aircraft up to 2,000 kg bomb load.
• He 111 E-3: Production bomber.
• He 111 E-4: Half of 2,000 kg bomb load carried externally.
• He 111 E-5: Fitted with several internal auxiliary fuel tanks.
• He 111 F-0: Pre-production aircraft similar to E-5, but with a new wing of simpler construction with a straight rather than curved taper, and Jumo 211A-3 engines.
• He 111 F-1: Production bomber, small number build for export to Turkey.
• He 111 F-4: Production bomber for use with Luftwaffe.
• He 111 G-0: Pre-production transportation aircraft built, featured new wing introduced on F-0.
• He 111 G-3: Also known as V14, fitted with BMW 132Dc radial engines.
• He 111 G-4: Also known as V16, fitted with DB600G engines.
• He 111 G-5: Four aircraft with DB600Ga engines built for export to Turkey.
• He 111 J-0: Pre-production torpedo bomber similar to F-4, but with DB600CG engines.
• He 111 J-1: Production torpedo bomber, 90 built, but re-configured as a bomber.
• He 111 P-0: Pre-production aircraft featured new straight wing, new glazed nose, Db601Aa engines, and a ventral gondola for gunner (rather than ‘dust-bin’ on pervious models.)
• He 111 P-1: Production aircraft, fitted with three 7.9 mm MG 15 for defensive armament.
• He 111 P-2: Had FuG 10 radio in place of FuG III.
• He 111 P-3: Dual control trainer.
• He 111 P-4: Fitted with extra armour, three extra MG 15’s, and provisions for two externally mounted bomber racks.
• He 111 P-6: Fitted with DB 601N engines.
• He 111 P-6/R2: Conversions later in war of surviving aircraft to glider tugs.
• He 111 H-0: Pre-production aircraft similar to P-2 but with Jumo 211 engines.
• He 111 H-1: Production aircraft.
• He 111 H-3: Similar to P-4, but with Jumo 211A-3 engines.
• He 111 H-4: Fitted with Jumo 211D engines, late in production changed to Jumo 211F engines, and two external bomb racks.
• He 111 H-5: Similar to H-4, but carried all bomb internally and had increased fuel capacity.
• He 111 H-6: Torpedo bomber, could carry two LT F5b torpedoes externally, powered by Jumo 211F-1 engines, had six MG 15’s and one MG/FF 20 mm cannon in forward gondola.
• He 111 H-8: Similar to H-3 or H-5 aircraft, but with balloon-cable cutting fender.
• He 111 H-8/R2: Conversion of H-8 into glider tugs, balloon-cutting equipment removed.
• He 111 H-10: Similar to H-6, but with 20 mm MG/FF in ventral gondola, and fitted with Kuto-Nase balloon-cable-cutters.
• He 111 H-11: Had a fully enclosed dorsal gun position and increased defensive armament and armour.
• He 111 H-11/R1: As H-11, but with two MG 81Z twin-gun units at beam positions.
• He 111 H-11/R2: As H-11, but converted to a glider tug.
• He 111 H-12: Modified for carry Hs 293A missiles, fitted with FuG 203b Kehl transmitter, and ventral gondola deleted.
• He 111 H-14: Pathfinder, fitted with FuG Samos and FuG 351 Korfu radio equipment.
• He 111 H-15: Torpedo bomber.
• He 111 H-16: Fitted with Jumo 211F-2 engines and increased defensive armament of 13 mm MG 131’s, twin 7.9 mm MG 81Z’s, and a 20 mm MG/FF cannon.
• He 111 H-16/R1: As H-16, but with 13 mm MG131 in power operated dorsal turret.
• He 111 H-16/R2: As H-16, but converted to a glider tug.
• He 111 H-16/R3: As H-16, modified as a pathfinder.
• He 111 H-18: Based on H-16/R3, was a pathfinder for night operations.
• He 111 H-20: Defensive armament similar to H-16, but some aircraft feature power operated dorsal turrets.
• He 111 H-20/R1: Could carry 16 paratroopers, fitted with jump hatch.
• He 111 H-20/R2: Was a cargo carrier and glider tug.
• He 111 H-20/R3: Was a night bomber.
• He 111 H-20/R4: Could carry 20 50 kg bombs.
• He 111 H-21: based on the H-20/R3, but with Jumo 213E-1 engines.
• He 111 H-22: Re-designated and modified H-6, H-16, and H-21’s used to air launch V-1 flying-bombs.
• He 111 H-23: Based on H-20/R1, but with Jumo 213A-1 engines.
• He 111 R: High altitude bomber project.
• He 111 Z-1: Two He 111 airframes coupled together by a fifth engine, used a glider tug for Me 321.
• He 111 Z-2: Long-range bomber project based on Z-1.
• He 111 Z-3: Long-range reconnaissance project based on Z-1.

CASA 2.111 The Spanish company CASA also produced a number of heavily modified He 111s under license for indigenous use. These models were designed CASA 2.111 and served until 1965.

Heinkel He 111 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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P-39 Airacobra


USAAF P-39F-1-BE
Type: Fighter
Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft Corporation
Maiden flight: April 1939
Introduced: 1941
Status: retired
Primary users: United States Army Air Force
Soviet Air Force
Royal Air Force
Produced: 1940-May 1944
Number built: 9,584
Unit cost: 50,666 USD in 1944


The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force. Together with the derivativeP-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft would be the most successful mass-produced, fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.

Design and development
In 1937, the United States Army Air Corps issued a specification for a new fighter via Circular Proposal X-608. It was a request for a high-altitude interceptor aircraft having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude". Specifications called for a maximum airspeed of at least 360 miles per hour (580 km/h) at altitude, and a climb to 20,000 feet (6100m) within 6 minutes; the toughest set of specifications USAAC had presented to that date. Other competing designs included the Curtiss P-40, an outgrowth of a previous design, and the Lockheed P-38, which utilized a complex twin-engine twin boom configuration. Although Bell's limited fighter design work had previously resulted in the unusual Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, the Model 12 proposal adopted an equally original configuration with an Allison V-12 engine mounted in the middle of the fuselage, just behind the cockpit, and a propeller driven by a shaft passing beneath the pilot's feet under the cockpit floor.

The main purpose of this configuration was to free up space for the heavy main armament, a 37 mm Oldsmobile T9 cannon firing through the center of the propeller hub for optimum accuracy and stability when firing. In fact, the entire design was made to accommodate this gun in the aircraft. This happened because H.M. Poyer, designer for project leader Robert Woods, was impressed by the power of this weapon and he pressed for its incorporation though the original concept had been a 20-25 mm cannon mounted in a conventional manner in the nose. This was unusual, because fighters had previously been designed around an engine, not a weapon system. Although devastating when it worked, the T9 had very limited ammunition, a low rate of fire, and was prone to jamming.

A secondary benefit of the mid-engine arrangement was to create a smooth and streamlined nose profile. The weight distribution necessitated a tricycle undercarriage, a first among American fighters, though the Lockheed XP-38 was concurrently designed with tricycle landing gear. Entry to the cockpit was through side doors (mounted on both sides of the cockpit) rather than a sliding canopy. Its unusual engine location and the long driveshaft caused some pilot concern at first, but experience showed this was no more of a hazard in a crash landing than with an engine located forward of the cockpit. There were no problems with propshaft failure. As originally designed, the XP-39 had a turbocharger with a belly scoop (a feature shared by the XP-40); both were deleted for production.

The XP-39 made her maiden flight on 6 April 1938 at Wright Field, Ohio, achieving 630 km/h at 6100 m (390 mph at 20000 ft), reaching this altitude in only five minutes. The Army ordered twelve YP-39s for service evaluation and one YP-39A with the turbo-supercharger deleted. After these trials were complete, which resulted in detail changes including deletion of the external radiator, and on advice from NACA, the prototype was modified as the XP-39B; after demonstrating a performance improvement, the thirteen YP-39s were completed to this standard, adding two 0.3" (7.62 mm) MG to the two .50s as well. Lacking armor or self-sealing fuel tanks, the prototype was 900 kg lighter than the production fighters.

After completing service trials, and originally designated P-45, a first order for 80 aircraft was placed 10 August 1939; the designation would revert before deliveries began.

Technical details
The P-39 was an all-metal, low-wing, single-engine fighter, with tricycle undercarriage incorporating a very streamlined and aerodynamically efficient design.

The Airacobra was conceived with the T9 gun in mind. This weapon fired a 610 gram projectile capable of piercing 2 cm (.78") of armor at 450 m (500yd) with armor piercing rounds. The complete armament fit as designed consisted of the T9 with a pair of Browning M2 .50" (12.7 mm) machineguns mounted in the nose. This would change to two .50s and two .30s in the XP-39B (P-39C, Model 13, the first 20 delivered) and 2x0.50 and 4x0.30 (all four in the wings) in the P-39D (Model 15), which also introduced self-sealing tanks and shackles (and piping) for a 500pd (227 kg) bomb or drop tank. The engine was placed behind the cockpit, so pilots often referred to this as "Allison armor." A long transmission tunnel passed through the fuselage, under the cockpit, and was linked to the three bladed propeller. The radiator was located in the fuselage.

In September 1940, Britain ordered 386 P-39Ds (as the Model 14), of 675 in all, differing in the 37 mm being replaced by a 20 mm Hispano and the 6x0.3 by .303 (7.7 mm). These began equipping 601 Squadron in September 1941, and were promptly recognized as having inadequate rate of climb and performance at altitude; only 80 joined the RAF (only 601 being outfitted), over 250 being transferred to the Red Air Force, about 200 repossessed by the Army after Pearl Harbor, and some 200 sent to Eighth Air Force in 1942 (the Army models being designated P-400).

Because of the unconventional layout, there was no space in the fuselage to place a fuel tank. Although drop tanks were implemented to extend its range, the standard fuel load was carried in the wings, with the result that the P-39 was limited to short range tactical strikes.

A heavy structure, and around 120 kg of armor were characteristic of this aircraft as well. The production P-39's heavier weight combined with the poor performance of the Allison engine, limited the high-altitude capabilities of the fighter. The P-39's altitude performance was markedly inferior to the contemporary European fighters and, as a result, the first USAAF fighter units in the European Theater were equipped with the Spitfire V. However, the P-39D's roll rate was 75 degrees per second at 235 mph (378 km/h)– better than the A6M2, F4F, F6F, or P-38 up to 265 mph (426 km/h). see NACA chart).

Above the V-1710's full throttle height of about 17,000 ft (5,000 m), the P-39's performance dropped off rapidly. This limited its usefulness in traditional fighter missions in Europe as well as in the Pacific, where it was not uncommon for Japanese bombers to attack at altitudes above the P-39's operational ceiling (which in the tropical hot air inevitably was lower than in moderate climates).

The weight distribution of the P-39 supposedly is the reason for its tendency to enter a dangerous flat spin — a characteristic Soviet test pilots were able to demonstrate to the skeptical manufacturer who had been unable to reproduce the effect. After extensive tests, it was determined the spin could only be induced if the plane was improperly loaded, with no ammunition in the front compartment. The flight manual specifically noted a need to ballast the front ammunition compartment with the appropriate weight of shell casings to achieve a reasonable center of gravity. High speed controls were light thus high speed turns and pull-outs were possible although the P-39 had to be held in a dive since it tended to level out, reminiscent of the Spitfire. Redline dive speed was a respectable 525 mph (845 km/h) for the P-39.

The rear-mounted engine made the aircraft ideal for ground attack since fire would be coming from the front-bottom quarter and was less likely to hit the engine and its cooling systems. However, the arrangement proved to be very vulnerable to attacks from above and behind and nearly any hit on the fuselage from an attacking enemy fighter was virtually guaranteed to disable the cooling system and lead to the prompt demise of the engine and thus the airplane. Coupled with lack of high-altitude performance, the Airacobra was extremely vulnerable to any enemy fighter with decent high altitude performance.

A naval version with tail-dragger landing gear, the XFL-1 Airabonita, was ordered as a competitor to the F4U Corsair and XF5F Skyrocket. It first flew 13 May 1940, but after a troublesome and protracted development and testing period, it was rejected.

By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, nearly 600 had been built. When P-39 production ended in August 1944, Bell had built 9,558 and Airacobras, of which 4,773 (mostly -39N and -39Q) were sent to the Soviet Union through the Lend-Lease program. There were numerous minor variations in engine, propellor, and armament, but no major structural changes in production types, excepting a few two-seat TP-39F and RP-39Q trainers. In addition, seven went to the U.S. Navy as radio-controlled drones.

Trials of a laminar flow wing (in the XP-39E) and Continental IV-1430 engine (the P-76) were unsuccessful. The mid-engine, gun-through-hub concept was developed further in the Bell P-63 Kingcobra.

Operational history
The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters. Because its engine was not equipped with a supercharger, the P-39 performed best below 17,000 feet (5,200 m) altitude. It often was used at lower altitudes for such missions as ground strafing. Russian pilots appreciated the cannon-armed P-39 for its ground attack capability.

United Kingdom

P-39N-1 "Saga Boy II" (42-19447)



In 1940, the British Direct Purchase Commission in the US was looking for combat aircraft; they ordered 675 of the export version Bell Model 14 as the "Caribou" on the strength of the company's representations on 13 April 1940.

The performance of the Bell P-39 prototype and 13 test aircraft which were able to achieve a speed of 390 mph (630 km/h) at altitude was due to the installation of turbo-supercharging. The British armament was 0.50-inch machine guns in the fuselage, and four 0.30-inch machine guns in the wings, the 37 mm gun was replaced by a 20 mm Hispano Suiza.

The British export models were renamed "Airacobra" in 1941. A further 150 were specified for delivery under Lend-lease in 1941 but these were not supplied. The Royal Air Force (RAF) took delivery in mid 1941 and found that actual performance of the non-turbo-supercharged production aircraft differed markedly from what they were expecting.

In some areas, the Airacobra was inferior to existing aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire and its performance at altitude suffered drastically. On the other hand it was considered effective for low level fighter and ground attack work. Problems with gun and exhaust flash suppression and compass were fixable.

No. 601 Squadron RAF was the only British unit to use the Airacobra operationally, receiving their first two examples on 6 August 1941. On 9 October, four Airacobras attacked enemy barges near Dunkirk, in the type's only operational action with the RAF. The squadron continued to train with the Airacobra during the winter, but in March 1942, it re-equipped with Spitfires. The Airacobras already in the UK, along with the remainder of the first batch being built in the US, were sent to the Soviet Air force.

U.S.
The U.S. requisitioned 200 of the next part of the order as the P-400. The P-400 designation came from advertised top speed of 400 mph (644 km/h). After Pearl Harbor, the P-400 was deployed to training units, but some saw combat in the Southwest Pacific including with the Cactus Air Force in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Guns salvaged from P-39s were sometimes fitted to Navy PT boats to increase firepower.

From September to November 1942 pilots of the 57th Fighter Squadron flew P-39s and P-38s from an airfield built on land bulldozed into Kuluk Bay on the barren island of Adak in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. They attacked the Japanese forces which had invaded Attu and Kiska islands in the Aleutians in June 1942. The number one foe that claimed the most lives, however, was not the Japanese but the weather. The low clouds, mist, fog, driving rain, snow and high winds made flying dangerous and lives miserable. The 57th remained in Alaska until November 1942 and then returned to the United States.

In North Africa, the Tuskegee Airmen were assigned P-39s in February 1944. They successfully transitioned and carried out their duties including supporting Operation Shingle over Anzio as well as missions over the Gulf of Naples in the Airacobra but achieved few aerial victories. By June they were scoring with P-47 Thunderbolts and then in P-51 Mustangs in July 1944.

USSR
The most successful use of the P-39 was in the hands of the VVS (Soviet Air Force). The tactical environment of the Eastern Front did not demand the extreme high-altitude operations that the RAF and USAAF employed with their big bombers.

The P-39's inherent weakness was its lack of a turbocharger but in the relatively low-altitude operations in the East, this was not as great a handicap. The low-speed, low-altitude turning nature of most air combat on the Russian Front suited the P-39's strengths: sturdy construction, reliable radio gear and adequate firepower. It was common for the Soviet pilots to remove the wing guns and rely only on the cannon and nose machine guns as armament. The P-39 was well liked by VVS pilots. The second-highest scoring Allied ace, Aleksandr Pokryshkin, flew the P-39 from late 1942 until the end of the war; his unofficial score in the Airacobra stands at nearly 60 Luftwaffe aircraft. His wingman, Grigori Rechkalov, scored 57 victories with the P-39. This is the highest score ever gained by any pilot with any US-made aircraft. The usual nickname for the Airacobra in the VVS was Kobrusha, "dear little cobra".

Australia
In early 1942, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), experiencing Japanese air raids on towns in northern Australia, found itself unable to obtain British-designed interceptors or sufficient numbers of P-40s. US Fifth Air Force squadrons in Australia were already receiving the brand new P-39D-1.[15] Consequently, in July 1942, older USAAF P-39s, which had been repaired at Australian workshops, were adopted by the RAAF as a stop-gap interceptor.

Seven P-39Ds were sent to No. 23 Squadron RAAF at Lowood, Queensland. Later, seven P-39Fs were operated by No. 24 Squadron RAAF at Townsville. In the absence of adequate supplies of P-39s, both squadrons also operated Wirraway armed trainers. However, neither squadron received a full complement of Airacobras, or saw combat with them. The home air defence role was filled first by P-40s, followed by Spitfires. Plans to equip two more squadrons with P-39s were also abandoned. 23 and 24 Squadrons converted to the Vultee Vengeance in 1943.

France
In 1940, France ordered numerous P-39s to Bell, but because of the armistice with Germany they were not delivered. However, after Operation Torch French forces in North Africa sided with the Allies, and were re-equipped with Allied equipment including P-39Ns. From mid-1943 on, three fighter squadrons, the GC 3/6 Roussillon, GC 1/4 Navarre and GC 1/5 Champagne, flew these P-39s in combat over the Mediterranean, Italy and Southern France. A batch of P-39Qs was delivered later, but Airacobras, which were never popular with French pilots, had been replaced by P-47 Thunderbolts in front line units by late 1944.

Italy
In June 1944, the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (ICAF) 223° Group received approximately 150 P-39s, almost all -Ns and -Qs, but also at least one -L and five -Ms. The training of 4° Stormo pilots began on P-39Ns (with over 200 hours on them), while more modern Qs were used in the front line. The three groups of 4° Stormo trained at a small and poorly-maintained airfield near Vesuvio, then were sent to Galatina airfield in fall 1944. At least 19 training accidents occurred; among the victims on 25 August 1944 was Teresio Martinoli, a 22-victory ace with four years of combat experience.

Almost 70 aircraft were operational, and on 18 September 1944 12° Group's P-39s flew their first mission over Albania. Concentrating on ground-attack and accumulating over 3000 hours of combat, losing ten aircraft to German flak, the Italian P-39s proved to be suitable in this role.

Portugal
Between December 1942 and February 1943, the Aeronáutica Militar (Army Military Aviation) obtained aircraft operated by the 81st and the 350th Fighter Groups originally dispatched to North Africa as part of Operation Torch. Due to several problems en route, some of the aircraft were forced to land in Portugal and Spain. Of the 19 fighter aircraft that landed in Portugal, all were interned and entered service that year with the Portuguese Army Military Aviation — the first examples to enter service were five P-39s from the 81st Fighter Group, which landed on 27 December 1942 at Lisbon Airport.

P-39 interned by Portugal (1942—1943)
Date Qty Fighter Group
27 December 1942 5 81st
15 January 1943 2 81st
15 January 1943 9 350th
8 February 1943 1 350th

Although, the obtainment of this aircraft was due to their landing in Portugal, the Portuguese Government requested the purchase of the aircraft that had until 1943 been interned. On 26 April 1943, the United States authorized the sale for $20,000 each of 16 Airacobras and one P-38 Lightning, which were intact, and to give as a gift four crates of aircraft, two of which were not badly damaged. However, the United States declined to supply spares.

The fact that these aircraft were interned during flight missions and that flight or maintenance manuals were bought or available, never allowed a correct transition for the pilots coming from another aircraft.

A check-list recovered from one of the aircraft, but that was incomplete and not totally correct, provided some help but still severe difficulties were felt in the adaptation of pilots to the aircraft. The arrival of American mechanics at the Lajes Air Base eased the maintenance problems, but still any type of documents and technical manuals were never handover to Portuguese crews.

Because of the previous stated reasons, the start of these aircraft activity was marked with accidents, dut mainly to deficient engine handling.

Portuguese P-39 accidents log book
Aircraft Date Notes
Airacobra 301 15 August 1943
Airacobra 304 16 August 1943 Near Ota, causing the death of the pilot, 1st Sergeant Augusto Alves Ferreira
Airacobra 309 26 August 1943
Airacobra 312 8 February 1944 During a training flight
Airacobra 317 25 April 1946

Other accidents are known in which many of the aircraft were not repairable, as one case in which the pilot lost control when rolling too fast and crashed against two other aircraft; and two other aircraft that had to make emergency landings due to engine failure (one at Póvoa de Varzim, and the other at Costa da Caparica).

In 1944, the Portuguese P-39 saw a peak of activity when 14 Airacobras, divided in two flights of seven aircraft each, participated in various combined armed forces exercises at Ota.

Due to the recurring problem of contamination of the cockpit with carbon monoxide when the machine guns were fired, with the fact that the weapons had a difficult access for maintenance, and had many malfunctions, led to the low or non-existent use of them.

The service life of the P-39 in Portugal was not a very long one, and the last six Airacobras that remained until the aircraft retirement in 1950, were sold for scrap.

Postwar
In 1945, Italy purchased the 46 surviving P-39s at 1% of their cost but in summer 1946 many accidents occurred, even fatal ones. By 1947, 4 Stormo re-equipped with P-38s, and P-39s were sent to training units until retirement in 1951. Only a T9 cannon survives today at Vigna di Valle Museum.

The Airacobra was raced at the National Air Races in the United States after World War II. Famous versions used for racing included the twin aircraft known as "Cobra I" and "Cobra II," owned jointly between three Bell Aircraft test pilots, Chalmers "Slick" Goodlin, Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston, and Jack Woolams. These craft were extensively modified to use the more powerful P-63 Kingcobra engine and had prototype propeller blades from the Bell factory. "Cobra I" with its pilot, Jack Woolams, was lost in 1946, over the Great Lakes while he was flying from the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio back to the factory to get a fresh engine.

The "Cobra II" (Race #84) flown by famed test pilot "Tex" Johnston, beat out P-51 Mustangs and other P-39 racers, which were the favorites, to win the 1946 Thompson Trophy race. Cobra II raced again in the 1947 Thompson Trophy race, finishing 3rd. It raced yet again in the 1948 Thompson trophy race, but was unable to finish owing to engine difficulties. Cobra II did not race again and was destroyed on August 10, 1968 during a test flight prior to a run on the world piston-engine speed record, when owner-pilot Mike Carroll lost control and crashed. Carroll and the highly-modified P-39 perished.

Mira Slovak's "Mr. Mennen" (Race #21) P-39Q Airacobra was a very fast unlimited racer - a late arrival in 1972 kept this little 2000+ hp racer out of the Reno races, and it was never entered again. Its color scheme was all white with "Mennen" green and bronze trim. It is now owned and displayed by the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. The P-39Q (former USAAC serial no. 44-3908/NX40A), is painted as a P-400, "Whistlin' Britches."

In 1942, an P-39 Airacobra crashed in Fiji, but was not found until a local pig farmer discovered the wreck in 2004. The pilot's body was also found and sent to Hawaii for identification. Personal items were recovered at the site.

A number of P-39s are still in existence of which three are still flying. The Commemorative Air Force flies a Bell P-39 Airacobra painted in the markings and colors of the 350th Fighter Group, which consisted of the 345th, 346th and 347th Fighter Squadrons operating P-39s in North Africa and Italy. At one time, the Airacobra was painted in Russian colors and markings. Bell P-39Q-6-BE USAAF, serial no. 42-19993, "Brooklyn Bum– 2nd" is now at the Fighter Collection in Duxford, UK. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has P-39Q-15BE, serial no. 44-2433 on display.


Bell P-39Q Airacobra - Aviation Museum of Central Finland



Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseo at Tikkakoski, Finland, has one restored P-39Q Airacobra, "White 26", on static display. The aircraft is originally a Soviet lend-lease plane, shot down and captured by Finnish troops in World War Two. It has been restored in the original wartime camouflage and markings.

Popular culture

• Introduction to the P-39 (1942) Bell wartime training film (38 min) intended for military pilots examining flight techniques, cockpit layout and armament.
• Flying the P-39 (1943) Bell Training Film No. A.F. - 110 (23 min) demonstrating techniques for piloting the P-39 including aerobatics and strafing.
• The P-39 Airacobra is featured in the Russian movie Transit (film) (2006) (Peregon, Transit) dealing with Lend Lease aircraft in transit to Russia.

Variants


P-39Q-5-BE warbird



Bell XFL-1 Airabonita, Navy version


XP-39
first prototype, unarmed

YP-39
service test version, V-1710-37 (E5) 1,090 hp engine, 12 built

YP-39A
intended to have a high-altitude V-1710-31 engine (1,150 hp) but delivered as a regular YP-39, one built.

XP-39B
streamlined XP-39 based on NACA wind tunnel testing resulting in revised canopy and wheel door shape, oil and radiator intakes moved from right fuselage to wing roots, increased length (by 1 ft 1 in to 29 ft 9 in) and decreased wingspan (by 1 ft 10 in to 34 ft). Turbosupercharger replaced with single-stage geard supercharger, Allison V-1710-37 (E5) engine rated to 13,300 ft (4,050 m).

P-39C
first production version, identical to YP-39 except for V-1710-35 1,150 hp engine. Armed with 1x 37 mm cannon, 2x .50 cal and 2x .30 cal machine guns. First aircraft lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks.

P-39D
245 lb of additional armor, self-sealing fuel tanks. Armament increased to 1x 37 mm cannon (30 rounds), 2x .50 cal (200 rounds/gun) and 4x .30 cal (1,000 rounds/gun) machine guns. Provisions for a single 250-lb, 325-lb, or 500-lb bomb under the fuselage.

P-39D-
1 Lend-Lease version, Hispano 20 mm cannon instead of the 37 mm cannon P-39D-2 Lend-Lease version, upgraded V-1710-63 (E6) engine with 1,325 hp; restored the 37 mm cannon; provisions for a single 145 US gallon drop tank under the fuselage.

Bell Model 14
export version, ordered by France but not delivered.

P-400 Airacobra I
P-39D for Royal Air Force, briefly called :Caribou:; Hispano 20 mm cannon (60 rounds) instead of the 37 mm cannon. A total of 200 were requisitioned by USAAF after Pearl Harbor; most were used for training, but some saw service in the Southwest Pacific.

XP-39E
intended for Continental I-1430-1 engine with 2,100 hp; see Bell XP-76

P-39F-1
Aeroproducts constant speed propeller

P-39F-2
field conversion of P-39F-1 with additional belly armor and cameras in rear fuselage

TP-39F
Two-seat training version, built in small numbers.

P-39G
intended to be a P-39D-2 with an Aeroproducts propeller. Due to modifications during production no P-39G were actually delivered. Instead, these aircraft were designated P-39K, L, M and N.

P-39J
P-39F with V-1710-59 1,100 hp engine with automatic boost control

P-39K
P-39D-2 with Aeroproducts propeller and V-1710-63 (E6) 1,325 hp engine; one aircraft designated P-39K-5 and fitted with a V-1710-85 (E19) engine to serve as a P-39N prototype

P-39L
P-39K with Curtiss Electric propeller, revised nose gear for reduced drag, provision for underwing rockets.

P-39M
11 ft 1 in Aeroproducts propeller, V-1710-67 (E8) 1,200 hp engine with improved high-altitude performance at the expense of low-altitude performance, ten mph faster than P-39L at 15,000 ft (4,600 m).

P-39N
V-1710-85 (E19) 1,200 hp engine; Aeroproducts propeller enlarged from 10 ft 4 in to 11 ft 7 in starting with 167th aircraft. The P-39N-5 had reduced armor.

P-39Q
wing-mounted 0.30 cal machine guns replaced with a single 0.50 cal with 300 rounds of ammunition in a pod under each wing. These wing guns were often removed on Soviet aircraft.

P-39Q-21
had a four-bladed Aeroproducts propeller. The P-39Q-30 reverted to a three-bladed propeller because the four-bladed unit worsened directional stability.

RP-39Q
Two-seat training version, built in small numbers.

P-45
The P-45 was the initial designation of the P-39C or Model 13.

F2L
Seven P-39s were supplied to the U.S. Navy to be used as target drones.

XFL-1
Airabonita One prototype for the U.S. Navy.

A-7
Proposed radio-controlled target drone, never built.

TDL
Radio-controlled target drone for the U.S. Navy


Operators
Australia RAAF
France
Italy
Poland (two aircraft only)
Portugal Esquadrilha Airacobra (Airacobra Squadron), later renamed Esquadrilha 4 (Squadron No. 4) — Aeronáutica Militar (Army Military Aviation)
Soviet Union
United KingdomRAF
United StatesUS Army Air Corps, US Army Air Force Specifications (P-39Q Airacobra)

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.2 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.4 m)
• Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
• Wing area: 213 ft² (19.8 m²)
• Empty weight: 5,347 lb (2,425 kg)
• Loaded weight: 7,379 lb (3,347 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp (895 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 376 mph; (605 km/h; Redline dive speed=525 mph.)
• Range: 1,098 miles (1,770 km)
• Service ceiling 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,750 ft/min (19 m/s; 15,000'/ 4.5 min @ 160 mph (260 km/h).)
• Wing loading: 34.6 lb/ft² (169 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)

Armament

• 1x 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub at the rate of 140 rpm with 30 rounds of HE ammo.
• 4 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. Rate of fire was 750 rpm x 1 gun in each wing, only 300 rpm each x 2 guns synchronized in the cowl. Ammo: 200 rounds per nose-gun, 300 per wing-pod.
• Up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs externally

P-39 Airacobra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Ki-57 "Topsy"


Ki-57 in Republic of China Air Force colors afterV-J day
Type: Transport aircraft
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited)
Designed by: Mitsubishi Jukogyo KK Design Team
Maiden flight: August 1940:
Introduction: 1942
Produced: 1940-1945
Number built: 406
Developed from: Mitsubishi Ki-21


The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was a Japanese passenger transport aircraft developed in the early 1940s.

Development
When in 1938 the Mitsubishi Ki-21 heavy bomber began to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Army, its capability attracted the attention of Japan Air Lines. In consequence a civil version was developed and this, generally similar to the Ki-21-I and retaining its powerplant of two 950 hp (708 kW) Nakajima Ha-5 KAI radial engines, differed primarily by having the same wings transferred from a mid to low-wing configuration and the incorporation of a new fuselage to provide accommodation for up to 11 passengers.

This transport version appealed also the navy, and following the flight of a prototype in August 1940 and subsequent testing, the type was ordered into production for both civil and military use.

This initial production Ki-57-I had the civil and military designations of MC-20-I and Army Type 100 Transport Model 1 respectively. A total of 100 production Ki-57-Is had been built by early 1942, and small numbers of them were transferred for use by the Japanese navy in a transport role, then becoming redesignated L4Ml. After the last of the Ki-51s had been delivered production was switched to an improved Ki-57-II, which introduced more powerful 1,080 hp (805 kW) Mitsubishi Ha-l02 14-cylinder radial engines installed in redesigned nacelles and, at the same time, incorporated a number of detail refinements and minor equipment changes. Civil and military designations of this version were the MC-20-II and Army Type 100 Transport Model 2 respectively. Only 406 were built before production ended in January 1945. Both versions were covered by the Allied codename "Topsy".

Variants

• Ki-57-I Army Type 100 Transport Model 1 - Powered by two 950 hp (708 kW) Nakajima Ha-5 KAI radial engines and a redesigned fuselage to accommodate 11 passengers. About 100 aircraft of this type were built including the civil version.
• MC-20-I - Same as above but built for civil use with Japan Air Lines (Dai Nippon Koku KK).
• Ki-57-II Army Type 100 Transport Model 2 - Powered by two 1,080 hp (805 kW) Mitsubishi Ha-l02 14-cylinder radial engines installed in redesigned nacelles. Minor equipment and detail refinements were also incorporated. 306 aircraft of this type were produced before the end of production in January 1945.
• MC-20-II - Same as above but built for civil use with Japan Air Lines (Dai Nippon Koku KK).
• L4M1 - A small number of Ki-57-IIs were transferred for use by the Japanese navy as transports and were redesignated L4M1.

Operators
Japan

• Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

China

• The last Ki-57 was used as a trainer and retired in 1952.

Specifications (Ki-57-II)

General characteristics

• Crew: Four (pilot, co-pilot, navigator and radio operator)
• Capacity: 11 passengers
• Length: 16.10 m (52 ft 9¾ in)
• Wingspan: 22.60 m (74 ft 1¾ in)
• Height: 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 70.08 m² (754.36 ft²)
• Empty weight: 5,585 kg (12,313 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 9,120 kg (20,106 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, 805 kW (1,080 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 470 km/h (254 knots, 292 mph) at 19,030 ft (5,800 m)
• Range: 3,000 km (1,630 nm, 1,864 miles)
• Service ceiling 8,000 m (26,245 ft)

Mitsubishi Ki-57 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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don't know why everyone has beef against Wiki.

Good source of information. I find most of it is highly accurate.

they check these things man.

__________________
Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.

SM.79 "Sparviero"


A flight of four SM.79s showing their rear-cockpit mounted machine guns.
Type: Medium bomber, torpedo bomber
Manufacturer: Savoia-Marchetti
Maiden flight: 28 September 1934
Introduced: 1936
Retired: 1952 (Italy)
1959 (Lebanon)
Primary users: Regia Aeronautica
Yugoslav Royal Air Force
Romanian Air Force
Lebanese Air Force
Produced: 1936-1945
Number built: 1,350

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero ("Sparviero" is the Italian word for "Sparrowhawk") was a World War IIItalianbomber originally designed as a fast passenger transport aircraft. The three-engined, torpedo- and medium-bomber was easily recognizable due to having a distinctive fuselage "hump", and was well-liked by its crews who gave it the nickname Gobbo Maledetto ("damned hunchback").[1] The SM.79 first saw action in the Spanish Civil War, and remained in service in Italy until 1952.

Design and development
The SM.79 project began in 1934 and was conceived as a fast, eight-passenger transport capable of being used in air-racing (the London-Melbourne competition). Piloted by Adriano Bacula, the prototype flew for the first time on 28 September1934. Originally planned with the 800 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI Ri as a powerplant, the aircraft reverted to the less powerful 590 hp Piaggio P.IX RC.40 Stella (license-produced Bristol Jupiter and the basis of many Piaggio engines). The engines were subsequently replaced by Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35s (license-produced Bristol Pegasus).

This prototype (registration I-MAGO) was completed too late to enter the London-Melbourne race, but flew from Milan to Rome in just one hour and ten minutes, at a 410 km/h average speed. Soon after, on 2 August1935, the prototype set a record by flying from Rome to Massaua in Eritrea in 12 flying hours (with a refuelling stop at Cairo). Adapting of the prototype as a bomber reconnaissance aircraft resulted in one of the most successful Italian bomber aircraft of World War II, with some 1,350 of all variants being built. Some were constructed by Aeronautica Umbra of Foligno, best known for the AUT.18.

In flight and combat
The Sparviero was suited to the role of torpedo-bomber for several reasons: one being that once force-landed, its wooden structure was light enough to allow it to stay afloat for up to half an hour, giving the crew ample time to escape. The front engine gave some protection against anti aircraft artillery fire (despite the oil and gasoline fire hazard), and could also "break" the sea surface, helping the structure to remain intact even though there was a risk of breaking at mid-fuselage. The aircraft was also capable of a relatively quick climb, had a good turn-of-speed for its time, and its rugged structure and responsiveness allowed the aircraft be to carefully looped. The best means of defence from fighters, however, was to fly in tight formations and at sea level. The maximum speed of the SM.79-I, also known as SM.79-K or M, was around 350 km/h at sea level. Utilizing flaps and slats, takeoffs and landings could be performed in short distances.

Torpedoes could be carried on two hardpoints under the inner wings, but often only one was used at once to preserve agility and payload. This torpedo, a 1938 Whitehead design, had a weight of 876 kg, length of 5.46 m and a 170 kg HE warhead. It had a 3,000 m range at 40 knots, and could be launched from a wide range of speeds and altitudes: 40-120 m and up to 300 km/h maximum. It took over ten years to develop effective techniques, consequently there were few torpedo-bombers in late 1940. Since the failure of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 (its intended successor) and the lack of power of the Ca.314, only the SM.79 continued to serve as a torpedo-bomber until 1944, despite trials with many types of machines, including the Fiat G.55S.

To be effective, the launch needed to be made at between 500 and 1,000 m from the target. Under this distance, the torpedo could pass below the keel, failing to explode through not having a magnetic trigger mechanism. Above this range, the unguided weapon could be avoided as it would take almost a minute to reach the target. The lack of a homing system made the long range of the torpedo almost irrelevant, although British torpedo-bombers used a two km-range weapon to more effect in the Mediterranean. At close range, SM.79s often flew at low level above the ships before the torpedo was launched, and so were targeted by every weapon available, from the infantry's small arms to the heavy artillery. Theoretically, the forward Breda with its elevation over the flight line, was capable of targeting ships from around 2 km, but the aircraft needed to fly straight and level; a difficult and dangerous attack tactic.

The Sparviero had several advantages compared to British torpedo-bombers. Only the Bristol Beaufort could equal it in speed but did not afford the same protection to its crew in a ditching as the vulnerability of its glazed nose could be a danger should the aircraft crash at high speeds. The Vickers Wellington was slower and less agile, but had a very long range and could carry two torpedoes. A step forward in performance was provided by the Bristol Beaufighter, but no torpedo-bomber was more successful in the European theatre than the Fairey Swordfish. This biplane, being fabric-covered and having a fixed undercarriage, was old-fashioned compared to the Sparviero, even though they originated in the same year. It had one engine, was half as fast, and had half the SM.79's range, however, its agility, carrier compatibility and skill of the crews enabled it to sink 200,000 tons of shipping, more than that attributed to any other British aircraft.[8] This was well in excess of that achieved by the Sparviero, even though there were only a few dozen Swordfish compared to hundreds of SM.79s used during World War II. Both aircraft had successors with similar, but enhanced engines.

They were the SM.84 and the Fairey Albacore, but in both cases, the new engines proved to be less reliable, the heavier machines were less agile, and the operational results were so poor that they were replaced by their predecessors. Radar was an advantage for night attacks, but was only fitted to one experimental SM.79.

In addition to the barrage of defensive fire put up by target vessels (from large calibre guns at long range down to smaller ones at close range), the SM.79s fell prey to defending fighters. Neither the Blackburn Skua nor Gloster Gladiator presented a real threat for the Sparviero, being 90 and 10 km/h slower respectively. Soon however, the Sparviero faced the Hawker Hurricane, and the Fairey Fulmar which was faster but still quite slow relative to escort fighters. One attacked four SM.79s bombing British ships near Bardia, and shot down three of them on 3 September1940. Beaufighters were fast and well-armed, and as well as being effective long-range day fighters, were successful night interceptors and late in the war often chased Sparvieros in night missions. Eventually, P-40s, P-38s and Spitfires made their début in the Mediterranean, preventing Sparvieros operating during the day. Additionally, Hurricanes, Martlets and Spitfires arrived on carriers improving the British defences against Axis air attacks.

Operators


SM.79 of the Yugoslav Royal Air Force


Wartime

Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force received two SM.79T aircraft.

Croatia

• Croatian Air Force operated few ex-Yugoslavian aircraft.

Germany

• Luftwaffe operated several captured aircraft.

Iraq

• The Royal Iraqi Air Force operated four aircraft during the Anglo-Iraqi War

Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

Italian Social Republic

• Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

Romania

• Romanian Air Force

Spain

• Spanish Air Force

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

• Yugoslav Royal Air Force

United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force - Four ex-Yugoslav SM.79s were operated by the RAF in the Middle East

Postwar

Italy

• Aeronautica Militare

Lebanon

• Lebanese Air Force ordered four SM.79L bomber aircraft in 1946 and received it in 1949 for use as military transports.

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Il-2


Soviet Air Force Il-2M
Type: Ground attack aircraft
Manufacturer: Ilyushin
Maiden flight: 20 December 1939
Introduced: 1941
Retired: 1954 (Yugoslavia & Bulgaria)
Primary user: Soviet Air Force
Produced: 1941-1945
Number built: 36,183
Variants: Ilyushin Il-10

The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik (Russian: Ил-2 Штурмовик) was a ground attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in huge numbers. In combination with its successor, the Ilyushin Il-10, a total of 36,163 were built, making it the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history as well as the third most produced aircraft in history behind the Cessna 172 and the Polikarpov Po-2.

To Shturmovik pilots, the aircraft was simply the diminutive "Ilyusha". To the soldiers on the ground, it was the "Hunchback," the "Flying Tank" or, the greatest of compliments, the "Flying Infantryman." The Il-2 aircraft played a crucial role on the Eastern Front, and in Soviet opinion it was the most decisive aircraft in the history of modern land warfare. Josef Stalin paid the Il-2 a great tribute in his own inimitable manner: when a particular production factory fell behind on its deliveries, Stalin sent the following cable to the factory manager: "They are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread."

Design and development


Il-2M at the National Aviation Museum in Krumovo, Bulgaria

The idea for a Soviet armored ground-attack aircraft dates to the early 1930s when Dmitry Pavlovich Grigorovich designed TSh-1 and TSh-2 armored biplanes. However, Soviet engines at the time lacked the power needed to provide the heavy aircraft with good performance. Il-2 was designed by Sergey Ilyushin and his team at the Central Design Bureau in 1938. TsKB-55 was a two-seat aircraft with an armoured shell weighing 700 kg (1,540 lb), protecting crew, engine, radiators, and the fuel tank. Standing empty, the Ilyushin weighed more than 4,500 kg (almost 10,000 lb), making the armoured shell about 15% of the aircraft's gross weight. The prototype, which first flew on 30 December1939, won the government competition against Sukhoi Su-6 and received VVS designation BSh-2. However, BSh-2 was eventually rejected in favor of a lighter single-seat design, the TsKB-57, which first flew 12 October1940. The original Mikulin AM-35 1,370 hp (1,022 kW) engine proved too weak and was replaced by the 1,680 hp (1,254 kW) Mikulin AM-38 before the aircraft entered production.

The aircraft entered production in 1941 as Il-2, and 249 had been built by the time Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June1941.

Operational history


Il-2 in Warsaw Military Museum


The first use in action of the Il-2 was with the 4th ShAP (Ground Attack Regiment) over the Berezina River days after the invasion began. So new were the aircraft that the pilots had no training in flight characteristics or tactics, and the ground crew no training in servicing or re-arming.

Unsurprisingly, by 10 July, 4th ShAP was down to ten aircraft from a strength of 65. Tactics changed as the Soviet aircrew got used to the Il-2's strengths. Instead of a low horizontal straight approach at 50 metres altitude, the target was usually kept to the pilot's left and a turn and shallow dive of 30 degrees was utilized, using an echeloned assault by four to twelve aircraft at a time. Although the Il-2's RS-82 rockets could destroy armored vehicles with a single hit, they were so inaccurate that experienced Il-2 pilots mainly utilized their cannon armament.

Thereafter the Il-2 was widely deployed on the Eastern Front. The aircraft was capable of flying in low light conditions and carried weaponry capable of defeating the thick armor of the Panther and Tiger I tanks. They were also proved capable of defending themselves against enemy aircraft, claiming an occasional Messerschmitt Bf 109.



The true abilities of Il-2 are difficult to determine from existing documentary evidence. W. Liss in Aircraft profile 88: Ilyushin Il-2 mentions an engagement during the Battle of Kursk on 7 July1943, in which 70 tanks from the German 9th Panzer Division were destroyed by Ilyushin Il-2 in just 20 minutes. In another report of the action on the same day, a Soviet staff publication states that

"Ground forces highly valued the work of aviation on the battlefield. In a number of instances enemy attacks were thwarted thanks to our air operations. Thus on 7 July enemy tank attacks were disrupted in the Kashara region (13th Army). Here our assault aircraft delivered three powerful attacks in groups of 20-30, which resulted in the destruction and disabling of 34 tanks. The enemy was forced to halt further attacks and to withdraw the remnants of his force north of Kashara".—Glantz and Orenstein 1999, p.260.

Thanks to the heavy armor protection, an Il-2 could take a great deal of punishment and proved a difficult target for both ground and aircraft fire to down. Some pilots favored aiming down into the cockpit and wing roots in diving attacks on the slow, low-flying Il-2 formations. Several Luftwaffe aces claimed to attack while climbing from behind, out of view of the rear gunner, and aim for the Il-2's non-retractable oil cooler.

The veracity of this has been disputed by some Il-2 pilots in postwar interviews since Il-2s typically flew very close to the ground (cruise altitudes below 50 m (160 ft) were common) and the radiator protruded a mere 4 in (10 cm) from the aircraft. A major threat to Il-2 was the German ground fire. In postwar interviews, Il-2 pilots reported 20 mm and 37 mm artillery as the primary threat. While the fabled 88 mm gun was formidable, low-flying Il-2s presented a fast-moving target for the 88's relatively low rate of fire and while occasional hits were scored, Soviet pilots apparently did not treat the "88" with the same respect that high-flying Allied bomber crews did.

The armored tub ranging from 5 to 12 mm (0.2 to 0.5 in) in thickness and enveloping the engine and the cockpit could deflect all small arms fire and glancing blows from larger-caliber ammunition. There are reports of the armored windscreen surviving direct hits from 20 mm rounds. Unfortunately, the rear gunners did not have the benefit of all-around armor protection and suffered about four times more casualties than the pilots. Added casualties resulted from the Soviet policy of not returning home with unused ammunition which typically resulted in repeated passes on the target.

Soviet troops often requested additional passes even after the aircraft were out of ammunition to exploit the intimidating effect Il-2s had on German ground troops who had given it the nickname Schlächter (Slaughterer), perhaps a play on the term Schlachtflugzeug ("ground attack aircraft").

Famous nicknames such as "The Flying Tank" and "Der Schwarze Tod" (the "Black Death") were not created by soldiers. First one was created by the designer in early stages of design. The second one was created by the Soviet propaganda. Luftwaffe pilots called it Eiserner Gustav (Iron Gustav) or the Zementbomber (Concrete bomber). The Finnish nickname Maatalouskone ("The Agricultural Machine" or "crop duster") derived from the habitual low attack pattern, "crop dusting," of the Il-2.

While Il-2 proved to be a deadly air-to-ground weapon, heavy losses resulted from vulnerability to fighter attack, consequently, in February 1942, the two-seat design was revived. The IL-2M with a rear gunner under the stretched canopy entered service in September 1942 with surviving single-seaters eventually modified to this standard. Later changes included an upgrade from 20-mm to 23-mm to 37-mm cannons, aerodynamic improvements, use of wooden outer wing panels instead of metal and increased fuel capacity. In 1943, the IL-2 Type 3 or Il-2m3 came out with redesigned wings that were swept back 15 degrees on the outer panels. Performance and handling were much improved and this became the most common version of the Il-2. A radial-engine-powered variant of the Il-2 with Shvetsov ASh-82 engine was proposed in 1942 to remedy projected shortages in Mikulin inline engines.

However, ASh-82 was also used in the new Lavochkin La-5 fighter which effectively secured all available engines to the Lavochkin bureau. The radial engine Sukhoi Su-2 ground attack aircraft was produced in small quantities, but was generally considered unsuitable due to inadequate performance and lack of defensive armament. Soviet anti-aircraft artillery frequently mistook it for German aircraft, often with lethal consequences.

After the war, the Il-2 could be found in service with several Eastern European countries, with most of the Il-2/10 aircraft eventually scrapped with the advent of military jets. Only a handful of Il-2 survive to this day, including museum rebuilds of crashed airframes. In recent years, several Il-2 wrecks have been located and recovered from Lake Balaton, a large, shallow lake in Hungary, which is located near the historic site of a large World War II tank battle.

Aircrew


Famous Il-2 Pilots


Senior Lieutenant Anna Yegorova flew 260 missions

Among the pilots who gained fame flying the Il-2, was Senior Lieutenant Anna Yegorova, a female pilot who flew 260 missions. She was decorated three times, the last "posthumously", as she was presumed dead after being shot down. In fact, she managed to survive imprisonment in a German concentration camp.

Jr Lt Ivan Grigorevich Drachenko, another Il-2 pilot, was reputedly one of only four men who were both decorated as Heroes of the Soviet Union and also won all three of the Orders of Glory.

Pilots Begeldinov, Mylnikov, Alekseenko, and Gareev received two gold stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union, last of them got both stars in one day.

Hero of the Soviet Union T. Kuznetsov survived the crash of his Il-2 in 1942 when shot down returning from a reconnaissance mission. Kuznetsov was able to escape from the wreck and hid nearby. To his surprise, a German Bf 109 landed near the crash site and the pilot began to scrounge around the wrecked Il-2 for souvenirs. Thinking quickly, Kuznetsov ran to the German fighter and used it to fly home, barely avoiding being shot down by Soviet fighters in the process.

Typical of Soviet Second World War aircraft, many Il-2 were "gifts" presented to specific pilots and partially paid for by organizations like hometowns, factories or comrades of another fallen pilot. The most famous of these was an aircraft purchased with the savings of a seven-year-old daughter of the fallen commander of the 237th ShAP. Learning of her father's death, the girl sent 100 rubles directly to Stalin asking him to use the money for an Il-2 to avenge her father. Remarkably, Stalin actually received the letter and 237th ShAP received a new Il-2m3 with the inscription "From Lenochka for father" on the side.

Il-2 Rear gunners: a deliberate sacrifice?


Il-2M cockpit. Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, Serbia

In his book Inside the Soviet Army, Viktor Suvorov alleges that the lack of protection for Il-2 rear gunners was part of a deliberate policy. Suvorov claims that from 1942 on, all Soviet airfields had attached penal companies of air gunners. Such companies were made up of prisoners who were considered to be "enemies of socialism" or "enemies of the people." The air gunners were not provided with either armour protection, or allegedly, parachutes and were reliant entirely on their machine guns to ensure their own survival. The death rate among the air gunners was exceptionally high and Suvorov alleges that the Marshal of the Air Forces, A. E. Golovanov, came up with a special device to keep the guns pointing up after the gunners were killed. Otherwise attacking Luftwaffe pilots would realise the air gunner was dead and concentrate on that aircraft. According to Suvorov, prisoners who survived could theoretically clear their sentences after nine missions. The prisoners, however, were always transferred to mine clearing or other units for "medical reasons" before this could happen.

Many Il-2 pilots and rear gunners do not remember seeing or hearing about any prisoner crews, and German propaganda may have broadcast this claim as well. In recent years documents from the Soviet archives have come to light indicating that the Soviet Air Force did in fact use "Penal squadrons" in some situations, but although they may have been considered expendable, there is no evidence that even they would have been deliberately sacrificed.

With respect to armor protection, most Il-2s produced after 1944 and the follow-on Il-10 had armor for the rear gunner. The initial omission may well have been result of the rear gunner being a design afterthought for a single-seat aircraft that was implemented during the crisis years of the war, rather than a deliberate act.

Production

The Il-2 was produced in vast quantities, becoming one of the most widely produced military aircraft in history.



Production early in the Great Patriotic War was slow, due to the aircraft factories near Moscow and other major cities in western Russia being relocated east of the Ural mountains after the German invasion. Ilyushin and his engineers had time to reconsider production methods, and two months after the move, Il-2s were again being produced. The tempo was not to Premier Stalin's liking, however, and he issued the following telegram to Shenkman and Tretyakov:

You have let down our country and our Red Army. You have the nerve not to manufacture IL-2s until now. Our Red Army now needs IL-2 aircraft like the air it breathes, like the bread it eats. Shenkman produces one IL-2 a day and Tretyakov builds one or two MiG-3s daily. It is a mockery of our country and the Red Army. I ask you not to try the government's patience, and demand that you manufacture more ILs. This is my final warning.—Stalin

According to one reference, "the production of Shturmoviks rapidly gained speed. Stalin's notion of the Il-2 being 'like bread' to the Red Army took hold in Ilyushin's aircraft plants and the army soon had their Shturmoviks available in quantity."

Specifications (Il-2M3)

General characteristics

• Crew: Two, pilot and rear gunner
• Length: 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
• Height: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
• Wing area: 38.5 m² (414 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4,360 kg (9,610 lb)
• Loaded weight: 6,160 kg (13,580 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Mikulin AM-38F liquid-cooled V-12, 1,285 kW (1,720 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 414 km/h (257 mph)
• Range: 720 km (450 mi)
• Service ceiling 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 10.4 m/s (2050 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 160 kg/m² (31.3 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.21 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2x fixed forward-firing 23 mmVYa-23 cannons, 150 rounds/gun
• 2x fixed forward-firing 7.62 mmShKAS machine guns, 750 rounds/gun
• 1x manually aimed 12.7 mmBerezin UBT machine gun the in rear cockpit, 150 rounds
• Up to 600 kg (1,320 lb) of bombs and/or 4x RS-82 or RS-132 rockets

Ilyushin Il-2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Gloster Gladiator

Type: Fighter
Manufacturer: Gloster Aircraft Ltd
Designed By: Henry Phillip Folland
Maiden Flight: 12 September 1934
Introduced: 1937
Retired: 1953 (Portugal)
Primary Users: Royal Air Force
Fleet Air Arm
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Finnish Air Force
Royal Norwegian Air Force
Number Built: 747
Developed From: Gloster Gauntlet

The Gloster Gladiator (or Gloster SS.37) was a British-built Biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navyas well as a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second World War, although it acquitted itself well in combat.

Design and development

The Gladiator was developed from the Gloster Gauntlet as a private venture by Gloster. The aircraft was designed by H.P. Folland's team during 1933 as a Gauntlet derivative to Specification F.7/30. It had an enclosed, single-seat cockpit, cantilever landing gear and a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller driven by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled engine. It first flew in 1934 and entered service in 1937. It was to be the last British biplane fighter and their first fighter with an enclosed cockpit. The Gladiator had a top speed of around 257 mph (414 km/h) yet even as it was introduced, the design was being eclipsed by the new generation of monoplane fighters, such as the RAF's new Hurricane and Spitfire sand the Luftwaffe's Messerschmidt 109.
Gladiators were also modified for carrier operations and flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) as the Sea Gladiator. A total of 747 airframes were built (483 RAF, 98 RN; 216 exported to 13 countries, some of them from the total allotted to the RAF). Gladiators were sold to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free France,Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.

Variants
SS.37 Prototype. Gladiator I Version powered by a single 840 hp (627 kW)Bristol Mercury IX air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated J 8 in Swedish Air Force service. Delivered 1937-38, 378 built. Gladiator II Version powered by a single Bristol Mercury VIIIA air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated J 8A in Swedish Air Force service, 270 built. Sea Gladiator Interim Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 38 built. Fitted with arrester hooks. Serial numbers: N2265 - N2302. Sea Gladiator Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 60 built. Fitted with arrestor hooks and provision for dinghy stowage. Serial numbers: N5500 - N5549 and N5565 - N5574. Operators
Australia Belgium China Egypt France Finland Germany Greece Iraq Ireland Latvia Lithuania Norway Portugal South Africa Soviet Union Sweden United Kingdom General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 27 ft 5 in (8.4 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 3 in (9.8 m)
• Height: 11 ft 7 in (3.2 m)
• Wing area: 323 ft² (30 m²)
• Empty weight: 3,444 lb (1,560 kg)
• Loaded weight: 4,864 lb (2,205 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Bristol Mercury IX radial engine, 850 hp (630 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 257 mph (414 km/h) at 14,600 ft (4,500 m)
• Range: 444 mi (710 km)
• Service ceiling: 33,500 ft (10,200 m)
• Rate of climb: 2220 ft/min (11.2 m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (W/kg)

Armament

• Guns: Two Synchronised .303in. Browning machine-guns on sides of front fuselage, and one beneath each lower wing.

In at least some Sea Gladiators, provision existed for a pair of Brownings to be fitted under the upper wings as well, bringing the total to six.

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With the exception of the meteor, were all Glosters biplanes?

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Gloster Aircraft Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I think so.

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Tu-2


A Tu-2 bomber at the China Aviation Museum.

Type: Light bomber
Manufacturer: Tupolev
Maiden flight: 29 January 1941
Introduced: 1941
Primary user: Soviet Air Forces
Produced: 1941-1948

The Tupolev Tu-2 (Development names ANT-58 and 103, NATO reporting name Bat) was a twin-engine Soviet high speed daylight bomber (SDB)/front line bomber (FB) aircraft of World War II vintage.

Design and development

The Tu-2 was tailored to meet a requirement for a high speed bomber or dive-bomber, with a large internal bombload, and speed similar to that of a single seat fighter. Designed to challenge the GermanJunkers Ju 88, the Tu-2 proved comparable, and was produced in torpedo, interceptor, and reconnaissance versions.

Designed as "Samolyet (aircraft) 103", development took place under prison conditions. The first prototype was completed at factory N156, and made its first test flight 29 January1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov.The AM-37 engine was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for Il-2. So Tupolev had to redesign aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this bomber took ANT-58 through ANT-69 designation slots. A total of 2,257 Tu-2s were built.

Operational service

Built from 1941 to 1948. The Tu-2 was the USSR's second important twin-engined bomber (the first being the Pe-2), the design brought Andrei Tupolev back into favour after a period of detention. It was highly effective, being faster,and more nimble, as well as having a greater bomb load and range than virtually all medium bombers in service during the war with any army.

The Tu-2 remained in service until 1950. Some Chinese Tu-2s were encountered by British and American airman during the Korean War.

World War Two Operators

Soviet Union

Post-War Operators

Bulgaria
China
Hungary
Indonesia
North Korea
Poland
Romania
Soviet Union
Yugoslavia


Specifications (Tu-2)

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 13.80 m (45 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10 in)
• Height: 4.13 m (13 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 48.5 m² (522 ft²)
• Empty weight: 7,601 kg (16,757 lb)
• Loaded weight: 10,538 kg (23,232 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 11,768 kg (25,944 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Shvetsov ASh-82radial engines, 1,380 kW (1,850 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 521 km/h (281 kt, 325 mph)
• Range: 2,020 km (1,090 nm, 1,260 mi)
• Service ceiling 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 8.2 m/s (1,610 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 217 kg/m² (45 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 260 W/kg (0.16 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  • 2× 20 mm (0.79 in) fixed forward-firing ShVAK cannons in the wings
  • 3× 7.62 mm (0.30 in) rear-firing ShKAS machine guns (later replaced by 12.7 mm (0.50 in)Berezin UB machine guns) in the canopy, dorsal and ventral hatches.
• Bombs:
  • Internal 1,500 kg (3300 lb)
  • External 2,270 kg (5000 lb)

Tupolev Tu-2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Put wings on this baby and it would make the Il-2 look like a flimsy kite

Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G


StuG III Ausf. G in Yad la-Shiryon museum, Israel.

Type: Assault gun
Place of origin: Nazi Germany

Service history:
In service: 1940 to 1945 (German service)
StuG IIIs in Syria were in use until the Six-Day War (1967), possibly later
Used by:
Germany: WarsWorld War II (Continuation War), Six-Day War

Production history:
Unit cost: 82,500 RM
Number built: 9,408
StuG III 1,211
StuH 42

Specifications:
Weight: 23.9 tonnes
Length: 6.85 m
Width: 2.95 m
Height: 2.16 m
Crew: 4
Armor: 16 - 80 mm
Primary armament: 1x 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 54 rounds
Secondary armament: 1x 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 600 rounds
Engine: Maybach HL120 TRM V-12 gasoline engine
300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)Power/weight13 hp/tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Operational range: 155 km
Speed: 40 km/h

The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Nazi Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the Panzer III tank. Initially intended as a mobile, armoured light gun for infantry support, the StuG was continually modified and was widely employed as a tank destroyer.

The vehicles of the Sturmgeschütz series were cheaper to build than the contemporary German tanks; at 82,500 RM, a StuG III Ausf G was cheaper than a Panzer III Ausf. M which cost 103,163 RM to build. By the end of the war, 10,619 StuG III and StuH 42 had been built.

History

The Sturmgeschütz III originated from German experiences in WW1 when it was found that during the offensives on the western front the infantry lacked the means to effectively engage fortifications. The artillery of the time was heavy and not mobile enough to keep up with the infantry to destroy bunkers, pillboxes, and other obstacles, with direct-fire. Although the problem was well known in the German army it is General von Manstein who is considered the father of the arm of the Sturmartillerie. This because the inital proposal was from (then) Colonel Erich von Manstein and submitted to General Beck in 1935, suggesting that Sturmartillerie ("assault artillery") units should be used in a direct-fire support role for infantry divisions. On June 15, 1936 Daimler-Benz AG received an order to develop an armoured infantry support vehicle capable of mounting a 75 mm (3 in) artillery piece. The gun was to have a limited traverse of a minimum of 25 degrees and be mounted in an enclosed superstructure that provided overhead protection for the crew. The height of the vehicle was not to exceed that of the average man.

Daimler-Benz AG used the chassis and running gear of its recently designed Panzer III medium tank as a basis for the new vehicle. Prototype manufacture was passed over to Alkett, which produced five examples in 1937 of the experimental 0-series StuG based upon the Panzer III Ausf. B. These prototypes featured a mild steel superstructure and Krupp’s short-barreled 75 mm Sturmkanone 37 L/24. This model was known as the Sturmgeschütz Ausführung A.

While the Stugs was self-propelled artillery it was not initially clear which arm of the Wehrmacht that would handle the new weapon. The Panzer arm, who was the natural user of tracked fighting vehicles, had no resources to spare for the formation of Stug units, and neither had the Infantry. It was therefore agreed, after a discusion, it would best be employed by becoming a part of the Artillery arm.

The Stugs were organised in Battalions (later renamed "Brigades" for disinformation purposes) and followed their own specific doctrine. Infantry support using direct-fire was its intended role, and later there was also strong emphasis on destroying enemy tanks whenever encountered.

As the StuG III was intended to fill an infantry close support combat role, early models were fitted with a low-velocity 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun to destroy fortifications. After the Germans encountered the Soviet T-34, the StuG III were armed with the high-velocity 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 (Spring 1942) or 75 mm L/48 (Autumn 1942) anti-tank gun. These versions were known as Sturmgeschütz 40 Ausführung F, F/8 and G. When the StuG IV entered production in late 1943, early 1944, the "III" was added to the name to separate them from the Panzer IV based assault guns. All previous and following models were thereafter known as 'Sturmgeschütz III'.

Later models of the StuG III had a 7.92mm MG34 mounted on the hull for added anti-infantry protection.

Operational history

Overall, Sturmgeschütz series proved to be very successful and served on all fronts as assault guns and tank destroyers. Although Tigers and Panthers are more well known, assault guns destroyed many tanks. Because of their low silhouette, Sturmgeschütz IIIs were easy to camouflage and a difficult target. Most German assault guns carried a high-velocity 75 mm gun by 1944. Sturmgeschütz crews were considered to be the elite of the artillery units. Sturmgeschütz units held a very impressive record of tank kills - some 20,000 enemy tanks by spring of 1944. As of April 10, 1945, there were 1,053 StuG IIIs and 277 StuH IIIs in service. Approximately 9,500 Sturmgeschütz IIIs of various types were produced until March of 1945 by Alkett and a small number by MIAG.

In 1944 the Finnish Army received 59 StuG III Ausf. G from Germany (30 Stu 40 Ausf.G and 29 StuG III Ausf. G) and used them against the Soviet Union.
These destroyed at least 87 enemy tanks for a loss of only 8 StuGs (some of these were destroyed by the crew when they abandoned the vehicle to prevent capture). After the war they were main combat vehicles of the Finnish Army until early 1960s. These StuGs gained the nickname "Sturmi" which can be found in some plastic kit models.

Sturmgeschütz IIIs were also exported to other nations like Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain.

After the Second World War, the Soviet Union gave some of the captured German vehicles to Syria, which continued to use them at least until the Six Days War (1967).

Operators

• Bulgaria
• Finland
• Hungary
• Italy
• Romania
• Spanish State
• Syria
• USSR

Sturmgeschütz III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Back to reality.....

PZL.37 Łoś


PZL.37Abis Łoś

Type: Bomber
Manufacturer: PZL
Maiden flight: 13 December, 1936
Introduce: 1938
Retired: 1944 (Romanian Air Force)
Status: Retired
Primary users: Polish Air Force
Romanian Air Force
Luftwaffe
Produced: 1938 - 1939
Number built: over 120

The PZL.37 Łoś (Polish: moose) was a Polish twin-engine medium bomber, used in the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Thanks to the laminar-flow wing it was one of the most modern bombers in the world before World War II.

Design and development

Sometimes the plane is called "PZL P-37" or "PZL P.37", but the letter "P" was generally reserved for fighters of Zygmunt Pulawski's design (see PZL P.11). The correct designation should be PZL.37.

The PZL.37 was designed in the mid-1930s at the PZL factory in Warsaw by Jerzy Dąbrowski. The first PZL.37/I prototype, fitted with a single vertical stabilizer, flew on December 13, 1936. The second prototype PZL.37/II, with twin vertical stabilizers and other improvements, was accepted for production. The first 10 serial aircraft were produced in 1938 as the PZL.37A variant with a single vertical stabilizer, however. The next 19 interim aircraft were built as PZL.37A bis, with a twin tail. They all were powered by Bristol Pegasus XII B radial engines produced in Poland under licence.

The main production variant, the PZL.37B (or: Łoś II), was fitted with the twin tail and newer Pegasus XX engines. Production of PZL.37B for the Polish Air Force started in autumn 1938. During the initial period of PZL.37 service, 2 prototypes and 6 serial planes, were lost in crashes caused by technical problems, mostly with rudders. After some structural changes, the PZL.37B became a fully reliable aircraft. By the outbreak of World War II, about 92 PZL.37s had been produced and given to the Air Force, and a further 31 were in different phases of production.

Before the war, the PZL.37B Łoś was one of the world's most modern bombers. It was able to carry a heavier bombload than similar aircraft, for example the Vickers Wellington though the size of the bombs was limited. Smaller than most contemporary medium bombers, it was relatively fast and easy to handle. Thanks to a landing gear with double wheels it could operate from rough fields or meadows. Typically for the late 1930s, its defensive armament consisted of only 3 machine guns, which proved too weak against enemy fighters.

Starting with a presentation at a salon in Belgrade in June 1938 and in Paris in November, the PZL.37 met with a huge interest. For export purposes, new variants were developed: the PZL.37C with Gnome-Rhone 14N-0/1 engines of 985 cv (971 BHP, 724 kW), maximum speed 445 km/h and the PZL.37D with 14N-20/21 of 1,065 cv (1,050 BHP, 783 kW), maximum speed 460 km/h. In 1939, 20 PZL.37Cs were ordered by Yugoslavia, 15 by Bulgaria, 30 PZL.37D by Romania and 25 by Turkey and Belgium ordered a license. Also several other countries were negotiating. The outbreak of the war prevented the production of these aircraft. At that time, PZL developed the next variant for the Polish airforce, the PZL.49 Miś, but this was not completed before the war. Having slightly bigger dimensions, Miś ("Bear") was to be fitted with Bristol Hercules II engines of 1,350 BHP (1,370 cv, 1,007 kW), maximum speed 520 km/h and an upper turret.

Technical design

The aircraft was conventional in layout, all metal, metal-covered, with low-set laminar-flow wings and a twin tail. In size it was slightly larger than the Lockheed L-10 Electra Amelia Earhart used. The crew consisted of four: pilot, commander-bombardier, radio operator and a rear gunner. The bombardier was accommodated in the glazed nose, with a forward machine gun. The radio operator sat inside the fuselage, above the bomb bay, and he also operated an underbelly rear machine gun. The main undercarriage retracted into the engine nacelles. The undercarriage was double-wheeled, with an independent suspension for each wheel. The plane was powered by two Bristol Pegasusradial engines. The PZL.37A had Pegasus XII B engines (normal power: 860 BHP (873 cv, 642 kW), maximum: 940 BHP (953 cv, 701 kW)), the PZL.37B had Pegasus XX engines (normal power: 905 HP (918 cv, 675 kW), maximum: 970 BHP (984 cv, 723 kW)). The bombs were carried in two-section bomb bay in the fuselage and 8 bomb bays in the central section of the wings. The maximum load was 2,580 kg (2 × 300 kg and 18 × 110 kg). Apart from two 300 kg bombs, it could not carry larger bombs than 110 kg. During the Invasion of Poland 1939, 110 kg was the maximum weight used.

Operational history

The Polish Air Force started to receive the PZL.37B in the spring of 1939. On September 1, 1939, it had about 86 PZL.37s in total, but less than a half of those were used in combat. 36 PZL.37Bs were in four bomber escadres of a Bomber Brigade: the 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th escadres (two escadres with nine aircraft each, constituted a group, in Polish: dywizjon; the PZL.37 were in groups X and XV). The rest of the Bomber Brigade aircraft were PZL.23 Karaś. About 50 remaining PZL.37s were in the reserve XX group, training units or in repairs.

Only the PZL.37s of the Bomber Brigade took part in combat. By September 1, they had been deployed to rural improvised airfields, so they were not destroyed on the ground by the Germans in their initial attack on the main Polish airbases. During the Invasion of Poland, from September 4 onward the planes of the Bomber Brigade were attacking German armoured columns in day attacks, forced by the desperate situation to perform this mission for which they were not designed (the original plans to bomb targets inside Germany were quickly abandoned). Most notably, they hampered the advance of the 16th Armoured Corps near Częstochowa and Radomsko. They suffered heavy losses due to lack of fighter protection, especially due to the fact that they usually operated in unis of no more than three aircraft at a time. Last combat flights took place on September 16. During the campaign, the combat units were reinforced with several other aircraft, and about 46 PZL.37s were used in combat. Of Bomber Brigade, ten PZL.37s were shot down by fighters, five shot down by enemy anti-aircraft artillery, two bombed on the ground and a further ten lost in other ways. A number of not fully completed, training or reserve PZL.37s were also destroyed on airfields and in factories (18 PZL.37s were bombed in a reserve base in Małaszewicze and in a factory in Warsaw - Okęcie).

26 or 27 PZL.37s (17 from the Bomber Brigade and ten training ones) were withdrawn in 1939 to Romania. In October 1940 they were seized by the Romanian government and 23 were next used by the Romanian air force in the 4th Group, consisting of the 76th and 77th bomber escadres. Some were uparmed with four machine guns (the Polish PWU machineguns were still used). About 1/3 were lost in crashes due to lack of experience of Romanian pilots with PZL.37 handling and its high wing loading, and due to engine faults. About 15 were used against the USSR from June 22, 1941. Among others, they first operated in Bessarabia, then they were bombing Kiev and Odessa. Some were lost, mostly due to anti-aircraft fire. Because of lack of spares, the remaining ones were withdrawn from the front in October 1941 and used for training. In April 1944, the 76th escadre returned to combat, with nine aircraft, but it was withdrawn from the front on May 3, 1944. After Romania joined the allies, on September 1, 1944 German aircraft destroyed five PZL.37s on a ground.

Captured planes were also tested in Germany and the USSR. Not many PZL.37s, however, fell into German hands (probably only two), because Polish workers scrapped about 30 PZL.37s remaining in factories in Okęcie and Mielec in October 1939, under pretext of cleaning up the area, before the competent German authorities were able to reconnoitre. There are no surviving PZL.37 aircraft currently.

Operators

Wartime
Poland

• Polish Air Force

Germany

• Luftwaffe operated two captured PZL.37s for testing purposes.

Romania

• Romanian Air Force

Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force operated two captured PZL.37s for testing purposes.

Planned

Belgium

• Belgian Air Force

Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force

Turkey

• Turkish Air Force

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

• Yugoslav Royal Air Force

Specifications (PZL.37B Łoś)


General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 12.92 m (42 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 17.93 m (58 ft 10 in)
• Height: 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
• Wing area: 53.5 m² (576 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4,935 kg (10,880 lb)
• Loaded weight: 8,880 kg (19,580 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 9,105 kg (20,070 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Bristol Pegasus XX radial engines, 723 kW (970 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 412 km/h (256 mph)
• Range: 2,600 km (4,200 mi) with maximum bomb load
• Service ceiling 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 4.7 m/s (925 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 166 kg/m² (34 lb/ft²)

Armament

• 3 x 7.92 mm machine guns: 1 in the nose, 1 in the rear upper station, 1 in underbelly station
• Up to 2,580 kg (5,690 lb) of bombs

PZL.37 �oś - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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LaGG-1



LaGG-1

The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1 (Лавочкин-Горбунов-Гудков ЛаГГ-1) was a Sovietfighter aircraft of World War II. Although not very successful, it formed the basis for a series of aircraft that would eventually become some of the most formidable Soviet fighters of the war.

History

The LaGG-1 was designed in 1938 as a light-weight aircraft designed around the Klimov M-105 engine and built out of laminated wood to save on strategic materials. The first prototype flew on March 30, 1939, and once some initial difficulties had been worked out of the design, proved to be promising, if somewhat short of what its designers had hoped for. By this stage, however, the need to modernise the Soviet Air Force had been made plain by recent losses in the Winter War with Finland, and the aircraft, initially designated I-22 was ordered into production.

Some 100 aircraft were sent to evaluation squadrons, where their shortcomings quickly became obvious. The aircraft was clearly underpowered, and lacked agility and range. Furthermore, while the seven prototypes had been carefully custom-built and finished to a very high standard, the mass-produced examples were comparatively crude, and this only added to the existing weaknesses.
As reports of these problems came back to the design team, a series of modifications were undertaken that would result in the LaGG-3.

Operators

Soviet Union

Specifications (LaGG-1)


General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 8.81 m (28 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 9.80 m (32 ft 2 in)
• Height: 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 17.5 m² (188 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,478 kg (5,463 lb)
• Loaded weight: 2,968 kg (6,543 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,380 kg (7,452 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Klimov M-105P liquid-cooled V-12, 820 kW (1,100 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 605 km/h (377 mph)
• Range: 556 km (346 mi)
• Service ceiling: 9,600 m (31,500 ft)
• Rate of climb: 14.3 m/s (2,804 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 170 kg/m² (35 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 270 W/kg (0.17 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns located above the engine
• 1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propellor hub

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_LaGG-1

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Never heard of this one!

A-31 Vengeance


An Australian Vengeance in 1943 (AWM 0G0537)

Type: dive bomber
Manufacturer: Vultee
Maiden flight: 1939
Number built: 1,528

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. The Vengeance was not used in combat by US units. However, it served with the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Indian Air Force in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

Design and development

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was a dive-bomber built originally in the late 1930s as the Vultee Model 72 (V-72) by the Vultee Corporation. Additional aircraft were built by the Northrop Corporation. The V-72 was built with private money and was intended for sale to foreign markets. The V-72 was a low-wing, single engine powered, monoplane with a closed cockpit and a crew of two. An air-cooled radial Wright Double Row Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5 engine rated at 1,600 hp powered the V-72. It was armed with both fixed forward firing .303 caliber machine guns and flexible mounted .303 caliber machine guns in the rear cockpit. The aircraft also carried up to 1,500 lb of bombs in an interior bomb bay and on external wing racks.

France originally ordered the V-72, but with the fall of France in 1940, the order was taken over by the United Kingdom, which ordered additional aircraft. Under Lend-Lease, the US Army Air Corps ordered additional aircraft for Britain under the designation A-31. Additional V-72 aircraft were sold to Brazil, China, Turkey, and the USSR during the late 1930s.

When the Army Air Corps became interested in dive bombing, a number of V-72 and A-31 aircraft were either ordered or re-possessed for their own use. An improved version of the Vengeance, designated the A-35, was ordered which was equipped with a Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 engine.

When production of the Vengeance was completed in 1944, a total of 1,528 aircraft had been produced. The majority were produced at the Vultee plant in Nashville, TN.

Evaluation

Like many other dive bomber aircraft of the period such as the Blackburn Skua, Junkers Ju 87, Aichi D3A, Douglas Dauntless, Breda Ba.65 and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, the Vengeance was found to be vulnerable to enemy fighters. The operational experience of all of these aircraft show that for a dive bomber to operate effectively it must operate in an environment of local air superiority away from well coordinated air defenses.

Early experience with the aircraft showed there were problems with engine cooling. In service the British managed to solve these problems, but Free French aircraft taken over from the original French orders that didn't have these problems remedied were declared uneconomical and unreliable to operate and were grounded.

The aircraft was described as being stable in flight and in a dive, with heavy elevator and rudder control, but with light aileron control. Forward visibility was poor due to the large radial engine. There were a number of fatal accidents with the Vengeance due to improper dive procedures and a center of gravity problem when the aircraft was flown without a rear gunner and with the rear cockpit open.

In combat the type was considered rugged, reliable, stable, and generally well behaved. Commonwealth forces operated the type from May 1942 to July 1944. Burma tended to be a low priority for allied planners and forces in that theater got what was left over. Aircraft such as the Vickers Wellington and Hawker Hurricane spent their last days in Burma. The Vengeance saw considerable action attacking Japanese supply, communications and troop concentrations in Burma. It's service in that theater has been described as sterling. At best the Vengeance was a qualified success in Burma doing much to hold the line against Japanese advances.

Operational service

United Kingdom
As the Vultee Vengeance it was used both by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The Vengeance was used by the RAF mostly in Burma. In the European theater the Vengeance was considered too vulnerable to enemy fighters for front line use and was soon withdrawn for use in secondary roles such as training of attack squadron pilots and towing targets for gunnery training. In these roles all armament was removed from the aircraft. The FAA received their aircraft near the end of the war in late 1944 and 1945 and did not see front line action before the war ended.
The Vultee Vengeance saw service in India and Burma at some time during the Burma Campaign with No. 45 Squadron (Nicknamed "The Flying Camels").

India
The Vengeance also saw service with two squadrons of the Royal Indian Air Force. The aircraft was inducted in 1943 when No.7 Squadron, IAF was re-equipped with the type. It was followed in service by No. 8 Squadron IAF

Australia
Australia placed an order for 400 Vengeances as an emergency measure following the outbreak of war in the Pacific. While the first Vengeance was delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in May 1942, the aircraft did not arrive in substantial numbers until April 1943. By this time the crisis for which the aircraft had been ordered to meet had passed and the Australian Vengeances saw little combat.

Following a short front-line career the RAAF's Vengeances were withdrawn from service in March 1944 and the Vengeance-equipped combat squadrons were re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. While the RAAF still had 58 Vengeances on order in March 1944 this order was cancelled and the aircraft were never delivered. Small numbers of Vengeances remained in service with support and trials units until 1946.

Operators

Australia
Brazil
British
India
United Kingdom

Specifications (A-31A)

General characteristics

• Crew: Two: pilot, navigator/gunner
• Length: 12.12 m (39 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 14.63 m (48 ft)
• Height: 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 30.84 m² (332 ft²)
• Empty weight: 4,672 kg (10,300 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,439 kg (16,400 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Wright R-2600-A5B-5 Cyclone twin row 14 cylinder radial air-cooled engine, 1,193 kW (1,600 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 279 mph
• Cruise speed: 220 mph
• Range: 3,701 km (2,300 miles)
• Service ceiling 6,800 m (22,300 ft)
• Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
• Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.31 kW/kg (0.10 hp/lb)

Armament

• four fixed forward firing .303 inch machine guns in the wing
• two flexible mount .303 inch machine guns in rear cockpit
• two internal 500 lb bombs
• two 250 lb bomb on wing racks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vultee_A-31_Vengeance

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J-3 Cub


Piper J-3 Cub

Type: Trainer
Manufacturer: Piper
Designed by:
C. G. Taylor
Walter Jamouneau
Maiden flight: 1938
Produced: 1938-1947
Number built: 19,073
Unit cost: $995-$2,461 when new
Variants:
PA-15 Vagabond
PA-16 Clipper
PA-18 Super Cub

The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. With tandem (fore and aft) seating, it was intended for flight training but became one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time. The Cub's simplicity, affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile. Its standard yellow paint has come to be known as “Cub Yellow” or "Lock Haven Yellow."

Pre-war

The Taylor E-2 Cub first appeared in 1930, built by Taylor Aircraft in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by William T. Piper, a Bradford industrialist who had invested in the company, the E-2 was meant to be an affordable aircraft that would encourage interest in aviation. Later in 1930, the company went bankrupt, with Piper buying the assets but keeping founder C. Gilbert Taylor on as president. In 1936, an earlier Cub was altered by employee Walter Jamouneau to become the J-2 while Taylor was on sick leave. (The coincidence led some to believe that the "J" stood for Jamonoueau, while aviation historian Peter Bowers concluded that the letter simply followed the E, F, G, and H models, with the I omitted because it could be mistaken for the numeral one.)[1][2]. When he saw the redesign, Taylor was so incensed that he fired Jamouneau. Piper, however, had encouraged Jamouneau's changes, and hired him back. Piper then bought Taylor's share in the company, paying him US$250 per month for three years.

Although sales were initially slow, about 1,200 J-2s were produced before a fire in the Piper factory ended its production in 1938. After Piper moved his company from Bradford to Lock Haven, the J-3, which featured further changes by Jamouneau, replaced the J-2. Powered by a 40 hp (30 kW) engine, in 1938, it sold for just over $1,000.

The outbreak of hostilities in Europe in 1939, coupled with the growing realization that the United States might soon be drawn into World War II, resulted in the formation of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). The Piper J-3 Cub would play an integral role in the success of the CPTP, achieving legendary status.[4]

The Piper J-3 Cub became the primary trainer aircraft of the CPTP — 75 percent of all new pilots in the CPTP (from a total of 435,165 graduates) were trained in Cubs. By war's end, 80 percent of all United States military pilots received their initial flight training in Piper Cubs. The need for new pilots created an insatiable appetite for the Cub. In 1940, the year before the United States' entry into the war, 3,016 Cubs were built; soon, wartime demands would increase that production rate to one Piper J-3 Cub being built every 20 minutes.

World War II service


L-4A painted and marked to represent an aircraft that flew in support of the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942



A Piper Cub of the 1st Marine Division’s improvised air force snags a message from a patrol on New Britain's north coast.



The Piper Cub quickly became a familiar sight. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took a flight in a J-3 Cub, posing for a series of publicity photos to help promote the CPTP. Newsreels and newspapers of the era often featured images of wartime leaders, such as Generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and George Marshall, flying around European battlefields in Piper Cubs. Civilian-owned Cubs joined the war effort as part of the newly formed Civil Air Patrol (CAP), patrolling the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast in a constant search for German U-boats and survivors of U-boat attacks.

Piper developed a military variant ("All we had to do," Bill Jr. is quoted as saying, "was paint the Cub olive drab to produce a military airplane"), variously designated as the L-4, O-59 and NE-1. The variety of models were collectively nicknamed “Grasshoppers” and were used extensively in World War II for reconnaissance, transporting supplies and medical evacuation. L-4s were also sometimes equipped with lashed-on infantry bazookas for ground attack. Mechanically identical to the J-3, the military versions were equipped with large Plexiglas windows extending over the top of the wing and behind the rear-seat passenger, and the side windows were enlarged.

In Europe, the final dogfight of WWII occurred between an L-4 and a German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender.

After the war, most L-4s were destroyed or sold as surplus, but a few saw service in the Korean War. The Grasshoppers sold as surplus in the U.S. were redesignated as J-3s, but often retained their wartime glazing and paint.

Postwar


Piper Cub portrayed in a 1997 stamp by the United States Postal Service, part of a series called ‘Classic American Aircraft’.



A Piper Cub



An icon of the era, the J-3 Cub has long been loved by pilots and non-pilots alike, with thousands still in use today. Piper sold 19,073 J-3s between 1938 and 1947, the majority of them L-4s and other military variants. Postwar, thousands of Grasshoppers were civilian-registered under the designation J-3.

Hundreds of Cubs were assembled from parts in Canada (by Cub Aircraft as the Cub Prospector), Denmark and Argentina, and by a licensee in Oklahoma. A 1946 model that sold new for about $2,500, today, in good condition, would fetch more than $30,000.

In the late 1940s, the J-3 was replaced by the PA-11 (1,500 produced), and then the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, which Piper produced until 1981 when it sold the rights to WTA Inc. In all, Piper produced 2,650 Super Cubs. The Super Cub had a 150 hp (110 kW) engine which increased its top speed to 130 mph (210 km/h); its range was 460 miles (740 km).

Modernized and up-engined versions are produced today by Cub Crafters of Washington and by American Legend Aircraft in Texas, as the Cub continues to be sought after by bush pilots for its STOL capabilities, as well as by recreational pilots for its nostalgia appeal. The new aircraft are actually modeled on the PA-11, though the Legend company does sell an open-cowl version with the cylinder heads exposed, like the J-3 Cub. An electrical system is standard from both manufacturers.

So popular is the J-3 as a subject for radio controlled model aircraft that manufacturers of R/C heat shrinkable iron-on covering film and similar fabric coverings produce it in a readily available Cub Yellow hue.

The J-3 is distinguished from its successors by the exposed cylinder heads. There are very few other examples of "flat" aircraft engines (as opposed to radial engines) in which the cylinder heads are exposed. From the PA-11 on through the present Super Cub models, the cowling surrounds the cylinder heads.

A curiosity of the J-3 is that when it is flown solo, the lone pilot normally occupies the rear seat for proper balance, to balance the fuel tank located at the firewall. Starting with the PA-11, and some L-4s, fuel was carried in wing tanks, allowing the pilot to fly solo from the front seat.

Specifications (J3C-65 Cub)


Inside the cockpit of a Piper Cub. The aircraft has far fewer controls than do more modern aircraft.



General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: one passenger
• Length: 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m)
• Wingspan: 35 ft 3 in (10.74 m)
• Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
• Wing area: 178.5 ft² (16.58 m²)
• Empty weight: 765 lb (345 kg)
• Useful load: 455 lb (205 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 1,220 lb (550 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Continental A-65-8 air-cooled flat four, 65 hp (48 kW) @ 2350 RPM

Performance

• Maximum speed: 76 kn (87 mph, 140 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 65 kn (75 mph, 121 km/h)
• Range: 191 NM (220 mi, 354 km)
• Service ceiling 11,500 ft (3,500 m)
• Rate of climb: 450 ft/min (2.3 m/s)
• Wing loading: 6.84 lb/ft² (33.4 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 18.75 lb/hp (11.35 kg/kW)

Piper J-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Just for Tomcat

Bf 109


Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2/Trop

Type: Fighter:
Manufacturer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke
Messerschmitt
Designed by: Willy Messerschmitt
Maiden flight: 28 May 1935
Introduced: 1937
Retired: 1945, Luftwaffe
1965, Spain
Status: Retired
Primary users Luftwaffe
Hungarian Air Force
Italian Social Republic
Romanian Air Force
Number built: more than 33,000
Variants: Avia S-99/S-199
Hispano Aviacion Ha 1112

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear.

The Bf 109 was produced in greater quantities than any other fighter aircraft in history, with a wartime production (September 1939 to May 1945) of 30,573 units. Fighter production totalled 47% of all German aircraft production, and the Bf 109 accounted for 57% of all fighter types produced. 2,193 Bf 109 A-E were built prewar, from 1936 to August 1939, with additional ~1,000 postwar as licence built Avia S-99/S-199 and Ha 1112 Buchon.

The Bf 109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force in World War II, although it began to be partially replaced by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 from 1941. The Bf 109 scored more aircraft kills in World War II than any other aircraft. At various times it served as an air superiority fighter, a bomber escort, an interceptor, a ground-attack aircraft and a reconnaissance aircraft. Although the Bf 109 had weaknesses, including a short range, and especially a sometimes difficult to handle narrow, outward-retracting undercarriage, it stayed competitive with Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of World War II: Erich Hartmann, the top scoring fighter ace of all time with 352 official victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories, and Günther Rall with 275 victories. All of them flew with Jagdgeschwader 52, a unit which exclusively flew the Bf 109 and was credited with over 10,000 victories, chiefly on the Eastern Front. Hartmann refused to fly any other aircraft in combat throughout the war. Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest scoring German ace in the North African Campaign, also scored all of his 158 official victories in the Bf 109, against Western Allied pilots. The Bf 109 was also used with good result by non-German pilots, including Finnish fighter ace Ilmari Juutilainen with 94 victories — the highest scoring non-German fighter ace in history.

Design features


Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10
at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio


Messerschmitt had already designed much of the Bf 109 by this point. As with the Bf 108, the new design was based on Messerschmitt's "lightweight construction", which essentially aimed to reduce the total number of strong parts in the aircraft as much as possible. One of the more notable examples of this was the mounting of all structural points to a strong firewall at the front of the cockpit, including the wing spars, engine mounts and landing gear. In more conventional designs these would be mounted to different points on the aircraft, with a framework distributing the load among them.

Another notable advantage of this design was that, since the landing gear was attached to the fuselage itself, it was possible to completely remove the wings of the aircraft for major servicing, if necessary, leaving the fuselage intact sitting on the landing gear. However, this had one major drawback — this landing gear arrangement ensured a narrow track (the distance between the main tyres) and hence made the aircraft unstable in terms of balance while on the ground. The Bf 109 was notoriously difficult to take off and land, and many fighters simply veered off or tipped over to one side during a seemingly perfect run. To make things worse, the landing gear struts were comparatively long. This left the nose pointing up at quite a steep angle with respect to the ground, making forward visibility during taxiing near zero.

The Bf 109 suffered from ground accidents due to "swing" on takeoff and landings throughout its life. It has been suggested that 5% of all 109s were lost this way, or even one third; the Luftwaffe's loss records on the other hand show that approximately 1% of the Bf 109s had suffered landing incidents or accidents at the beginning of its career, a figure comparable to the other monoplane fighters introduced at the time. This feature was, however, more of a problem with rookie pilots, especially during later stages of the war.

The Spitfire had a similar, narrow landing gear arrangement, but there has not been widespread talk about operational losses due to this, and it has been speculated that the swing was due to the toe-in of the main landing gear wheels. Most Finnish pilots report that the swing was easy to control, but some of the less experienced pilots lost fighters on startup.

Reflecting Willy Messerschmitt's belief in low-weight, low-drag simple monoplanes, the armament was placed in the main body of the aircraft; two machine guns were mounted above the engine and a third could be fired through the airscrew hub, with the engine buffering the recoil. Fitting with Willy's ethos, this kept his gun-free wings very thin and lightweight. When it was discovered that the RAF was producing eight-gun monoplanes, it became clear that the Bf 109 would "have" to carry more weaponry and a new wing was designed with machine guns, and later, 20 mm MG FF cannon configurations.

In 1938 the "Emil" (see below) went into production, but to improve on the performance allowed by the rather small 600 to 700 hp Jumo engine the larger Daimler Benz DB 601A engine was used, yielding an extra 300 hp at the cost of an additional 400 lb.

Another aspect of this construction technique was the use of a single, I-section main spar in the wing, mounted closer to the leading edge, forming a stiff D-shaped torsion box with it. Most aircraft of the era used two spars, near the front and rear, but the D-box was much stiffer torsionally, and eliminated the need for the rear spar.

Another major difference was the much higher wing loading than the other designs. While the R-IV contract called for a wing loading of less than 100 kg/m², Messerschmitt felt that this was unreasonable; with the engines available to them, the fighter would end up slower than the bombers it was tasked with catching.

A wing generates two forms of drag, parasitic drag due to its form, and induced drag which is a side effect of generating lift. The former dominates at high speeds, when the airflow hitting the wing causes drag that rises with the square of the aircraft's speed. The latter dominates at lower speeds, where the lack of airflow requires the wing to be angled into the airflow at a higher angle of attack. Since the fighter was being designed primarily for high speed flight, a smaller wing would be optimised for high speed use.

The downside of such a trade-off is that low-speed flight would suffer, as the smaller wing would require more airflow to generate enough lift to stay flying. In order to address this, the Bf 109 included advanced high-lift devices on the wings, including automatically opening slats on the leading edge, and fairly large camber-changing flaps on the trailing edge. He also included ailerons that "drooped" when the flaps were lowered thereby increasing the effective flap area when the flaps were deployed. When deployed, these devices effectively increased the coefficient of lift, making it better at low speeds and high angles of attack.

Another drawback of the high wing loading is that the fighter would require more energy to manoeuvre. Given the limited amount of power available, this effectively meant that the Bf 109 could not turn as tightly as other designs with larger wings. The high lift devices would offset this to some degree, but they also increased drag and so slowed the aircraft further. Given that manoeuvrability was last on the RLM's wish list, Messerschmitt was certain the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

Bf 109E "Emil"

To test the new DB601A engine, with its 1,100 PS (1,085 hp, 809 kW), two more prototypes, the V14 and V15, were built, that differed in their armament. While the V14 was armed with the two MG 17 above the engine and one 20 mm MG FF cannon in each wing, the V15 got the two MG 17s above the engine and a MG FF Motorkanone firing through the propeller axis. After test fights the V14 was considered more promising and a pre-production batch of 10 E-0 was ordered. Batches of both E-1 and E-3 variants were shipped to Spain for evaluation, and received their baptism of fire in the final phases of the Spanish Civil War.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3


The production version E-1 kept the two 7.92 mm MG 17s above the engine and had two MG 17s in the wings. Later many were modified to the E-3 armament standard. The E-1B was a small batch of E-1s produced to be the first operational use of a Bf 109 as fighter bomber, or Jagdbomber in German, usually abbreviated to Jabo. They were fitted with either a ETC 250 bomb rack, carrying one 250 kg bomb or two ETC 50 bomb racks, carrying a 50 kg bomb under each wing. The E-1 was also fitted with the Reflexvisier "Revi" gunsight. The E-1 also carried the FuG 7 Funkgerät 7 (radio set) short-range radio equipment, effective at ranges of 30-35 miles. A total of 1,183 E-1 were built, 110 of them were E-1/B.

The E-2 was not built for unknown reasons, probably another failed attempt to install an engine mounted machine gun or Motorkanone cannon.

To improve the performance of the Bf 109E, the last two real prototypes were constructed, the V16 and V17. They got some structural improvements and stronger armament. These prototypes were the basis of the Bf 109 E-3 version. They were armed with the two MG 17s above the engine and one MG FF cannon in each wing. The E-3 also received additional armor, often self sealing fuel tanks and an optional, improved DB601Aa with 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) respectively.

A total of 1,276 E-3 were built, 75 of them were E-3a export versions without equipment classified as secret.


Bf 109E



Bf 109E-4



Bf 109E at Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.



The E-3 was replaced by the E-4 (with many airframes being upgraded to E-4 standards starting at beginning of the Battle of Britain) which was different in some small details, most notably by the modified MG-FF/M wing cannon and by improved head armor for the pilot. The MG FF/M fired a new and improved type of explosive shell, called Minengeschoß (or 'mine-shell') which was made by drawn steel (the same way brass cartridges are made) instead of being cast as was the usual practice. This resulted in a shell with a thin but strong wall, which hence had a larger cavity in which to pack a much larger explosive charge than was otherwise possible. The new shell required modifications to the MG FF's mechanism due to the different recoil characteristics, hence the MG FF/M-this special /M designation has also been thought to designate a Motorkanone version of the MG FF cannon.

The canopy was also revised to an easier-to-produce, "squared-off" design, and stayed fairly unchanged until the introduction of the 'Erla' canopy on the G-6 in the autumn of 1943. The E-4 would be the base for all further Bf 109 E developments. Some E-4 and later models got a further improved 1,175 PS DB601N high-altitude engine resulting in a slightly changed model number like E-4/N, first appearing in July 1940. The E-4 was also available as fighter-bomber with equipment very similar to the previous E-1/B. It was known as E-4/B (DB 601Aa engine) and E-4/BN (DB 601N engine).
496 E-4 of all versions were built - 250 E-4, 20 E-4/N, 211 E-4/B and 15 E-4/BN.

The E-5 and E-6 were both reconnaissance variant with a camera installation behind the cockpit. The E-5 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-3, the E-6 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-4/N.
29 E-5 built and 9 E-6 were ordered.

The E-7 was the next major production variant. It was based on the E-4/B and was able to carry drop tank, which greatly increased their range, or a bomb to be used as fighter-bomber. As the DB 601N was still not available in large numbers many E-7 used a mix of DB 601A, Aa or N engines with the latter designated as E-7/N.

The E-1 and E-4 saw the most heavy action during the Battle of Britain — most of the E-3s were already converted to E-4 standard. The fuel-injected DB601 engine of the Bf 109 proved most useful against the British Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighters, as the British fighters used gravity carburetor engines, which would cut out under negative g forces whereas the DB601 did not. The Bf 109s thus had the initial advantage in dives, either during attack or to escape it was able to get out of gun range.

The Spitfire proved a formidable opponent, being approximately as fast and is claimed somewhat more maneuverable in turns at medium to high speeds than the Bf 109 (the latter due to the Bf 109's high wing loading). On the question of comparative turning circles in combat, Spitfires and Hurricanes benefited from their lower wing loading compared with the Bf109; 22 to 24 pounds per square foot on the RAF machines against 32 pounds per square foot for the Bf 109. Royal Aircraft Establishment tests with a captured Bf 109 showed the Spitfire's turning circle — without height loss — was 696 feet (212 m) in radius (the Hurricane's would be slightly tighter) while the 109's was 885 feet (270 m) radius according to British calculations using assumed values as basis. According to the German manuals however, the smallest turning circle was 170 m, and fighter pilots on both sides claim they would out-turn their opponents in combat. In roll rates the Bf 109 enjoyed an advantage at dogfight speeds, though at high speeds the maneuverability of all three fighters, especially the Spitfire was severely limited in this regard.

The Bf 109 enjoyed good handling near stalling speeds as it was particularly forgiving then. Firepower between the antagonists was comparable, with the Spitfire and Hurricane having eight .303 inch machine guns versus the Bf 109's two 7.92 mm MG17 machine guns and two 20 mm MG FF cannon.

However, the MG FF occasionally jammed and had a small (60-round) ammunition capacity. To be fair, when the Spitfires were later upgraded to two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon, the British initially had serious jamming problems of their own with the new weapon. RAF pilots who tested captured Bf 109s liked the engine and throttle response but criticised the high speed handling characteristics, poorer turning circle, greater force required on the control column at speed and the thick framing of the cockpit glazing which they felt created blindspots in the pilot's field of vision.

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 9.925 m (32 ft 6 in)
• Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 16.40 m² (173.3 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,247 kg (5,893 lb)
• Loaded weight: 3148 kg (6,940 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,400 kg (7,495 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled inverted V12, 1,475 PS (1,455 hp, 1,085 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 640 km/h (398 mph) at 6,300 m (20,669 ft)
• Cruise speed: 590 km/h (365 mph) at 6,000 m (19,680 ft)
• Range: 850 km (528 mi) with droptank 1,000 km (620 mi)
• Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
• Rate of climb: 17.0 m/s (3,345 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 199.8 kg/m² (40.9 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 330 W/kg (0.21 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2×13 mm MG 131 machine guns
• 1×20 mm MG 151/20 cannon (or 1x 30 mm MK 108, G-6/U4)
• 1×300 l (78 US gal) drop tank or 1×250 kg (550 lb) bomb or 4×50 kg (110 lb) bombs
• 2×WGr.21 rockets (G-6 with BR21)
• 2x 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing cannon pods (G-6 with R6)

Much much more info here: Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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And the Tomcat saga continues...

The Spitfire




RAF Supermarine Spitfire XII banks above clouds.

Type: Fighter
Manufacturer: Supermarine
Designed by: R. J. Mitchell
Maiden flight: 5 March 1936
Introduction: 1938
Retired: 1955, RAF
Primary user: Royal Air Force
Produced: 1938–1948
Number built: 20,351
Unit cost: £12,604 (1939)
Variants: Seafire
Spiteful

The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-seat fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during the Second World War, and into the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied design. The Spitfire was the only Allied fighter in production at the outbreak of the Second World War that was still in production at the end of the war.

Produced by the Supermarine subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs, the Spitfire was designed by the company's Chief Designer R. J. Mitchell, who continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937; the position of chief designer was then filled by his colleague, Joseph Smith. Its elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane and many other contemporary designs.

The distinctive silhouette imparted by the wing planform helped the Spitfire to achieve legendary status during the Battle of Britain. There was, and still is, a public perception that it was the RAF fighter of the Battle, in spite of the fact that the more numerous Hurricane shouldered a great deal of the burden against the potent Messerschmitt Bf 109. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire saw service during the whole of the Second World War and subsequent years, in most theatres of war, in several roles and in many different variants.

The Spitfire will always be compared to its main adversary, the Bf 109: both were among the finest fighters of their day, although the Spitfire ultimately proved to be a more flexible and tractable design, and kept its superb handling qualities through every permutation.

Design and development


The still unpainted Spitfire prototype K5054 shortly before its first flight



Supermarine's Chief Designer, R.J. Mitchell, had won four Schneider Trophy seaplane races with his designs: (Sea Lion II in 1922, S 5 in 1927, S 6 in 1929 and S 6b in 1931), combining powerful Napier Lion and Rolls-Royce "R" engines with minute attention to streamlining. These same qualities are equally useful for a fighter design, and, in 1931, Mitchell created such an aircraft design in response to an Air Ministry specification (F7/30) for a new and modern monoplane fighter.

This first attempt at a fighter resulted in an open-cockpit monoplane with gull-wings and a large fixed, spatted undercarriage powered by the evaporative-cooled Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. The Supermarine Type 224 did not live up to expectations; nor did any of the competing designs, which were also deemed failures.

Mitchell immediately turned his attention to an improved design as a private venture, with the backing of Supermarine's owner, Vickers-Armstrongs. The new design added undercarriage retraction, an enclosed cockpit, oxygen breathing-apparatus and the much more powerful newly-developed Rolls-Royce PV-XII engine, later named the Merlin.

By 1935, the Air Ministry had seen enough advances in the industry to try the monoplane design again.

Name origin

The Air Ministry submitted a number of names to Vickers-Armstrongs for the new aircraft, tentatively known as the Type 300, including the improbable Shrew. The name Spitfire was suggested by Sir Robert MacLean, director of Vickers-Armstrongs at the time, who called his daughter Ann, "a little spitfire." The word dates from Elizabethan times and refers to a particularly fiery, ferocious type of person, and at the time, associated with a girl or woman of that temperament. The name had previously been used unofficially for Mitchell's earlier F.7/30 Type 224 design. Mitchell is reported to have said that it was "just the sort of bloody silly name they would choose", possibly an oblique reference to an earlier, much less successful aircraft of his design that had been given the same name.

Airframe

The Spitfire was one of a new generation of all metal, monoplane fighter aircraft that first appeared in the early 1930s with the advent of the likes of the American Boeing P-26 and the Russian Polikarpov I-16. The Spitfire was the first all metal, low wing monoplane fighter to enter RAF service.

Mitchell's design aims were to create a well balanced high performance fighter aircraft which would be able to fully utilise the power of the Merlin engine and, at the same time would be relatively easy to fly. To that end his design team developed an airframe which, for its day was complex.

The exceptionally well streamlined semi-monocoque duralumin fuselage featured a large number of compound curves and was built up from a skeleton of 19 frames, starting from the main engine bulkhead. The first six were half frames to accommodate the fuel tanks and cockpit. From the seventh, which was the frame to which the pilot's seat and (later) armour plating was attached, to the 15th, which was mounted at a forward angle just forward of the tailfin, the frames were oval in shape, each reducing slightly in size, and had numerous holes drilled through them to lighten the structural weight as much as possible without weakening them. Frame 16 formed a double bulkhead with frame 17, which was extended to form the main spar of the vertical fin; frame 18 formed the secondary spar. Just aft of this the 19th frame formed the rudder post. A combination of longitudinal stringers and two main longerons helped form a light but rigid structure to which sheets of alclad stressed skinning were attached. There was plenty of room to later fit camera equipment and fuel tanks.

Elliptical wing design

From early on Mitchell and the design staff were contemplating an elliptical wing shape to solve the conflicting requirements of having the lowest possible thickness-to-chord ratio to reduce drag, and having room to install a retractable undercarriage, as well as the projected armament and ammunition which, in April 1935, was changed from two .303 Vickers machine guns in each wing to four .303 Brownings.

It has been suggested that Mitchell copied the wing shape of the Heinkel He 70. Mitchell's aerodynamicist, Beverley Shenstone, however, has pointed out that the He 70 was designed to fulfill a completely different role and that other aircraft also had elliptical wings. The Spitfire wing was much thinner with a completely different section. As a practical engineer Mitchell was fully aware of the efficiency of the elliptical wing, as were Siegfried and Walter Günther, who designed the Heinkel. In any event, the single-spar elliptical wing was enough to sell the Air Ministry on this new Type 300, which they funded by a new specification, F.10/35, drawn up around the Spitfire.


Spitfire flying over the English coast (from a period photograph)



A design aspect of the wing which contributed greatly to its success was an innovative spar boom design, made up of five square concentric tubes which fitted into each other. Two of these booms were linked together by an alloy web creating a lightweight and very strong main spar. The undercarriage legs were attached to pivot points built into the inner, rear of the main spar and retracted outwards and slightly backwards into wells in the non-load carrying wing structure. The narrow undercarriage track was considered to be an acceptable compromise as it allowed the landing impact loads to be transmitted to the strongest parts of the wing structure.

Ahead of the spar, the thick-skinned leading edge of the wing formed a strong and very rigid D-shaped box, which took most of the wing loads. At the time the wing was designed this D-shaped leading edge was intended to house steam condensers for the evaporative cooling system intended for the PV XII. The constant problems with the evaporative system in the Goshawk led to the adoption of a 100% glycol cooling system and a new radiator duct design, devised by a Fredrick Meredith of the RAE at Farnborough. This meant that the leading edge structure lost its function as an evaporator, but it was later to become very useful with its adaptation to house integral fuel tanks of various sizes.

The wing section used was a NACA 2200 series which had been adapted to create a thickness to chord ratio of 13% at the root reducing to 6% at the tip. A dihedral of six degrees was adopted to give increased lateral stability.

Another feature of the wing was its washout. The trailing edge of the wing twisted slightly upward along its span, the angle of incidence decreased from +2 degrees at its root to -1/2 degree at its tip. This caused the wing roots to stall before the tips, reducing tip stall that may have resulted in a spin. In a tight turn the disturbance of the slipstream near the wing-root caused a distinctive "juddering" through the control column and fuselage skin, warning the pilot that the Spitfire was nearing a stall. Many other aircraft of the time gave no advance warning and would flick straight into a spin, which was often fatal. In combat, experienced pilots were able to use the tight turning ability and stall warning provided by the wing to full advantage, especially when pursuing or being pursued by a Bf 109 which had a higher stalling speed and could often fall into a spin without much warning.


The elliptical wing and tail units are shown to good effect in this photograph of a Spitfire Mk VB, which also shows good detail of the Type B armament layout.



The elliptical wing was able to reach a safe Mach number of 0.83 and maximum of 0.86 without encountering the problem of Mach-induced aileron flutter, a phenomenon which continued to blight many newer designs.

At first the complexity of the wing design, especially the precision required to manufacture the vital spar and leading edge structures, caused some major hold-ups in the production of the Spitfire. This was amplified when the work was put out to sub-contractors, most of whom had never dealt with metal-structured, high-speed aircraft. Over time, however, these problems were overcome and thousands of these wings, of six basic types, were built.

One flaw in the thin-wing design of the Spitfire manifested itself when the aircraft was brought up to very high speeds. When the pilot attempted to roll the aircraft at these speeds, the aerodynamic forces on the ailerons were enough to twist the entire wingtip in the direction opposite of the aileron deflection (much like the way an aileron trim tab will deflect the aileron itself). This so-called aileron reversal resulted in the Spitfire rolling in the opposite direction to the control-column input. The new wing of the Spitfire F. Mk 21 and its successors was designed to help alleviate this problem.

The ellipse also served as the design basis for the Spitfire’s fin and tailplane assembly, once again exploiting the shape’s favourable aerodynamic characteristics. Both the elevators and rudder were shaped so that their centre of mass was shifted forward thus reducing control surface flutter. The longer noses and greater propeller wash resulting from larger engines in later models necessitated increasingly larger vertical and, later, horizontal tail surfaces to compensate for the altered aerodynamics, culminating in those of the Mk 22/24 series which were 25% larger in area than those of the Mk I.

Carburettor versus Fuel Injection

Early in its development, the Merlin engine's lack of direct fuel injection meant that both Spitfires and Hurricanes, unlike the Bf 109E, were unable simply to nose down into a steep dive. This meant a Luftwaffe fighter could simply "bunt" into a high-power dive to escape an attack, leaving the Spitfire sputtering behind, as its fuel was forced by negative "g" out of the carburettor.

RAF fighter pilots soon learned to "half-roll" their aircraft before diving to pursue their opponents. The use of carburettors was calculated to give a higher specific power output, due to the lower temperature, and hence the greater density, of the fuel/air mixture fed into the motor, compared to injected systems. In March 1941, a metal diaphragm with a hole in it was fitted across the float chambers. It partly cured the problem of fuel starvation in a dive, and became known as "Miss Shilling's orifice" as it was invented by a female engineer, Beatrice "Tilly" Shilling. Further improvements were introduced throughout the Merlin series, with Bendix-manufactured injection carburettors introduced in 1943.

Operational history
The operational history of the Spitfire with the RAF started with the first Mk Is, which entered service with 19 Squadron on 4 August 1938. The last flight of a Spitfire in RAF service, which took place on 9 June 1957, was by a PR 19, PS583, from RAF Woodvale of the Temperature and Humidity Flight. This was also the last known flight of a piston-engined fighter in the RAF.

Although The Spitfire achieved legendary status during the Battle of Britain it is now sometimes forgotten that the aircraft was to continue to play increasingly diverse roles throughout World War II and beyond, often in air forces other than the RAF.

For example, the Spitfire became the first high-speed photo-reconnaissance aircraft to be operated by the RAF. Unarmed and armed, at high, medium and low altitudes, and often ranging far into enemy territory, these Spitfires kept a close watch on the Axis powers, providing an almost continual flow of valuable intelligence information right throughout the war.

In 1941 and 1942 PRU Spitfires were to provide the first photographs of the Freya and Würzburg radar systems and, in 1943, would help confirm that the Germans were building the V1 and V2 vergeltungswaffe ("vengeance weapons") by photographing Peenemünde, on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany.

In the Mediterranean the Spitfire blunted the heavy attacks on Malta by the Regia Aeronautica and Luftwaffe and, from early 1943, helped pave the way for the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy. Over the Northern Territory of Australia RAAF Spitfires helped defend the port city of Darwin against air attack by the Japanese Naval Air Force

These are just some of the many facets of the operational history of the Spitfire.

Specifications (Spitfire Mk Vb)

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
• Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.86 m)
• Wing area: 242.1 ft² (22.48 m²)
• Empty weight: 5,090 lb (2,309 kg)
• Loaded weight: 6,622 lb (3,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,770 lb (3,071 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 supercharged V12 engine, 1,470 hp at 9,250 ft (1,096 kW at 2,820 m)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 378 mph, (330 knots 605 km/h)
• Combat radius: 410 nmi (470 mi, 760 km)
• Ferry range: 991 nmi (1,140 mi, 1,840 km)
• Service ceiling 35,000 ft (11,300 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,665 ft/min (13.5 m/s)
• Wing loading: 24.56 lb/ft² (119.91 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (360 W/kg)

Armament

• Guns: Mk I, Mk II, Mk VA
  • 8x 0.303 caliber (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rounds per gun

Later versions (VB on)

• • 2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 60 (later 120 (Mk VC)) shells per gun
  • 4× 0.303 caliber (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rounds per gun
• Bombs:
  • 2× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs

Supermarine Spitfire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A6M Zero

Type:Fighter
Mabufacturer:Mitsubishi
Maiden flight:1 April 1939
Introduction:July 1940
Retired:1945 (Japan)
Produced:1940-1945
Number built:11,000
Varients:Nakajima A6M2-N

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("A" for fighter, 6th model, "M" for Mitsubishi) was a lightweight, carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. Its history mirrored the fortunes of Imperial Japan in World War II. At the time it was introduced, the Mitsubishi A6M was the best carrier-based fighter plane in the world and was greatly feared by Allied pilots. By 1942, thanks to the evolution of new tactics and techniques, Allied pilots were able to engage the Zero on more equal terms. By 1943, American and British manufacturers were producing fighters with greater firepower, armor, and speed and approaching the Zero's maneuverability. By 1944, the Mitsubishi A6M was outdated but remained in production. In shifting priorities during the final years of the War in the Pacific, the Zero was utilized in kamikaze operations.
A combination of excellent maneuverability and very long range made it one of the finest fighters of its era. In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation, outclassing its contemporaries. Later, design weaknesses and the increasing scarcity of more powerful aircraft engines meant that the Zero became less effective against newer fighters.
Design and development

The Mitsubishi A5M fighter was just starting to enter service in early 1937 when the Imperial Japanese Navy started looking for its eventual replacement. In May they issued specification 12-Shi for a new aircraft carrier-based fighter, sending it to Nakajima and Mitsubishi. Both firms started preliminary design work while they awaited more definitive requirements to be handed over in a few months.
Based on the experiences of the A5M in China, the Navy sent out updated requirements in October. The new requirements called for a speed of 500 km/h at 4000 m and a climb to 3000 m in 3.5 min. They needed an endurance of two hours at normal power, or six to eight hours at economical cruising speed (both with drop tanks). Armament was to consist of two 20 mm cannon and two 7.7 mm machine guns and two 30 kg or 60 kg bombs. A complete radio set was to be mounted in all airplanes, along with a radio direction finder for long-range navigation. The maneuverability was to be at least equal to that of the A5M, while the wing span had to be less than 12 m to fit on the carriers.
Nakajima's team thought the new requirements were impossible to achieve and pulled out of the competition in January. Mitsubishi's chief designer, Jiro Horikoshi, felt that the requirements could be met, but only if the aircraft could be made as light as possible. Every weight-saving method was used. Most of the airplane was built of T-7178 aluminum, a top-secret variety developed by the Japanese just for this aircraft. It was lighter and stronger than the normal aluminum used at the time, but more brittle. In addition, no armor was carried for the pilot, engine or other critical points of the aircraft, and the self-sealing fuel tanks that were becoming common at the time were also left off.
With its low-wing cantilever monoplane layout, retractable wide-set landing gear and enclosed cockpit, the design was not only much more modern than any the Navy had used in the past, it was one of the most modern in the world. The Zero had a fairly high-lift, low-speed wing with a very low wing loading; combined with the light weight this gave it a very low stalling speed of well below 60 knots. This is the reason for the phenomenal turning ability of the airplane, allowing it to turn more sharply than any Allied fighter of the time. Roll rate is enhanced by servo tabs on the ailerons which deflect opposite to the ailerons and make the control force much lighter. The disadvantage is that they reduce the maximum roll effect at full travel. At 160 mph (260 km/h) the A6M2 had a roll rate of 56 degrees per second. Because of wing flexibility, roll effectiveness dropped to near zero at about 300 mph indicated airspeed.

Name

It is universally known as Zero from its Japanese Navy designation, Type 0 Carrier Fighter (Rei shiki Kanjo sentoki), taken from the last digit of the Imperial year 2600 (1940), when it entered service. In Japan it was unofficially referred to as both Rei-sen and Zero-sen. The official Allied code name was Zeke (Hamp for the A6M3 model 32 variant); while this was in keeping with standard practice of giving boys' names to fighters, it is not definitely known if this was chosen for its similarity to "Zero."

Operational history


Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" Model 21 takes off from the aircraft carrier Akagi, to attack Pearl Harbor.



Cockpit (starboard console) of a damaged A6M2 which crashed during the raid on Pearl Harbor.



The pre-series A6M2 Zero became known in 1940-41, when the fighter destroyed 266 confirmed aircraft in China. At the time of Pearl Harbor, there were 420 Zeros active in the Pacific. The carrier-borne Model 21 was the type encountered by the Americans, often much further from its carriers than expected, with a mission range of over 1600 statute miles (2,600 km). The Zero fighters were superior in many aspects of performance to all Allied fighters in the Pacific in 1941 and quickly gained a great reputation. However, the Zero failed to achieve complete air superiority due to the development of suitable tactics and new aircraft by the Allies. During World War II, the Zero destroyed at least 1,550 American aircraft.
The Japanese ace Saburo Sakai described how the resilience of early Allied aircraft was a factor in preventing the Zeros from total domination:
“I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7mm machine guns. I turned the 20mm. cannon switch to the 'off' position, and closed in. For some strange reason, even after I had poured about five or six hundred rounds of ammunition directly into the Grumman, the airplane did not fall, but kept on flying. I thought this very odd - it had never happened before - and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I could almost reach out and touch the Grumman. To my surprise, the Grumman's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like an old torn piece of rag. With his plane in such condition, no wonder the pilot was unable to continue fighting! A Zero which had taken that many bullets would have been a ball of fire by now.”
Designed for attack, the Zero gave precedence to maneuverability and firepower at the expense of protection — most had no self-sealing tanks or armor plate — thus many Zeros were lost too easily in combat along with their pilots. During the initial phases of the Pacific conflict, the Japanese trained their aviators far more strenuously than their Allied counterparts. However, unexpectedly heavy pilot losses at the Coral Sea and Midway made them difficult to replace.
The American military discovered many of the A6M's unique attributes when they recovered a mostly intact specimen on Akutan Island in the Aleutians. Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga was losing fuel and hoped to make an emergency landing but the Zero flipped over and the pilot's neck was broken. The relatively undamaged fighter was recovered and shipped to North Air Station, North Island, San Diego. Subsequent testing of the repaired A6M revealed not only its strengths but also deficiencies in design and performance.
With the extreme agility of the Zero, the Allied pilots found that the appropriate combat tactic against Zeros was to remain out of range and fight on the dive and climb. By using speed and resisting the deadly error of trying to out-turn the Zero, eventually cannon or heavy machine guns could be brought to bear and a single burst of fire was usually enough to down the Zero. These tactics, known as boom-and-zoom, were successfully employed in the CBI against similarly maneuverable Japanese Army aircraft such as the Ki-27 and Nakajima Ki-43 by the Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group). AVG pilots were trained to exploit the advantages of their P-40s; very sturdy, heavily armed, generally faster in a dive and in level flight at low altitude, with a good rate of roll.
Another important maneuver was called the "Thach Weave," named for the man that invented it, then-Lt Cdr John S. "Jimmy" Thach. It required two fighters, a leader and his wingman, to fly about 200 ft (61 meters) apart. When a Zero would latch onto the tail of one of the fighters, the two planes would turn toward each other. If the Zero followed its original target through the turn, it would come into a position to be fired on by his target's wingman. This tactic was used with spectacular results at the Battle of the Coral Sea and at the Battle of Midway, helping make up for the inferiority of the U.S. fighters until new aircraft types were brought into service.
When the powerful Grumman F6F Hellcat, Vought F4U Corsair and Lockheed P-38 appeared in the Pacific theater, the A6M with its low-powered engine lost its competitiveness. The U.S. Navy's 1:1 kill ratio suddenly jumped to better than 10:1. While the Hellcat and Corsair are generally considered to better all-around than the Zero, U.S. successes also had to do with the increasingly inexperienced Japanese aviators.
Nonetheless, until the end of the war, in competent hands, the Zero could still be deadly. Because of the scarcity of high-powered aviation engines and some problems with planned successor models, the Zero remained in production until 1945, with over 11,000 of all types produced.

Variants


A6M1, Type 0 Prototypes The first A6M1 prototype was completed in March 1939, powered by the 780 hp (580 kW) Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine with a two-bladed propeller. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing in a remarkably short period of time. By September it had already been accepted for Navy testing as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Fighter, with the only notable change being a switch to a three-bladed propeller to cure a vibration problem.
A6M2, Type 0 Model 11
A6M2 "Zero" Model 21 (front)



Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" Model 21 on the flight deck of carrier Shokaku , 26 October 1942, Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands


While the Navy was testing the first two prototypes, they suggested that the third be fitted with the 940 hp (700 kW) Nakajima Sakae 12 engine instead. Mitsubishi had its own engine of this class in the form of the Kinsei, so they were somewhat reluctant to use the Sakae. Nevertheless when the first A6M2 was completed in January 1940, the Sakae's extra power pushed the performance of the plane well past the original specifications.
The new version was so promising that the Navy had 15 built and shipped to China before they had completed testing. They arrived in Manchuria in July 1940, and first saw combat over Chungking in August. There they proved to be completely untouchable by the Polikarpov I-16s and I-153s that had been such a problem for the A5Ms currently in service. In one encounter 13 Zeros shot down 27 I-15s and I-16s in under three minutes without loss. After hearing of these reports the Navy immediately ordered the plane into production as the Type 0 Carrier Fighter, Model 11.
Reports of the Zero's performance filtered back to the US slowly. There they were dismissed by most military officials, who felt it was impossible for the Japanese to build such an aircraft.
A6M2, Type 0 Model 21 After the delivery of only 65 planes by November 1940, a further change was worked into the production lines, which introduced folding wingtips to allow them to fit on the aircraft carriers. The resulting Model 21 would become one of the most produced versions early in the war. When the lines switched to updated models, 740 Model 21s were completed by Mitsubishi, and another 800 by Nakajima. Two other versions of the Model 21 were built in small numbers, the Nakajima-built A6M2-N "Rufe" floatplane (based on the model 11 with a slightly modified tail), and the A6M2-K two-seat trainer of which a total of 508 were built by Hitachi and the Sasebo Naval Air Arsenal.
A6M3, Type 0 Model 32
A6M3 Model 32.


In late 1941, Nakajima introduced the Sakae 21, which used a two speed supercharger for better altitude performance, and increased power to 1,130 hp (840 kW). Plans were made to introduce the new engine into the Zero as soon as possible.
The new Sakae was slightly heavier and somewhat longer due to the larger supercharger, which moved the center of gravity too far forward on the existing airframe. To correct for this the engine mountings were cut down by 8 inches (200 mm), moving the engine back towards the cockpit. This had the side effect of reducing the size of the main fuel tank (located to the rear of the engine) from 518 litres to 470 litres.
The only other major changes were to the wings, which were simplified by removing the Model 21's folding tips. This changed the appearance enough to prompt the US to designate it with a new code name, Hap. This name was short-lived, as a protest from USAAF commander General Henry "Hap" Arnold forced a change to Hamp. Soon after, it was realized that it was simply a new model of the Zeke. The wings also included larger ammunition boxes, allowing for 100 rounds for each of the 20 mm cannon.
The wing changes had much greater effects on performance than expected. The smaller size led to better roll, and their lower drag allowed the diving speed to be increased to 360 knots (670 km/h). On the downside, maneuverability was reduced, and range suffered due to both decreased lift and the smaller fuel tank. Pilots complained about both. The shorter range proved a significant limitation during the Solomons campaign of 1942.
The first Model 32 deliveries began in April 1942, but it remained on the lines only for a short time, with a run of 343 being built.
A6M3, Type 0 Model 22 In order to correct the deficiencies of the Model 32, a new version with the Model 21's folding wings, new in-wing fuel tanks and attachments for a 330 litre drop tank under each wing were introduced. The internal fuel was thereby increased to 570 litres in this model, regaining all of the lost range.
As the airframe was reverted from the Model 32 and the engine remained the same, this version received the navy designation Model 22, while Mitsubishi called it the A6M3a. The new model started production in December, and 560 were eventually produced. This company constructed some examples for evaluation, armed with 30 mm Type 5 Cannon, under denomination of A6M3b (model 22b).
A6M4 Type 0 Model 41 The A6M4 designation was applied to two A6M2s fitted with an experimental turbo-supercharged Sakae engine designed for high-altitude use. The design, modification and testing of these two prototypes was the responsibility of the Dai-Ichi Kaigun Gijitshusho (First Naval Air Technical Arsenal) at Yokosuka and took place in 1943. Lack of suitable alloys for use in the manufacture of the turbo-supercharger and its related ducting caused numerous ruptures of the ducting resulting in fires and poor performance. Consequently, further development of the A6M4 was cancelled. The program still provided useful data for future aircraft designs and, consequently, the manufacture of the more conventional A6M5, already under development by Mitsubishi Jukogyo K.K., was accelerated.
A6M5, Type 0 Model 52
Mitsubishi A6M "Rei Sen" (Zeke) captured in flying condition and test flown by U.S. airmen



Mitsubishi A6M5 Model 52 abandoned by the Japanese at the end of the war and captured by US forces



The A6M5 was a modest update of the A6M3 Model 22, with nonfolding wing tips and thicker skinning to permit faster diving speeds, plus an improved exhaust system (four pipes on each side) that provided an increment of thrust. Improved roll-rate of the clipped-wing A6M3 was now built in.
Sub-variants included:

• "A6M5a Model 52a «Kou»," featuring Type 99-II cannon with belt feed of the Mk 4 instead of drum feed Mk 3 (100 rpg), permitting a bigger ammunition supply (125 rpg)
• "A6M5b Model 52b «Otsu»," with an armor glass windscreen, a fuel tank fire extinguisher and one 7.7 millimeter Type 97 gun (750 m/s muzzle velocity and 600 m range) in the cowling replaced by a 13.2 millimeter Type 3 Browning-derived gun (790 m/s muzzle velocity and 900 m range) with 240 rounds
• "A6M5c Model 52c «Hei»" with more armor plate on the cabin's windshield (5.5 cm) and in the pilot's seat. This version also possessed armament of three 13.2 millimeter guns (one in the cowling, and one in each wing with a rate of fire at 800 rpm), twin 20 millimeter Type 99-II guns and an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 367 liters, often replaced by a 250 kg bomb.

The A6M5 could travel at 540 km/h and reach a height of 8000 meters in nine minutes, 57 seconds. Other variants are the night fighter A6M5d-S (modified for night combat, armed with one 20 mm type 99 cannon, inclined back to the pilot's cockpit) and A6M5-K "Zero-Reisen"(model l22) tandem trainer version, also manufactured by Mitsubishi.
A6M6c Type 0 Model 53c This was similar to the A6M5c, but with self-sealing wing tanks and a Nakajima Sakae 31a engine featuring water-methanol engine boost.
A6M7, Type 0 Model 63 Similar to the A6M6 but intended for attack or Kamikaze role.
A6M8 Type 0 Model 64 Similar to the A6M6 but with Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 engine. This resulted in an extensively modified cowling and nose for the aircraft. The carburetor intake was much larger, a long duct like that on the Nakajima B6N Tenzan was added, and a large spinner -- like that on the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei with the Kinsei 62 -- was mounted. Armament was unchanged from the Model 52 Hei (20mm cannon x 2; 13mm MG x 2). In addition, the Model 64 was modified to carry two 150-liter drop tanks on either wing in order to permit the mounting of a 250kg bomb on the underside of the fuselage. Two prototypes were completed in 1945 and production was ordered following flight testing, but the war ended before any production began.

Operators

China

• Republic of China Air Force

Indonesia

• Indonesian Air Force

Japan

• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

Survivors

Several Zero fighters survived the war and are on display in Japan (in Aichi, Tokyo's Science Museum, Hamamatsu and Shizuoka), China (in Beijing), United States (at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and at the Pacific Aviation Museum), and the UK (Duxford) as well as the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand.

A6M2 Model 21 on display at Pacific Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor, HI



A number of flyable Zero airframes exist; most have had their engines replaced with similar American units; only one, the Planes of Fame Museum's example, bearing tail number "61-120" (see external link below) has the original Sakae engine. Although not truly a survivor, the "Blayd" Zero is a reconstruction based on templating original Zero components recovered from the South Pacific; a small fraction of parts in the reconstruction are from original Zero landing gears. The aircraft is now on display at the Fargo Air Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.
It is due to this rarity that converted single-seat T-6 Texans are painted in Japanese markings to represent Zeros in the movies Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Final Countdown, as well as most other television and movie depictions of the aircraft.

Specifications (A6M2 Type 0 Model 21)

Data from The Great Book of Fighters

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 9.06 m (29 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
• Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 22.44 m² (241.5 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,680 kg (3,704 lb)
• Loaded weight: 2,410 kg (5,313 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: kg (lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Nakajima Sakae 12 radial engine , 709 kW (950 hp)
• * Aspect ratio: 6.4

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 660 km/h (356 knots, 410 mph)
• Maximum speed: 533 km/h (287 knots, 331 mph) at 4,550 m (14,930 ft)
• Range: 3,105 km (1,675 nm, 1,929 mi)
• Service ceiling:10,000 m (33,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 15.7 m/s (3,100 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 107.4 kg/m² (22.0 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 294 W/kg (0.18 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  • 2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 machine guns in the engine cowling
  • 2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Type 99 cannons in the wings

Bombs:

• 2× 66 lb (30 kg) and
• 1× 132 lb (60 kg) bombs or
• 2× fixed 250 kg bombs for kamikaze attacks

A6M Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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the Zero has always been a beautiful plane

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Fi 156 Storch


Type: Reconnaissance & communications
Manufacturer: Fieseler
Maiden flight: 1936
Introduced: 1937
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Produced: 1937-1949
Number builtOver 2,900

The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (stork) was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It remains famous to this day for its excellent STOL performance, and French-built later variants are a common fixture at air shows.

Design and development
In 1935, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) put out a tender for a new Luftwaffe aircraft (suitable for liaison, army co-operation today called Forward Air Control), and medical evacuation, as required to several companies. Penned by chief designer Reinhold Mews and technical director Erich Bachen, Fieseler's entry was the most advanced in terms of STOL performance, by far. A fixed slat ran along the entire leading edge of the long wings, while the trailing edge, inspired by earlier 1930s Junkers aircraft wing control surface designs, including the ailerons, was a hinged and slotted flap. The wings could be folded back along the fuselage, allowing it to be carried on a trailer or even towed slowly behind a vehicle. The long legs of the landing gear contained oil and spring shock absorbers that compressed about 450 mm (18 inches) on landing, allowing the plane to set down almost anywhere. In flight they hung down, giving the aircraft the appearance of a very long-legged, big-winged bird, Hence its nickname, Storch. With its very low landing speed the Storch often landed "at place" or even backwards, in case of wind from directly ahead.

Versions


Swiss Air Force Fi 156C-1



The first Fi 156 V1 prototype flew in the spring of 1936. It was powered by a 180 kW (240 hp) inverted-vee Argus As 10C V8 engine, which gave the plane a top speed of only 175 km/h (109 mph), enabling the Storch to fly as slow as 50 km/h (32 mph), take off into a light wind in less than 45 m (150 ft), and land in 18 m (60 ft). It was followed up by the second V2 prototype and third V3 prototypes, the ski-equipped V4, plus one V5 and ten Fi 156A-0 pre-production aircraft. It was immediately ordered into production by the Luftwaffe with an order for 16 planes, and the first Fi 156A-1 production aircraft entered service in mid-1937.

Fieseler then offered the Fi 156B, which allowed for the retraction of the leading edge slats and had a number of minor aerodynamic cleanups, boosting the speed to 208 km/h (130 mph). The Luftwaffe didn't consider such a small difference to be important, and Fieseler instead moved on to the main production version, the C.

The Fi 156C was essentially a "flexible" version of the A model. A small run of C-0s were followed by the C-1 three-seater liaison version, and the C-2 two-seat observation type (which had a rear-mounted MG 15 machine gun for defense). Both models entered service in 1939. In 1941, both were replaced by the "universal cockpit" C-3, suited to any role. Last of the Cs was the C-5, a C-3 with a belly hardpoint a camera pod or drop tank. Some were fitted with skis, rather than wheels, for operation on snow.

Other versions of the Fi 156 were the C-3/Trop, which was a tropicalised version of the Fi 156C-5, and the Fi 156D which was an air ambulance version. The first two Fi 156D models were the D-0 pre-production aircraft, and the D-1 production aircraft, powered by a an Argus As 10P engine. Ten Fi 156E pre-production aircraft were fitted with tracked landing gear. The Fi 256 was a five-seat civil version, only two were built at the Morane-Saulnier factory at Puteaux in France.

Operational history


Fi 156 in Luftwaffe markings



Fi 156 in flight



The Storch could be found on every front throughout the war. It will probably always be most famous for its role in the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from a boulder-strewn mountain top near Monte Cassino, surrounded by Italian troops. German commando Otto Skorzeny dropped with 90 paratroopers onto the peak and quickly captured it, but the problem remained of how to get back off. A Focke Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter was sent, but it broke down en route. Instead, pilot Walter Gerlach flew in a Storch, landed in 30 m (100 ft), took aboard Mussolini and Skorzeny, and took off again in under 80 m (250 ft), even though the plane was overloaded. The involved Storch rescuing Mussolini bore the radio code letters, or Stammkennzeichen, of "SJ + LL" in motion picture coverage of the daring rescue.

On 26 April 1945 a Storch was one of the last planes to land on the improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten near the Brandenburg Gate during the Battle of Berlin and the death throes of the Third Reich. It was flown by the test pilot Hanna Reitsch, who flew her lover Field Marshall Robert Ritter von Greim from Munich to Berlin to answer a summons from Hitler. Once in Berlin von Greim was informed that he was to take over command of the Luftwaffe from Hermann Goering.

A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was fittingly downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch - a Piper L-4 Grasshopper-from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The involved Storch was the only aircraft known to have been downed by handgun fire in the entire war.

A total of about 2,900 Fi 156s, mostly Cs, were produced from 1937 to 1945. When the main Fieseler plant switched to building Bf 109s in 1943, Storch production was shifted to the Mráz factory in Choceň, Czechoslovakia. A large number were also built at the captured Morane-Saulnier factory in France, starting in April 1942, as the M.S.500 Criquet. Both factories continued to produce the planes after the war for local civilian markets (in Czechoslovakia it was made as K-65 Čáp, 138 were made by 1949).
During the war at least 60 Storchs were captured by the Allies, one becoming the personal aircraft of Field Marshal Montgomery.

Because of its superb STOL characteristics (which would be of obvious great benefit to bush pilots, for example) there have been many attempts to recreate or outright copy the Storch in modern form, namely in the form of various homebuilt aircraft. One of the most successful recent examples of this is the Slepcev Storch designed by Nestor Slepcev. It is a 3/4 scale reproduction of the original with some modification for simplicity. Through the use of modern materials the aircraft features better STOL performance than the original with a take-off run of 30m and landing-roll of 50m with no headwind.

Operators


Spanish Air Force Fi 156 and Argus As 10 engine



Swedish Air Force S14 (Fi 156)

• Bulgaria
• Cambodia (Post war)
• Croatia
• Czechoslovakia (Post war)
• Finland
• France (Post war)
• Germany
• Greece (Post war)
• Hungary
• Italy
• Laos (Post war)
• Norway (Post war)
• Poland (Post war)
• Romania
• Slovakia
• South Vietnam (Post war)
• Soviet Union
• Spanish State
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• Kingdom of Yugoslavia
• Yugoslavia

Specifications (Fi 156)


General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 14.3 m (46 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.1 m (10 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 26 m² (280 ft²)
• Empty weight: 860 kg (1,900 lb)
• Loaded weight: 1,260 kg (2,780 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine, 180 kW (240 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 175 km/h (109 mph) at 300 m (1,000 ft)
• Combat radius: 380 km (210 knots, 240 mi)
• Service ceiling 5,200 m (17,060 ft)
• Rate of climb: 4.8 m/s (945 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 48.5 kg/m² (9.9 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 143 W/kg (0.087 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: MG 15 machine gun

Fieseler Fi 156 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Dewoitine D.520


D.520 n°408 in flight in the 1980s

Type: Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer: SNCAM / SNCASE
Maiden flight: 2 October1938
Introduced: January 1940
Retired: 1953
Primary users: Armée de l'Air
Luftwaffe
Regia Aeronautica
Bulgarian Air Force
Number built: ≈900

The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Air's most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Because of a delayed production cycle, only a small number were available to meet the Luftwaffe.

Design and development
Design of the Dewoitine 520 started in November 1936 at the private design firm led by Emile Dewoitine. Trying to address problems in earlier designs, he created a fighter using only the latest techniques and engines. The new design was to be able to reach 520 km/h and became known as the "520". Only months later the firm was conglomerated into one of a number of design-and-manufacturing pools, in this case SNCAM. Still known as the D.520, work on the design continued at the new company.

The prototype D.520 flew on 2 October 1938, powered by the new 890 hp (660 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y-21 liquid-cooled engine. The plane managed to reach only 480 km/h in flight tests, much slower than expected. Most of the problem seemed to come from greater than expected drag from the underwing radiators, so these were merged into a single radiator under the fuselage. After minor damage in a landing accident, the engine was changed to a newer -29 and included exhaust ejectors for added thrust, along with an adjustable prop. These changes were enough to allow the aircraft to reach its design speed.

The prototype was followed in 1939 with two airframes with a new sliding canopy and a larger tail unit. These were armed with a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller spinner (a feature later found on many German and Russian designs) and two 7.5 mm machine guns in small pods under the wing.

The third also included a small tail-wheel instead of the original skid. Flight tests went fairly well and a contract for 200 production machines to be powered by the newer -31 engine (later replaced by the -45) was issued in March of 1939. A contract for an additional 600 planes was issued in June reduced to 510 in July.

With the outbreak of war, a new contract brought the total to 1280, with the production rate to be 200 machines per month from May 1940. The Aéronautique navale then ordered 120. Another Armée de l'air order in April 1940 brought the total to 2250 and increased quotas to 350 a month.

The first production D.520 flew in November, powered by the 830 hp (620 kW) 12Y-31 and armed with two 7.5 mm machine guns in housings underneath the wings. It had a curved, one-piece windshield and a sliding canopy. The rest of the production machines were delivered with the 930 hp (690 kW) 12Y-45 engine with a new supercharger and a Ratier 3-bladed propeller (a few had the -49 of 910 hp (680 kW)). They were armed with a Hispano-Suiza 404 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub and four MAC 1934 7.5 mm machine guns in the wings. The curved, one-piece windshield from the prototypes was replaced with one containing an optically flat panel.

As the first batch of machines rolled off the production lines, they failed acceptance tests due to insufficient top speed and troublesome cooling. Redesigned compressor intakes, a modified cooling circuit and propulsive exhaust pipes proved to be effective remedies for these shortcomings, but as early examples had to be retrofitted with those improvements, the type was not declared combat-worthy until April.

Operational history


Battle of France

The Groupe de Chasse I/3 was the first unit to get the D.520, receiving its first aircraft in January 1940. These were unarmed and used for pilot training.

In April and May they received 34 production machines, which proved to be very popular with the pilots. In tests against a captured Bf 109E-3 (handicapped by an engine that didn't develop full power), the D.520 proved to be 20 km/h slower, but had better high speed manoeuvrability. The D.520 matched the turning circle of the Bf 109 but displayed nasty departure characteristics, spinning out of the turn repeatedly during the tests while the Bf 109, owing to its slats, could easily sustain the turn on the edge of the stall.

When Germany invaded France and the Low Countries on 10 May, 228 D.520s had been manufactured, but the Armée de l'Air had only accepted 75, as most others had been sent back to the factory to be retrofitted to the new standard. As a result, only GC I/3 was fully equipped with the D.520, with 36 planes. They met the Luftwaffe on 13 May, shooting down three Henschel Hs 126s and one Heinkel He 111 without loss. GC II/3, GC III/3, GC III/6 and GC II/7 later completed their conversion to the D.520 and all took part in the Battle of France. A naval unit, the 1st Flotille de Chasse, was also equipped with the D.520. GC II/6 and GC III/7 converted to the D.520 but too late to see action.

By the time of the armistice at the end of June, 437 D.520s had been built and 351 of these had been delivered. In that time they had 108 confirmed kills and 39 probables, losing 54 to enemy action. As French resistance collapsed in the middle of June, GC I/3, II/3, III/3, III/6 and II/7 flew their aircraft to Algeria so as to avoid being captured. Three more, from GC III/7, escaped to Britain and were delivered to the Free French. 153 machines remained in mainland France.

Under Vichy

In April 1941, the German armistice commission authorized Vichy authorities to resume production of a batch of one thousand military aircraft for their own use, under the condition that two thousand German-designed aircraft would be later be manufactured in France and delivered to Germany. As part of this agreement, 550 examples of the D.520 were ordered so as to replace all other single-seat fighters in service. The plan was to have the D.520 eventually equip a total of 17 Groupes with 442 aircraft, three escadrilles of the Aéronautique navale with 37 aircraft each plus three training units with 13 aircraft. The agreement stated planes of the new batch were to be similar with the ones already in service. From serial number 543 on however, D.520s used the 12Y49 engine that had a slightly higher rated altitude than the 12Y45. But the German armistice commission explicitly prohibited production of the more powerful 12Y51 or 12Z engines.

D.520s of GC III/6, II/3 and naval escadrille 1AC faced the allies during the Syria-Lebanon campaign in 1941, where they claimed 31 kills over British and Australian planes, while losing 11 of their own in air combat and 24 to AA fire, accidents, and attacks on their airfields. However, No. 3 Squadron RAAF — which had just converted to the new P-40 Tomahawk I — claimed five D.520s destroyed, for the loss of one P-40 in air combat.

During Operation Torch, GC III/3 (who was really GC I/3 renamed, as the previous unit with this designation had been disbanded) opposed the Allies over Oran, while Flottile 1F saw some action versus the US Navy over Casablanca. Other D.520-equipped units in North Africa like GC II/7 or GC II/3 were lucky enough not to take part in the fratricidal fighting. Many D.520s were destroyed on the ground by Allied bombing.

Free French Dewoitines

A very small number of D.520s were briefly operated by Free French Forces for training purposes. Additionally to the three examples who had evacuated to Great Britain in June 1940, two were recovered from retreating Vichy forces in Rayak in Lebanon. These D.520 were flown by pilots of the Normandie-Niemen unit before the men were sent to the USSR, where they flew the Yakovlev Yak-1 that had many similarities with the D.520.

With the Allies

In December 1942, as French forces formerly under Vichy had sided with the Allies, there were 153 D.520s left in French hands in North Africa. They flew a few patrols during the Battle of Tunisia, but were considered obsolete, and their radio sets were incompatible with Allied equipment. From early 1943 on, they were relegated to training duties at the fighter school in Meknes, and progressively replaced by Spitfires and P-39s in combat units.

During the liberation of France, a few examples abandoned by the Germans were used by ad hoc units in ground attacks against the isolated German pockets of resistance on the Western coast.

Postwar service

Postwar, those that remained in France were used as trainers. One example was field-modified as a two seater in late 1945. After further experiments, in March 1946, the Armée de l'air required a batch of twenty D.520s to be so converted. However only 13 of these D.520 DC are recorded to have been completed. The last flight of a military D.520 occurred in 1953.

Foreign users

As German forces invaded Vichy's so-called "free zone" in November 1942, they captured 246 D.520s; additionally, a batch of 62 was completed under German occupation[3]. Some were used by the Luftwaffe for training purposes. The Germans also transferred 120 D.520s to Bulgaria and 60 to Italy. A number of them were intended for the Romanian Air Force, but the shipment was lost on the way. One source claims that they arrived and have been used against the Soviets, but says no details of service are known.

Another source claims 150 aircraft were sent to Romania. Yet another source claims the so-called Romanian Dewoitines were in fact in transit to Bulgaria and only flew over Romania in order to get to their final destination.

The latter seems the most reliable explanation viewed against the numbers of Dewoitines actually available.

Operators
Main operators
Bulgaria
France
Germany
Italy

Intended operators
Romania


Survivors
The three remaining D.520s known to exist today are:

Dewoitine D.520 n°603
On display at the Conservatoire de l'air et de l'espace d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux-Mérignac.

Dewoitine D.520 n°655
Under restoration at the Naval Museum in Rochefort.

Dewoitine D.520 n°862
Currently on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace. It has been repainted as n°277 used by GC III/6 in June 1940.

Dewoitine D.520 n°408
Aircraft was restored to flying condition in the 1970s. Painted as n°90 used by the GC I/3 in 1940, it performed at various airshows in Europe, but was destroyed in a fatal crash in 1986.


Specifications (Dewoitine D.520C.1)


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
• Height: 2.57 m (8 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 15.97 m² (172 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,036 kg (4,489 lb)
• Loaded weight: 2,676 kg (5,900 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 2,780 kg (6,129 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 690 kW (930 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 535 km/h (289 knots, 332 mph)
• Range: 1,250 km (675 nm, 777 mi)
• Service ceiling 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 14.3 m/s (2,820 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 167 kg/m² (34.2 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 257 W/kg (0.156 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  • 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon
  • 4× 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns

Dewoitine D.520 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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In honor of JCFalkenberg's "operation zeppelin" posting

Ar 232



Type: Transport
Manufacturer: Arado
Maiden flight: June 1941
Introduction: 1943
Retired: 1945
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Number built~20

The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüssler (German:"Millipede") was the first truly modern transport aircraft, designed and built in small numbers by the German firm Arado during World War II. The design introduced almost all of the features now considered to be "standard" to modern transports, including a low-slung box-like fuselage, rear loading ramp, a high tail for easy access to the hold, and various features for operating from rough fields. Although the Luftwaffe was interested in replacing or supplanting their fleet of outdated Ju 52/3 m transports, they were overloaded with types at the time and did not purchase large numbers of the Ar 232.

Design

The Ar 232 design led from a tender offered by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry, RLM) in late 1939 for a replacement for the Ju 52 transport. Both Arado and Henschel were asked for rear-loading designs powered by two of the 1,193 kW (1,600 hp) BMW 801A/B engine, which was just entering prototype production and not currently used on any frontline designs. The Arado design beat out Henschel's after an examination of the plans, and an order for three prototypes was placed in 1940.

Wilhelm van Nes led the design of the Ar 232. He began at the cargo area, with a bay directly behind the cockpit that extended 6.6 m (21 ft 7¾ in) to the rear, 2.3 m (7 ft 6½ in) wide and 2.0 m (6 ft 6¾ in) high. Typical designs of the era would use a side-mounted door for access, but the Ar 232 used hydraulically powered clamshell-doors on the rear of the bay with a ramp to allow cargo to be rolled into the hold. The tail control surfaces were mounted on the end of a long boom to keep the area behind the doors clear so trucks could drive right up to the ramp. This allowed the Ar 232 to be loaded and unloaded faster than other designs.

For short-field performance, the Ar 232 incorporated Arado's own "travelling flap" design for the entire rear surface of the wing. Even loaded to 16,000 kg (35,273 lb) the plane could take-off in 200 m (656 ft). This distance could be further reduced by using rocket assist (RATO) for take-off, and either parachutes or reverse RATO for landing.

The most noticeable feature of the Ar 232 was the landing gear. Normal operations from prepared runways used tricycle gear, but the struts could "break", or kneel, after landing to place the fuselage closer to the ground and thereby reduce the ramp angle. An additional set of 11 smaller wheels per side supported the aircraft once "broken", or could be used for additional support when landing on soft or rough airfields. The aircraft was intended to be capable of taxiing at low speeds on its small wheels, thus being able to negotiate small obstacles such as ditches up to 1.5 m (5 ft) in width. The appearance of the row of small wheels led to the nickname "millipede". In flight the main legs fully retracted into the engine nacelles, while the support wheels remained extended and the nose wheel only semi-retracted.

Normally operated by a crew of four, the pilot was the only member without two jobs. The navigator operated a MG 131 machine gun in the nose, the radio operator an MG 151 cannon in a rotating turret on the roof, and the loadmaster an MG 131 machine gun firing rearward from the extreme rear of the cargo bay above the cargo doors.

Development

Even before the prototypes were complete in 1941, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 project had moved to the BMW 801A/B engine, and was proving to be a capable design. Production of the BMW 801 was insufficient to supply this new demand, and the Ar 232 was forced to use another engine. Eventually the BMW Bramo 323 from the Junkers Ju 352 was selected instead, as it was already in production and could meet requirements if the Ar 232 really did replace the Ju 52/3m in service. The prototypes were far enough along that switching engines would have seriously delayed the program, so the first two were to be completed as the Ar 232A, and the third and a newly ordered fourth as the Ar 232B. The prototypes (and all production aircraft) used four engines (in place of the two specified in the RLM specification) in order to provide the desired performance.

The first two prototypes, GH+GN and VD+YA, started trials in early 1941. The first flight resulted in the collapse of the nose gear, but the millipede wheels saved the plane from damage. A further ten pre-production machines were built, and were used operationally as the Ar 232A-0 while awaiting production versions. In general the Ar 232 completely outperformed the Ju 52/3 m. It carried roughly double the load over longer distances, operated from shorter runways and rougher fields if need be, and cruised about 70 km/h (44 mph) faster.

The Ar 232B program ran at the same time. With four 895 kW (1,200 hp) Bramo 323, the plane increased in power from 2,386 kW to 3,580 kW (3,200 hp to 4,800 hp), solving the A model's problem of having little excess power in case of engine failure. This change also required the wing to be extended slightly, the span rising just over 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in total. The extra weight of the engines also moved the center of gravity forward, which was offset by extending the cargo area rearward another meter.

Two prototypes were ordered, the V3 and V4, and V3 first flew in May 1942. A further 10 were then ordered as the Ar 232B-0, and were used widely in an operational role. However, this was the only order for the design, as the Luftwaffe gave transport aircraft production a very low priority. Many of those produced were used by Arado to transport aircraft parts among their factories, and did not see front-line service.

Plans were also made to replace the outer wing sections and control surfaces with wooden versions to conserve then-limited supplies of aluminium.

Originally to be known as the Ar 232C, the design dragged on and was later re-named as the Ar 432. Plans were finally put into place to start production in October 1945, but the war ended without even a prototype being produced. Two even larger planned versions, the Ar 532 and the Ar 632, would have almost doubled the wingspan to 60 m (196 ft 10 in) and added another two engines.

Two of the B-0s were captured by the British at the end of the war. After test flights by Eric Brown, who gave the design excellent marks, they were used by the Royal Air Force on flights between England and Germany after the war.



Specifications (Ar 232B)


General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 23.52 m (77 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 33.50 m (109 ft 10¾ in)
• Height: 5.69 m (18 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 142.60 m² (1,535 ft²)
• Empty weight: 12,780 kg (28,175 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,150 kg (46,628 lb)
• Powerplant: 4× BMW Bramo 323 R-2 Fafnir 9-cylinder radial engine, 895 kW (1,200 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 308 km/h at 4,000 m (191 mph at 13,123 ft)
• Cruise speed: 290 km/h at 2,000 m (180 mph at 6,561 ft)
• Range: 1,062 km (660 miles)
• Service ceiling 6,900 m (22,640 ft)

Armament

• 1 x MG 131 machine gun mounted in the nose
• 1 x MG 151 cannon mounted in an EDL 151 dorsal turret
• 1 - 2 x MG 131 machine gun mounted in the rear position
• 8 x MG 34 machine guns mounted in side windows when transporting infantry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_232

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Fairey Swordfish

Type: Torpedo Bomber
Anti-submarine
Manufacturer: Fairey Aviation
Maiden Flight: April 17, 1934
Introduced: 1936
Retired: 21 May 1945
Primary Users: Fleet Air Arm
Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Dutch Naval Aviation Service
Number Built: 2,400

The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the war, notably the destruction of the Regia Marina (the Italian Navy) in the Battle of Taranto and the famous crippling of the Bismarck. It was operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft, however, during its later years it was also used as an anti-submarine and training craft. Designed in the 1930s, the Swordfish remained in frontline service through to the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

Design and development

The Swordfish was based on a Fairey Private Venture (PV) design; a proposed solution to the Air Ministry requirements for a Spotter-Reconnaissance plane - Spotter referring to observing the fall of a warship's gunfire. A subsequent Air Ministry specification S.15/33, added the torpedo bomber role. The "Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance" prototype TSR II (the PV was the TSR I) first flew on April 17, 1934. It was a large biplane with a metal frame covered in fabric, and featured folding wings for carrier use. An order was placed in 1935 and the aircraft entered service in 1936, replacing the Fairey Seal n the torpedo bomber role.
By 1939 the Royal Navy had 13 squadrons equipped with the Swordfish Mark I. There were also three flights of Swordfish equipped with floats, for use off catapult-equipped warships. One such, from HMS Warspite spotted fall of shot (i.e., radioed gunnery corrections back to the ship) during the Second Battle of Narvik and subsequently sank the U-boat U-64.
Swordfish flew from merchant aircraft carriers ("MAC ships"), 20 civilian cargo ships modified to carry three or four aircraft each, on anti-submarine duties with convoys. Three of these ships were Dutch manned, flying Swordfish from 860 (Dutch) Squadron.

Operational history

The primary weapon was the torpedo, but the low speed of the biplane and the need for a long straight approach made it difficult to deliver against well-defended targets. However, Swordfish flying from HMS Illustrious made a very significant strike, on November 11, 1940, against the Italian navy during the Battle of Taranto, Italy, sinking or disabling three Italian battleships and a cruiser. The successful Taranto attack may have given inspiration or confidence to the Japanese who would later attack Pearl Harbor. Swordfish also flew anti-shipping sorties from Malta.
In May 1941 a Swordfish strike from HMS Ark Royal was vital in damaging the German battleship Bismarck, preventing it from escaping back to France. The low speed of the attacking aircraft may have acted in their favour, as the planes were too slow for the fire-control predictors of the German gunners, whose shells exploded so far in front of the aircraft that the threat of shrapnel damage was greatly diminished. The Swordfish also flew sufficiently low that most of the Bismarck's flak was unable to hit them. The Swordfish aircraft scored two hits, one which did little damage but another which disabled the Bismarck's rudder, preventing it from maneuvering and thus sealing its fate. The Bismarck was scuttled less than 13 hours later.
The problems with the aircraft were starkly demonstrated in February 1942 when a strike on German battlecruisers during the Channel Dash resulted in the loss of all attacking aircraft. With the development of new torpedo attack aircraft, the Swordfish was soon redeployed successfully in an anti-submarine role, armed with depth-charges or eight "60 lb" (27 kg) RP-3 rockets and flying from the smaller escort carriers or even Merchant Aircraft Carriers when equipped for rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO). Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operation from the MAC carriers in the often severe mid Atlantic weather. Swordfish-equipped units accounted for 14 U-boats destroyed. The Swordfish was meant to be replaced by the Fairey Albacore, also a biplane, but actually outlived its intended successor. It was, however, succeeded by the Fairey Barracuda monoplane torpedo bomber.
The last of 2,392 Swordfish aircraft was delivered in August 1944; the last operational squadron was disbanded on 21 May 1945, after the fall of Germany; and the last training squadron was disbanded in the summer of 1946.

Origin of the Stringbag nickname

The Swordfish received the Stringbag nickname not because of its construction but because of the seemingly endless variety of stores and equipment that the aircraft was cleared to carry. Crews likened the aircraft to a housewife's string shopping bag which was common at the time and, which due to its having no fixed shape, could adjust to hold any shape or number of packages. Like the shopping bag, the crews thought the Swordfish could carry anything

Variants

Fairey Swordfish in pre-war Fleet Air Arm markings


Swordfish I First production series. Swordfish I Version equipped with floats, for use off catapult-equipped warships. Swordfish II Version with metal lower wings to enable the mounting of rockets, introduced in 1943. Swordfish III Version with added a large centrimetric radar unit, introduced in 1943. Swordfish IV Last serial built version (production ended in 1944) with an enclosed cabin for use by the RCAF Almost 2,400 had been built, 692 by Fairey and 1,699 in Sherburn by the Blackburn Aircraft Company, which were sometimes dubbed the "Blackfish". The most numerous version was the Mark II, of which 1,080 were made.

Operators
Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

Netherlands

• Dutch Naval Aviation Service

United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
• Fleet Air Arm

Specifications (Fairey Swordfish)

General characteristics

• Crew: Three (pilot, observer, and radioman/rear gunner)
• Length: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
• Wingspan: 45 ft 6 in (13.87 m)
• Height: 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
• Wing area: 542 ft² (50.4 m²)
• Empty weight: 4,195 lb (1,900 kg)
• Loaded weight: 7,720 lb (3,500 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Bristol Pegasus IIIM.3 or XXX radial engine, 690 hp (IIIM.3) or 750 hp (XXX) (510 kW / 560 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 138 mph at 5,000 ft (222 km/h at 1,500 m)
• Range: 546 mi combat; 1,025 mi ferry (879 km / 1,650 km)
• Service ceiling:19,250 ft (5,870 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,220 ft/min (6.2 m/s)

Armament

• 1x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in engine cowling
• 1x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis or Vickers machine gun in rear cockpit
• 1x 1,670 lb (760 kg) torpedo or 1,500 lb (700 kg) mine
• 8x 60 lb (27 kg) RP-3 rocket projectiles (Mk.II and later)

Fairey Swordfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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One, I'm amazed at having a biplane in combat throughout the war and two, why didn't the Brits design a more modern torpedo bomber? Were these used in the pacific?

Also, I wonder how the pilots assigned to these biplanes felt compared to being assigned to a monoplane fighter

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Time for something a bit more modern...

Hawker Typhoon

Type: Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer: Hawker Aircraft/Gloster
Designed by: Sydney Camm
Maiden Flight: 24 February 1940
Introduced: 1941
Primary Users: RAF
RCAF
Number built: 3,330

The Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft starting in 1941. Although it was intended to be a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane in the interceptor role, the Typhoon underwent a long gestation period, eventually evolving into one of the Second World War's most successful ground-attack aircraft. In RAF slang, the Typhoon was nicknamed the Tiffy.

Design and development

Even before the new Hurricane was rolling off the production lines in March 1937, Sydney Camm had moved on to designing its future replacement as a private project. This was to be a massive plane designed around the equally massive Napier Sabre engine. The work proved useful when Hawker received specification F.18/37 in January 1938 from the Air Ministry, which asked for a fighter based around either the Napier Sabre or the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. The engines were similar in that they were both 24 cylinder designs that were designed to deliver over 2,000 hp (1.5 MW); the difference between the two being, primarily, in the arrangement of the cylinders — an H-block in the Sabre and an X-block in the Vulture.

RAF Typhoon at RAF Hendon Museum clearly showing the large "chin" radiator beneath the nose



The two resulting models became known as the "R" and "N" (based on the engine manufacturer) and were very similar—the Vulture-powered R plane had a rounder nose profile and a ventral radiator, whereas the Sabre-powered N had a flatter deck and a chin mounted radiator. The basic design of both continued the Hawker tradition of using "older" construction techniques; the front fuselage was welded steel just like the Hurricane, and the design used a massive 40 foot (12 m) wing that was much thicker than those on designs like the Spitfire. Camm did give in to the times for much of the rest of the plane though; it was semi-monocoque from the cockpit rearward, flush riveted, and had wide set gear. Instead of a sliding or lifting canopy the Typhoon was first produced with a side door.

Summary of Technical Changes

As a front line Second World War RAF aircraft the Typhoon was a rarity in that it only appeared as a Mark I. However the Typhoon was modified and updated regularly, so that a 1945 production machine looked quite different to one built in 1942. After D-Day, as Typhoon attrition increased, a number of older aircraft were taken out of storage and overhauled. It was possible to find old R7771, a Typhoon first built in 1942 with "car-door" canopy, unfaired cannon etc. had reappeared in front line service (on 182 Sqn.) in February 1945 with a clear-view "bubble" hood, rocket rails and other late series features.

Unidentified early Typhoon with 45 gallon drop tanks and unfaired cannon; note retractable step (above starboard wheel).


The most important and visible changes are listed:

• From mid to late 1941 the solid metal aft canopy fairing was replaced with a transparent structure. The pilot's head armour plate was modified to a triangular shape; the side cut-outs were fitted with armour-glass. This applied from the 163rd production Typhoon R7803. All earlier aircraft were quickly withdrawn and modified.
• Longer exhaust stubs fitted in November 1941.
• Portside (left) cockpit doors were sealed shut in November 1941. Both modifications were made in an attempt to alleviate the problem of carbon monoxide seepage into the cockpit.
• 12 x .303 Brownings (Typhoon Ia) superseded by 4 x Hispano 20mm cannon (Typhoon IB).
• A steel strap was fitted internally across the rear fuselage transport joint in September 1942. This was a temporary measure, superseded by Mod 286.
• Mod 286; 20 alloy "fishplates" were riveted externally across the rear fuselage transport joint. This was a permanent measure designed to stop in-flight rear fuselage structural failures. From December 1942 through to March 1943 all Typhoons without this modification were taken out of service and modified. Introduced on production line from 820th production aircraft EJ902.

A Charles E Brown photo of EK286 "Fiji V, Morris Headstrom Fiji" a brand new presentation aircraft, at Gloster's Hucclecote airfield, April 1943. The photo gives a clear view of the "car-door" cockpit entry – the rear view mirror under a perspex blister can be seen on the hinged canopy roof.

• Redesigned internal elevator mass balance weight fitted from May 1943 on. This was also designed to alleviate rear fuselage failure due to harmonic vibration failure of the bracket holding the weight assembly.
• Replacement of external mass balance weights on the rudder by an internal mass balance weight on a slightly redesigned rudder. Mid-1942.
• Removable fairings over the cannon barrels were fitted.
• Fitting of bomb racks capable of carrying 500 lb bombs from October 1942. First used by 181 Squadron. By mid-1943, all Typhoons off the production line were capable of carrying bombs.
• Bigger, solid rubber, grooved "anti-shimmy" tail wheel tyres were introduced in March 1943 on all Typhoons from EK238 (1,001st production). The new tyres helped to make heavier, bomb-laden Typhoons more manageable during ground manoeuvres.
• Small extensions on cannon shell case ejector slots. These allowed the casings to clear bombs or drop tanks suspended from the wing racks.
• Reinforced mainwheels. Openings smaller than earlier wheels and flatter, thicker "spokes."
• Bigger brake discs. Originally only on "Bombphoons"; eventually all Typhoons used these brakes.
• Rear view mirror in perspex blister on "car-door" canopy roof. This was not very successful; the mirror was prone to vibration.
• The Camera gun was moved from the leading edge of the outer port wing to the starboard engine bearers, sighting through an opening in the lower engine cowling. The new location was prone to engine vibration but, because the film was still usable, the camera stayed.
• Exhaust fairings were fitted in mid-1943. These were soon discarded when they were found to be of little benefit to aircraft performance, plus they complicated maintenance.
• Aerial mast through the rear canopy structure was replaced by a "whip" aerial on the rear fuselage on late "car-door" Typhoons.
• Wings plumbed and adapted to carry cylindrical 45-gallon drop tanks from early 1943.

Late model Typhoon of 43(RCAF) Squadron. Note the bomb rack under the wing. Rows of 5 gallon jerrycans dominate the foreground

• The "car-door" canopy structure was replaced by a clear, one piece sliding "bubble" canopy from mid-1943. Many Typhoons were retrofitted with the new canopies. The first modified Typhoon R8843 DJ-S was flown by New Zealander Wing Commander Desmond J. Scott, C/O of the Tangmere Wing from September 1943. From November 1943, all production aircraft, starting with JR333 were so fitted. With the new canopy the pilot's head armour was reshaped and the identification light seen behind the aerial mast structure on "car-door" canopy aircraft was removed. In addition two small, rear opening vents were added below the port side radio hatch, just below the canopy. A small round window on the lower, forward, left side cockpit access panel was omitted.
• Tailplane tip to fuselage IFF aerials were replaced by a "bayonet" aerial under the wing's centre section.
• Steel "Mark I" rocket rails introduced: these were first fitted to production aircraft of 181 Sqn. in October 1943. Aluminium "Mark III" rails were used starting in December 1944.
• The transparent landing light covers on the wing leading edges were discarded on all rocket equipped aircraft, and replaced with metal fairings. Eventually all production Typhoons were manufactured without the lights.
• A Rebecca transponder unit was fitted in 1944, with the associated aerial appearing under the centre section.
• A Four-blade propeller unit (de Havilland or Rotol) was introduced from early 1944.
• Larger Tempest tailplanes were fitted from June 1944 on. Originally they were only used on "Bombphoons" which were able to be cleared to carry 1,000 lb bombs. Starting in the MN production series all Typhoons had the larger tail unit.
• After D-Day, once Typhoons started operating from forward landing grounds in Normandy, it was found that the dust clouds which were stirred up by propeller wash contained hard materials which were damaging the Sabre engines. An urgent modification, fitted to all Typhoons within a week, was a mushroom shaped filter which covered the air intake in the centre of the radiator. These "mushroom" filters, which could become red-hot, had a habit of being blown off the air intake at high speed whenever a Sabre engine backfired. They were replaced by drum shaped filters which had "cuckoo clock" doors in front.
• A small, elongated oval static port appeared on the rear starboard fuselage in late 1944. This was apparently used to more accurately measure the aircraft altitude.
• Throughout its service life the Typhoon suffered a high frequency vibration of the airframe while in flight, such that pilots reported that touching the cockpit walls was akin to receiving a mild electric shock. Although not dangerous, it was uncomfortable and a specially sprung seat was designed and fitted. This vibration was alleviated to some extent with the introduction of the four-bladed propeller.

Late production Typhoon of a Canadian squadron. Clear view canopy, grooved "anti-shimmy" tailwheel, four blade propeller, "bayonet" IFF aerial, no landing lights.



One Typhoon, R8694, was used by Napiers for trials with an annular radiator: this aircraft was also fitted with a four-bladed propeller.

Typhoon carrier fighter

In 1941 Hawker tendered the Hawker P.1009 "Fleet Fighter" in response to specification N.11/40 for a carrier based fighter. A new centre section was to be fitted, extending the wingspan to over 45 feet: the wings themselves were to swing and fold parallel to the fuselage with the leading edges pointing upwards. The rear fuselage was to be longer and a vee arrestor hook and associated catapult gear was to be fitted. The design chosen was to eventuate as the Blackburn Firebrand.

Operational service

The R version first flew in October 1939, and the RAF was so impressed they ordered 1,000 as the Tornado. In February 1940, the first N model, now known as the Typhoon, was delivered. The RAF placed a large order for it as well, but moved production to Gloster Aircraft (part of the Hawker Siddeley group), who had no designs to produce at the time. The Typhoon was soon demonstrating problems, including vibrations from the engine causing the wing skinning to peel.
Eventually the RAF postponed production plans on both models in May 1940 so that Hawker could concentrate solely on the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain. This was the design's first brush with cancellation. Some small-scale work continued with changes to streamline the fuselage and incorporating a much thinner wing were looked at, as well as alternate engines in the form of large radials. In October, pressure on the RAF eased and work was allowed to continue on the two original designs.
The Tornado was cancelled in 1941, with no more than four being built. However the Typhoon had "good enough" performance to warrant production. It soon became clear that as a replacement for the Spitfire the Typhoon was a failure. Performance above 20,000 feet deteriorated rapidly and climb rate was disappointing. Manouverability was also considered to be below par. However, at lower altitudes the Typhoon was fast and stable and showed itself to be a good gun platform. Still, the Typhoon faced cancellation until the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 made its debut in late 1941.

EK183 US-A of 56 Sqn. was a "car-door" Typhoon with the perspex blister and mirror, and has the small tyred tailwheel. The black and white underwing stripes were used to identify Typhoons to friendly forces, as were the yellow stripes on the leading edges.



The Spitfire Vs, with which the bulk of Fighter Command squadrons were equipped, were outclassed in combat with the new Luftwaffe fighter and suffering heavy losses, with the result that the Typhoon was rushed into squadron service (with Nos. 56 and 609 Squadrons) in an attempt to counter the Fw 190. Sadly, this decision proved to be a disaster, and several Typhoons were lost to mysterious causes. Once again there was talk of killing the Typhoon.
In-flight tail failure was eventually identified, albeit only because one pilot managed to survive and return to tell his story. The problem was found to be caused by fatigue failure of the elevator mass-balance, allowing elevator-flutter to occur which was at its greatest when pulling out of a dive. Diving out of combat was the favourite escape manoeuvre for the Fw 190, which had a distinct speed advantage over the Spitfire. Against the heavy, fast diving Typhoon this manoeuvre should have proved deadly for the Fw pilots, but flutter problems turned the tables.
As a "temporary" measure, rectangular strengthening "fishplates" were riveted around the fuselage/empennage joint, the site of the failures.

US-A was flown by Squadron Leader T.H.V Pheloung (Oamaru, New Zealand) April 1943. An 18 inch wide yellow recognition stripe is visible on the upper wing.


These fishplates remained a feature on all subsequent Typhoons. Problems with leakage of exhaust fumes into the cockpit and subsequent high carbon monoxide levels also meant Typhoon pilots had to use oxygen from take-off to landing. Vents were later added to the fuselage sides which, added to the new canopy, helped evacuate the fumes, although pilots continued to wear their masks as a precaution through to the end of the war. Cockpit temperatures were very high and eventually an air- ventilation tube was added. The Sabre engine was also a constant source of problems, notably in colder weather where it was very difficult to start. Due to the efforts of operational pilots like S/L Roland Beamont (609 Squadron), the Typhoon continued under development despite these design drawbacks.
During late 1942 and early 1943, the Typhoon Squadrons on the South Coast were finally effective in countering the Luftwaffe's "tip and run" low-level nuisance raids, shooting down a score or more fighter-bomber Fw 190s. The first two Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter-bombers to be destroyed over the British Isles fell to the guns of Typhoons in late 1942, and during a daylight raid by the Luftwaffe on London on 20 January 1943, five Fw 190s were destroyed by Typhoons.
As soon as the aircraft entered service it was immediately apparent the profile of the Typhoon resembled a Fw190 from some angles, and this similarity caused more than one "friendly fire" incident with Allied anti-aircraft units and other fighters. This led to Typhoons being marked up with high visibility black and white stripes under the wings; a precursor of the marking applied to all Allied aircraft on D-Day.
It was not until 1943 that the various problems with the airframe and engine had finally started to be worked out of the system. By this time the need for a pure fighter was no longer important and the design was converted into a fighter-bomber, much like the Hurricane had before it. The powerful engine allowed the plane to carry a massive load of (eventually) up to two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs, equal to the light bombers of only a few years earlier. The bomb-equipped aircraft were nicknamed, "Bombphoons", and entered service with No. 181 Squadron, formed in September 1942.

175 Sqn. EK139 N "Dirty Dora" being rearmed Appledram, late 1943. The White "bombs" were concrete, used for practice.


Armed with four "60 lb" RP-3 rockets under each wing, the Typhoon would however become much more famous — the so-called "Rocketphoons." In October 1943, No. 181 Squadron made the first Typhoon rocket strikes. Although the rocket projectiles were inaccurate and took some considerable skill to aim properly and allow for the drop after firing, the sheer firepower of just one Typhoon was equivalent to a destroyer's broadside. The top speed of the Typhoon was reduced by some 15 mph by the non-jettisionable rocket rails. By the end of 1943, 18 rocket-equipped Typhoon squadrons formed the basis of the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force ground attack arm in Europe.
Inaccuracy notwithstanding, the rockets (backed by the Typhoon's four 20 mm cannon) proved highly effective against many targets, such as unarmoured "soft-skinned" vehicles, road transport, trains and small sea craft. Although great things were expected against the heavily armoured tanks of the Wehrmacht, the rockets needed to hit the thin-walled engine compartment or the tank's tracks to really have any destructive effect. Analysis of destroyed tanks after the Normandy battle showed a "hit-rate" for the air-fired rockets of only 4%.
The Mk IB (by late 1943 modified with a four-blade propeller and teardrop perspex canopy) nevertheless distinguished itself during 1944 and in the Battle of Normandy.
By D-Day, in June 1944, the RAF had 26 operational squadrons of Typhoon IBs. The aircraft proved itself to be the most effective RAF tactical strike aircraft, both on interdiction raids against communications and transport targets deep in North Western Europe prior to the invasion, and in direct support of the Allied ground forces after D-Day.

198 Sqn. Typhoons on airfield B.7 Rucqueville-Martragny, France, in July 1944. MN526 TP-V has the larger Tempest tailplane and a four bladed propeller. A heavy dust cloud has been stirred up by the taxiing aircraft.


A system of close liaison with the ground troops was set up by the RAF and army: RAF radio operators in vehicles equipped with VHF R/T travelled with the troops, often close to the front line. In situations where air support was needed they were able to call up Typhoons operating in a "Cab Rank", which then continuously attacked the targets marked for them (usually smoke shells fired by mortar or artillery) until they were destroyed.
On 7 August, the German counter-attack at Mortain, threatening Patton's breakout from the beachhead, was repulsed by 2nd TAF Typhoons, some 81 vehicles destroyed or damaged. In the Vire area, where the British Army was under attack, Typhoons flew 294 sorties on one day, with 2,088 rockets and 80 tons of bombs dispatched. On 24 October 1944, No. 146 Wing of Typhoons attacked a building in Dordrecht where senior German 15th Army staff were meeting; 17 staff officers and 55 other officers were killed.
For use in the tactical reconnaissance role, the Typhoon FR IB was developed in early 1944. In this version the port inner cannon was removed and three F.24 (one forward facing 14 inch and two vertical five inch) cameras were carried in its place. Later, when it was found that the missing cannon caused a yaw during firing (the recoil of two cannon on the starboard wing wasn't properly balanced by the single cannon to port), the starboard inner cannon was also removed from some aircraft. Because of the inherent airframe vibration the photographs produced were usually sub-standard. After some service with 268 Sqd. from July 1944, the FR IB was phased out in January 1945.
In 1943 one Typhoon was converted as a prototype night fighter, the NF Mk IB. R7881 was fitted with A.I. (Airborne Interception, i.e., radar) equipment, special night-flying cockpit and other modifications. Also in 1943, five Typhoons, R8889, R8891, R8925 and DN323 and EJ906 were modified to "Tropical" standard with the fitting of an air filter in a fairing behind the main radiator housing. R8891, DN323 and EJ906 were trialled in Egypt by 451 Sqn RAAF during 1943.



Armourers loading RP-3 rockets with 60 lb High Explosive heads onto steel Mk. I rails. The large hinged gun-bay doors are open. The weathered Invasion stripes are on upper and lower wing surfaces, indicating this photo was taken some time in June 1944.


On 3 May 1945, the Cap Arcona, the Thielbek and the Deutschland were sunk in four separate attacks by RAF Hawker Typhoon 1Bs of 83 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force: the first by No. 184 Squadron RAF based in Hustedt, the second by No. 198 Squadron RAF based in Plantlünne led by Wing Commander John Robert Baldwin, the third by No. 263 Squadron RAF based in RAF Ahlhorn (Großenkneten) led by Squadron Leader Martin T.S. Rumbold and the fourth by No. 197 Squadron RAF led by Squadron Leader K.J. Harding based in RAF Ahlhorn.
Top scoring fighter ace flying Typhoons was Wing Commander John Robert Baldwin, who claimed 15 aircraft shot down during 1942–44. Some 246 Axis aircraft were claimed by Typhoon pilots during the war.
Production of the Typhoon, almost entirely by Gloster, was 3,330 machines.
Hawker developed an improved version of the Typhoon, the Typhoon II but the differences between it and the Mk I were so great that it was effectively a different plane, the Hawker Tempest.

Captured Typhoons

By 1943, with its change of role to ground attack, the Typhoon was constantly operating over enemy territory: inevitably some flyable examples were to fall into German hands.
The first Typhoon to be flown by the Luftwaffe was EJ956 SA-I of 486(NZ) Sqn. On 23 March 1943 two aircraft flown by F/O Smith and F/S Mawson were on a "Rhubarb" over France. Just as they were crossing the coast at low altitude Mawson's Typhoon was hit by light flak. He managed to belly-land in a field near Cany-Barville but before he could destroy the aircraft it was surrounded by German troops. The Typhoon was repaired and test flown at Rechlin (a German equivalent to RAE Farnborough) and later served as T9+GK with "Zirkus Rosarius". EJ956 overturned and was written off during a forced landing near Meckelfield, 10 August 1944.
On 14 February 1944, another Typhoon was captured and later flown in Zirkus Rosarius. JP548 of 174 Sqn., force landed after engine failure near Marigny, France - the pilot, F/O Proddow evaded capture. This Typhoon crashed at Reinsehlen on 29 July 1944, killing Feldwebel Gold.
A third unidentified Typhoon (possibly an aircraft of 1 Sqn.) was also thought to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.

Flying the Typhoon

In early March 1943 at Tangmere the then new Squadron Leader of 486(NZ) Sqn., Des Scott, flew a Typhoon for the first time:
"At 1600 hours I was back at A Flight and surveying the cockpit of a Typhoon, which was like looking up at a second-story window. The small glasshouse, streamlined into the fuselage and directly behind the large engine of this seven-ton monster, was nine feet above ground. You climbed into it by placing the toes of your shoes into small covered recesses in the metal skin..." "The 24 cylinders of the Napier Sabre engine were forced into life by what was known as a Koffman starter, which was itself motivated by a large shotgun-type cartridge. When fired, the expansion of this charge turned over the huge motor...If the engine did not come to life with the first explosion you could guarantee to have a fire in the large air intake..." "The first thing I noticed was the Typhoon's poor forward visibility. Although my seat was hoisted to its maximum height I had to crab along in zigzag fashion..." "With the control column hard back in my lap I opened the motor to 3,000 rpm to ensure all the plugs were cleaned after the slow revs.[14] The aircraft strained at the leash until I eased back to about quarter boost..." "I let go the brakes and slowly pushed the boost lever until it reached the fully-open position. She bounded forward at a great rate and tried to swing slightly to starboard. This tendency was easily corrected by applying a little left rudder. Then we thundered down the runway as straight as an arrow before rocketing into the sky..." "My Typhoon and I began our airborne association by climbing up to 15,000 ft, where I pulled her up straight onto her tail. After reaching her zenith she spun off quickly, and I was agreeably surprised when she recovered almost as soon as I had applied corrective action. To make sure she was not fooling me I again put her into a spin, and once more she recovered beautifully. We then headed earthwards in a vertical power dive. As the speedo needle was winding up towards the 450 mph mark, I pulled her up into a loop and rolled off the top. We did ever-increasing tight turns until she blacked me out. We slow-rolled and barrel-rolled as I thrashed her about the sky for a full half hour." "She roared, screamed, groaned and whined, but apart from being rather heavy on the controls at high speeds she came through her tests with flying colours...Applying a few degrees of flap we swung on down into the airfield approach, levelled out above the runway and softly eased down on to her two wheels, leaving her tail up until she dropped it of her own accord." "We were soon back in her bay by the dispersal hut, where I turned off the petrol supply cock. After a few moments she ran herself out and with a spit, sob and weary sigh, her great three-bladed propeller came to a stop. So that was it: I was drenched in perspiration and tired out..." Survivors


Hawker Typhoon (replica) at Memorial de la Paix, Caen



Only one complete Hawker Typhoon still survives - MN235 - and it is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London. It was previously on display at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) (Smithsonian Institute) before being presented to the museum in commemoration of the RAF's 50th Anniversary in exchange for a Hawker Hurricane. The Hawker Typhoon replica at the Memorial de la Paix, Caen (France) had been reconstructed from some original components.

Typhoon Memorial Site

On 9 June 1994, in recognition of the aircraft and crew's role in the liberation of Normandy, a Typhoon Memorial at Villers Bocage was dedicated by Major M. Roland Heudier. Also present at the ceremony were General Yves Paul Ezanno DFC and bar and Squadron Leader Denis Sweeting, both former Squadron Leaders of 198 Squadron.

Squadron use

RAF – United Kingdom

• No. 1 Squadron RAF
• No. 3 Squadron RAF
• No. 4 Squadron RAF
• No. 33 Squadron RAF
• No. 54 Squadron RAF
• No. 56 Squadron RAF
• No. 80 Squadron RAF
• No. 137 Squadron RAF
• No. 164 Squadron RAF
• No. 168 Squadron RAF
• No. 174 Squadron RAF
• No. 175 Squadron RAF
• No. 181 Squadron RAF
• No. 182 Squadron RAF
• No. 183 Squadron RAF
• No. 184 Squadron RAF

• No. 186 Squadron RAF
• No. 193 Squadron RAF
• No. 195 Squadron RAF
• No. 197 Squadron RAF
• No. 198 Squadron RAF
• No. 245 Squadron RAF
• No. 247 Squadron RAF
• No. 257 Squadron RAF
• No. 263 Squadron RAF
• No. 266 Squadron RAF
• No. 268 Squadron RAF
• no. 274 Squadron RAF
• No. 609 Squadron RAF

RCAF – Canada

• No. 438 Squadron RCAF
• No. 439 Squadron RCAF
• No. 440 Squadron RCAF

RNZAF – New Zealand

• No. 486 Squadron RNZAF

Specifications (Typhoon Mk Ib)



General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 31 ft 11.5 in (9.73 m)
• Wingspan: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m)
• Wing area: 249 ft² (23.13 m²)
• Empty weight: 9,800 lb (4,445 kg)
• Loaded weight: 11,400 lb (5,170 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 13,980 lb (6,340 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Napier Sabre IIC liquid-cooled H-24, 2,260 hp (1,685 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 405 mph at 18,000 ft (650 km/h at 5,485 m)
• Range: 610 mi (980 km)
• Service ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,630 ft/min (13.4 m/s)
• Wing loading: 45.8 lb/ft² (223.5 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.33 kW/kg)

Armament

• 4x 20 mm Hispano cannons
• 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
• 8x 3 in (75 mm) RP-3 ("60 lb) unguided rockets

Hawker Typhoon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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