I've been trying to figure out a way to prolong the life of the Luftwaffe for at least a few months. Say for some reason North American's design for the Mustang is rejected by the USAAF (call it anything you want - crash of the prototype, for instance). What do we see as escort fighters (even if its a few months later) over Western Europe? My first idea was something like a -47N a few years early but I wondered if there was anything else that's a possibility.
No Mustang - Alternate escorts for the 8th?
- Thread starter joeferrito
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More P-38s with drop tanks in the short term. They didn't handle the high altitude as well as the P-51 but they would provide some form of escort. High altitude engines, better super and turbochargers, etc. for the P-38 might be developed more if it becomes the main escort rather than its fighter-bomber and Pacific theater use IOTL.
Arrow 50
Banned
And making a aircraft out of other aircraft pieces is not a good idea. There's a reason it's in the Worlds Worst Aircraft book along with the Natter
How about this somewhat far-fetched, but plausible idea: the Vought F4U Corsair. The Corsair already had a top speed of 417 mph in the early versions, and by the F4U-4 version had a top speed faster than the P-51B/C models.
Fitted with appropriate drop tanks, the Corsair would have made a decently capable escort fighter operating from England.
Fitted with appropriate drop tanks, the Corsair would have made a decently capable escort fighter operating from England.
Any idea what it's high altitude performance was? The big issue with the P-38s and P-47s IOTL was as much lack of high altitude performance as it was lack of range.
BigWillyG said:
My fave option. Avoid the wreck of the prototype in the transcontinental dash, & you shave a year off the development program. Or prevent the freighter (C-54?) carrying the dive flap conversion kits from getting shot down (delay it a couple of hours? a day?)Not so far-fetched. As I understand it, the F4U actually had better range.SactoMan101 said:
Strip the design of hook & folding wings (as the FG-2?) & ship. No issues of landing gear bounce or bad over-nose visibility...
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Could anything have been done to speed up the development of the Hawker Tempest? I like the Corsair idea though. Here's a thought, probably idiotic, how about a single seat version of the mosquito?
The Corsair had a service ceiling around 36,000 feet for the early models, 41,000 feet for the F4U-4. Fitted with the "paddle blade" propellers similar to what was fitted to P-47's, such a modified F4U would have phenomenal climb performance and would easily outpace even the Fw-190A's at low altitude.
Not going to lie, really digging the idea of olive-drab Corsairs up there with the Forts...
I can just see Spaatz and co. having a coronary at the thought of the AAF using a Navy aircraft... (which would make it all the more delicious).
Funnily enough I was just about to ask about that, since I had vague memories of one of their later aircraft being rather Mustang-esque IIRC. Does anyone know how the two compared aside from their similar physical appearance, form following function after all? Having a quick look at the Genocide seems of been a fairly slow time between the MB 1 and the MB 5, perhaps the need for an escort is seen earlier and the program sped up some.
Be Italian!
Sorry about the title, but that catchy song is now being used in a very interesting underwear add so I felt compeled to use it.
On the LR escort business...
when Italy change sides, it could have given the allies the Piaggio 119, that with a US (or British) engine in place of its Piaggio radial could have been a world beater. It was claimed to be both faster and more manouvrable than the italian 05 series fighters (claimed, don't ask me to prove it) and carried 2,5 times more fuel...
Sorry about the title, but that catchy song is now being used in a very interesting underwear add so I felt compeled to use it.
On the LR escort business...
when Italy change sides, it could have given the allies the Piaggio 119, that with a US (or British) engine in place of its Piaggio radial could have been a world beater. It was claimed to be both faster and more manouvrable than the italian 05 series fighters (claimed, don't ask me to prove it) and carried 2,5 times more fuel...
NothingNow
Banned
Yeah, Corsairs or Hellcats would be the best mostly off the shelf solutions (again paddle-bladed props and better superchargers and turbochargers,) followed by the P-47D Block 25+.
They'd still need drop tanks, but that's not as much of an issue.