All the Skyraiders the Air Force got in Vietnam were passed down from the Navy. Marshall would have loved that.the AD1 Skyraider did make into the Air Force though (post war but still....)
All the Skyraiders the Air Force got in Vietnam were passed down from the Navy. Marshall would have loved that.the AD1 Skyraider did make into the Air Force though (post war but still....)
"to the shores of Tripoli." During the First Barbary War, the US invaded with 8 US Marines.
Ah, thanks for reminding me of that 8 Marines 70 Christians and some 300 Muslims/Arabs IIRC
Ahh, eight Marines...the original post said 5 guys...thought they'd invaded somewhere and started a hamburger chain..."to the shores of Tripoli." During the First Barbary War, the US invaded with 8 US Marines.
Hanging drop tanks on the P-47 and P-38 is basically what they did OTL. The Thunderbolt did not arrive in Egland until Jan. 1943 so you could have Republic start increasing the range of the fighter earlier.Several candidates so far:
-Spitfire VIII/IX, but with extra fuel behind the pilot
-early F4U plumbed for drop tanks
-P-38 as per OTL
-Mustang with Merlin XX/45/V-1650-1 and drop tanks
Also Worth considering:
-P-47 with drop tanks under wings
-Mustang X (RR conversion of Mustang I featuring a 2-stage Merlin) + drop tanks (mentioned at Sbiper's timeline)
-Typhoon with extra fuel?
Several candidates so far:
-Spitfire VIII/IX, but with extra fuel behind the pilot
-early F4U plumbed for drop tanks
-P-38 as per OTL
-Mustang with Merlin XX/45/V-1650-1 and drop tanks
Also Worth considering:
-P-47 with drop tanks under wings
-Mustang X (RR conversion of Mustang I featuring a 2-stage Merlin) + drop tanks (mentioned at Sbiper's timeline)
-Typhoon with extra fuel?
The Mosquito was a fine Night-fighter, Reecee/photo platform, and intruder, but it was not, in any way, shape or form, a suitable platform to provide daylight escort. Single seat fighters would have torn it to bits (and did, when it was used in the roles I just mentioned, and caught in daytime). It was an excellent aircraft, but it was not an air superiority fighter.
I want to throw out a wild card:
What about an extended range F6F Hellcat? Hellcats are cheaper to build. It is a NAVY fighter but doesn't have the Marine stigma attached to it as far as Marshall is concerned. Just thinking outside the box.
Thanks for your input. Just wanted to throw in something different. I guess if this was 1942 at the War Department I would have just volunteered myself for duty in the Aluetians!Hellcat won't be dominant in the ETO, IMO.
The Hellcat is too slow for Europe, max speed of 391mph for the -5.
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In a Grumman-wank I asked what aerodynamic improvements would allow a Super-Hellcat to exceed 400 knots?
Keep the original engine, landing gear, 20mm guns, etc., but "tweet" the rest of the airframe to reduce drag.
Tighter engine cowling?
Spinner?
Internal cooling fan (ala. FW-190)?
Malcolm hood?
Semi-bubble canopy (copied from FW-190)?
Move carburetor and oil cooler intakes to wing roots where they blur into fillets?
Laminar wing?
Reduced weight?
Suggestions?