What if the development of helicopters was faster and helicopters were introduced in WWII? How would this have affected warfare? How would it affect the geopolitics of the day?
Well, the LW tested the Flettner 265 for endurance against weapons damage. 2 experience fighter pilots gave up after during quarter an hour not having scored one hit.The big problem with helicopter in ww2 is that none of the combatants lack the means to shoot them down. Heavy MG and rapid fire cannon would make like over contested territory very hazardous, and they'd be a great target for fighters.
... why do I start hearing the "Valkyries ride" in my ears ? ......
The French did experiment a lot with arming helicopters and using them for active roles in Vietnam.
The first 'Real' Helicopters was the Sikorsky S-55 of 1950 with a utility to carry 10 troopers, powered by an R-1340 radial.of 600hp for a 2500 pound payload, and the 1952 Piasecki H-21 'Flying Banana' with 20 troops and R-1820 radial of 1400hp for a 6000 pound payloadAnother one is: could piston engines be sufficiently effective for that? Or are we going to look at jet propelled helicopters which will then rule out WWII
The primary advantage of a helicopter is that it's considered a not-aircraft by the peace treaty between the US Army and the US Air Force.