TL-191: Featherston's Finest - Uniforms, Weapons, and Vehicles of the CSA and Freedom Party

Hughes H-4 Greyhound
!   Hughes H-4 Greyhound.gif

The H-4* was the intended replacement for the aging Hound-dog but the plane's original performance was really no better or worse than the Hound-Dog, the plane was then re-engine with a British built Rob Roy Marlin engine and the plane performance was greatly enhanced.

The Greyhound had an extra fuel tank behind the pilot thus giving the plane great endurance. Armament was 2x50 Cal MG's above the engine 2x50's in each wing root and 2x50's in an underwing pod on each wing
The Hughes H-4 never fully replaced the Hound-dog as the US bombing campaign seriously reduced the GSA ability to mass produce weapons to counter the very same bombing campaign.

* OTL Bell P-39 Aircobra, the Greyhound is my idea of TL-191's version of the P-51 Mustang.
 
Hello Marlowski, new here. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but sorry to burst your bubble, Fairchild CANNOT be a Confederate company ITTL. ITTL they were headquartered in San Antonio, Texas at the time of their demise, but they had origins in New York, so that's not going to happen. If you'd like, you can repurpose and crosspost this for Yankee Joe.
View attachment 607553
The Fairchild F-39 Bobcat from the 407th Fighter Squadron based out of Northern Arkansas, circa Spring of 1942. The Bobcat was developed by the Fairchild Company as a companion to it's Razorback Heavy Bomber, in which the Bobcat was in fact designed to serve as an escort fighter for the Razorbacks. The type would come armed with 2 20mm cannons and 2 13mm machine-guns in the nose alongside a rear gun position mounting a twin 7.7mm machine-guns, some variant could also carry up to 2,000 lbs of bombs and 10 60mm rockets. The design would prove to a versatile design, in which it served in various roles such as a heavy fighter, night fighter, anti-shipping, anti-submarine warfare, ground-attack, and even as a recon aircraft. A total of 3,185 aircraft would be produced from 1939 until the very end of the war in 1944, and prove to be one of the best heavy fighter designs of the Second Great War.
 
Here's my take on the Mule Dive Bomber, credits to @Uruk for his wonderful base line drawing.
Talbot T-37 Mule.png


A Talbot T-37C Mule Dive Bomber from the 24th Light Bombardment Squadron of the CSAF during Operation Blackbeard. The C models of the Mule dive bomber was differed from both the earlier A and B models was for the fact that it's armament was improved to a twin-mount 7.7mm machine-gun in the rear over the previous single mount, and it can carry up to 1,000 pounds of bombs. Unfortunately, the retractable undercarriage of the C models would prove to be unreliable, especially on rough runways, caused Talbot to switch back to the fixed undercarriage that was found on the earlier models for the later variants.
 
Last edited:
Here's my take on the Mule Dive Bomber, credits to @Uruk for his wonderful base line drawing.
View attachment 615083

A Talbot T-37C Mule Dive Bomber from the 24th Light Bombardment Squadron of the CSAF during Operation Blackbeard. The C models of the Mule dive bomber was differed from both the earlier A and B models and the D models onwards for the fact that it's armament was improved to a twin-mount 7.7mm machine-gun in the rear over the previous single mount, and it can carry up to 1,000 pounds of bombs. Unfortunately, the retractable undercarriage of the C models would prove to be unreliable, especially on rough runways, caused Talbot to switch back to the fixed undercarriage that was found on the earlier models.
I really like that CSAF emblem. :cool:
 
Here's my take on the Mule Dive Bomber, credits to @Uruk for his wonderful base line drawing.
View attachment 615083

A Talbot T-37C Mule Dive Bomber from the 24th Light Bombardment Squadron of the CSAF during Operation Blackbeard. The C models of the Mule dive bomber was differed from both the earlier A and B models and the D models onwards for the fact that it's armament was improved to a twin-mount 7.7mm machine-gun in the rear over the previous single mount, and it can carry up to 1,000 pounds of bombs. Unfortunately, the retractable undercarriage of the C models would prove to be unreliable, especially on rough runways, caused Talbot to switch back to the fixed undercarriage that was found on the earlier models.
Modified corsair?
 
Austin A-37 Falcon.png

An Austin A-37B-2 Falcon Medium Bomber from the 654th Bombardment Squadron during based in Northern Virginia, circa 1942. The A-37 was the Confederate Air Force's standard medium bomber during the Second Great War in which a total of 2,343 airframes would built in it's production run that had lasted from 1937 to 1943. The Mexicans would have a licensed copy of the design which they built between 1943 to 1949 with a total of 114 airframes made. This variant Falcon would be armed with two 13.1mm machine-guns in the dorsal turret as well as a single 7.7mm machine-gun mounted in both the front and lower back sections of the bomber for protection. The payload for this bomber was up to 3,200 lbs of bombs and had an operating range of 1,620 miles.

Credits to @Uruk for the base.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 615886
An Austin A-37B-2 Falcon Medium Bomber from the 654th Bombardment Squadron during based in Northern Virginia, circa 1942. The A-37 was the Confederate Air Force's standard medium bomber during the Second Great War in which a total of 2,343 airframes would built in it's production run that had lasted from 1937 to 1943. The Mexicans would have a licensed copy of the design which they built between 1943 to 1949 with a total of 114 airframes made. This variant Falcon would be armed with two 13.1mm machine-guns in the dorsal turret as well as a single 7.7mm machine-gun mounted in both the front and lower back sections of the bomber for protection. The payload for this bomber was up to 3,200 lbs of bombs and had an operating range of 1,620 miles.

Credits to @Uruk for the base.
Cool plane but the Razorback is the cannon standard medium bomber of the CSAAF.
 
I believe that it wasn't the only one. But it was the only one mentioned in the books
IIRC only four CSA types are mentioned, Alligator, Mule, Razorback and Hounddog but it would be very odd if they succeded to limit the production to just those even more so as the whole Freedom thing is based on Germany and probably had the same turf wars
 
IIRC only four CSA types are mentioned, Alligator, Mule, Razorback and Hounddog but it would be very odd if they succeded to limit the production to just those even more so as the whole Freedom thing is based on Germany and probably had the same turf wars
While I agree with your assessment of the parallels. The CSA doesn't have as large of an industrial base as Germany even with it as expanded as it is. So streamlined production is possible. So there might be a second line fighter and bomber models. But I doubt its many more than two models.
 
H-40 Greyhound.png

A Hughes H-40A-1 Greyhound from the 203rd Bombardment Squadron during Operation Blackbeard, circa 1941.

The Hughes H-40 Greyhound's story goes back to 1935 when Howard Hughes began designing a medium bomber to compete with the Austin's design. His design would be heavily inspired by the German Dornier Do-17, in essence, his design would be a Confederate take on the Schnellbomber Concept, by 1938 the first prototype would be ready for testing and by early 1941 would enter service. At this point, the Greyhound would be the fastest bomber in the inventory of the Confederate Air Force with a speed around 318 mph, though it came at the expense of bomb load (with 1,000 lbs limit), armament (only two 7.7mm MGs in the dorsal turret), and even protection (with very little armor and no self-sealing fuel tanks.) All these flaws would end up killing the Greyhound's reputation, in which the type would be referred to by Confederate pilots as the "Flying Cigar" while the Yankees referred to them as "Featherston's Fireballs." During the first air raids on Detroit conducted with these bombers, many of them would be shot down in a ball of flames. By the end of 1941, the Greyhound would be withdrawn to second line roles such as glider and target towing, and by the end of it's production run in May of 1942, a total of 672 aircraft would be manufactured.
 
Last edited:
View attachment 617758
A Hughes H-40A-1 Greyhound from the 203rd Bombardment Squadron during Operation Blackbeard, circa 1941.

The Hughes H-40 Greyhound's story goes back to 1935 when Howard Hughes began designing a medium bomber to compete with the Austin's design. His design would be heavily inspired by the German Dornier Do-17, in essence, his design would be a Confederate take on the Schnellbomber Concept, by 1938 the first prototype would be ready for testing and by early 1941 would enter service. At this point, the Greyhound would be the fastest bomber in the inventory of the Confederate Air Force with a speed around 318 mph, though it came at the expense of bomb load (with 1,000 lbs limit), armament (only two 7.7mm MGs in the dorsal turret), and even protection (with very little armor and no self-sealing fuel tanks.) All these flaws would end up killing the Greyhound's reputation, in which the type would be referred to by pilots as the "Flying Cigar." During the first air raids on Detroit conducted with these bombers, many of them would be shot down in a ball of flames. By the end of 1941, the Greyhound would be withdrawn to second line roles such as glider and target towing, and by the end of it's production run in May of 1942, a total of 672 aircraft would be manufactured.
Lol, you know I named my most recent CS fighter I posted here "Greyhound" as well? Pretty popular name huh?
 
Lol, you know I named my most recent CS fighter I posted here "Greyhound" as well? Pretty popular name huh?
Yes I know, and in my Headcanon, Howard Hughes gave that bomber the name Greyhound as reference to that breed being one of the fastest dog breeds in existence.
 
Top