I like both of these proposals.
My only objection is "A-47". Where would they be in the sequence (OTL), A-40? (Okay, fussy.) My only objection is "A-47". Where would they be in the sequence (OTL), A-40? (Okay, fussy.)EverKIng wrote:
In fact a further read of the "Fighting Gliders" book says exactly that. (My initial download had issues so that it was almost too small to read a subsequent download seems to have fixed that)
"After releasing the glider the P-38 would provide it with overhead protection against hostile air attacks." Obviously the P-38 could also strafe if need be but would be unable to carry any significant external stores. Interestingly the actual main thrust of the study seems to have been the ability to transport the gliders to distant theaters if the glider could be made to supply the P-38 with fuel. Shipping gliders by sea took up so much space that actually getting them into action was an issue of logistics to actually effect planned operations. Providing 'power' pods which was extensively experimented with, (and put into operation with the German Me-321 as the Me-323 OTL) by all ended up affecting the gliders payload due to required modifications for the engine mounts and fuel.
Randy
In fact a further read of the "Fighting Gliders" book says exactly that. (My initial download had issues so that it was almost too small to read a subsequent download seems to have fixed that)
"After releasing the glider the P-38 would provide it with overhead protection against hostile air attacks." Obviously the P-38 could also strafe if need be but would be unable to carry any significant external stores. Interestingly the actual main thrust of the study seems to have been the ability to transport the gliders to distant theaters if the glider could be made to supply the P-38 with fuel. Shipping gliders by sea took up so much space that actually getting them into action was an issue of logistics to actually effect planned operations. Providing 'power' pods which was extensively experimented with, (and put into operation with the German Me-321 as the Me-323 OTL) by all ended up affecting the gliders payload due to required modifications for the engine mounts and fuel.
Randy
A-47 was just a quick designation. The AAF went from the A-36 back to the A-26 for the Invader.I like both of these proposals.
All three of those (in fact the entire opening portion of this chapter) were my attempts at capturing a bit of that unique post-Edwardian British voice. It may be more generalized and stereotyped that Warburton's personal voice may have been but I needed to do it just so I could get in the right mind-set--British biases, the view of Americans as uncouth colonials, a love of Empire, an appreciation for the Classics, etc. I do defend the comparison of American vs. British design, though. I love the P-38 and think it is a beauty, but in general American design is simple and practical while British design has a lot more personality. From the Spitfire, to the Jaguar D-and-E-Types, to the Aston-Martin DBs, even the little British Roadsters (MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, ACs, etc), right up to modern times. Of course, like with the Italians, "personality" can easily become a euphemism...
You are probably correct on this. I had to compromise in my description of the altitudes because the best way seems to be from 30,000 + but many of the (scant) references I have read always talk about low-altitude PR work. I figured I'd take an approach that can get pretty good pictures from above with the 24" cameras then drop down (to get through atmospheric haze) for the single 24" camera. Sort of a hybrid way of doing and quite possible something that would not have been done exactly as described. It was more important to me to get the gist of the missions, the technical feel of what the pilot(s) needed to deal with, than the exact details of such a mission.
Well, his camera load on this mission was set for low-obliques and at that low altitude he needed to catch it at a more extreme angle...this seemed the only way.
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I'd say you hit it pretty close.
And I will defend the P-38 from any criticism, however valid the other POV might be.
The Brits having their own good ones (& I don't argue that) doesn't entitle them to be rude.I'll agree with that. And "personality" becomes a very individual thing. Would you pick an E-type over a '69-'83 'vette, frex? A '68 MGB over a '58 'vette? (I don't need an actual answer.British design has a lot more personality. From the Spitfire, to the Jaguar D-and-E-Types, to the Aston-Martin DBs, even the little British Roadsters (MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, ACs, etc), right up to modern times. Of course, like with the Italians, "personality" can easily become a euphemism...
) Given the quirks of British quality control, I'm not sure which I'd chose. (Okay, I know I'd pick the '58... I might even get one in black.) And unlike Ferrari, the Brits don't have Enzo's fallback solution. (When a California customer complained about poor running, the proffered fix was, "Move to Italy." I kid you not.)I was more wondering if you knew something I didn't for this mission, or this period.
Oh, I completely agree, it was a really good idea, given the equipment. I'm not at all sure I'd have thought of it.
Well, you're gonna' get one (two, really)...E-Type over C2 and C1 over MG. Now, if you made me pick between an A/C Ace and a C1 Vette there would be a lot of hemming hawing. The C2 (especially in split window form) would trump most other vehicles, it just so happens that for me the E-Type is on of the few it doesn't.Would you pick an E-type over a '69-'83 'vette, frex? A '68 MGB over a '58 'vette? (I don't need an actual answer.
You know, thinking about it, in some ways you could argue the OTL P-38 was sort of British in execution if not design approach--a good looker, sufficient performance (if not the greatest), and oozing 'personality.'
Next update 50% complete. Expected within the next few days. Working title, "The New Angel."
I'd take the '58-'61 over the rest (C1 covers too much ground; that's also the boring, awful '53s & '54s), the '63 split over the MG, the Ace & MG rough tie, & the E-type over the '70s 'vette (but if I drove it every day, the '75 'vette; rust & cold starting are a big issue). Would the E-type beat the split? On a good day, with the V12 & in metallic gold.
(Twiggy not included.)I won't argue that.You know, thinking about it, in some ways you could argue the OTL P-38 was sort of British in execution if not design approach--a good looker, sufficient performance (if not the greatest), and oozing 'personality.'
Errolwi
Monthly Donor
You know, thinking about it, in some ways you could argue the OTL P-38 was sort of British in execution if not design approach--a good looker, sufficient performance (if not the greatest), and oozing 'personality.'
Next update 50% complete. Expected within the next few days. Working title, "The New Angel."
You forgot 'fussy controls' - although this has been addressed ITTL!
You know, thinking about it, in some ways you could argue the OTL P-38 was sort of British in execution if not design approach--a good looker, sufficient performance (if not the greatest), and oozing 'personality.'
I could see how that impression could be given because of all those nice curvy wingtips and tail sections similar to the fine curving lines of the Spitfire and Mosquito. But the Lightning included a heavy helping of American brashness. "Imagine putting turbochargers in a fighter. It's barking mad I tell you!"
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For those who have not heard, Just Leo is sadly no longer with us: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/sad-news-regarding-long-time-member-just-leo.435474/
He will be sorely missed.
He will be sorely missed.
A sad loss for the forum.For those who have not heard, Just Leo is sadly no longer with us: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/sad-news-regarding-long-time-member-just-leo.435474/
He will be sorely missed.
Out of respect, I have followed suit and removed that line and reference from my response to your post.
I had to divert myself from the prose and work out some updated Flight Operation Instruction Charts for the ATL P-38J (LO, with Electric props) and K (BE, with Aeroprop Unimatics). When I calculated the Cruise table on for the Tests I failed to properly adjust my math for reduced Engine RPMs which is why the number and consumption seemed off. I have slightly more representative numbers that fit better with the narrative as it gives this Plane an improvement over the H instead of just an improvement over the OTL J/L. Looking at the ranges possible per the FOICs for Internal only fuel and 2 x 165 U.S. Gal. tanks I decided not to waste time on the 2 x 300 Gal tank charts and instead created a new one for 2 x 105 Gal. Paper tanks. The only reason I could see use for the 2 x 300 Gal tanks would be long range ferry so it isn't really important for combat planning. With those done, I just need to run a few quick calculations to get a Mission Planning Chart for Combat Radius. Once that is done, I will pick up the second half of the narrative and hope to have it done tonight or tomorrow.
Ch.32 - A New Angel Comes to England (15-18 May 1944)
15 May 1944
HQ, 479th FG, 65th FW, VIII FC, 8 AF
Station 377 (RAF Wattisham), Suffolk, East Anglia, England
It was England.
The 479th had been ordered to trains on April 15th with no word as to where they were heading. After they left the station they were told they were heading to the Camp Kilmer in New Jersey, ruling out deployment to the Pacific, but the personnel were still wondering if they were going to Italy to join the 12th or 15th Air Force, or England to join the 8th or 9th. Some of the more industrious had even formed a pool with England given favorable odds due to the expected invasion of France within weeks.
It was not until May 5th, after two-and-half days already at sea aboard the former passenger liner Argentina that the official word came down that their disembarkation point would be Clyde, Scotland. The Atlantic crossing was tense, as it always is, but more so because Argentina was travelling alone rather than in a convoy. This had become a common practice for fast cruise liners ferrying American personnel to England in preparation for the invasion. There was no time to build and organize slow convoys for mutual protection, the fast liners were better alone where they could make full steam across open waters away from the normal shipping lanes—and therefore away from the most likely hunting grounds of the German U-Boats.
They made Clyde on the 14th and were immediately loaded on to waiting trains to take them to East Anglia. Each man had only his personal baggage and lockers. The Group would have new equipment waiting for them at their station, which they learned was Station 377, formerly known as RAF Wattisham south of Stowmarket in Suffolk. The 479th was officially assigned to the 65th Fighter Wing of the 8th Air Force as the lone P-38 Group in the Wing. Rumor had it that they would be given “hand-me-down” aircraft from the other 8AF P-38 Groups so the maintenance personnel were expecting a busy few weeks to ensure they were all combat ready.
Captain James A. Heidinger stepped off the train and for the third time in just over two years steeled himself for operations from England. The feeling was very different, in no small part because of its familiarity, but also because he saw it all through different eyes than he had that first time in late 1942. Then he was green, his eyes likely showing the same excitement and wonder he saw reflected in the fresh pilots of the 479th around him. Now, he realized he barely registered the alien countryside and ancient villages—even the orange brick and limestone train station with its elaborate façade and octagonal tower failed to impress him as it would have in ’42—instead his focus was entirely on what still needed to be done to get these pilots ready to face the Luftwaffe in the bloody skies 30,000 feet over Europe. His focus was on the reality of the operations that were to come rather than on the curiosity of what air combat would bring.
The Headquarters staff were led to a series of Jeeps—a few of the ranking pilots also climbing on wherever they could fit—while the rest of the pilots and ground personnel were ushered into the backs of waiting Deuce-and-a-Halfs for the trip down the road from Stowmarket Station to Wattisham.
The drive was only a few miles but circuitous in typical English fashion. They drove through another good sized market village before turning off onto narrow country roads, winding through several small hamlets, then turn turning onto an even narrower lane. After passing one final hamlet, really little more than a row of houses along the road, they shortly came to the gates of their new station.
Wattisham was a permanent RAF Air Station so instead of a random collection of steel Quonset-type buildings and temporary barracks or tents the men of the 479th were met with well-built brick and wood huts and a small village of their own laid behind full scale hangars. Just inside the base’s east entry point, where they came in, the trucks turned to stop, line-abreast, on a large open field. Heidinger suspected that the RAF likely used it as a Soccer “pitch” but he was even more certain the Americans would quickly turn it into a proper Football field.
The men all hopped out of their respective rides and the squadrons soon came together in disorganized groups. The “Advance Party,” led by Lt. Col. Woods, were waiting to get everyone organized into rank and file for their arrival instructions and bunk assignments, standing by with clip-boards and pencils to check everyone off. Lt. Col. Riddle shared a few words with Woods as the group organized, then the First Sergeant called everyone to attention.
“Men of the 479th,” Riddle began addressing the Group, “welcome to your new home. This is Wattisham, Air Station three-seven-seven, and we’ll be here for as long as we are needed. I’ll have more to say but for now, get your barracks assignments and get settled in. Officers are to report to Hangar A at Fifteen-hundred hours. Enlisted personnel will meet by Squadron as organized by your C/Os. Dismissed.”
Heidinger moved forward to get his assignment from the orderly but was intercepted by Lt. Col. Woods’s secretary, Sgt. Wynn. “Cap’in Heidinguh, Suh,” he said in his thick Georgia drawl, “ya’ll’r to ‘ccomp’ny me direc’ly to Operations, puh Colonel Woods. Ya’ kin leave yuh bags and effec’s he-ah, we’ll have ‘em delivered to yuh quahtas.”
The Sergeant led Heidinger to a Jeep parked at the northwest corner of the field and from there drove him down the straight avenue toward the large hangars on the east of the airstrip. The four main hangars were large concrete affairs, arrayed in a semi-circle just behind the tower. Sgt. Westin turned behind the hangars to pull up to a two-level U-shaped building directly behind the second most southerly hangar which Heidinger surmised must be the Operations center.
Other Jeeps were already parked in front of the courtyard created by the two projecting wings of the building. He stood up out of the open sided car, thanked Sgt. Wynn, and made his way to the door marked “479 F.G. Operations” in white stenciled paint. Before he reached for the handle his the sound of another Jeep pulling up behind him drew his attention. Turning, he saw Lt. Col. Woods and Lt. Col. Riddle riding together and decided to wait for his superiors instead of going inside.
“Captain Heidinger!” Woods called to him, “hop on, we’re meeting a few others in the hangar.”
“Yes’sir!” He jogged over to the Jeep and swung himself onto the back bed.
Woods drove the Jeep around between the first two hangars, past a parked C-47, and to the front of the buildings. This was Heidinger’s first chance to get a good view of the airfield itself. It was a good sized strip, maybe not enough for heavy bomber operations but plenty for transports and fighters. There was one long strip running from SW to NE and it looked like there may be a shorter strip crossing it south of the tower. The Tower itself was directly in front of the first hanger, a standard square tower so common to the British bases. Between the main hangars and the strip was a long concrete taxi-way and a figure-eight style hardstand. What caught his attention most were the handful of P-38’s parked on the apron, unpainted, un-marred, and new—not the second-hand aircraft he was expecting. He did not have much chance to look at the distant aircraft in detail but from even a quick glance he could see there was something different about them.
Woods pulled around the front of the southernmost hanger, marked in bold letters as “HANGAR A,” and drove directly into the open hangar door and stopped next to the single complete Lighting inside. Once up close, Heidinger immediately noted the differences between this airplane and the P-38s he had previously flown. This one had completely re-contoured prop spinners and engine nacelles with simplified shape to the intercooler inlet. The most striking difference, however, was the fourth wide-bladed propeller projecting from each spinner. He gave a quiet, impressed, whistle.
“Colonel,” Woods addressed Riddle, “after I arrived three weeks ago I heard that several squadrons worth of brand new Bell P-38s were on their way to be distributed to the active Groups in England as replacement aircraft. The older planes they were to replace were slated to come to us. I was able to convince Daws Hill that it would be easier, logistically and operationally, to instead let the 479th have the new airplanes since it would mean we’d only have one type to maintain, Lockheed would be able to concentrate their teams to a single location, and it would let us get operational quicker. The 65th Wing supported me on the assessment and the 66th and 67th reluctantly accepted it was the best way to get us up and running to support them.”
He turned to Heidinger, “Have a look, Captain. You’ll be responsible for getting everyone familiarized with the new airplane so you better get to know her first.”
Heidinger jumped off the back of the Jeep and walked up to the polished aluminum of the un-blemished airplane. Instead of going for the nose, he went directly to the new left-side propeller. Apart from being a broad-chord prop and having four blades instead of three he noticed a few additional differences. First was the badge, an arched triangle with a three-blade propeller silhouette and the name “AEROPROP” in bold red letters. The next was the proportion of the blade.
“Are these longer than the old props?”
“Yup.” An informal but familiar voice answered from behind the wing. Heidinger leaned around the nacelle to peek at the man now ducking under the wing. It was Tony LeVier.
“Two-inches longer,” he finished as he stepped up to Heidinger and extended his hand. “Good to see you, Jim. Let me show you around.”
LeVier walked Heidinger around the entire airplane, explaining the differences, new systems, and describing the engines. The engines—and their propellers—were the biggest single change but Tony also pointed a few differences in the control surfaces.
“Look here,” he pointed under the wing along the main spar outboard of the nacelle, “remember I told you about the Dive Recovery Flaps that were being installed on the newer H-models before shipping out? Well, these planes have them installed from the factory. They are good for another twenty-five or thirty miles-per-hour Indicated in a dive.”
He went on to explain that this airplane is technically a P-38K-1-BE, manufactured by Bell at their Niagara plant. It is nearly identical to what will be coming from Lockheed as the P-38J-1-LO. The change in designation had become standard Air Corps practice for several of their other types, such as the P-47 and P-51, with the different series being essentially identical except for their place of origin. In the case of the P-38J/K there was one other significant difference. “The propellers. The Bell Lightnings use these Aeroproducts ‘Unimatic’ propellers. It is a hydraulically operated constant-speed, full-feathering propeller. Unlike Hamilton-Standard’s ‘Hydromatic’ these props each have their own oil systems so they can be operated even without engine power. The Lockheed planes will have Curtiss-Electric props of a similar design but using their normal electric operation.”
Working further out on the wing LeVier pointed out another difference, “Here, a re-enforced outer-wing hard point. It can carry about 300 pounds of additional ordnance.” Heidinger also noted that the airplane had the leading edge landing light of the later H-Models instead of the retractable light from the earlier planes. “Come on, let’s see inside.”
After stepping under the wingtip and ducking under the boom aft of the main gear, Heidinger stood up to look at the gondola. Yet another change was immediately apparent, an uninterrupted single-piece sliding bubble canopy instead of the old multi-piece set. Without even acknowledging the change, he climbed onto the wing, walked up to the cockpit and looked inside.
The yoke was gone.
In its place was a single bent stick, like those of other fighter-types. Stepping down into the cockpit and lowering himself on the seat, with the stick between his knees, he was taken by how different the control layouts were. The absence of the large off-set control column to the right allowed a lot more freedom for his right leg, making the cockpit feel more spacious even with the presence of new control boxes on the right bulkhead.
There on the right, was now the oxygen gauge and regular, moved from the center console. In older airplanes it was between his knees, in front of the rudder trim wheel, now it was between the radio controls and the electrical breakers. Right where the flap lever was supposed to be.
Looking to the left for the missing flap lever, Heidinger first noted the conspicuous absence of the Propeller Feathering switches on the Main Switch Box in front of him. This drew his attention farther left where he also saw the empty panel where the propeller circuits used to be and behind the mixture controls a similarly empty panel where the Propeller Selector Switches were—which made sense since this airplane did not use electric propellers. LeVier had said these propellers were full-feathering, so Heidinger looked at the pitch control levers next to the new ergonomically designed throttles and saw the “FEATHER” detent at their rear-most position.
Near the throttles, he found the flap lever mounted to the side of the engine control box where the elevator trim wheel was on old G-Model airplanes. He liked this, as it will allow the pilots to control them without taking their right-hand off the stick.
The flap lever’s better location did not hold his attention long, however, as to the rear of the new throttle controls were two small lock-pins. Printed between them was “U.E.C. INT.LOCK” with each one appropriately labeled “LEFT” and “RIGHT.”
He looked at Tony, who was crouching on the wing to his left having had climbed up after him. “Is this..?”
Tony smiled, “Remember the telegram I sent at Christmas? Well, here it is. ‘Unit Engine Control.’”
Heidinger asked, “And, it works like you told me?”
“Better. We’ve made a few adjustments.”
“Such as?”
“Look at your tachometer.”
The tachometer was on the forward instrument panel, just right of the Manifold Pressure gauge. It was labeled from 0 at the 6:30 position to 45 at the 5:30 position—representing engine revolutions in hundreds—with two needles stacked atop one another, one for each engine. The tachometer he had seen in all previous P-38s had a red line at the 1600 mark and another at the 3000 mark with a green area between 2100 and 2300. These markings represented the normal in-flight limits and the Maximum Continuous range, respectively. This airplane, however, had the maximum RPM red-line at 3200.
“Thirty-two-hundred?”
“That’s right. Thirty-two-hundred, available on Take-Off and the U.E.C. is set to maintain it at a throttle position of about fifty-four inches and beyond. Now, look to the left.”
Heidinger looked to the left of the instrument panel. There, on the upper left-bulkhead just inside the fore-quarter windshield and left of the main panel, was a new gauge installed which resembled a fuel gauge—in fact he noticed it when he first sat down and assumed it was a new fuel gauge for the outer wing tanks—with two semi-circular scales ranging from 0 to 25. The range was wrong for the Wing Tanks though, as they hold 55 gallons in the P-38s he had flown before. That is when he noticed the difference: the center of the gauge was labeled “WATER TANKS.”
Directly behind the gauge, on the bulkhead just left of and above the U.E.C. module, were two switches with a switch bar loosely coupling them. These were labeled “L WATER INJECTION R” with ON and OFF positions. The switch bar would allow them both to be moved from OFF to ON together in a single movement.
“Water Injection?”
Tony LeVier smiled at Heidinger. “Twenty-five gallon water-alcohol tanks. Turn it on, and the U.E.C. engages it beyond sixty-six inches. It gives you twenty-three-hundred horsepower on each engine at twenty-one-thousand, level.”
“Jesus.” Heidinger was astounded at the power. “What’s the top speed?”
“We’ve clocked her at just over four-eighty, True, at Critical Altitude and standard military load.”
“Four-eighty!?” Heidinger was already trying to figure out what the closing rates would be in combat at those speeds and realized that this airplane may have just made his questionable gunnery completely ineffective. He would have to learn new tactics to make use of this. “What about climbing?”
“Without Water, as near as makes no difference to four-thousand a minute at Sea Level, less than six minutes to twenty-thousand, and still climbing two-thousand at thirty.”
“With water injection?”
“Fifty-five-hundred at Sea Level. Twenty-thousand feet in about four minutes. Twenty-seven-hundred at thirty-thousand.”
“Jesus. What’s the ceiling?”
“Dry service ceiling of around forty-four-thousand; water injection adds another fifteen-hundred.”
Between the speeds LeVier was sharing, the climb rates, and the stratospheric ceiling, Heidinger suspected these Lightnings may just be the perfect fighters in the vertical plane. The loss of the yoke did not seem too bad now knowing that turns may be out of envelope. Still, straight lines in combat, no matter how fast, can be too predictable which led him to the question that had been hanging in the back of his mind since he saw the stick. “What about high-speed roll with the stick? It was already almost impossible with both hands turning the wheel.”
“Ah. Yes. That’s another new trick we dreamed up. Look below the Oh-two regulator. See that valve? It is for a new hydraulically boosted aileron system. With that on, this airplane can roll ninety-degrees in as little at half-a-second at four-hundred Indicated and no more than a second longer at one-hundred.”
“The faster we fly, the faster we roll?”
“That’s right.”
“Jesus.” He was running out of expletives. “Jerry is in for a shock.”
Tony LeVier smiled, “You said it.”
18 May 1944
Capt. Heidinger had spent the previous three days “elbows deep” in the new airplane. He had to completely familiarize himself with it and its new systems so that he could get the rest of the Group checked out on it. For the most part it would be easy since they were already checked out on P-38s so there was little that needed to be formally done but he was in agreement with Woods that at the very least the pilots should each go through a new Blindfold check in the cockpit.
In addition to spending every daylight hour he could in the hangar or on the field with the pilots and planes, he was spending his evenings—often late into the night—working with Woods and the rest of the Operations and Logistics groups on compiling usable Tactical Charts for the updated aircraft.
Everything about the range calculations was different on the new airplane. With new engines, spinning faster, fed by a new carburetor, and turning a new propeller through a different gear reduction, nothing transferred from the old operational charts to the new ones. To make matters worse, the new airplane had reduced internal fuel load in order to make room for the water tanks needed for the Water Injection system—a total of 20 gallons less, 10 from each Leading Edge tank. The final load was 400 gallons instead of 420 but 20 gallons in normal Cruise conditions could cover about sixty statute miles in the old airplanes, closer to seventy in the new ones.
The added equipment on the airplane, from the water tanks, water injection system, dive recovery flaps, boosted ailerons, and new engines and propellers also all added to the weight of the aircraft. Weight was the enemy of range and climb so between that and the lower fuel load, Heidinger had expected a slight reduction in range compared to the old H-Models.
What he had not fully accounted for was the increased efficiency of the new engine-propeller combination.
He looked at his work for what must be the fifth time, certain he was making a mistake somewhere. All of the numbers were correct. The fuel levels, the engine settings, cruise speed and endurance adjusted for weight. Fifty gallons allowance for warm-up, take-off, and initial climb. Twenty minutes cruising reserve. Five minutes of combat at Military Power. Cut the result in half so the pilots can get home to Wattisham.
510 Miles of Maximum Combat Radius in low cruise.
That is within spitting distance of Berlin. Tracing the radius on a map of Western Europe he discovered the line was just short of Berlin, ending in the Potsdam area. In southern Germany it was well beyond Schweinfurt, going farther than Nuremburg, and passing a few miles southwest of Augsburg.
Since the Eighth Airforce was no longer tying the fighters to the bombers for escort patrol but instead let the fighters roam out from the bomber stream he no longer had to make adjustments for the up-and-down legs of the escort so the numbers he derived was the maximum combat radius of the new airplane. Without using drop tanks.
A simple adjustment to allow the fighters to fly one-third of the mission in economy cruise and the radius on the map was past Berlin. Following this slightly farther 551 mile radius he noted it passed Munich, covered most of Switzerland, and nearly reached Milan in Italy. In France, it was beyond Lyon and well south of Bordeaux.
Heidinger repeated the process for calculating the Combat Radius if each plane had two 165 Gallon tanks and with the same allowance for reserve and combat, minus an extra ten gallons for initial climb due to the added weight and drag, and he plotted the resulting 1024 miles on the map. The line passed just beyond Vilnius to the east and passed through Belgrade to the south east. From East Anglia to Serbia and back in seven hours on a single load of fuel.
Inspired, he then went through the entire process again on the assumption that Logistics may be able to procure the cheap 105 gallon paper drop tanks that he heard many of the P-47 and P-51 groups were using. Using those tanks would give them an 850 mile combat radius. The circle on the map went as far as Warsaw to the east and covered half of the Italian peninsula to the south.
Finally, he did a quick estimation on the combat radius if they were carrying a full load of internal fuel and two 1000 pound bombs. The adjustments were pretty easy. The 165 gallon drop tanks were rated as 1000 pounds and were only slightly more aerodynamic than the bombs, so all he needed to do was calculate the radius at the engine settings for carrying the tanks and reduce the range for a fuel load 330 gallons less. The result was a 404 mile circle covering Hamburg to the east and Stuttgart to the southeast, and included targets such as Bremen, Hanover, and Frankfurt in addition to the northern half of France, including Lorient and Saint-Nazaire.
In total, the new airplane afforded about a 10-12% increase in maximum combat radius at high altitude over the older H-Model.
He spent the next two hours building tables and charts for different mission profiles. High altitude only, varying mixes of high and low altitude, low altitude only; all with varying fuel and weapons loads. As a final touch, remembering his trip to Schweinfurt the previous October, he doubled the allowance for Combat time at Military Power to ten minutes and added an allowance of five minutes at War Emergency, with half of that under full power with Water-Injection.
In the end, Heidinger ended up looking at his abbreviated Tactical Chart and was pleased with the results:
He then plotted the ranges for High-Low-High mission profiles as they seemed the most useful and likely profile the 479th would be flying as they permitted good range and still allowed time down low for hunting targets of opportunity.
With that finally complete, Heidinger headed to get a few hours shut eye. Tomorrow he would be taking the squadron and flight leaders up in their new airplanes.
HQ, 479th FG, 65th FW, VIII FC, 8 AF
Station 377 (RAF Wattisham), Suffolk, East Anglia, England
It was England.
The 479th had been ordered to trains on April 15th with no word as to where they were heading. After they left the station they were told they were heading to the Camp Kilmer in New Jersey, ruling out deployment to the Pacific, but the personnel were still wondering if they were going to Italy to join the 12th or 15th Air Force, or England to join the 8th or 9th. Some of the more industrious had even formed a pool with England given favorable odds due to the expected invasion of France within weeks.
It was not until May 5th, after two-and-half days already at sea aboard the former passenger liner Argentina that the official word came down that their disembarkation point would be Clyde, Scotland. The Atlantic crossing was tense, as it always is, but more so because Argentina was travelling alone rather than in a convoy. This had become a common practice for fast cruise liners ferrying American personnel to England in preparation for the invasion. There was no time to build and organize slow convoys for mutual protection, the fast liners were better alone where they could make full steam across open waters away from the normal shipping lanes—and therefore away from the most likely hunting grounds of the German U-Boats.
They made Clyde on the 14th and were immediately loaded on to waiting trains to take them to East Anglia. Each man had only his personal baggage and lockers. The Group would have new equipment waiting for them at their station, which they learned was Station 377, formerly known as RAF Wattisham south of Stowmarket in Suffolk. The 479th was officially assigned to the 65th Fighter Wing of the 8th Air Force as the lone P-38 Group in the Wing. Rumor had it that they would be given “hand-me-down” aircraft from the other 8AF P-38 Groups so the maintenance personnel were expecting a busy few weeks to ensure they were all combat ready.
Captain James A. Heidinger stepped off the train and for the third time in just over two years steeled himself for operations from England. The feeling was very different, in no small part because of its familiarity, but also because he saw it all through different eyes than he had that first time in late 1942. Then he was green, his eyes likely showing the same excitement and wonder he saw reflected in the fresh pilots of the 479th around him. Now, he realized he barely registered the alien countryside and ancient villages—even the orange brick and limestone train station with its elaborate façade and octagonal tower failed to impress him as it would have in ’42—instead his focus was entirely on what still needed to be done to get these pilots ready to face the Luftwaffe in the bloody skies 30,000 feet over Europe. His focus was on the reality of the operations that were to come rather than on the curiosity of what air combat would bring.
The Headquarters staff were led to a series of Jeeps—a few of the ranking pilots also climbing on wherever they could fit—while the rest of the pilots and ground personnel were ushered into the backs of waiting Deuce-and-a-Halfs for the trip down the road from Stowmarket Station to Wattisham.
The drive was only a few miles but circuitous in typical English fashion. They drove through another good sized market village before turning off onto narrow country roads, winding through several small hamlets, then turn turning onto an even narrower lane. After passing one final hamlet, really little more than a row of houses along the road, they shortly came to the gates of their new station.
Wattisham was a permanent RAF Air Station so instead of a random collection of steel Quonset-type buildings and temporary barracks or tents the men of the 479th were met with well-built brick and wood huts and a small village of their own laid behind full scale hangars. Just inside the base’s east entry point, where they came in, the trucks turned to stop, line-abreast, on a large open field. Heidinger suspected that the RAF likely used it as a Soccer “pitch” but he was even more certain the Americans would quickly turn it into a proper Football field.
The men all hopped out of their respective rides and the squadrons soon came together in disorganized groups. The “Advance Party,” led by Lt. Col. Woods, were waiting to get everyone organized into rank and file for their arrival instructions and bunk assignments, standing by with clip-boards and pencils to check everyone off. Lt. Col. Riddle shared a few words with Woods as the group organized, then the First Sergeant called everyone to attention.
“Men of the 479th,” Riddle began addressing the Group, “welcome to your new home. This is Wattisham, Air Station three-seven-seven, and we’ll be here for as long as we are needed. I’ll have more to say but for now, get your barracks assignments and get settled in. Officers are to report to Hangar A at Fifteen-hundred hours. Enlisted personnel will meet by Squadron as organized by your C/Os. Dismissed.”
Heidinger moved forward to get his assignment from the orderly but was intercepted by Lt. Col. Woods’s secretary, Sgt. Wynn. “Cap’in Heidinguh, Suh,” he said in his thick Georgia drawl, “ya’ll’r to ‘ccomp’ny me direc’ly to Operations, puh Colonel Woods. Ya’ kin leave yuh bags and effec’s he-ah, we’ll have ‘em delivered to yuh quahtas.”
The Sergeant led Heidinger to a Jeep parked at the northwest corner of the field and from there drove him down the straight avenue toward the large hangars on the east of the airstrip. The four main hangars were large concrete affairs, arrayed in a semi-circle just behind the tower. Sgt. Westin turned behind the hangars to pull up to a two-level U-shaped building directly behind the second most southerly hangar which Heidinger surmised must be the Operations center.
Other Jeeps were already parked in front of the courtyard created by the two projecting wings of the building. He stood up out of the open sided car, thanked Sgt. Wynn, and made his way to the door marked “479 F.G. Operations” in white stenciled paint. Before he reached for the handle his the sound of another Jeep pulling up behind him drew his attention. Turning, he saw Lt. Col. Woods and Lt. Col. Riddle riding together and decided to wait for his superiors instead of going inside.
“Captain Heidinger!” Woods called to him, “hop on, we’re meeting a few others in the hangar.”
“Yes’sir!” He jogged over to the Jeep and swung himself onto the back bed.
Woods drove the Jeep around between the first two hangars, past a parked C-47, and to the front of the buildings. This was Heidinger’s first chance to get a good view of the airfield itself. It was a good sized strip, maybe not enough for heavy bomber operations but plenty for transports and fighters. There was one long strip running from SW to NE and it looked like there may be a shorter strip crossing it south of the tower. The Tower itself was directly in front of the first hanger, a standard square tower so common to the British bases. Between the main hangars and the strip was a long concrete taxi-way and a figure-eight style hardstand. What caught his attention most were the handful of P-38’s parked on the apron, unpainted, un-marred, and new—not the second-hand aircraft he was expecting. He did not have much chance to look at the distant aircraft in detail but from even a quick glance he could see there was something different about them.
Woods pulled around the front of the southernmost hanger, marked in bold letters as “HANGAR A,” and drove directly into the open hangar door and stopped next to the single complete Lighting inside. Once up close, Heidinger immediately noted the differences between this airplane and the P-38s he had previously flown. This one had completely re-contoured prop spinners and engine nacelles with simplified shape to the intercooler inlet. The most striking difference, however, was the fourth wide-bladed propeller projecting from each spinner. He gave a quiet, impressed, whistle.
“Colonel,” Woods addressed Riddle, “after I arrived three weeks ago I heard that several squadrons worth of brand new Bell P-38s were on their way to be distributed to the active Groups in England as replacement aircraft. The older planes they were to replace were slated to come to us. I was able to convince Daws Hill that it would be easier, logistically and operationally, to instead let the 479th have the new airplanes since it would mean we’d only have one type to maintain, Lockheed would be able to concentrate their teams to a single location, and it would let us get operational quicker. The 65th Wing supported me on the assessment and the 66th and 67th reluctantly accepted it was the best way to get us up and running to support them.”
He turned to Heidinger, “Have a look, Captain. You’ll be responsible for getting everyone familiarized with the new airplane so you better get to know her first.”
Heidinger jumped off the back of the Jeep and walked up to the polished aluminum of the un-blemished airplane. Instead of going for the nose, he went directly to the new left-side propeller. Apart from being a broad-chord prop and having four blades instead of three he noticed a few additional differences. First was the badge, an arched triangle with a three-blade propeller silhouette and the name “AEROPROP” in bold red letters. The next was the proportion of the blade.
“Are these longer than the old props?”
“Yup.” An informal but familiar voice answered from behind the wing. Heidinger leaned around the nacelle to peek at the man now ducking under the wing. It was Tony LeVier.
“Two-inches longer,” he finished as he stepped up to Heidinger and extended his hand. “Good to see you, Jim. Let me show you around.”
LeVier walked Heidinger around the entire airplane, explaining the differences, new systems, and describing the engines. The engines—and their propellers—were the biggest single change but Tony also pointed a few differences in the control surfaces.
“Look here,” he pointed under the wing along the main spar outboard of the nacelle, “remember I told you about the Dive Recovery Flaps that were being installed on the newer H-models before shipping out? Well, these planes have them installed from the factory. They are good for another twenty-five or thirty miles-per-hour Indicated in a dive.”
He went on to explain that this airplane is technically a P-38K-1-BE, manufactured by Bell at their Niagara plant. It is nearly identical to what will be coming from Lockheed as the P-38J-1-LO. The change in designation had become standard Air Corps practice for several of their other types, such as the P-47 and P-51, with the different series being essentially identical except for their place of origin. In the case of the P-38J/K there was one other significant difference. “The propellers. The Bell Lightnings use these Aeroproducts ‘Unimatic’ propellers. It is a hydraulically operated constant-speed, full-feathering propeller. Unlike Hamilton-Standard’s ‘Hydromatic’ these props each have their own oil systems so they can be operated even without engine power. The Lockheed planes will have Curtiss-Electric props of a similar design but using their normal electric operation.”
Working further out on the wing LeVier pointed out another difference, “Here, a re-enforced outer-wing hard point. It can carry about 300 pounds of additional ordnance.” Heidinger also noted that the airplane had the leading edge landing light of the later H-Models instead of the retractable light from the earlier planes. “Come on, let’s see inside.”
After stepping under the wingtip and ducking under the boom aft of the main gear, Heidinger stood up to look at the gondola. Yet another change was immediately apparent, an uninterrupted single-piece sliding bubble canopy instead of the old multi-piece set. Without even acknowledging the change, he climbed onto the wing, walked up to the cockpit and looked inside.
The yoke was gone.
In its place was a single bent stick, like those of other fighter-types. Stepping down into the cockpit and lowering himself on the seat, with the stick between his knees, he was taken by how different the control layouts were. The absence of the large off-set control column to the right allowed a lot more freedom for his right leg, making the cockpit feel more spacious even with the presence of new control boxes on the right bulkhead.
There on the right, was now the oxygen gauge and regular, moved from the center console. In older airplanes it was between his knees, in front of the rudder trim wheel, now it was between the radio controls and the electrical breakers. Right where the flap lever was supposed to be.
Looking to the left for the missing flap lever, Heidinger first noted the conspicuous absence of the Propeller Feathering switches on the Main Switch Box in front of him. This drew his attention farther left where he also saw the empty panel where the propeller circuits used to be and behind the mixture controls a similarly empty panel where the Propeller Selector Switches were—which made sense since this airplane did not use electric propellers. LeVier had said these propellers were full-feathering, so Heidinger looked at the pitch control levers next to the new ergonomically designed throttles and saw the “FEATHER” detent at their rear-most position.
Near the throttles, he found the flap lever mounted to the side of the engine control box where the elevator trim wheel was on old G-Model airplanes. He liked this, as it will allow the pilots to control them without taking their right-hand off the stick.
The flap lever’s better location did not hold his attention long, however, as to the rear of the new throttle controls were two small lock-pins. Printed between them was “U.E.C. INT.LOCK” with each one appropriately labeled “LEFT” and “RIGHT.”
He looked at Tony, who was crouching on the wing to his left having had climbed up after him. “Is this..?”
Tony smiled, “Remember the telegram I sent at Christmas? Well, here it is. ‘Unit Engine Control.’”
Heidinger asked, “And, it works like you told me?”
“Better. We’ve made a few adjustments.”
“Such as?”
“Look at your tachometer.”
The tachometer was on the forward instrument panel, just right of the Manifold Pressure gauge. It was labeled from 0 at the 6:30 position to 45 at the 5:30 position—representing engine revolutions in hundreds—with two needles stacked atop one another, one for each engine. The tachometer he had seen in all previous P-38s had a red line at the 1600 mark and another at the 3000 mark with a green area between 2100 and 2300. These markings represented the normal in-flight limits and the Maximum Continuous range, respectively. This airplane, however, had the maximum RPM red-line at 3200.
“Thirty-two-hundred?”
“That’s right. Thirty-two-hundred, available on Take-Off and the U.E.C. is set to maintain it at a throttle position of about fifty-four inches and beyond. Now, look to the left.”
Heidinger looked to the left of the instrument panel. There, on the upper left-bulkhead just inside the fore-quarter windshield and left of the main panel, was a new gauge installed which resembled a fuel gauge—in fact he noticed it when he first sat down and assumed it was a new fuel gauge for the outer wing tanks—with two semi-circular scales ranging from 0 to 25. The range was wrong for the Wing Tanks though, as they hold 55 gallons in the P-38s he had flown before. That is when he noticed the difference: the center of the gauge was labeled “WATER TANKS.”
Directly behind the gauge, on the bulkhead just left of and above the U.E.C. module, were two switches with a switch bar loosely coupling them. These were labeled “L WATER INJECTION R” with ON and OFF positions. The switch bar would allow them both to be moved from OFF to ON together in a single movement.
“Water Injection?”
Tony LeVier smiled at Heidinger. “Twenty-five gallon water-alcohol tanks. Turn it on, and the U.E.C. engages it beyond sixty-six inches. It gives you twenty-three-hundred horsepower on each engine at twenty-one-thousand, level.”
“Jesus.” Heidinger was astounded at the power. “What’s the top speed?”
“We’ve clocked her at just over four-eighty, True, at Critical Altitude and standard military load.”
“Four-eighty!?” Heidinger was already trying to figure out what the closing rates would be in combat at those speeds and realized that this airplane may have just made his questionable gunnery completely ineffective. He would have to learn new tactics to make use of this. “What about climbing?”
“Without Water, as near as makes no difference to four-thousand a minute at Sea Level, less than six minutes to twenty-thousand, and still climbing two-thousand at thirty.”
“With water injection?”
“Fifty-five-hundred at Sea Level. Twenty-thousand feet in about four minutes. Twenty-seven-hundred at thirty-thousand.”
“Jesus. What’s the ceiling?”
“Dry service ceiling of around forty-four-thousand; water injection adds another fifteen-hundred.”
Between the speeds LeVier was sharing, the climb rates, and the stratospheric ceiling, Heidinger suspected these Lightnings may just be the perfect fighters in the vertical plane. The loss of the yoke did not seem too bad now knowing that turns may be out of envelope. Still, straight lines in combat, no matter how fast, can be too predictable which led him to the question that had been hanging in the back of his mind since he saw the stick. “What about high-speed roll with the stick? It was already almost impossible with both hands turning the wheel.”
“Ah. Yes. That’s another new trick we dreamed up. Look below the Oh-two regulator. See that valve? It is for a new hydraulically boosted aileron system. With that on, this airplane can roll ninety-degrees in as little at half-a-second at four-hundred Indicated and no more than a second longer at one-hundred.”
“The faster we fly, the faster we roll?”
“That’s right.”
“Jesus.” He was running out of expletives. “Jerry is in for a shock.”
Tony LeVier smiled, “You said it.”
18 May 1944
Capt. Heidinger had spent the previous three days “elbows deep” in the new airplane. He had to completely familiarize himself with it and its new systems so that he could get the rest of the Group checked out on it. For the most part it would be easy since they were already checked out on P-38s so there was little that needed to be formally done but he was in agreement with Woods that at the very least the pilots should each go through a new Blindfold check in the cockpit.
In addition to spending every daylight hour he could in the hangar or on the field with the pilots and planes, he was spending his evenings—often late into the night—working with Woods and the rest of the Operations and Logistics groups on compiling usable Tactical Charts for the updated aircraft.
Everything about the range calculations was different on the new airplane. With new engines, spinning faster, fed by a new carburetor, and turning a new propeller through a different gear reduction, nothing transferred from the old operational charts to the new ones. To make matters worse, the new airplane had reduced internal fuel load in order to make room for the water tanks needed for the Water Injection system—a total of 20 gallons less, 10 from each Leading Edge tank. The final load was 400 gallons instead of 420 but 20 gallons in normal Cruise conditions could cover about sixty statute miles in the old airplanes, closer to seventy in the new ones.
The added equipment on the airplane, from the water tanks, water injection system, dive recovery flaps, boosted ailerons, and new engines and propellers also all added to the weight of the aircraft. Weight was the enemy of range and climb so between that and the lower fuel load, Heidinger had expected a slight reduction in range compared to the old H-Models.
What he had not fully accounted for was the increased efficiency of the new engine-propeller combination.
He looked at his work for what must be the fifth time, certain he was making a mistake somewhere. All of the numbers were correct. The fuel levels, the engine settings, cruise speed and endurance adjusted for weight. Fifty gallons allowance for warm-up, take-off, and initial climb. Twenty minutes cruising reserve. Five minutes of combat at Military Power. Cut the result in half so the pilots can get home to Wattisham.
510 Miles of Maximum Combat Radius in low cruise.
That is within spitting distance of Berlin. Tracing the radius on a map of Western Europe he discovered the line was just short of Berlin, ending in the Potsdam area. In southern Germany it was well beyond Schweinfurt, going farther than Nuremburg, and passing a few miles southwest of Augsburg.
Since the Eighth Airforce was no longer tying the fighters to the bombers for escort patrol but instead let the fighters roam out from the bomber stream he no longer had to make adjustments for the up-and-down legs of the escort so the numbers he derived was the maximum combat radius of the new airplane. Without using drop tanks.
A simple adjustment to allow the fighters to fly one-third of the mission in economy cruise and the radius on the map was past Berlin. Following this slightly farther 551 mile radius he noted it passed Munich, covered most of Switzerland, and nearly reached Milan in Italy. In France, it was beyond Lyon and well south of Bordeaux.
Heidinger repeated the process for calculating the Combat Radius if each plane had two 165 Gallon tanks and with the same allowance for reserve and combat, minus an extra ten gallons for initial climb due to the added weight and drag, and he plotted the resulting 1024 miles on the map. The line passed just beyond Vilnius to the east and passed through Belgrade to the south east. From East Anglia to Serbia and back in seven hours on a single load of fuel.
Inspired, he then went through the entire process again on the assumption that Logistics may be able to procure the cheap 105 gallon paper drop tanks that he heard many of the P-47 and P-51 groups were using. Using those tanks would give them an 850 mile combat radius. The circle on the map went as far as Warsaw to the east and covered half of the Italian peninsula to the south.
Finally, he did a quick estimation on the combat radius if they were carrying a full load of internal fuel and two 1000 pound bombs. The adjustments were pretty easy. The 165 gallon drop tanks were rated as 1000 pounds and were only slightly more aerodynamic than the bombs, so all he needed to do was calculate the radius at the engine settings for carrying the tanks and reduce the range for a fuel load 330 gallons less. The result was a 404 mile circle covering Hamburg to the east and Stuttgart to the southeast, and included targets such as Bremen, Hanover, and Frankfurt in addition to the northern half of France, including Lorient and Saint-Nazaire.
In total, the new airplane afforded about a 10-12% increase in maximum combat radius at high altitude over the older H-Model.
He spent the next two hours building tables and charts for different mission profiles. High altitude only, varying mixes of high and low altitude, low altitude only; all with varying fuel and weapons loads. As a final touch, remembering his trip to Schweinfurt the previous October, he doubled the allowance for Combat time at Military Power to ten minutes and added an allowance of five minutes at War Emergency, with half of that under full power with Water-Injection.
In the end, Heidinger ended up looking at his abbreviated Tactical Chart and was pleased with the results:
He then plotted the ranges for High-Low-High mission profiles as they seemed the most useful and likely profile the 479th would be flying as they permitted good range and still allowed time down low for hunting targets of opportunity.
With that finally complete, Heidinger headed to get a few hours shut eye. Tomorrow he would be taking the squadron and flight leaders up in their new airplanes.
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I cut it short.
I was going to start getting into their first flights but decided to hold off for now so that the first time we get a full, in depth, look at the ATL P-38K it will be in Combat conditions. Just wanted to keep the tease going a little longer.
The "Angel" in the title is a little nod to (easter egg for any film afficianados) the wartime PR Film "Angel in Overalls" about the P-38. I linked to it a few months ago, sometime after we were discussing using the P-38 for glider towing since I recall pointing out the film includes footage of it doing just that.
EDIT: Another note, I plotted the all high-altitude profile for internal only with Heidinger's increased Combat time and it brings the line about 30-35 miles past Schweinfurt...so this new airplane could have made Heidinger's (and many others in the 78th) day in October much more comfortable especially if they were still given the small 75 gallon tanks.
I was going to start getting into their first flights but decided to hold off for now so that the first time we get a full, in depth, look at the ATL P-38K it will be in Combat conditions. Just wanted to keep the tease going a little longer.
The "Angel" in the title is a little nod to (easter egg for any film afficianados) the wartime PR Film "Angel in Overalls" about the P-38. I linked to it a few months ago, sometime after we were discussing using the P-38 for glider towing since I recall pointing out the film includes footage of it doing just that.
EDIT: Another note, I plotted the all high-altitude profile for internal only with Heidinger's increased Combat time and it brings the line about 30-35 miles past Schweinfurt...so this new airplane could have made Heidinger's (and many others in the 78th) day in October much more comfortable especially if they were still given the small 75 gallon tanks.
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