NORTH AMERICAN P51-D MUSTANG

This is the premier fighter aircraft of all time. It was created in a mere 117 days but lived up to every hope that was sought by U.S. fighter pilots who desperately needed an upper hand.

The "D" was preceded by the "B" in action and any "B" shortcomings were addressed in it. A bubble canopy and cut-down rear fuselage vastly improved visibility. Two more .50 caliber machine guns were added for a total of six. With a range of 2,000 miles it could stay with the "big friends" all the way to Berlin and beyond.

The 1,695 h.p. Packard-built Merlin V-12 propelled it to 437 m.p.h. at 25,000 feet. Its ceiling was 41,900 feet and rate of climb of 3,200 feet per minute. With a competent pilot it was able to maneuver with most any German plane though classic dogfights were rare. The Mustang truly owned the air over Germany and many Luftwaffe pilots were very apprehensive of engaging them in a one on one basis.

Once the 4th Fighter Group had Mustangs they matched the best German fighters turn for turn if need be and began running up good scores. American pilots generally used the advantage of altitude with speed and slash techniques to pass through the enemy formation, pick a target and fire on it; try it in sims, it works.

Up to 2,000 lbs of bombs or six 5 inch rockets could be slung beneath the P-51 for ground attack work. When the Mustangs debuted over Europe in 1943 even Herman G"ring conceded that the war was lost. The "Debden Gangsters" of the 4th were a great contributor to his opinions.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109G-6

It's predecessors had been flying since 1936 but the G was the most proliferous model due to its ability to accept infinite modifications. The G-6 was the first model to supplant its two 13mm cowl mounted machine guns and nose mounted 20mm cannon with either a pair of 20mm MG 151s or 30mm Mk 108s! Further tinkering added a 21 cm. rocket tube beneath each wing for still greater potency against Allied bombers.

Field modifications by master armorers led to many varieties from one aircraft. Of course the bolt-ons degraded performance. This author once asked General Galland if his personal aircraft carried the extra 20s when the practice was just starting. He simply snorted, "Hell yes!"

Its 1,475 h.p. Diamler-Benz direct port fuel injected V-12 gave it a top speed of 387 m.p.h. at 22,970 feet. The plane's ceiling was 39,750 feet with a climb rate of nearly 3,300 f.p.m. Range was only 615 miles at best. And with the extra gondola guns, maneuverability suffered.

Favored by the top German aces, the 109G-6 excelled as the workhorse of the Luftwaffe. What ever shortcomings it had, one must remember that Ace of Aces, Erich Hartmann, scored his 352 kills in the venerated 109.

LOCKHEED P-38J LIGHTNING

The Lightning never gained the ascendancy in Europe that it did in the Pacific. The Luftwaffe had plenty of high altitude aircraft that the Japanese did not and this nullified the advantage the P-38 had: swooping down on its prey.

It easily took part in long-range escort missions with its ample 2,260 mile range. In the Mediterranean It was dragged down to low altitude in most fights and never excelled. Two Allison V-12s of 1,425 h.p. gave the "J" a climb rate of some 3,000 f.p.m. while on its way to a 44,000 foot ceiling. At 30,000 feet the Lightning managed its 414 m.p.h. top speed.

The 20mm cannon and four .50's mounted in the nose were easier to hit with compared to wing mounted guns that were most effective at certain convergence ranges. The P-38 could tote ten 5 inch rockets and up to 3,200lbs. of bombs and was successful as a ground attack plane but was phased out of air to air work as P-47s and P-51s became plentiful.

The key to success was the basic energy fighter concept- high speed slash through of the enemy formation. You can see this modeled in most sims artificial intelligence as the American fighters go way, way out to take advantage of the speed, inertia, and distance before they turn to face you with their guns down your throat.

FOCKE-WULF FW 190 A-8

As sister-in-arms to the BF 109, the FW 190's airframes lent themselves to endless modifications and sub-variants. No plane was better armed. The A-8 normally carried four 20mm cannon and two 13mm machine guns, but some had two of the 20mm's replaced by MK. 103 30mm's. This made for a superb bomber attacker, but after maximum speed of 408 m.p.h. was attained at 20,000 feet, performance fell off.

Two 21 centimeter mortor rocket tubes could be attached beneath the wings also. Again, creative armorers attached up to four extra 20mm's under the wings. If you've flown any of the sims with this modification modeled you now have a taste of how severely it degraded performance.

The BMW 14 cylinder radial pumped out 2,100 h.p. with methanol-water injection. It did not have a high ceiling at 37,400 feet. Initial climb rate was 3,450 f.p.m., and in its element as a pure fighter it was splendid. The 190 had a high roll rate, better armament and could take more punishment than the BF 109, but possessed a range of only 500 miles. It was capable of carrying an 1,800 Kg bomb for a short distance and supplanted the effective but slow Ju 87 Stuka as a close support aircraft.

From Captain Brown's tests in 1941:

"The Canadian pilots had to evade the German attacks and break for home as best they could. Three Spitfires made it back to their field at Rochford. Two more force-landed at Manston; one of these was a complete writeoff. The other seven planes came down in the Channel. Only one of their pilots was rescued. The survivors claimed no victories over the Focke-Wulfs.

This battle, which lasted only seven minutes, resulted in eight confirmed JG 26 claims. Hptm. Muencheberg tallied his eightieth and eighty-first victories, while two of his Second Gruppe pilots scored singles. Hptm. Seifert scored his thirty-fifth victory, and three other First Gruppe pilots scored. The cumulative effect of encounters such as these was the demoralization of all levels of Fighter Command, from top to bottom.

The Air Ministry was slow to react, apparently lulled into complacency by its own government's constant claims of aerial success. On 17 July, Sholto Douglas put the matter bluntly in a letter to his superiors:

'We are now in a position of inferiority. . . . There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of my fighter pilots, that the FW 190 is the best all-round fighter in the world today.' SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MK. IX

Most of the genuine innovation in military aircraft construction between the wars came about as a result of unsolicited work in private companies. The legendary Spitfire, developed independently by the Supermarine company, and only later sold to Britain's Air Ministry, is only one example. With its smooth lines, load-bearing metal skin, and heavy eight-machine gun armament, the Spitfire was revolutionary

The Spitfire was a low-wing monoplane that was first flown in 1936 and was first put into service with the Royal Air Force in 1938. It was modified continuously throughout the war to serve in a variety of roles: fighter (with notable success at high altitudes), fighter-bomber, and photo-reconnaissance plane. The version that entered active service in 1938 had a top speed of about 360 miles (580 km) per hour and an armament of eight .303-inch machine guns.

While better than the Mk. V, the IX still was surpassed in most cases by the FW 190. The 1,710-1,720 h.p. Rolls Royce Merlins varied the IXE's maximum speed from 404 m.p.h. at 21,000 feet to 416 m.p.h. at 27,000 feet. The ceiling ranged from 42,500 to a whopping 45,000 feet! The IX was the first to mount two .50's with 250 r.p.g. along with two 20mm Hispano cannon carrying 120 r.p.g.

On internal fuel range was just 434 miles and with maximum external still only 980. Climb rate was a healthy 3,500 f.p.m. When needed, the Spit could carry 1,000 lbs of bombs. The Spit was a fine dogfighter with few vices. When dogfighting the 32 victory ace, Sailor Malan, stated that one must continually turn to best the opponent.

The FW 190 was found to be 25-30 mph faster than the Spitfire Vb at all altitudes up to 25,000 feet. The Air Fighting Development Unit's main recommendation for Fighter Command's Spitfire Vb pilots did nothing to boost their offensive spirit. The Spitfire pilots were instructed to draw the Germans as close to England as possible, and then circle, until the Focke-Wulfs ran low on fuel and were forced to break off combat. The Spitfire IX was only now starting to reach the squadrons.

In July, Hornchurch's No. 64 Squadron was the first to begin op- erations with the new fighter. The Spitfire IX was an even match for the FW 190. The climb rates and top speeds of the two fighters were nearly the same at low and medium altitudes; the two-stage supercharger of the Merlin 61 gave the advantage to the Spitfire at altitudes above 25,000 feet. The usual generality concerning relative maneuverabilities still held--the British fighter was better in turns on the horizontal plane, while the German excelled in zoom climbs and dives, and aileron rolls." From Captain Brown's tests.

No fewer than 20,351 Spitfires, in approximately 40 versions were produced, making the Spitfire the most produced British aircraft of the war.

REPUBLIC P-47D THUNDERBOLT

The "Jug," as it was fondly nicknamed, was large for a single- engined fighter. Sitting behind the imposing 2,300 h.p. Pratt & Whitney 18 cylinder radial, the pilot functioned from the oversized cockpit.

But the 14,000 pound plane was quick with a 426 m.p.h. top end at 30,000 ft. The P-47 had a good roll rate and was maneuverable for its size. Once the paddle blade props were installed, initial climb rate was on the order of 3,120 f.p.m.

The massive firepower of the eight .50's API (armor piercing incendiary) ammo was savored by those who flew the 'Bolt. Once an enemy aircraft was in the P-47's sights it was usually all over as the fifties tore the enemy to shreds. Large drop tanks improved the short internal fuel range of some 600 miles.

Thunderbolts were used increasingly as ground support aircraft as P-51s became available in numbers. 2,000 lbs. of bombs or ten 5 inch rockets could be carried for this purpose. 203 were sent to Russia on Lend-Lease. The Brazilian Air Force and the French even flew against the Luftwaffe from Corsica in 1944 Stories of its ability to take heavy damage and out dive anything in the air are legendary amongst those who knew the Jug. The leading American ace in Europe, Francis Gabreski with 31 kills, flew it.

Click for larger image.

Boelke's Dicta

Oswald Boelke was one of Germany's top pilots The War To End All Wars (aka World War One). He was asked by his superiors to create a document which could aid in the training of new pilots for combat. Here are his dicta, translated into English.

• a) Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.
• b) Always carry through an attack when you have started it.
• c) Fire only at close range and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.
• d) Always keep your eye on your opponent.
• e) In any form of attack, it is important to assail your opponent from behind.
• f) If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught but fly to meet it.
• g) When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of retreat.
• h) Attack on principle in groups of four or six. When the fight breaks up into a series of single combats, take care that several do not go for one opponent.

From "Air Combat", a volume in "The New Face Of War" series by Time-Life Books. The editors had added their own comments to each of these individual dicta which are particularly helpful to understand their fundamental importance in a combat situation (keep in mind that Oswald didn't have to worry about all-aspect missiles at short range, or minimum missile ranges).

MESSERSCHMITT ME 262A-1a SCHWALBE (Swallow)

"It was like angels were pushing," was General Adolph Galland's remark after his first flight in the 262. Indeed the 540 m.p.h. twin jet interceptor ushered in a new era of air combat. Though not powerful by today's standards, the Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets generated 1,980 lb. thrust enabling the bird to climb at 3,937 f.p.m.

But the key element was the four MK 108 30mm cannon in the nose. One hit could bring down an Allied bomber. If that wasn't enough, the 24 R4M rockets salvoed like buckshot from beyond gun range, made it possible to hit multiple targets or cause enough chaos to instigate mid-air collisions.

The crude- by-today's-standards turbines required constant maintenance and pilots fiddled with the throttles to find a setting where the often balky jets worked smoothly. Once set they would leave them alone and fly at that constant velocity, make their runs through the gauntlet of bomber fire, and hopefully survive.

There were 22 jet aces that flew the 262 with units such as Galland's JV 44 in the latter days of the war. Heinz B"r led with 16 kills. The popular myth that if Hitler had not made some of them bombers, things would have been different. Galland states that, save for bomb shackles, all 262's were true fighters. It was just too little too late. Had it debuted a year earlier, in numbers, perhaps daylight bombing would have suffered.

One may not consider these aircraft the as "Magnificent Seven," but their accomplishments did carve out their places in history as combatants over WWII Europe.