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WWII Aircraft resources
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=24609		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  CyberShadow [ Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:53 pm ]
Post subject:  WWII Aircraft resources
Hi. I am looking for suggestions on Second World War aircraft - fighters, bombers and everything in between, across all nationalities, preferrably pre-jet.

Ideally, a nice reference book with stats, pictures, performance notes, etc would be great.
However, with book shelves also under pressure, good web sites with the above, along with action reports, and other first hand information would be excellent.

Can anyone recommend anything along these lines?
Thanks.
Author:  Ginger [ Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Try searching for "Jane's fighting aircraft of WWII" which is apparently available as an online download.
Author:  CyberShadow [ Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Thanks. I will check that out (and it did cross my mind). That should cover the broad stats, but I would also be looking for a bit of first hand opinion and colour text. You know the kind of stuff 'the aircraft was notoriously poor in a steep dive and so....'.
Author:  Brother_Tycho [ Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Hey CS, you might want to try the Osprey Dual series - it compares the stats and
performances of planes, tanks and ships throughout history, to see which
one might've been superior than the other. I own several of these
series, and while some are better than others (depending on the author),
the range is expanding and they're worth a look, as they do provide a
good insight into the machines, crews and circumstances in which they
were use. What's more, if space is an issue, I think these can be
purchased as PDFs/e-versions, so it might be worth your while to check
them out:

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/duel/

Hope that helps! ;D
Author:  CyberShadow [ Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Oh, good call. I have a couple of Osprey books, but generally try to rush past the stand in bookshops before I get too tempted. They are way too easy to 'just pick up one today' and lose track of how many you have. Thanks.
Author:  lylekelm [ Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
I like the Great Book of Fighters by William Green and Gordon Swanborough and the Great Book of Bombers by Jon Lake. They cover more than world war 2 but are worth a look . The fighter book is better than the one on bombers.
Author:  CyberShadow [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Excellent, and noted. Many thanks, I will hunt the fighter book down initially.
Author:  Ginger [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Part of the problem with many / most of the publications etc is that they just provide cold facts. Much depended on subjective perspectives (eg Galand's oft quoted requst that the German high command give him a squadron of Spitfires). In fact the ME109 was equal or superior to the Spitfire in some aspects eg it had ~50 secs firepower to the Spits ~14 sec, and could 'bunt' into a dive while the Spit needed to roll inverted etc.

Another point was the level of experience and small 'tricks' used by the pilot. Bob Doe always flew with a couple of degress trim on his rudder, which then required him to use his left foot to maintain a straight heading. This resulted in the aircraft crabbing though the air slightly - pointing in a slightly different direction to where he was actually going - and put off the enemy pilot's aim. So on several occasions bullets from an unseen enemy passed safely by his fuselage and allowed him to evade.

Equally pilots needed to learn how to get the best out of their aircraft. Almost to a man, US pilots disliked the P47 until they discovered that despite it's poor climb, once at height it could out-dive any other aircraft - adapted their tactics accordingly and turned it into one of the great fighters of WWII. Indeed Eric Hartman's preferred style of flying "See – Decide – Attack – Break" involved diving through an enemy formatioin at speed and then breaking off rather then the traditional kind of circular 'dogfight'.

So given the right sort of information, what are you going to do with it?
Author:  CyberShadow [ Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Ginger wrote:
Almost to a man, US pilots disliked the P47 until they discovered that despite it's poor climb, once at height it could out-dive any other aircraft - adapted their tactics accordingly and turned it into one of the great fighters of WWII. Indeed Eric Hartman's preferred style of flying "See – Decide – Attack – Break" involved diving through an enemy formatioin at speed and then breaking off rather then the traditional kind of circular 'dogfight'.


See, thats exactly the kind of thing that I find interesting! ;D
Author:  Blindhorizon [ Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
CyberShadow wrote:
Ginger wrote:
Almost to a man, US pilots disliked the P47 until they discovered that despite it's poor climb, once at height it could out-dive any other aircraft - adapted their tactics accordingly and turned it into one of the great fighters of WWII. Indeed Eric Hartman's preferred style of flying "See – Decide – Attack – Break" involved diving through an enemy formatioin at speed and then breaking off rather then the traditional kind of circular 'dogfight'.


See, thats exactly the kind of thing that I find interesting! ;D


I find myself very interested as well.
Author:  Ginger [ Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Regarding the use of 'correct tactics', here are several 'snipets'

In WWI, the Bristol F2 was introduced to replace earlier 2 seaters, and arrived on the front at the height of "bloody April" (when the average life expectancy of allied pilots was ~2 weeks). Leefe Robinson (VC) was put in charge of the first squadron of F2's on the assumption that he could provide good leadership and generally raise morale. On the first flight (which he also led), 6x F2a bumped into 5-6 Albatross from Jasta 11 (Richtofen's squadron). The F2a's formed a tight circle, the standard defensive manoeuver of the time - which was not an appropriate tactic for this particular type of aircraft - resulting in 4x F2a shot down (including Leefe Robinson) and one badly damaged for no discernable damage to the enemy.

Consequently the F2 was considered to be a poor replacement and the allies struggled on as before for several months. It was only when aircrew discovered that the F2 was in fact almost as manoeuverable as most fighters that they started to use more aggressive tactics. Often mounting a 2nd Lewis in the rear cockpit, the F2a and then the more famous F2b (nicknamed the Bristol "Fighter") came into its own. Indeed it was so good that the type was then flown into the 1930s.

Or consider the Curtis P-40B flown by the "Flying Tigers" in China against the Japanese. Their leader, Claire Chennault, trained his pilots to use the P-40's particular performance advantages. The P-40 had a higher dive speed than any Japanese fighter aircraft of the early war years, and could be used to exploit so-called "boom-and-zoom" tactics, but could not match the maneuverability of the Japanese fighters in a dogfight.

The reverse is also true, especially where technical inovation was attempted to solve a particular problem.
In WWI before the invention of the interrupter gear, it was recognised that shooting forwards in the direction the aircraft was travelling was much more accurate than shooting sideways. So, to overcome the problem of shooting through the propeller, SPAD decided to to mount the observer in a basket in front of the propeller. The basket was linked to the propeller and held rigid by a light frame and wires attached to the wings. Needless to say, one wrong move by the observer and any poor landings had very dire consequences and the SPAD A2 design was so unpopular that the French aircrews mutinied and refused to fly it. So the French sold the entire lot to the Russians - who were more vigorous in pursuading crews to use it.

And in WWII, there were similar examples like the Bell Aircobra that was designed with an engine mounted in the middle of the fuselage. When it was discovered to be inferior to Axis aircraft, the aircobra was similarly sent to Russia. Or the Boulton Paul Defiant that took the Bristol F2 design to new heights by mounting four guns in a turret on a single engine fighter - but had no forward firing guns. This was turned from a very inferior day figther into a very effective Night fighter that at one point had more kills than any other type.
Author:  Nitpick [ Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WWII Aircraft resources
Those aresome favorite stories above. That is why I am always drawn to pre-paradigmatic designs. So much variety before the ultimate architectural balance destroy all other approaches by making them obviously inferior.
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