Victory Magazine October 27 1942
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Victory magazine documents the war industries and rationing acts. This is from Page 6. See entire article at;
LINKOWI (office of war information) seeks to end alternating extremes of joy and despair over U. S. warplanes In a frank discussion of America's combat aircraft, their strength and weaknesses, the OWI last week warned the public against taking extreme views in evaluating our fighting planes. A great deal of confusion has marked the discussion of our aircraft, said OWI, be- cause "it has not been fully realized that the test of battle is the only valid one for an Army or Navy plane, whatever its type."
Truth is between the two extremes "Failure of the public to appreciate this fact," said OWI, "and the additional one that thare is no all-purpose plane, has bred doubt and discouragement.
From believing their warplanes the best in the world some people have swung to a conviction that British. German, and Japanese planes are superior. Then, their hopes brightened by accounts of American air victories, they have gone back to their original optimism. The
truth lies between the two extremes." Explaining that United States aircraft, previous to the outbreak of the present war, were built primarily to protect our own territories, the 32-page report emphasized the difficulties our fighters en- countered in adapting their ships and tactics to the types of warfare in which they have been forced to engage in all parts of the world.
"Some American warplanes are badly designed or ill-matched against the equipment of the enemy. Some planes now in action have definite deficiencies, even within the purposes for which they were designed, but even such aircraft often have fought admirably, because of their positive virtues and inherent soundness . . ." Among other subjects, the report dis- cusses at length our difficulties with the liquid-cooled engine and our deficiencies in high-altitude fighters. As against these disadvantages, OWI states that the Curtiss P-40, outclassed in the high skies of Europe, is slugging it out on even terms with the Messerschmitt 109 in the in-fighting for Egypt.
The report notes, moreover, that the test of battle has completely disproved the contention of critics that the Flying Fortress was unfit for combat over Europe. "It has shown that the B-17 is capable of high-altitude day bombing of such precision that it astounded Allied observers."
To illustrate the Fortress' toughness, OWI recounts the recent battles in which a flight of them knocked down 10 to 18 Pocke-Wulfs without loss, and a fleet of 115 Fortresses and Liberators destroyed or damaged over 100 of the latest German fighters at a cost of 4 bombers in completing their mission. OWI also put in the record the fact that for months the aerial score in China and the South Pacific has been favorable to our fighter planes, but warns that a new type of enemy plane or a shift in enemy tactics could change this picture. For the benefit of laymen, the OWI lists the principal warcraft now in service, with a brief description of each. They are as follows:
FIGHTERS
Curtis P-40. Single-engine, liquid-cooled. Most discussed of all United States combat aircraft, this fighter has gone through six major type changes (from P-40A to P-40F) .
Types now in wide use are the "E" (Kittyhawk) and "F" (Warhawk). Substantially Improved through each change, it has the vi'tues of heavy hitting power, excellent ar- mor, high diving speed, and leakproof tanks common to all United States aircraft. Against the Japanese Zero it has proved on an average to be superior. But pilots want more altitude.
Bell P-39 (Airacobra) . Single-engine, liquid-cooled. It has approximately the same limitations and the same positive virtues as the P-40. Armed with a cannon as well as machine guns, it Is a powerful ground-strafing craft.
North-American P-51 (Mustang) . Singleengine, liquid-cooled. Newest of the Allison- powered United States pursuits, the P-51 has been quietly developed. It did not come prominently into public notice until the British used it in the Dieppe raid. It is one of the fastest fighters in the world.
Changes promise sensational improvement in altitude performance. Lockheed P-38 (Lightning). A two-engine, liquid-cooled pursuit plane, the P-38 has so far had only limited tests of action, notably In the Aleutians. Its performance has been excellent. Turbo-supercharged, It has excel- lent high altitude performance. At Its best altitude it is one of the world's fastest fighting aircraft.
Republic P-47 (Thunderbolt). Powered by one of the largest United States air-cooled engines, the P-47 has been thoroughly tested. Is in service and in production. It is turbosupercharged,- heavily armed, and has a greater speed than the P-38 at extreme altitudes.
Grumman F-4-F (Wildcat) . This is the Navy's standard fighter and is unquestionably the best carrier fighter now in battle service. Powered with an air-cooled engine, with twospeed supercharger, it has shown altitude per- formance that comes close to the Zero.
HEAVY BOMBERS
Boeing B-17 (Flying Fortress). A tried and thoroughly tested model with an unequalled combat record (four engines, air- cooled turbo-supercharged), the B-17 is essentially a high-altitude, long-range bomber designed for precision destruction of restricted targets at great ranges. It is one of the most heavily armed bombers In the world. It has indicated by Its work In the Pacific and over Europe that it can carry out high-altitude day-bombing missions under the protection of its own guns and without fighter escort.
Consolidated B-24 (Liberator) . A four- motored, air-cooled bomber, turbo-supercharged, the B-24 is capable of operation at high altitudes and over great ranges for high accuracy bombing missions. It has shown itself a topflight performer over the Pacific, in NortlVern Africa, Europe, and the Aleutians.
MEDIUM AND LIGHT BOMBERS
North American B-25 (Mitchell) . A battle- tested two-engine air-cooled aircraft-of speed, long range and good load carrying characteristics, unequaled by any enemy craft In the same class. This craft was used in the raid on Tokyo.
Martin B-26 (Martian). Two engines, air- cooled. No nation but the United States, so far as is known, has so efScient plane In its class.
Douglas A-20 (Boston or Havoc) . A light, two-engine, air-cooled bomber used by the British in the European and Egyptian theatre. One of the best of its class. Douglas SBD (Dauntless). (Army Counterpart A-24.) The Navy's carrier-based standard dive bomber (single-engine, air- cooled); this craft Is the best in the world in its category.
As a land-based plane it may find its equal or superior in the German's latest.
Douglas TBD (Devastator). Single-engine, air-cooled aircraft, has given good service, but is being replaced by the: Grumman TBF (Avenger). A bigger, more powerful, and in all respects more advanced airplane, the TBF is the best carrier-based torpedo plane so far seen in action in this war.
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I have a box of Life magazines from WWII that I retrieved from my dad’s collection last week. Looking forward to digging through them, hoping I can find one of the gorgeous Willys ads to frame.
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@racinbob said in Victory Magazine October 27 1942:
Boeing B-17 (Flying Fortress). A tried and thoroughly tested model with an unequalled combat record (four engines, air- cooled turbo-supercharged), the B-17 is essentially a high-altitude, long-range bomber designed for precision destruction of restricted targets at great ranges. It is one of the most heavily armed bombers In the world. It has indicated by Its work In the Pacific and over Europe that it can carry out high-altitude day-bombing missions under the protection of its own guns and without fighter escort.
This is a pretty rosy projection in 1942. When the early Forts went into battle in 1943, it was a much different picture. In the second raid on Schweinfurt in October 1943, a so-called panacea target, the Americans lost 60 bombers and 650 men, 22% of the crews, in a single mission. Of course, things improved somewhat with the arrival of the P-47, and significantly with the arrival of the P-51, along with upgrades to the Fort, but that first year of operations was hell, and all the glowing press about the invincibility of the B-17 was so much propaganda for the home front.
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@racinbob said in Victory Magazine October 27 1942:
As against these disadvantages, OWI states that the Curtiss P-40, outclassed in the high skies of Europe, is slugging it out on even terms with the Messerschmitt 109 in the in-fighting for Egypt.
The trick to defeating the Germans is to make them use a Mercedes-Benz engine in the desert far from any service center.
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@ttyymmnn Yep I noticed that too. Granted war requires losses. And the families at home will not be happy if they hear our brewster buffalos are crap.... So you fight with what you have and say everything is fine and getting better. Which it was....
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@forsweden The limitation of the P-40 was no supercharger or turbocharger for the Allison engine. It's fine down low, not so good upstairs.
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@racinbob said in Victory Magazine October 27 1942:
So you fight with what you have and say everything is fine and getting better. Which it was....
We tend to think of our greatest fighters, such as the P-51 and F6F, as products of what we learned in the early stages of the war. But the Mustang first flew in October 1940, and the Hellcat had its maiden flight in June 1942, though work on the fighter had begun five months before Pearl Harbor. The P-38 dates back to 1939. While these aircraft were certainly improved by wartime experience, perhaps none more so than the B-17, they were already in the pipeline.
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Well for the Mustang true, the airframe was in the pipeline but the engine did a ton of improvements between 1940 and 1945. Although, the engineers would say the endgame engine performance increases were always in the plans too.
Germany and Japan at wars end had whatever could be patched and flown, by raw pilot trainees, with whatever fuel and ordinance available. They (especially the Germans) had fine, maybe superior aircraft, but their economy and industry were kaput.
Our aircraft were good, but the overriding fact was for both fronts, what won the war was we had more, all new aircraft at war's end flown by well trained experienced pilots. Using as much fuel and ordinance as they could carry. Oh by the way, built in factories and a supply chain that were not bombed day and night.
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@racinbob Your last paragraph is the crux of it. The Arsenal of Democracy FTW.
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@racinbob the factories were safe, though those oceans did cause their own logistical problems. the germans could throw damaged tanks and send them back to factory for repair. whereas the Gemrens and Russians were able to build whatever, the US was limited to 35-39 as that was the max for the vast majority of port cranes.
Also damaged fighters were able to be scavanged for parts, vs a total loss for allied fighters/bombers.
