U.S. FIGHTERS


The fighter did not hold a high spot within the philosophy of the USAAF during the 30's, taking a back seat to bomber design. It was felt that the technology favored high altitude bombers. However, Rumors of German efforts to revitalize their air force went unheeded until the mid 30s; a decision that would hold serious consequences for, not only fighter design policies, but bomber design as well.

The British discovered the folly of unescorted daylight bombing early in the war. Their bombsights lacked the accuracy to allow bombing from altitudes greater than 20,000 feet with good affect. American planners were allowed the luxury of learning lessons from the British without having to suffer the losses. US bombers were improved by adding a larger array of  self-defense armament. When America finally entered the war it was discovered that even more fire power couldn't keep the German fighters at bay. US losses were high as a result of FLAK and German fighter interdiction. Crews had a 1 in 3 chance of completing their minimum 25 missions, which was unacceptable. The daylight strategic bombing campaign was on verge of collapse; still deep, daylight penetration raids of Germany continued unescorted well into 1943. It was finally realized that a fighter was needed to escort the bombers on their missions.

The fighter pilot's work clothes.

By the end of the 30's the front line fighters of the USAAF were the P-40 "Warhawk" and the P-39 "Airacobra." Both were capable aircraft, but neither was the equal of the most advanced designs of the Japanese or the Germans. Tactics compensated in part, but new designs had to be created to allow US pilots to compete with their enemy counterparts. In 1939 congress agreed to the Army Air Forces budget and allotted $300 million to upgrade the inventory of aircraft and prepare for war. Some advanced designs were in the works as early as 1937, but the first would not be delivered to the AAF until 1939. The first of the new breed of fighter aircraft was the Lockheed P-38, "Lightning". A radical twin engine design that set new speed records. However, its size was a disadvantage during aerial combat maneuvering (ACM). Its endurance made it an ideal escort fighter, but frequent power plant failures at high altitude limited its use. A second design, the Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt" was also delivered to the AAF in late 1939. The Thunderbolt was a rugged design unlike its sleek RAF and Luftwaffe counterparts. Its radial, air-cooled engine made it capable of being used in the ground support role or as a bomber escort. Both aircraft had their merit, but neither was capable of escorting heavy bombers deep into Germany.

Another US designed fighter, the A-36 "Apache," was designed to fulfill a British contract for a ground support and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft performed superbly at low altitudes, but lacked the power plant needed to operate effectively at high altitude. The Apache held promise and efforts were made to upgrade the Apache so that its operating altitude could be raised. Redesignated the P-51 "Mustang" the AAF took its first delivery in 1942. More modifications followed and large scale production was begun in the summer of '43. The 8th AAF received its first P-51Bs in December of 1943. The P-51 had the operating range and ceiling to accompany the heavy bombers on their trips deep into Germany. The Mustang was the salvation of the daylight bombing campaign.

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P-38
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P-47

P-51
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Spitfire
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P-40

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