In keeping with the WW2 theme, here are some model US aircraft.
The P-47 was affectionately called the "jug." There were more built than any other fighter of the war. It was one of the most rugged; many times taking multiple hits and still making it home safely. The turbocharged, 18-cylinder, Pratt and Whitney R-2800 dual radial engine could produce over 2,500 hp and moved the P47 at a maximum speed of 433 mph. This bird had eight 50-cal. machine guns in the wings and could be armed with 10 5-inch rockets and two napalm bombs. For additional range, the bombs were replaced with external fuel tanks. The Thunderbolts escorted the B-29s on raids against Tokyo. They were used in to the 1950s, and the "P" (pursuit) designator was changed to an "F" (fighter) in 1948 as it became one the first USAF fighters.
There were several versions of the B-17. This one, the B-17G, is the latest and is most distinguishable because of the front, twin 50-cal. gun turret. It was added to combat the deadly (and also most dangerous) tactic of head-on attack by the Me109s and other Luftwaffe fighters.
The B-17s of the 8th Army Air Force were instrumental in stemming the tide in Europe once they started their strategic bombing sorties over Germany. But it was very costly at first, because no allied fighters at the time (in 1942) had the range to escort the big bombers. Also, allied command believed the B-17 had enough fire power and needed no escort. So great were the losses of men and planes to the Luftwaffe, the bombing runs were temporarily postponed until the P-38s, P-47s, and the most-feared P51s entered the war and could accompany the bombers for their entire mission.
Built by Boeing (also sub-contracted to Douglas and Vega), the B-17 had many variants throughout the war. The G version was by far the most numerous. Powered by four turbocharged Pratt and Whitney radial engines that produced over 1,200 hp. each, the B-17G flew higher (35,000 ft.) than any of its predecessors at a maximum speed of 280 mph and an average range of 2,000 miles. It had nine gun positions totaling 13 50-cal. machine guns and could carry 17,600 pounds of bombs.
I took pictures of the inside of the model before putting the fuselage halves together, because no one would be able to see the detail. The view of the cockpit gives the illusion that there was lots of room for the pilots, but having been in one these planes myself, I can tell you that it was VERY cramped. A big 6-foot-2 guy like me would have trouble getting around in one. In the radio room, the radioman sits at the receiver position and controls the ARC5 receivers (located in the upper right) remotely. The ARC5 transmitters were set to frequency prior to flight. Can you imagine trying to copy CW at below-freezing temperatures wearing an oxygen mask as the plane bounced and shuttered?
If the B17 won the war in Europe, the B-29 ended the damned thing altogether. Used primarily in the pacific theater, B-29s dropped thousands upon thousands of bombs on Tokyo and other cities in Japan. Still contested today, the fire bombing probably would have caused Japan to capitulate, but on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb of Uranium235-cannon design, "Little Boy," was dropped on Hiroshima from the B-29 "Enola Gay." Again on the 9th, a second atomic bomb (Plutonium implosion design) called "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki from the B-29 "Bock's Car." Against the urging of the Japanese military counsel, Emperor Hirohito ordered a surrendered which was announced August 14, 1945. Dropping the BOMB caused an early end of the war and kept the allies from executing a costly ground war on Japanese soil.
B-29 production was drastically reduced after the war and finally stopped in May 1946, but the bombers were modified and used for many more years, primarily in the Korean "conflict." They were used as late as 1963. A total of 3,960 were built; over 2,000 were in combat by VJ Day.
The largest of the war, the B-29 was 99 feet long and had a wingspan of 144 feet! Four Wright R-3850 18-cylinder radial Cyclone engines provided over 2,200 hp each! The maximum altitude was 32,000 feet; maximum speed was 370 mph; and the range was 3,250 miles. Correctly called the "Super Fortress," the B-29 armament consisted of four remotely controlled turrets with two 50-cal. machine guns each and two single 50-cal. machine guns plus a 20-mm cannon in the rear.
I had the great pleasure of seeing one of these beauties in "person" at the Confederate Air Force in Midland, Texas. I was allowed to spend an afternoon watching the expert mechanics service the engines. They allowed me inside to take pictures (with the promise I would keep them to myself). The next day they ran the bird out on the tarmac to wash it. The roar of the engines was absolutely breath taking!
Before gluing the fuselage halves together, I took these close-ups with my Sharp Viewcam. It can focus within 1/2 inch! The one on the left is the cockpit. The right one is a shot of the area behind the cockpit. In the foreground is the navigator's table. Directly across from that is the flight engineer's position. Behind it is the radio position. The large box is a BC-374 transmitter (identical to the BC-191 I have). Sitting on the bench next to the transmitter is a BC-348. There are two ARC5 transmitters on the shelf above the receiver. Next to the ARC5s is the antenna tuner. The antenna was a longwire that ran from the tuner, through the wall and back to the rudder.
One funny note: the model manufacturer placed the receiver upside down, and knowing what it was supposed to look like, I kept trying to install the radio bench upside down and/or on the opposite wall to get the receiver right side up! Never would fit :)
The P-51 Mustang was considered by many as the best fighter of WW2. The British were in need of a mass-produced fighter that could outduel the Messerschmitt 109s. North American produced the first prototype in 102 days! However, the Mustang did not have the expected high-altitude performance using the Allison V-1710 engines, and they were subsequently fitted with the 1,600 hp. Rolls-Royce Merlin built in the US by Packard. The Mustang became a superior fighter at both low and high altitude.
I have built both versions used in the war: the B/C and the D. The main difference was the new canopy designed to give unrestricted view. The Mustang was armed with six 50-cal machine guns in the wings and could carry two 500-lb bombs and eight rockets under its wings. It was the main escort for the B-17s bombing strategic targets in Europe as well as the B-29s in the Pacific. Among the ground troops it was known as the "Tank Buster." The P-51 had a top speed of 440 mph. and could climb 3,500 ft/min. Its range was almost 3,000 miles.
One of the more compelling of the many stories about this famous fighter is that of the black aviators known as the Tuskegee airmen. Knowing that no one expected the Army experiment to succeed, the Tuskegee students trained harder and performed better than many of their white counterparts. On July 3, 1944, the 322nd Fighter Group consisting of four squadrons was assigned to a base in Ramitielly, Italy. Their primary mission was to escort the 304th Bomb Wing. In over 200 missions, not a single bomber was ever lost to enemy fire! On March 24, 1945, Colonel Benjamin Davis led a group of escorts on a 1,600-mile mission to Berlin, the longest in the history of the 15th Air Force. On one strafing mission a group of Tuskegee "Red Tails" (called that because of their planes were painted with red tails sections) met up with 17 Messerschmitts and Focke Wolfs. In the ensuing dogfight, they had 13 confirmed kills with 3 more probables and one damaged with no losses of their own! One Tuskegee pilot, Captain Ed Toppins was credited with four kills, but he claims he had at least one more. Sadly, the Army never attempted to verify the additional kills, because it would have made him an ace.
Surplus Mustangs could be had for a mere $2,000 in the early 50s and are still the favorite of Open Class racing.
President George Bush flew a TBM-1C Avenger for the Navy during the war. He flew over 40 missions against Japanese targets. During one mission, his plane was hit and on fire when he ordered his crew to bail. Assuming they had, he proceeded to his target, a radio tower, released his bomb and destroyed it. He then bailed himself as the plane plunged into the sea. After being rescued, he discovered that his crew had been lost; he was the sole survivor.
The Avenger was first used in the Battle of Midway, the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Avengers were used mainly as torpedo planes. Unfortunately, in that battle almost all were destroyed. Their sacrifice, however, was not for naught. By pulling the Zeros away from the carriers, the SBD Dauntless dive bombers, having arrived just as the Zeros were polishing off the Avengers, attacked and destroyed the Japanese carriers with only anti-aircraft fire to oppose them. After Midway, the Avenger had quite a distinguished service record for the remainder of the war, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic.
The TBM was a variant of the Grumman TBF-1. The "M" indicated that General Motors instead of Grumman built it. General Motors (the Eastern Aircraft Division) actually produced far more Avengers, almost 10,000 compared to the almost 2,300 by Grumman (including all variants). The Avenger had a wingspan of 40 feet. It was powered by a 1,700-hp Wright R-2600 engine and had a maximum speed of 260 mph and range of 1,100 miles.
This is a Lindbergh model my son bought for me. On this model, I attempted to show some wear and tear. I sprayed highly diluted flat black paint over the fuselage behind the cowling to look like an oil leak, and I put a small spray on the wings above and below the guns to simulate grease and smoke stains.
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