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MODEL AIRPLANE PLANS PAGE 9

MODEL AIRPLANE PLANS: PAGE 8

Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Jack)

The J2M Raiden (Thunderbolt) code-named Jack by the Allies, was the first Japanese naval fighter specifically designed from the outset for the land-based interception role. Before the Raiden's time, maneuverability was considered the single most important characteristic a Japanese fighter of either service could have, but in the Raiden, maneuverability ran a poor third behind speed and rate of climb as design desiderata. It was considered a bold departure for the Naval Air Staff to create such a fighter. But its development was continually delayed and it was plagued by teething troubles throughout its service life. Barely 476 examples of the Raiden were built by Mitsubishi before the Japanese collapse.

Development of the Raiden began in October 1938, with formal preliminary discussions between Jiro Horikoshi of Mitsubishi and members of the JNAF's technical staff, but the project remained in limbo for almost a year, as Horikoshi and his team were busy working on the A6M Zero. The official specification wasn't drawn up until September 1939. This called for a single-seat, single-engined interceptor with a maximum speed of 373 mph at 19,685 feet. Climb to that altitude was to be within 5 ½ minutes, the landing speed was to be no more than 81 mph, and it was to be able to take off, in overload, no-wind conditions, in just 984 feet of runway space. Endurance at full power was to be 45 minutes, armament was to be the same as the Zero's (two wing-mounted cannon and two fuselage-mounted rifle-caliber machine guns), and for the first time, a naval fighter was to have armor plating for the pilot. Maneuverability requirements were not mentioned in the document, and Mr. Horikoshi was permitted to choose the new fighter's engine himself.

Horikoshi and his team carefully evaluated the respective advantages of the Aichi Atsuta, a 1,200-hp twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, and the Mitsubishi Kasei, a 1,430-hp fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. Despite the latter engine's larger frontal area and higher fuel consumption, the Kasei was chosen due to its greater power and also because the Atsuta, a license-built Daimler-Benz DB-601, was untried in service. To minimize drag, the Kasei 13 radial was fitted with an extension shaft for the three-bladed constant-speed propeller. It also had an air-driven fan for extra cooling, allowing the use of a streamlined, tapered cowling of relatively narrow cross section. The wing was of the laminar-flow type and of low aspect ratio; "combat" flaps, similar to those utilized by the Army's Ki-43, were fitted from the beginning to improve the type's maneuverability. The canopy was close fitting, almost like a racer's, with an extremely shallow curved windscreen.

Actual design of the new aircraft, designated Service Airplane Development Program M-20, progressed rapidly, but developmental problems with the engine cooling fan and the laminar-flow wing, plus the priority given to the Zero program, delayed actual completion of the first prototype until February 1942. The actual first flight of the J2M1, as the Japanese Navy designated the new fighter, took place at Kasumigaura, Japan on March 20, 1942, with the veteran company test pilot Katsuzo Shima at the controls. Unforeseen technical difficulties began to delay the test program almost from the first. For example, the main undercarriage legs would not retract at speeds greater than 100 mph. But the plane was naturally stable and controllable, and maneuverability was surprisingly good. After two modifications were made to the undercarriage members, the J2M1 was sent to Suzuka Naval Air Base for service testing. The service pilots were much more critical of the plane. In particular, combat visibility was deemed insufficient, and complaints were long and loud about the poor forward vision when attempting to land, caused by the distorted view through the curved windscreen, and the long engine cowling. The constant-speed propeller pitch change mechanism proved unreliable, and both speed (359 mph at 19,685 ft.) and rate of climb (7.8 minutes to that altitude) were well below the specification target figures. After building three J2M1 prototypes, Mitsubishi was instructed by the Navy to modify the fourth example and try to improve the aircraft overall.

The troublesome "racing"-style canopy was replaced with a more conventional canopy; in particular, the windscreen was made deeper and incorporated a new flat front panel of bulletproof glass. As the Kasei 13 plainly was not powerful enough, the Mitsubishi Kasei 23a was substituted. This engine had a shorter propeller shaft, allowing a shorter cowling and improving forward visibility further. The air-driven cooling fan was retained, but a new four-bladed constant speed propeller replaced the older three-bladed unit (and was retained for the production life of the aircraft). Individual exhaust stacks provided some thrust augmentation, and the Kasei 23a also had water-methanol boost, giving it a take-off output of 1,820 horsepower. This Raiden variant was the one which came closest to fulfilling the design requirements for both speed and climb rate, having a top speed of 371 mph at 17,880 feet, and a climb to 19,685 feet in 5 minutes 38 seconds.

The Navy formally adopted the modified fighter as the J2M2 Navy Interceptor Fighter Raiden Model 11 in October 1942. It looked as though Mitsubishi had a winner, but new problems came to the fore. The Kasei 23a engine was the first Japanese aero engine ever fitted with water injection, and it displayed a disturbing tendency to smoke excessively at maximum power. The extension propeller shaft vibrated alarmingly at certain speeds and propeller settings. Adjusting the fuel and water-methanol injection systems solved the smoking problem, and the vibrating was eliminated by improved engine mounting shock dampers, and propeller modifications. But the combined effect of these teething troubles and the production priorities given to the Zero meant that Raiden deliveries to the Navy were extremely slow. By the end of the fiscal year 1942-43, in March 1943, only fourteen Raidens had been delivered, and this included the three unsuccessful J2M1 prototypes. With more of the Zero's production being taken over by Nakajima, Raiden production was beginning to pick up, when two accidents created new delays. In the first, on June 16, 1943, the second J2M2 was destroyed and its pilot killed when the plane, shortly after take-off, suddenly dived sharply into the ground from seventy feet while retracting its landing gear. Just one month later, the tenth J2M2 experienced the same trouble, but the pilot was able to recover in time by promptly lowering the undercarriage. The reason for the sudden dives was quickly discovered-during retraction, the tailwheel shock strut had pressed against the elevator torque tube lever, jamming the control column in a full forward position! Swiftly, the Raiden's controls were modified to prevent this happening again, and in the autumn of 1943, the newly formed 381st Kokutai (Air Group) at Toyohashi, southeast of Nagoya, began equipping with the Raiden.

But delivery to an operational unit didn't end the teething troubles. In January 1944 the thirtieth production J2M2 disintegrated over Toyohashi with fatal results to its pilot, and although the exact cause was not pinpointed, it was decided that either the engine started vibrating violently enough to cause airframe failure, or else part of the engine cowling had come off in flight and hit the tail assembly. So the engine attachment points were reinforced and the cowling fasteners strengthened, but Raidens continued to disintegrate in mid-air after these changes had been made. Terribly frustrating, to say the least …

During the fiscal year 1943-44, just 141 Raidens were built; with a number of new models being developed, and constant modifications being made to improve the type's safety record, production was quite low for a fighter aircraft in wartime. At about the time the 381st Kokutai received its first Raidens, the improved J2M3 Model 21 entered production. Retaining the Kasei 23a engine, the J2M3-numerically the most important type of Raiden-featured a stronger wing structure allowing a heavier armament. The two fuselage 7.7mm machine guns were deleted, and four 20mm cannon were installed in the wings. The inboard pair noticeably protruded from the wing leading edge, while the outboard pair were "buried" entirely within the wing. Service pilots continued to complain about the poor rearward view from the cockpit, however. Overall performance was reduced in the J2M3; the improved armament was offset by a slower top speed and lessened climb rate. Because of this, the Japanese Navy decided to adopt the faster Kawanishi Shiden as its standard land-based interceptor, and continue building Raidens at a reduced pace until such time as the Mitsubishi A7M Reppu, the Zero's planned successor, was ready to enter production.

In the meantime, further attempts were made to improve the high-altitude performance of the Raiden. The J2M4 Model 34 received a turbo-supercharged Kasei 23c engine. The supercharger was mounted on the starboard side of the fuselage in front of the cockpit; a large air-scoop was fitted to the port side. It allowed this model of the Raiden to maintain its rated power of 1,420 hp up to 30,185 feet instead of the power beginning to fall off at half that height. At 30,185 feet, the J2M4's speed was 362 mph, and it had two additional 20mm cannon mounted in the rear fuselage, firing forward and upward at a 30-degree angle. If it had been available in numbers, it might've been a valuable asset to Japan in the final year of the war. Sadly, continual trouble with the turbo-supercharger forced the cancellation of the J2M4 project after only two prototypes had been built. The rather simpler J2M5 Model 33 was also more successful, in that it achieved limited production. Retaining the J2M4's airframe, with its wider, roomier cockpit and improved visibility, the J2M5 was powered by a Kasei 26a engine with a three-stage, engine-driven supercharger. It was the fastest of the Raiden variants, with a top speed of 382 mph at 22,310 feet. By the time the J2M5 was being tested, in May 1944, the war situation had deteriorated so far that the Naval Air Staff changed its mind again about production of the Raiden. Knowing that the Americans had the B-29 Superfortress, and that it would soon be attacking Japan, the Raiden now was in great demand. In addition to being built by the parent company, the J2M5 was placed in production by the Naval Air Arsenal at Koza. Unfortunately, the exact production figures for the Koza Arsenal have apparently been lost, so it's not known definitely how many J2M5s were built there. As total production of the type by Mitsubishi was 476, possibly enough Raidens were built at Koza to bring the final figure to 500+, but no one knows for sure.

Several other variants of the Raiden were designed or built by Mitsubishi, differing only in slight details from the major production variants. The J2M3a Model 21a, of which only 21 were built, was identical to the J2M3 except that the two "buried" cannon within the wings were replaced by two long-barreled cannon suspended under the wings in gondolas. One wonders why such a version was built, as the underwing cannon undoubtedly created excess drag, and they added nothing to the type's firepower, which remained the same (four 20mm cannon). One J2M6 Model 31 was created by fitting the wider cockpit and domed canopy of the J2M5 to a J2M3 chosen off the production line, but no quantity production was undertaken. A similar modification to the J2M3a would've been designated J2M6a Model 31a, but this was never built. The projected J2M7 Model 23 was to have been a standard J2M3 re-engined with the Kasei 26a engine. Two other never-realized projects would've been the J2M5a Model 33a and the J2M7a Model 23a, which would've been armed similarly to the J2M3a. The J2M5a was to have been entirely of new construction, while the J2M7a was to have been made using modified existing J2M3 airframes. The final Raiden project was to have been an example with a cut-down rear fuselage and a canopy similar to the A6M Zero's, but this remained solely a drawing-board project.

Some examples of the Raiden fought briefly in the Philippines in September 1944-at least one jack was shot down there by the US Navy "ace of aces" David McCampbell-but most were retained for home defense. When flown by experienced pilots, the jack was preferred over all other day fighters as a B-29 killer. Its armament was powerful enough to destroy a B-29, and its pilot armor and self-sealing fuel tanks were at least adequate. As for its performance, the Raiden climbed swiftly and at a steep angle. Its handling and controllability were good at all speeds up to 325 mph, but above that speed, the ailerons tended to become heavy. The Raiden gave little stall warning, but its stalling characteristics were nonetheless excellent, being easy to recover, with little loss of altitude. It was a very stable gunnery platform, with good maneuverability, and it had no tendency to spin. As long as its primary opponent was unescorted B-29s, the Jack was superb for the job.

But the Americans switched mostly to night firebomb raids from March 1945 to the end of the war, and in April, P-47s and P-51s based on Iwo Jima began flying fighter sweeps and escort missions over Japan. Carrier fighters, both on sweeps and escort missions, made frequent attacks from February 19 onwards. Only the best pilots, men like Lt. (jg) Sadaaki Akamatsu, who scored several of his eventual 28-victory tally flying Raidens, could hope to engage American fighters in the Jack and survive. Pilots and ground crewmen in the field tried hard to modify their Raidens and solve its persistent problems in the final months. Some examples were fitted with obliquely-firing 20mm cannon like those on the experimental J2M4, but performance suffered with the extra weight, and the Raiden remained plagued by teething troubles to the very end. Those teething troubles, combined with dithering over its production status, made the J2M Raiden a classic case of "too little, too late" for Japan.

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Messerschmitt Me 262

In the pre-nuclear, pre-terrorist days of warfare, when many battling nations were technological equals, overwhelming mass was an irresistible determiner of outcome. For a single nation to twice take on the modern world within a 20-year period, there must be a high level of self-delusion, if not madness, in the highest ranks of government, especially when it was still staggering from the effects of losing the first try. None-the-less, Nazi Germany did exactly that, and no amount of technological ingenuity could alter that fact, as the history of the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first turbojet to be used in combat, dramatically illustrates. Had the aircraft been introduced in large numbers in 1939, it is conceivable that the "Battle of Britain" might have ended as Hitler envisioned, while the United States, had it become involved, would have had to fight an aerial war from across the Atlantic, and every pub in England would today be known as "die Bierstube." Perhaps.

In fact, the Me 262 began as a preliminary design in 1939, without the engines needed to make it fly. Thus, the first prototype flew in 1941 with a 700hp Jumo 210G piston engine, and not the planned BMW 003 turbojet engines.

The early prototypes were fitted with conventional tail wheels. However, this configuration made takeoffs highly dangerous, so a fully retractable tricycle landing gear modification became the standard. The Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" ("Swallow") was the first production model of the Me 262. It was produced with four Mk 108 30mm cannon mounted in the nose, in its role as an interceptor, a role that it performed with great promise except for several limiting factors: First, it came into the battle far too late, when the Allied air forces had reached formidable capacity; secondly, its engines were a constant source of trouble, frequently failing after no more than 12 hours; third, it was utilized inappropriately for far too long, after Hitler decided that the machine should be used in a bombing capacity, to "punish" the Allies. That version, the Me 262A-2a "Sturmvogel" ("Stormbird") was reconfigured to carry two 550lb bombs, still retaining the four cannon. A further refinement, Me 262A-2a/U1 had two of the cannon removed to provide space for a bomb-aiming device, and Me 262A-2/U2 carried a prone bombardier in the nose section. Thus, for much of the aircraft's brief combat life, it was used against the wrong type of targets, with even less effect than if it had been used as an interceptor.

In addition to bomber, ground attack and night fighter variants, the Me 262 was also produced as a tandem two-seat trainer, the Me 262B-1a. Four 262A-1as were modified to carry a single 50mm Mk 214 cannon which extended almost 7 feet beyond the nose of the plane, but the blinding flash from the barrel limited the effectiveness of the device. In any case, it didn't matter. There were 1,433 Me 262s built, with nearly 500 more destroyed by bombing raids before they were completed. Of that total, fewer than 300 were actually used in combat.

Using equipment and components manufactured during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, some Me 262s were produced by Avia, in Czechoslovakia after the war, under the designation S.92.

In its brightest moments, when it was used as intended, the Me 262 was the equivalent of sending the "Three Musketeers" against Sitting Bull at Little Big Horn. In one battle, for instance, 37 of the 262s were scrambled against an Allied raid that consisted of 1,221 bombers and 632 fighter escorts! In their most effective performance, they cost the Allies a one percent loss.

Despite the fact that the Me 262 is one of the most rare and esoteric aircraft of World War II, at least one group has endeavored to build brand new copies of this interesting airplane, updated to modern safety standards, and powered by more modern jet engines. The distinctive profile of the Me 262 has recently graced the skies again, this time in peaceful reflection rather than with hostile intent.

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Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) was numerically the most important fighter used by the Japanese Army Air Force during the Pacific War. It remained in production from the beginning of the Pacific War until its end in August of 1945. In many ways, it was a transitional type, bridging the gap between the lightly-loaded fighter monoplanes of the late 1930s with their fixed undercarriages and open cockpits and the higher-powered heavy fighters of the early 1940s with their retractable undercarriages and enclosed cockpits. Its appearance was a complete surprise to the Allies, and the fighter proved to be superior in performance to most of its opponents during the first year of the Pacific War. Most of the Japanese Army's aces established the larger part of their scores while flying this airplane. The Ki-43 is often confused with its contemporary, the famed Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter) of the Japanese Navy, and was often misidentified as a "Zero" early in the war.

The Nakajima Hikoki K.K., located in the city of Ota in the Gumma Prefecture about 50 miles northwest of Tokyo, had been one of Japan's oldest and most prominent aircraft manufactures, and had been responsible for the design and manufacture of the Army Type 97 Fighter (Ki-27, later known to the Allies under the code name Nate), which was the first indigenous Japanese fighter to compare favorably with foreign fighters. Work on its successor began almost as soon as the Ki-27 had entered surface with the JAAF. For this project, the Army abandoned its long-standing policy of holding competitive fly-offs and gave Nakajima the contract to design a successor to the Ki-27. The specification called for a maximum speed of 311 mph, a climb rate of 5 minutes to 16,405 feet, a range of 500 miles, an armament of two 7.7-mm machine guns, and a maneuverability at least the equal of that of the Ki-27. The project was allocated the Kitai number Ki-43.

The design team was lead by Hideo Itokawa, who had also been the designer of the earlier Ki-27. The team came up with an aircraft that had the same general configuration as that of the Ki-27 and bore an obvious family resemblance. It was of low-wing configuration, with all-metal construction but with fabric-covered control surfaces. The three-spar wing was built in a single piece and had substantial area to keep loadings small for maximum maneuverability. The fuselage was exceptionally slim, and was covered by a metal stressed-skin. The aircraft differed from the Ki-27 in being fitted with a fully-enclosed cockpit for the pilot. The aircraft also differed from the Ki-27 in being fitted with a fully-retractable undercarriage, the main members retracting inwards into wells underneath the forward fuselage.

The prototype was completed at Nakajima's Ota plant and flew for the first time in January of 1939. Three prototypes were built, all of which were powered by the 925 hp Nakajima Ha-25 twin-row fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial with single-speed supercharger. This engine was the Najakima-built counterpart of the Sakae (Prosperity) engine which powered the Mitsubishi A6M series. It was armed with two 7.7-mm Type 89 machine guns mounted in the upper engine cowling and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. These aircraft did not have any engine cowling gills and had metal panels in the rear of the cockpit hood. A radio antenna mast was mounted on the cockpit hood and a telescopic gunsight protruded through the windshield.

Although the Ki-43 prototype met the Japanese Army's performance specifications, Army pilots were not happy about the maneuverability, which was not as good as that of the Ki-27. They regarded the retractable undercarriage as a frill which added only weight and reduced the maneuverability of the aircraft. In addition, they did not like the enclosed cockpit, which severely restricted vision to the rear. For a while, the future of the Ki-43 was in doubt.

The JAAF decided to conduct further tests and ordered ten service trial aircraft (Ki-43-KAI) from Nakajima. These ten planes were built between November 1939 and September 1940. They were all identical to the prototypes except for minor equipment changes and the fitting of a new all-round vision canopy that replaced the heavily-framed canopy of the prototypes which severely restricted pilot vision, especially to the rear. The second service trials machine was fitted with an experimental Nakajima Ha-105 engine equipped with a two-speed supercharger. Another service test machine carried a pair of 12.7-mm Ho-103 machine guns. Another one of the service trials aircraft had an alclad-treated duralumin outer skin, cowling gills, and a radio mast mounted on the starboard side of the fuselage. It was powered by a Ha-105 engine and was armed with two 12.7-mm Ho-103 machine guns. It had a new fuselage of smaller diameter and redesigned tail surfaces and wings.

Some authors report that one of the Ki-43 service trial aircraft was experimentally fitted with a fixed undercarriage, but this report appears to be in error.

One of the service trials aircraft was fitted with combat flaps which could be extended during flight to provide greater lift and to make it possible to maintain a much tighter turning circle. This modification was sufficiently successful that service pilots now commented favorably on the maneuverability. The aircraft was completely devoid of any vicious flying characteristics, and all controls were extremely sensitive.

The Koku Hombu agreed that the use of the combat flaps sufficiently improved the maneuverability to justify the issuance of a production order. The production version was to have an airframe similar to that of the last service trials machine, but was to be powered by a production version of the Najajima Ha-25 950 hp radial.

The initial production version was designated Army Type 1 Fighter Model 1A and was named Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon). The Ki-43-1a entered production in April of 1941. It was powered by a Ha-25 Type 99 engine rated at 980 hp for takeoff. This engine was later known as the Ha-35/12 under the unified JAAF/JNAF designation system. The Ki-43-1a was initially fitted with a fixed-pitch, two-bladed wooden propeller which was soon replaced with a two-pitch metal unit. The armament consisted of two 7.7-mm Type 89 machine guns mounted in the upper cowling and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. There were two attachment points for fuel tanks underneath the wing center section.

The first Ki-43-Ia fighters were delivered to the 59th and 64th Sentais in October of 1941, only eight months after production had begun at Ota. They were transferred to China shortly before the war with America broke out.

The next version was the Ki-43-Ib which differed from the Ia in having a heavier armament in which one of the Type 89 machine guns was replaced by a 12.7-mm Type 1 (Ho-103) machine gun. The Ki-43-Ic which followed it had two 12.7-mm Type 1 machine guns, and was the major production variant of the Model 1 series.

A total of 716 Ki-43-I production aircraft were built between April of 1941 and February of 1943.

When war in the Pacific broke out, only 40 Hayabusas had been delivered to combat units, and these were immediately taken to the Malay Peninsula by the 59th and 64th Fighter Groups. The initial combat missions consisted of escorts of Army Type 97 (Mitsubishi Ki-21) bombers in attacks on Hong Kong and Burma. First to face the Hayabusa were the P-40s of the American Volunteer Group and the Brewster Buffaloes of No 67 Fighter Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Japanese military security was sufficiently effective in maintaining a cloak of secrecy over the Type 1 Fighter that its appearance was a complete surprise to the Allies. Early war operations established the Ki-43 as one of the most feared Japanese fighters. Its performance was generally superior to that of most Allied fighters during the first year of the Pacific War. Nevertheless, its Navy contemporary, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter), got more publicity back home in Japan, and the Japanese Army decided to reveal the existence of the Ki-43 to the Japanese public in April of 1942 so that it could get its fair share of recognition.

As compared to the Mitsubishi A6M2 Reisen, the Ki-43-Ic had a substantially lower wing loading but was nevertheless slightly inferior to the carrier-based fighter in overall maneuverability. The A6M2 was superior to the Ki-43-Ic in zoom climbing speed, although the Ki-43-Ic had a slight edge over the A6M2 in steady climbing rate to 16,400 feet. The primary weakness of the Ki-43-Ic was its light armament and its lack of armor protection for the pilot or for the fuel tanks.

Under the Allied system of assigning code names to Japanese aircraft, the Ki-43 was assigned the code name OSCAR in the Southwest Pacific theatre. At the same time, the the name JIM was assigned in the CBI theatre to what was thought at the time to be a retractable-undercarriage derivative of the Ki-27. It turned out that JIM and OSCAR were actually the same aircraft, and the name OSCAR was finally retained.

As the Ki-43-I was superseded by later, more powerful variants, it was reassigned to advanced fighter training schools. Others were delivered to the Royal Thai Air Force, which was then allied to Japan. These remained in service in Thailand until 1949.

Allied fighters. Allied pilots commented favorably on the Hayabusa's sensitive controls and extreme maneuverability. It had no vicious flight characteristics, and its turning and stall characteristics were better than those of any Allied fighter. It handled well in the air, and had phenomenal low-speed handling capabilities which were aided by its set of combat flaps. It had excellent low-speed acceleration and could leap from 150 mph to 250 mph with extreme rapidity. Nevertheless, the Allied pilots felt that the Ki-43 was outclassed by the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-38 Lightning, the Supermarine Spitfire, and even by later models of the P-40 Warhawk. The Hayabusa was appreciably slower than most Allied fighters and could usually be evaded by diving. The Hayabusa lacked effective firepower and its lack of effective armor protection made it vulnerable to superficial combat damage and often disintegrated in the air when hit. Nevertheless, Allied fighter pilots were always well-advised to avoid combat with the Hayabusa at low speeds since its rapid acceleration and excellent low-speed maneuverability made it a deadly opponent in such situations.

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Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was widely regarded as Germany's best fighter. It was more than a match for the contemporary Spitfires. Shown above is the FW-190 of Ost. Maj. Hermann Graf, France 1943. In June 1942, a Luftwaffe deserter fortuitously presented the Allies with his Fw 190A fighter intact, the detailed examination of this remarkable product of the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau profoundly influenced fighter thinking in Britain. It directly result in the issue of specification F.2/43 to which was designed the Hawker Fury, embodying numerous features directly copied from the Fw 190A, and F.19/43 which produced the Folland Fo.118 fighter project, also owing much to the design of the Fw 190A. What higher tribute could have been paid to what was undoubtedly the finest warplane to which Germany gave birth.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Ranks with the Supermarine Spitfire, Vought F4U Corsair and North American P-51 Mustang as one of the best fighters of World War II. The Focke-Wulf 190 was the work of a team of German designers headed by the famous Kurt Tank. It was evolved basically as a successor to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, although the official view was that it would never be capable of matching the operational prowess of the Bf 109. How wrong this proved!

Chief company designer Kurt Tank's Wurger (Butcher Bird) was Germanys most potent piston-powered World War II fighter When the Fw 190A entered combat in the summer of 1941. It immediately outclassed the Spitfire V, which appeared sluggish and outdated by comparison. From that time on, in spite of some severe problems with the BMW 801 engine, the 190 kept even or ahead of Allied fighters through successive versions.

The Fw 190 was armed to the teeth. Four 20 mm cannon plus two machine guns. Later versions could carry a 30 mm cannon firing through the propeller boss. Early Fw 190s, powered by an air-cooled BMW radial, were Germany's first radial-engined monoplane fighters. Shown above is the FW-190 of I./JG 54 Feldwebel Karl Schnorrer.

The BMW 801 engine tended to overheat, but this fault was rectified by improvements to the cooling fan and, in general, the Fw 190A was highly praised by the test pilots. They particularly favored the wide-track undercarriage which tremendously improved ground stability as compared with the Bf 109. One of the unusual features of the fighter commented on by test pilots was the fact that, at high altitude and high speed, the BMW 801 engine produced a pair of contrails which started immediately behind the exhaust exits and completely hid the wings.

The Fw 190 prototype first flew on June 1,1939 and production deliveries began in late 1940. Within a year, Fw l90s were making low-level sweeps over southern England in daylight, against which the Spitfire Vs, then in service, achieved little success. The situation did not improve until the Royal Air Force received more powerful Spitfire IXs, in partnership with four-cannon Typhoons.

In the autumn of 1937 the Reichluftministerium placed an order with the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau for the design development of a new single-seat fighter to supplement the Messerschmitt Bf 109. A second "iron in the fire" as RLM officials referred to the order at the time. The contract was placed with Focke-Wulf primarily because this company was not extensively committed to the development of other combat aircraft and possessed a highly qualified design team headed by Dipl.Ing.Kurt Tank. Tank's design team prepared two proposals; one based upon the use of the Daimler-Benz DB601 liquid-cooled engine and the other upon the use of the BMW 801 air-cooled radial engine. At that time the radial engine was not favored as a fighter power plant owing to its drag and the restrictions that its bulk placed upon forward view during taking-off and landing, and, in consequence, General Ernst Udet's decision to proceed with the development of the radial-engined fighter came as a profound surprise to Tank and his colleagues.

The BMW 801 was a considerably heavier engine than its predecessor, although the overall dimensions differed little, and necessitated a stiffer engine mount and extensive structural strengthening. The re-design involved gave Blaser an opportunity to rectify one of the few faults that had manifested themselves in the first prototype. Test pilots had objected to proximity of the engine to the cockpit which resulted in extremely high cabin temperatures, sometimes reaching 55øC. (131øF.), which, as Sander said, felt as though he had his "feet in the fireplace." In addition, exhaust gases found their way into the cockpit and necessitated the continuous use of an oxygen mask. Therefore in the next prototypes the cockpit was relocated further aft, a move also suggested by the c.g. problems presented by the heavier engine.

Most of the Fw 190A-0s were sent to Rechlin Roggenthin for pre-service tests. During intensive flight testing it was discovered that the engine cowlings frequently flew off at high speeds, and internally stressed cowlings with stronger locks were requested. Some re-stressing was also proved necessary, and it was found that above 250 mph the cockpit canopy could not be released in an emergency. The latter problem was solved by fitting two standard 20 mm cartridges which blew the rear end of the canopy backward far enough to let the slipstream get under it and pull it away. Pilots also complained that there was a serious risk of hitting the tail assembly when baling out and requested the fitting of some form of ejector seat which would throw them clear. However, in view of the serious weight penalty imposed by an ejector seat, the engineers refused to install this equipment, resulting in a serious disagreement between the test pilots and the manufacturers.

The Focke-Wulf was not only faster but its superior handling and faster roll rate gave it an edge in the hands of even less experienced pilots. Such sparkling performance combined with the 190's superior armament presented Allied pilots with a real challenge until German pilot training began to drop in quality. The standard Fw 190A was quickly modified to perform a number of roles, particularly that of fighter-bomber in the F and G versions. These deleted the outer 20 mm cannon in favor of various combinations of bomb racks or cannon pods for the MK 103 30 mm cannon. Later versions of the FW 190A featured up to six 20 mm cannon (FW 190A6R1); the A-6/R-6 had two 210 mm (8.27 in) unguided rockets with which to attack US heavy bombers. The wide track landing gear assured ease of handling on takeoff and landing, unlike the twitchy Messerschmitt 109. The 190 was also one of the first fighters to feature a clear rear canopy, allowing pilots to keep an excellent lookout for enemy fighters.

Meanwhile, the Fw 190 was also proving a good fighter-bomber, carrying a reasonable bomb load or, in some cases, rocket projectiles. The new war started by Hitler on the Eastern Front resulted in most of the new production Fw 190s being thrown into the fighting against the Russians. Others were needed equally urgently by Rommel in North Africa, to combat the Western Desert Air Force and Allied ground forces who, by the latter part of 1942, were pressing hard at Alamein.

As RAF and USAAF bombing raids got heavier and heavier in Europe, new tactics were employed by some German fighter units flying Fw 190s. Against US heavy bombers on daylight raids, several Fw 190s would form a queue and approach from the rear of the bomber formation. At very close range, the fighters would then 'open up,' so giving the rear gunners in the bombers very little chance of firing methodically at all the attackers.

During 1943, the Fw 190 was encountered frequently in Europe while performing night fighter missions. About the same time, the first Fw 190s came off the production line fitted with inline, rather than radial, engines. General appearance stayed the same, because of the use of an annular radiator at the nose.

The long-nosed Fw 190D was also developed into the Ta 152 after its designer, Kurt Tank-in which the installation of a 2,300 hp (with boost) DB 603 engine pushed the speed up to 745km/h (463 mph). Had the Ta 152H been built in enough numbers and been flown by expert pilots it could have taken its place alongside the Me 262 as a near unbeatable air superiority fighter and bomber killer.

The new Junkers Jumo 213 powerplant made the aircraft, once again, the fastest Luftwaffe operational fighter and those pilots with the skill to use such advantages did very well. Unfortunately excellent fighter designs could not compensate for poor production standards, lack of fuel, poor pilot training and overwhelming Allied numerical superiority.

In honor of designer Kurt Tank, the Fw 190's designation was changed to Tank or Ta 152. This beautiful inline-engined fighter was to be the ultimate version of the famous fighter but delays resulted in the stopgap Fw 190D, in itself an outstanding aircraft. In the chaotic final year of the Third Reich the D ended up being the major inline engine version with only a few Ta 152Hs, and possibly a few Ta 152Cs, getting into combat.

The extended wing (14.5m), high altitude Ta 152H was indeed a sterling performer with a top speed of 755 km/h (472 mph) and a service ceiling of 15,000 m (49,215 ft). It was armed with a 30 mm cannon in the nose and two 20 mm cannon in the wing roots. Had it been built in enough numbers and been flown by expert pilots it could have taken its place alongside the Me 262 as a near unbeatable air superiority fighter and bomber killer. The lower altitude version, the Ta 152C, barely made it out of the test phase before the war ended. Between October 1944 and February 1945 when production ended, Focke-Wulf managed to roll 67 completed Ta 152 aircraft (H-0, H-1, and C-1 models) off the line. By the end of the war, more than 20,000 Fw 190s had been built; about one-third as fighter bombers.

There are two plans available for this plane. One is a simpified version, and the other is, well, take a peek!

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Grumman F4F Wildcat

One of the first monoplanes to fly from U.S. carrier decks, the Grumman naval fighter became one of the most successful, in the hands of Butch O'Hare, Joe Foss, Marion Carl, and other great pilots. Grumman's stubby, rugged fighter held the line against the Zeros in the early air battles over Guadalcanal and in the 1942 carrier battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Eastern Solomons. In pure performance, the Zero outclassed the F4F, but with its tough construction and well-trained pilots using appropriate tactics, the Wildcat prevailed. Later in the war, the FM-2, an Eastern-produced version of the Wildcat, flew from escort carriers.

In 1936, the US Navy published a requirement for a carrier-based fighter, While the Navy first selected the Brewster F2A Buffalo, it authorized Leroy Grumman's Bethpage, Long Island company to build one prototype, the XF4F-2, as an alternative. Experienced builders of carrier planes, the Grumman designers planned the Wildcat for the challenging take-offs and landings on small, heaving carrier decks. With large wings, situated well forward on the fuselage, the plane had very high lift, permitted quick take-offs, slow landings, and excellent maneuverability. But high lift resulted in slower speed, which could only be improved with a more powerful engine.

Grumman test pilot Robert Hall first flew the XF4F-2 in September, 1937. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-66 Twin Wasp, rated at 1,050 horsepower, it achieved 290 miles per hour in test flight. The XF4F-2 featured a cantilever wing set midway up the fuselage, all-metal construction, semi-monocoque construction, mill-riveted skin, four .50 caliber machine guns, and main wheels that retracted into the fuselage. Despite the F4F's speedy performance in a 1938 fly-off at Anacostia, the Navy went with the Brewster.

"On its own hook," Grumman improved the design further with the next prototype, the XF4F-3. The "dash Three" had the more powerful R-1830-76 P&W, larger wings, a better machine gun installation, and (ultimately) a higher-mounted tailplane. With a top speed of 335 MPH, it impressed the Navy, and 78 F4F-3 aircraft were ordered in August, 1939.

An export version of the F4F-3, powered by the Wright Cyclone R-1820, served with the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA), as the Martlet Mark I. Other Martlet versions included the Mark II, Mark III, and Mark IV. They served primarily on escort carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic. Among the notable achievements of FAA Martlet pilots was the downing of a four-engine Fw 200 Condor off Gibraltar in September, 1940.

In late 1940 the first F4F-3's arrived with US Navy Squadrons VF-7 and VF-41.

Based on British combat experience, the next version, the XF4F-4, incorporated:

By the time of Pearl Harbor the Navy and the Marine Corps had 131 Wildcats in eleven fighting squadrons. At Wake Island, outnumbered the Marine fliers of VMF-211 fought a doomed battle against the Japanese invaders. Captain Robert McElrod of VMF-211, while flying an F4F-3, sank a Japanese destroyer, lost his own life in the process, and earned a Medal of Honor. In February, 1942, the US Navy struck back; carriers Enterprise, Lexington and Yorktown raided forward Japanese bases. When Lexington was sighted and Japanese Betty bombers came after her, Butch O'Hare shot down five of them in minutes. For this skillful heroism, which likely saved the carrier, O'Hare was also awarded the Medal of Honor.

At the Battle of Midway, the four Navy carrier-based Navy squadrons were still adjusting to the "dash Four" Wildcat. Seven F4F's joined the Buffalo-equipped VMF-221, based on Midway Island itself; the first Japanese air raid on the morning of June 4 decimated the squadron, and VMF-221 was out of the battle. Later that morning, the F4F fighting squadrons from Enterprise and Hornet escorted SBD's and TBD's, but did not provide effective cover for the strike planes when they approached the Japanese carriers. The Yorktown fighters, under Jimmy Thach, made more of an impact, and claimed five kills.

When the U.S. forces invaded Guadalcanal in August, 1942, the big prize, the island's strategic importance, was an unfinished Japanese airstrip on the north side of the island. Later that strip would become Henderson Field. Days after the first infantrymen occupied the area, Marine Corps Wildcats landed. In the ensuing weeks and months, those stubby fighters protected the tenuous American hold on the island.

While bloody battles were fought on the ground at Guadalcanal, air power made the difference. Almost every day, Japanese Betty bombers and Zero fighters made the long flight from Rabaul to strike at Guadalcanal. Forewarned by the Coastwatchers and by radar, the F4F's of the "Cactus Air Force" would scramble in time to gain altitude, and then hit the Japanese raiders. In the first few weeks, Major John Smith's VMF-223 flew their Wildcats "into the ground."

The Wildcat was aptly named; it was tricky and unforgiving to fly. Its landing gear was not well-suited to the muddy and dusty conditions of Henderson Field. The controls could be mushy when maneuverability was most needed. There was no way to jettison the hood. The pilot's seat was cramped and too low for optimal visibility. It was not as agile as the Zero. Usually, the F4F pilots tried to zoom through the screening Zeros and go after the bomber directly. With altitude, they could adopt hit-and-run tactics; their rugged construction resisted the Japanese 7.7mm machine gun bullets.

Through 1942 and the relatively less intense first half of 1943, the US Navy and Marine Corps relied, by necessity, on the F4F, and 46 of those pilots 'made ace' in the tough little Grumman. Starting in the sumer of 1943, the Hellcat and Corsair replaced the Wildcat in the Naval services' fighting squadrons.

From very early in 1942, it became clear that Grumman would need to focus on the Hellcat program. As part of wartime cooperation, General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division took over production of the Wildcat. Over the course of the war, Eastern turned out 1,151 FM-1's and 4,777 FM-2's (far more than Grumman ever produced).

At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, FM-2 pilots, flying from escort carriers, distinguished themselves in launching repeated attacks against the Japanese battlewagons, sometimes unarmed!

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