OK, how could the various US air services have been in the position to operate more British or other foreign designs ? OTL, the 4th Ftr Group initially flew Spitfires, from among the Eagle Sqn pilots, while the Beaufighter was operated by USAAF nightfighter sqns- but what other non-US warplanes could've been utilised by US air combat units during WWII ?
WWII- USAAF/USN/USMC uses more British planes
- Thread starter Melvin Loh
- Start date
Markus
Banned
Lancs were not nearly as tough as US heavies.
Beaufighters are good planes but the US had the very similar A-20. In fact some A-20 were used by the RAF as night fighters.
So aside from the Spitfire and the (recon-)Mosquito I see no british plane that has a capability US planes lack.
Other hurdles are the "not invented here", perhabs even having to pay royalties and the doctrinal differences. The USAAF initially prefered turbo-supercharged fighters and was convinced its heavy bombers did not need a fighter escort. So even if the UK has something the US still needs to be convinced its good for them. The Merlin powered P-40´s are an example for this. The US did not install Merlins because of the improved performance -10mph faster, critical altitude raised by 5,000ft- but simply because they got the engines "for free" as a part of the RR-Packard deal and needed to use them somehow.
Beaufighters are good planes but the US had the very similar A-20. In fact some A-20 were used by the RAF as night fighters.
So aside from the Spitfire and the (recon-)Mosquito I see no british plane that has a capability US planes lack.
Other hurdles are the "not invented here", perhabs even having to pay royalties and the doctrinal differences. The USAAF initially prefered turbo-supercharged fighters and was convinced its heavy bombers did not need a fighter escort. So even if the UK has something the US still needs to be convinced its good for them. The Merlin powered P-40´s are an example for this. The US did not install Merlins because of the improved performance -10mph faster, critical altitude raised by 5,000ft- but simply because they got the engines "for free" as a part of the RR-Packard deal and needed to use them somehow.
hmmm, just general curiousity is all- based on WI the US was able to use planes outside their own manufacture, & poss how that'd impact on what types of aircraft they'd use later on down the track- btw, the only example post-WWII of a British-designed plane used by the USAAF in combat was the Canberra...
Of course the McDonnell-Douglas AV8B Harrier was American. Heck, the Brits even bought it from the States.
And it sprang fully formed form McDonnell's brow like Minerva from Jupiter's...And, umm..., DHC Beaver ... Ah, yes "Detroit Harbor Commission" surely. Short.. hmmm... Irish. Comes from Boston, ya, that's it. Norseman - must be from Minnesota. ya, ...
Of course the McDonnell-Douglas AV8B Harrier was American. Heck, the Brits even bought it from the States.
And, umm..., DHC Beaver ... Ah, yes "Detroit Harbor Commission" surely. Short.. hmmm... Irish. Comes from Boston, ya, that's it. Norseman - must be from Minnesota. ya, ...
Deputy Assistant Naval Attache's wife runs off with a marrine pilot. He then buys 3 squadrons of Skuas for the Marrines
The AAF did use the Mosquito as a long-range photo recon aircraft for the Eighth Air Force, and the Recon Spitfire as well, as intirim types until the F-13 (photo recon version of the B-29) and the F-6 (photo recon variant of the P-51) became available. The Lancaster was considered along with the B-29 for SILVERPLATE-the atomic bomb delivery mission, but while a Lancaster would've been able to carry a Little Boy, it didn't meet the range requirement from the Marianas, and Fat Man-type bombs were too big. One escort carrier skipper on the North Atlantic run felt the USN should have adopted the Swordfish for CVE duty, as more Swordfish than Avengers could be carried; his reccommendation was not adopted.
In late 1941 AM Freeman did advocate that the US put the Lancaster into production in the US, " but Hopkins was shown figures which indicated that it would be no better than the Liberator.
The Beaufighter Mk VIF was used by squadrons the USAF 1st T.A.C. - (the version first entered service in Jan 1943), max speed 333 mph.
The earlier version - max speed 323 mph served as the RAF's nightfighter & long-range day fighter in place of the too-slow Blenheim.
Boston IIs were converted in to 'Havocs' the 'fighter' version. Because of the blitz and the apparent inability of the defences to make a difference. Any solution was considered - hences pairing a Havoc with a high powered light in the nose - and a Hurricane ! That was soon discontinued. Havocs were - with their range and comparative high speed 295 mph - compared to a Blenheim used for night intruder missions.
The US also used the 'Havoc' as a emergency night-fighter prior to the Northrop P-61, would the Beaufighter have been better - oh yes.
The Harrier was originally British, but they shared the final design with the US.
NothingNow
Banned
You know if you gave them better engines (1000+hp Wright Cyclones or similar) and upgraded the guns to .50cal Brownings you might have a Competent aircraft that could give IJN pilots fits. Especially if the Roc is adopted right alongside and with the Same mods.
It'd make a Good interim aircraft between the SBC and SBD at least.
Perhaps if the US had worse aircraft R&D before WWII, when they enter the war they really, really need modern aircraft and don't have a short path to get 'native' models. So, they take British aircraft and modify them to US standards (after boondoggle native projects, of course) and produce them in Detroit etc. Then, the US aircraft industry is based around British models post-WWII, helping the British aerospace industry immensely...
Markus
Banned
Don´t be that harsh. She was a pretty good dive bomber. The combat radius with a 500lb bomb was app. 300 land miles. A P-40 had the same combat radius but with a 75 gal. drop tank instead of a bomb.
The Harrier II, to the best of my knowledge, was thought up in America, by McDonnell-Douglas, then British Aerospace started making it for the RAF.
Of course, I could be wrong...
The Harrier design itself comes from Britain. McDonnell-Douglas did the Harrier II in partnership with British Aerospace. The Merlins were produced under liscense by Packard during the war, and Rolls-Royce was quick enough in pulling the liscence after the war, leaving the Twin Mustang with improved Allison V-1710's.