Fieseler Fi 156 (or Similar) for GV recon.

[AWwrgwy]

I use whatever I'm currently flying as a spotter aircraft and I use tracers to mark the direction of the targets.  I had a good mission or two where I could tell the friendly gv's on the ground where the nme gv's were once I figure out which way everyone is pointing and which way I'm looking.

You don't need a 'new' plane to do it.  Just take plenty of gas and hope the ground guys get the wirbles quickly.


wrongway

[Denholm]

That's one sad part of today's AH pilots, they're not creative enough.

[RedTeck]

Would be in interesting addition I believe. I can just imagining driving A6M pilots crazy who try to turn.
This doesn't contribute to the discussion but after reading about the Fieseler I had to share.

A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was fittingly downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch - a Piper L-4 Grasshopper-from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender. The involved Storch was the only aircraft known to have been downed by handgun fire in the entire war.

[BigPlay]

Does anyone have other suggestions for Recon aircraft?

How do people feel about GV on the enemy radar if within sight of enemy GV's?

Many of the planes we have were used in the recon role, TBM, P-38, SBD, B5N and so on and so on. The spies make a better cv locater than any recon plane.

[AWwrgwy]

A Storch was the victim of the last dog fight on the Western Front and another was fittingly downed by a direct Allied counterpart of the Storch - a Piper L-4 Grasshopper-from the L-4's crew directing their pistol fire at it. The pilot and co-pilot of the L-4, Lts. Duane Francis and Bill Martin, opened fire on the Storch with their .45 caliber pistols, forcing the German air crew to land and surrender. The involved Storch was the only aircraft known to have been downed by handgun fire in the entire war.

Duel in the Sun by Burt Mader







wrongway

[lunatic1]

r u  freakin kidding me!!!!!!!!! the aircraft already have an easy enough time seeing gv's.jeez.if anything,we need more anti aircraft guns. and put twin .50 cal machine guns on the tanks.or give the tanks heavier amour.it's hard enough to shoot at other gv's while your being bombed or 30mm straffed.hell man ask for something else.

[skullman]

kinda off subject but when fighters are strafing armour while spotting they need to fix the damage model.It ticks me off when they rake a tank with small cal fire and I kill them with a main gun shell and only get an assist

[BigPlay]

Duel in the Sun by Burt Mader


(Image removed from quote.)




wrongway

I sell aviation art for a living. I seriously doubt that this was the last dogfight on the western front. I know this artists work and it is rather bad. If in fact this did happen (which I doubt) I'm sure the German occupants wanted to surrender rather than forced out of the sky by a piper cub and a 45. This artist isn't know for his research.

[RedTeck]

I'm willing to believe
Just do a search for "lt william martin storch" and you'll see its not some only one website reference

The MISS ME was an unarmed Piper Cub. While spotting for the US artillery her pilot saw a similar German plane doing the same thing. He dove on the German plane and he and his co-pilot fired their pistols damaging the German plane enough that it had to make a forced landing. Whereupon they landed and took the Germans prisoner. I don't know where they put them since the MISS ME only had 2 seats.


Mark Anderson wrote: "In regards to the duel of two spotter aircraft doing battle during the last days of WW2, Cornelius Ryan wrote of the incident in his book Last Battle. While enroute to scout the area around Berlin Lts. Duane Francies and William Martin, in the last "dogfight" between Americans and Germans in WW2, took on a Fieseler "Storch" under pistolfire from their L-4 Cub, forced the Storch to crash land and its two occupants to be captured by an American troop convoy which had watched the action from below. The above account was also verified to me by correspondence from Mr. Martin in 2003."

If you'd like to buy a copy for yourself
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Battle-Classic-History-Berlin/dp/0684803291

and an interesting bio on the pilot
http://www.5ad.org/units/Duane%20Francies.htm

[BigPlay]

I'm willing to believe
Just do a search for "lt william martin storch" and you'll see its not some only one website reference

The MISS ME was an unarmed Piper Cub. While spotting for the US artillery her pilot saw a similar German plane doing the same thing. He dove on the German plane and he and his co-pilot fired their pistols damaging the German plane enough that it had to make a forced landing. Whereupon they landed and took the Germans prisoner. I don't know where they put them since the MISS ME only had 2 seats.


Mark Anderson wrote: "In regards to the duel of two spotter aircraft doing battle during the last days of WW2, Cornelius Ryan wrote of the incident in his book Last Battle. While enroute to scout the area around Berlin Lts. Duane Francies and William Martin, in the last "dogfight" between Americans and Germans in WW2, took on a Fieseler "Storch" under pistolfire from their L-4 Cub, forced the Storch to crash land and its two occupants to be captured by an American troop convoy which had watched the action from below. The above account was also verified to me by correspondence from Mr. Martin in 2003."

If you'd like to buy a copy for yourself
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Battle-Classic-History-Berlin/dp/0684803291

and an interesting bio on the pilot
http://www.5ad.org/units/Duane%20Francies.htm

 I have an extensive collections of WW2 books . Many contradict themselves.Take for example the death of Micheal Whittman, many references say it was Typhoons that destroyed his Tiger while others are adamant that it was firefly's .Just because someone wrote it does not necessarily mean that it's gospel, Like I said I doubt that it was the last dogfight on the western front. Also one thing to consider. Both of these planes were light single engined planes, if you have ever been flying in one you would realize that these things are bouncing all over the place. To hit a plane that's dodging your plane while bouncing all over and considering that the piper pilots had to open the side canopy and shot out of the one side makes me think that it would be very difficult if not impossible to hit anything let alone their engine. I use to shot pistols quite a bit at bolling balls set up 50 ft away. In prone position it was hard enough to hit them Considering that the ww2 45 wasn't  an acurate pistol I find this hard to believe. I can do a little digging in regards to what was considered the last dogfight but does it really matter. It's all pure conjecture.