JUNE FSO: Clash at Kursk

[viking73]

Somebody goofed on this FSO and didn't do their homework. Russia didn't get it's first batch of P-40N's till November 1943.

The 65th IAP, whose re-equipping was begun in September 1943, was already receiving the P-40N-1 by November, and the P-40N-5 in December.

In the fall of 1943 this function was handed off to the 11th ZAP, situated in the nearby town of Kirovabad. The P-40M-10 began to arrive here in August, and the P-40N-1 in November. In October 1944 the 11th ZAP began to receive the most modern model of the Kittyhawk delivered to the USSR, the P-40N-30.

http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/romanenko/p-40/index.htm

[Nefarious]

Somebody goofed on this FSO and didn't do their homework.

Am I getting graded on this?

[Squire]

Not my design but I will make a comment here.

The info posted above is correct for the P-40Ns entry date into the VVS (11-43) and I certainly don't dispute it. I don't think its a stretch to use the P-40N in a mid (July 1943) setup. The P-40E is the reworked version (from the original AH version) with no WEP capability at all ...and was being phased out by early 1943 with the Soviets. By Kursk the Russians did have the P-40K. So we end up having to use the P-40F and/or the P-40N as a "mid war" Russian P-40 (designers choice). Looking at the P-40Ns #s it does not possess any spectacular performace being both slower in climb and speed to the P-39N/Q Aircobra...and lagging far behind the Bf 109G series and the Fw 190A in this setup.

Would the P-40F have been closer to the P-40K? possibly but I don't see a huge difference.

Constructive feedback and discussion is always welcome.

...Dug up the enty date to the P-40K with the VVS they had them by December 1942 according to "Lend Lease Soviet Fighter Aces of WW2" just for info.

[viking73]

I just brought it up for the sake of accuracy. 

[Nefarious]

I just brought it up for the sake of accuracy.  

It's sort of the same way the Axis have the Fw 190F8. Clearly the F-8 wasn't available at Kursk, but they did have earlier F models operating there and it allows the Luftwaffe to use the F model which played a significant role at Kursk. The Panzerblitz rockets were disabled to give it a similar armament.

This is done nearly every FSO. It's all about the combination of playability and accuracy/history.