I Predict the Next Plane HTC Brings Forth Will Be...

[Brooke]

For special events (generally picking a country's highest-production aircraft not already in the game), I think that the best planes to add would be as follows.

He 111  (Important for Battle of Britain)
Yak-1 or LaGG-3 (For Eastern Front mid-war, where there is otherwise large gap for Soviets)
D4Y (Most-produced Japanese dive bomber, taking over for early-war D3A)
B6N (Most-produced Japanese torpedo bomber, taking over for the early-war B5N)
Pe-2 (Most-produced Soviet attack plane other than Il-2, for Eastern Front)
Ki-43 (Major Japanese fighter)
TBD (Important for Battle of Coral Sea)
Beaufighter (Multi-role, would add a lot of flavor to events)

[Bruv119]

I say we need more Spitfires.     

[Krusty]

(generally picking a country's highest-production aircraft not already in the game)

B6N (Most-produced Japanese torpedo bomber, taking over for the early-war B5N)

Most produced isn't always the best route. Many times planes are made in large numbers but still have very small impact on the war.

One example is the P-40N. The most produced P-40 variant, but of the 5000 or so built, most were state-side trainers for the US. They served in foreign nations more than they did in the US forces! RNZAF, RAAF, some USAAF, but the vast majority were trainers in the U.S.A. edit: Silly me, how could I neglect to mention VVS exports? /edit

Another example is your B6N. While it was intended to replace the B5N it never really did. It had a small initial debut with about 100 planes right about the time US forces were massing in Bougainville area. They were readily wiped out in the small numbers they were available, and removed from frontline duty. The IJN carriers were sunk and the remainder were all based in Japan with no operational use and little combat records to review. Of the 1200 built, only about 150 or so saw real combat.


So in summary, production numbers don't tell the whole story.

[SmokinLoon]

For special events (generally picking a country's highest-production aircraft not already in the game), I think that the best planes to add would be as follows.

He 111  (Important for Battle of Britain)
Pe-2 (Most-produced Soviet attack plane other than Il-2, for Eastern Front)
Ki-43 (Major Japanese fighter)
Beaufighter (Multi-role, would add a lot of flavor to events)

I wont argue against the Pe-2, I think the numbers in which it was produced speaks volume as to how important it was to the Soviets.  Though, I think the Tu-2 would a better fit to add in for both MA's and scenarios.  The Pe-2 has a few stand ins that work well enough (A20/110C-4?).

One thing though, I am having a hard time finding information about the level bombing capabilities of the Pe-2.  Did it have a bomb sight or was it all low level shallow dive bombing?  Once source said it had the capability but the sight was so poor that the Soviets ended up using it as a shallow dive bomber instead of a level bomber.  I can't find any other bit of information on the matter.  Anyone?

[Krusty]

I think like you say, it could but precision wasn't a factor. They dove to hit targets more accurately. For AH purposes I'd imagine it would be a dive bomber, with no level bombsight. Like D3A Val or Me410 or P47.

[Karnak]

Krusty,

I'd like to see more support for your continuing "The Japanese had no idea what to do with aircraft after they left the factory doors after 1941." claims that you provide.  Your say so doesn't constitute evidence.  They managed to get at least some of the B7A2 'Grace' into combat despite only building 114 of them.

The B6N was certainly not massively successful for numerous reasons, but your claim that only 150 out of 1200 were used does not mesh with what I have read.

[Sunka]

I say we need more Spitfires.     

At least three more and while we are at it lets add some hog's and 109's.

[Krusty]

I'd like to see more support for your continuing "The Japanese had no idea what to do with aircraft after they left the factory doors after 1941."

Don't put words in my mouth. You're better than that. You know as well as I do that simply producing a plane doesn't mean diddley squat for how it's actually used. There were twice as many 262s MADE than ever saw distribution to units, or even action AFTER distribution to units. There were some 70+ Ta152s built and ready to go, but all of 12 are cited as making it to a unit before the war was over.

Bougainville. B6N's main debut. It was a disaster. After that it had little participation in the war. Of the planes deployed at Bougainville, only about 150 or so were in service. Of those most were shot down en masse. After that? It doesn't matter what they did with them, it matters what they didn't do with them. They got shuffled around, redeployed, trained with. They weren't a primary combat plane.

Why did they build so many P-40Ns? Surely based on production alone they were the most common plane in WW2, right? Based on your slanted logic the lack of P-40N use in WW2 denotes the US didn't know what to do with their planes. False logic. False assumptions. Biased wordplay to throw words out of my mouth that never were there. I don't have to explain to you what they were doing with them. The combat records are available. Or lack thereof.

[Tilt]

I wont argue against the Pe-2, I think the numbers in which it was produced speaks volume as to how important it was to the Soviets.  Though, I think the Tu-2 would a better fit to add in for both MA's and scenarios.  The Pe-2 has a few stand ins that work well enough (A20/110C-4?).

One thing though, I am having a hard time finding information about the level bombing capabilities of the Pe-2.  Did it have a bomb sight or was it all low level shallow dive bombing?  Once source said it had the capability but the sight was so poor that the Soviets ended up using it as a shallow dive bomber instead of a level bomber.  I can't find any other bit of information on the matter.  Anyone?

Early Pe-2's had level day and night sights for bomb aimer navigators as well as dive bomb sights for the pilot. It was essentially a multi purpose dive bomber (think of a light weight Ju 88). Weirdly some of the bombs were stored in the engine nacelles.

Latterly bombs were stored externally and the dive brakes dispensed with. Which reveals the challenge for HTC. The Pe-2 went thru many variants though out its GPW career.......which one to choose? or two? or three? or four?

[Karnak]

Don't put words in my mouth. You're better than that. You know as well as I do that simply producing a plane doesn't mean diddley squat for how it's actually used. There were twice as many 262s MADE than ever saw distribution to units, or even action AFTER distribution to units. There were some 70+ Ta152s built and ready to go, but all of 12 are cited as making it to a unit before the war was over.

Bougainville. B6N's main debut. It was a disaster. After that it had little participation in the war. Of the planes deployed at Bougainville, only about 150 or so were in service. Of those most were shot down en masse. After that? It doesn't matter what they did with them, it matters what they didn't do with them. They got shuffled around, redeployed, trained with. They weren't a primary combat plane.

Why did they build so many P-40Ns? Surely based on production alone they were the most common plane in WW2, right? Based on your slanted logic the lack of P-40N use in WW2 denotes the US didn't know what to do with their planes. False logic. False assumptions. Biased wordplay to throw words out of my mouth that never were there. I don't have to explain to you what they were doing with them. The combat records are available. Or lack thereof.

Oddly, I don't make that claim.  I look at the data, not "It was Japanese and not a 1930s design, therefor only a small fraction of those made saw combat." that is your default position for anything Japanese.  Some things that is true, some it is not.  The Japanese situation is made worse by their destruction of their own records to keep them out of our hands.

[Babalonian]

9-pages of speculation, but not one logical bribe conjured up yet for HiTech (or Pyro, or Superfly, or Cactus)?...  interesting.

[palef]

Albacore!

[palef]

9-pages of speculation, but not one logical bribe conjured up yet for HiTech (or Pyro, or Superfly, or Cactus)?...  interesting.

Oh yes, good point.

A bottle of 17 year old Ardberg for an Albacore!

[Ack-Ack]

 The A6M2 zero was relatively scarce outside of carrier battles.

No it wasn't.  The A6M2 operated from land bases just as much as from carriers, there were entire fighter groups and squadrons of A6M2s and A6M5s that never saw the deck of a carrier and only operated from land bases.  There were at least 19 IJN land based groups equipped with the A6M2.  

ack-ack

[Krusty]

No it wasn't.  The A6M2 operated from land bases just as much as from carriers, there were entire fighter groups and squadrons of A6M2s and A6M5s that never saw the deck of a carrier and only operated from land bases.  There were at least 19 IJN land based groups equipped with the A6M2.  

ack-ack

In the context of early war planesets, the A6M2 was in a minority as compared to the likes of the Ki-43, and other planes. The Flying Tigers, for example, as well as most Western movies, called everything they shot at a zero, or a zeke, when in fact they just about never ran into them. That was my point. There were far more planes in use than "just" the A6M2 which we have.