What the AHII aircraft list would look like with these 14 additions

[Arlo]

Option of Pe-8 for SB-2

Petlyakov TB-7/Pe-8 may be the better option



Though the write-up is kinda depressing (eh, good Russian drama)

The Petlyakov Pe-8 was a Soviet heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber the USSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bomb Berlin in August 1941. It was also used for so-called 'morale raids' designed to raise the spirit of the Soviet people by exposing Axis vulnerabilities. Its primary mission, however, was to attack German airfields, rail yards and other rear-area facilities at night, although one was used to fly the People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs (Foreign Minister) Vyacheslav Molotov from Moscow to the United States in 1942.

Originally designated the TB-7, the aircraft was renamed the Pe-8 after its primary designer, Vladimir Petlyakov, died in a plane crash in 1942. Supply problems complicated the aircraft's production and the Pe-8s also had engine problems. As Soviet morale boosters, they were also high-value targets for the Luftwaffe's fighter pilots. The loss rate of these aircraft, whether from mechanical failure, friendly fire, or combat, doubled between 1942 and 1944.

By the end of the war, most of the surviving aircraft had been withdrawn from combat units. After the war, some were modified as transports for important officials, and a few others were used in various Soviet testing programs. Some supported the Soviet Arctic operations until the late 1950s.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/profiles/p19473-petlyakov-pe-8.html









Wartime operational history

When Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941, only the 2nd Squadron of the 14th Heavy Bomber Regiment (Russian: Tyazholy Bombardirovochnyy Avia Polk—TBAP), based at Boryspil[16] was equipped with Pe-8s, but was not ready for combat.[17][18] Two of its nine Pe-8s were destroyed by German air strikes shortly after the war began, before the Pe-8s were withdrawn out of reach in Kazan. Stalin ordered that the squadron be reformed into a regiment, and that it strike targets deep inside German territory. Theoretically, this tactic would boost Soviet morale by demonstrating the vulnerability of the enemy. The squadron was re-designated on 29 June as the 412th TBAP and began training for long-range missions.[16] On or about 27 July it was again renamed, this time as the 432nd TBAP.[19] On the evening of 10 August, eight M-40-engined Pe-8s of the 432nd TBAP, accompanied by Yermolaev Yer-2s of the 420th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment (DBAP), attempted to bomb Berlin from Pushkino Airfield near Leningrad. One heavily loaded Pe-8 crashed immediately upon take off, after it lost an engine. Only four managed to reach Berlin, or its outskirts, and of those, only two returned to their base. The others landed elsewhere or crash-landed in Finland and Estonia. The aircraft of the commander of the 81st Long-Range Bomber Division, Combrig Mikhail Vodopianov, to which both regiments belonged, was attacked mistakenly by Polikarpov I-16s from Soviet Naval Aviation over the Baltic Sea and lost an engine; later, before he could reach Berlin, German flak punctured a fuel tank. He crash-landed his aircraft in southern Estonia.[20] Five more Pe-8s were lost during the operation, largely due to the unreliability of the M-40s.[21] Seven Pe-8s were lost during the month of August alone, rendering the regiment ineffective. During this period, the surviving aircraft were re-equipped with AM-35As, which gave them a shorter range, but a more reliable engine.[22]

By 1 October 1941, the regiment mustered fourteen Pe-8s after having been replenished by new aircraft from the factory.[17] It spent the rest of the year conducting night raids on Berlin, Königsberg, Danzig and as well as German-occupied cities in the Soviet Union. The regiment was re-designated as the 746th Separate Long-Range Aviation Regiment (Russian: Otdel'nyy Avia Polk Dahl'nevo Deystviya—OAPDD) on 3 December.[19] No aircraft were reported on hand two days later after this designation, but eleven were on strength on 18 March 1942.[17] During the winter of 1941–42, the regiment was assigned the destruction of a railroad bridge over the Volga River, near Kalinin. In April 1942, one aircraft flew diplomatic personnel and mail on a non-stop flight from Moscow to Great Britain.[22] This was a test run for a flight carrying Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov and his delegation from Moscow to London and then to Washington, D.C. and back, for negotiations to open a second front against Nazi Germany (19 May–13 June 1942). The flight crossed German-controlled airspace on the return trip without incident.[23] From August 1941 to May 1942, the regiment flew 226 sorties and dropped 606 tonnes (596 long tons; 668 short tons) of bombs. In the course of these missions, they lost 14 bombers, five in combat, and the rest from engine malfunction. The regiment received 17 Pe-8s as replacements.[22] Sixteen aircraft were on hand on 1 May 1942, but the number had only increased to seventeen two months later; the regiment was losing aircraft almost as fast as they were being replaced.[17]

The 890th Long-Range Aviation Regiment (Russian: Avia Polk Dahl'nevo Deystviya—APDD) was formed on 15 June 1942[24] and both regiments were used to bomb German-held transportation centers of, among others, Orel, Bryansk, Kursk and Poltava. The pace of activity increased and the regiments flew as many missions in August as they had in the first ten months of the war.[25] By the eve of the Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad, Operation Uranus, on 8 November the regiments had fourteen Pe-8s on hand.[17] Under the command of the 45th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Division (Russian: Dal'nebombardirovochnaya Aviatsionnaya Diviziya—DBAD), they did not participate in the Stalingrad air attacks.[26]

In 1943, from the division's primary airfield at Kratovo, southeast of Moscow, the regiments bombed transportation centers, airfields and troop concentrations. The railroad yard at Gomel was a favorite target and the regiment dropped approximately 606 tonnes (596 long tons; 668 short tons) of bombs there between February and September 1943. It is not clear if these sorties were made by Pe-8s alone or in combination with other aircraft. In addition, the regiment dropped the first FAB-5000 bomb on Königsberg in April 1943, continuing the pin-salamander attacks against targets deep in the German rear.[25] In May 1943, efforts shifted to disrupt the German concentration of forces for the Battle of Kursk. In one sortie, the 109 bombers of the 45th DBAD struck the rail junction at Orsha during the evening of 4 May, most of which were not Pe-8s; the German High Command reported the destruction of 300 rail wagons and three ammunition trains.[27]

By 1 July, the regiment had 18 Pe-8s for deployment during the early phase of the Battle of Kursk. The long-range aviation units continued to attack targets in the German rear areas at night, supporting the Soviet ground offensive in the Orel Bulge, called Operation Kutuzov, that began on 12 July. The Germans had transferred the nightfighters of the Fourth Group of Nightfighter Wing 5 (IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5), flying a mix of Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 217 aircraft, to counter the Soviet raids near the Orel area. Initially, the night fighters were ineffective against the Soviet raids, until the deployment of their ground radar "eyes". Once the Germans had use of their radar, after the night of 17–18 July, Soviet losses skyrocketed. Although the Germans flew only fourteen sorties that night, they claimed eight kills. On the night of 20–21 July, Captain (Hauptmann) Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, commander of IV./NJG 5,[28] shot down three himself.[17] The exhaust plume of the ASh-82 engine may have been a contributing factor; the engines lacked flame dampening exhausts, making their plume visible from a distance.[25] Despite its losses, the 746th was re-designated as the 25th Long-Range Guards Aviation Regiment (GAPDD) on 18 September 1943 in recognition of its achievements.[19]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petlyakov_Pe-8

[Karnak]

Il-4, Pe-2 and Tu-2 would be my choices.

[Arlo]

Il-4, Pe-2 and Tu-2 would be my choices.

Medium bombers only, then. Bearing in mind the desire for level bombing.

Ok, deserves a look.



In 1938, the Ilyushin design bureau redesigned the Ilyushin DB-3 to ease production and improve performance, the revised version receiving the designation DB-3F (Forsirovannyi or "boosted"). The aircraft's internal structure, particularly the wings, was extensively changed, eliminating the need for hand finishing of the structure and with Duralumin replacing the large scale use of steel in the earlier aircraft.[2][3] The aircraft's fuel system was redesigned, increasing capacity while reducing the number of fuel tanks.[2] The fuselage nose was lengthened to give more room for the navigator/bomb-aimer while reducing drag. The prototype DB-3F, powered by the same 708 kW (949 hp) Tumansky M-87B engines of the DB-3M, was piloted on its maiden flight by Vladimir Kokkinaki on 21 May 1939.[4] It successfully passed through state acceptance tests and entered production in January 1940, with the 1,100 hp (820 kW) Tumansky M-88 quickly replacing the M-87.[5][6] The DB-3F was redesignated Il-4 in March 1942.[6] Some series had wooden outer wings and front fuselage to conserve metals, and throughout the production engines and fuel tanks were upgraded for more performance while keeping the same range. However the most notable change was the addition of larger defensive guns in the turret, using the 12.7 mm (0.5 in) UBT machine gun in place of the earlier 7.62 mm (0.3 in) weapons. In addition it was found that the gunners were attacked first, so blocks of armor were placed around the gunner positions.

All this extra weight wasn't offset by the newer engines however, and the Il-4 proved to be slower than the earlier versions at only 404 km/h (251 mph). An attempt to improve performance was made as the Il-6, adding large diesel engines and heavier armament. The engine proved unreliable and production was never started. The Il-4 remained in production until 1944, when just over 5,200 had been built.
Operational history

Although the Il-4 was only a medium bomber, it had the range to be used on strategic missions. The VVS wasn't terribly interested in this role, but nevertheless the Il-4 was used on several highly publicized raids against Berlin. Most would be used on much shorter range missions, often adding another 1,000 kg (2,204 lb) of bombs under the wings, in addition to the internal 2,500 kg (5,512 lb).

Finland bought four captured DB-3Fs from German stocks. These were given the Finnish Air Force serials DF-22 to DF-25 and flown from Bryansk, Russia to Finland (one aircraft, DF-22, was destroyed en route and crashed near Syeschtschinskaya airfield). The aircraft were later flown by No. 48 Sqn during 1943 (DF-23, DF-24 and DF-25), No. 46 Sqn during 1944 (DF-23 and DF-24) and No. 45 Sqn for a short time in 1945 (DF-23), until the last remaining serviceable aircraft went into depot on February 23, 1945. After the war, DF-25 got lost in snowbliz, landed on the ice and crashed into the woods in Öja near the city of Kokkola. Most parts of the plane were rescued and taken to a depot.[7]

^ a b Air International May 1986, p. 133.
^ Gunston 1995, pp. 100–101.
^ Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2004, pp. 91–92.
^ Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2004, p. 92.
^ a b Gunston 1995, p. 102.
^ Keskinen et al. 1982, p. 79,94.

Performance

    Maximum speed: 410 km/h (255 mph; 221 kn) at 6,500 m (21,325 ft)
    Range: 3,800 km (2,361 mi; 2,052 nmi) (max internal fuel), 2,600 km (1,404 nmi; 1,616 mi) with 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bombs
    Service ceiling: 8,700 m (28,543 ft)
    Time to altitude: 13.6 min to 5,000 m (16,404 ft)

Armament

    Guns: * 2 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (1 in nose, 1 in ventral hatch)
    1 × 12.7 mm UBT machine gun in dorsal turret
    Rockets: 2 × BETAB-750DS 305 mm rockets.[11]
    Missiles: 1 × 940 kg (2,100 lb) Type 45-36 torpedo[10]
    Bombs: Up to 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) of bombs or mines.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-4



Or

Pe-2 .... dive bomber

Or ....

Tupolev Tu-2



The Tupolev Tu-2 (Development names ANT-58 and 103, NATO reporting name: Bat) was a twin-engine Soviet (high) speed daylight bomber (SDB) front line bomber (FB) aircraft of World War II vintage. The Tu-2 was tailored to meet a requirement for a high speed bomber or dive-bomber, with a large internal bomb load, and speed similar to that of a single seat fighter. Designed to challenge the German Junkers Ju 88, the Tu-2 proved comparable, and was produced in torpedo, interceptor and reconnaissance versions. The Tu-2 was one of the outstanding combat aircraft of World War II and it played a key role in the Red Army's final offensives.[1]

Design and development

In 1937 Andrei Tupolev, along with many Soviet designers at the time, was arrested on trumped-up charges of activities against the State. Despite the actions of the Soviet government, he was considered important to the war effort and following his imprisonment, he was placed in charge of a team that was to design military aircraft. Designed as Samolyot (Russian: "aircraft") 103, the Tu-2 was based on earlier ANT-58, ANT-59 and ANT-60 light bomber prototypes.[2] Essentially an upscaled and more powerful ANT-60 powered by AM-37 engines, the first prototype was completed at Factory N156, and made its first test flight on 29 January 1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov.[2] Mass production began in September 1941, at Omsk Aircraft Factory Number 166, with the first aircraft reaching combat units in March 1942. Modifications were made based on combat experience, and Plant Number 166 built a total of 80 aircraft. The AM-37 engine was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for the Il-2, which required Tupolev to redesign the aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this bomber took ANT-58 through ANT-69 variants. A further 2527 aircraft were built at Kazan, with these modifications. Production ceased in 1951 after a total of some 3,000 aircraft were delivered to various Soviet Bloc air forces.[1]

Operational history

Built from 1941 to 1948, the Tu-2 was the USSR's second most important twin-engine bomber (the first being the Pe-2). The design brought Andrei Tupolev back into favour after a period of detention. It was highly effective, being faster and more nimble, as well as having a greater bomb load and range, than virtually all medium bombers in service during the war with any army. Crews were universally happy with their Tupolevs. Pilots could maneuver like fighters and they were fast and tough enough to survive heavy damage.[3] The Tu-2 remained in service in the USSR until 1950.

Some surplus Tu-2s were provided to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force for use in the Chinese Civil War. Some Chinese Tu-2s were shot down by British and American airmen during the Korean War. In the 1958–1962 counter-riot actions in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau covering Qinghai, Tibet, southern Gansu, and western Sichuan, Chinese PLAAF Tu-2s took on the roles of ground-attack, reconnaissance and liaison. The Chinese Tu-2s were retired at the end of 1970s.

After World War II, the Tu-2 proved to be an ideal test aircraft for various powerplants, including the first generation of Soviet jet engines.[1]



Performance

    Maximum speed: 521 km/h (281 kn, 325 mph)
    Range: 2,020 km (1,090 nmi, 1,260 mi)
    Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,528 ft)
    Rate of climb: 8.2 m/s (1,610 ft/min)
    Wing loading: 217 kg/m² (45 lb/ft²)
    Power/mass: 260 W/kg (0.16 hp/lb)

Armament

    Guns:
        2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) fixed forward-firing ShVAK cannon in the wings
        3 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) rear-firing ShKAS machine guns (later replaced by 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Berezin UB machine guns) in the canopy, dorsal and ventral hatches.
    Bombs: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) internally and 2,270 kg (5,000 lb) externally

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between those 3, I'd say the TU-2 is the most important based on the best is better rule.
But bear in mind I also recommended the Pe-2 alongside. Guess if 2 VVS medium bombers are
added, who could have issue with the best two?

(Although, I have to admit, the SB-2, though older and more antiquated, opens up a bomber
 for SCW in the AvA and events. )

[Arlo]

Pe-2 for comparison with the TU-2.

[gyrene81]

just realized you missed one of the most important early war russian fighters...the mig-3

Specifications (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3) [edit]
 

Data from MiG: Fifty Years of Secret Aircraft Design[32]
 
General characteristics
 Crew: One
 Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
 Wingspan: 10.20 m (33 ft 5 in)
 Height: 3.30 m (10 ft 9⅞ in)
 Wing area: 17.44 m² (188 ft²)
 Airfoil: Clark YH
 Empty weight: 2,699 kg (5,965 lb)
 Loaded weight: 3,355 kg (7,415 lb)
 Powerplant: 1 × Mikulin AM-35A liquid-cooled V-12, 993 kW (1,350 hp)
 
Performance
 Maximum speed: 640 km/h (398 mph, 346 knots) at 7,800 m (25,600 ft)

 Maximum speed at sea level : 505 km/h (314 mph, 273 knots)
 Combat range: 820 km (510 mi,443 NM)
 Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,400 ft)
 Wing loading: 155 kg/m² (39.3 lb/ft²)
 Power/mass: 0.30 kW/kg (0.18 hp/lb)

 Climb to 8,000 m (26,250 ft): 10.28 min
 
Armament

 1 × 12.7 mm UBS machine gun
 2 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns.
 2 × 100 kg (220 lb) bombs, 2 spray containers for chemicals, gas or flammable liquids or 6 × 82 mm RS-82 rockets

[Arlo]

just realized you missed one of the most important early war russian fighters...the mig-3

Specifications (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3) [edit]
 

(Image removed from quote.)

Not 'missed' ..... 'avoided.' 

"The MiG-3 was difficult to fly in peacetime and much more so in combat. It had been designed for high-altitude combat but combat over the Eastern Front was generally at lower altitudes where it was inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 as well as most modern Soviet fighters. It was also pressed into service as a fighter-bomber during the autumn of 1941 but it was equally unsuited for this. Over time the survivors were concentrated in the PVO, where its disadvantages mattered less, the last being withdrawn from service before the end of the war."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-3

[gyrene81]

the rest of the story Arlo...the rest of the story.

Even with the MiG-3's limitations, Aleksandr Pokryshkin, the third-leading Soviet, and Allied, ace of the war, with 53 official air victories (plus six shared), recorded a number of those victories while flying a MiG-3 at the beginning of the war. He later recalled:
 

“Its designers rarely succeeded in matching both the fighter's flight characteristics with its firepower… the operational advantage of the MiG-3 seemed to be obscured by its certain defects. However, these advantages could undoubtedly be exploited by a pilot able to discover them”.

most of the problems were the pilots who were used to flying i-152 and i-513s...at 4000+ meters it was fine and with more than 6,000 built i'd say that was fairly significant until it was replaced by the yaks.

[Arlo]

the rest of the story Arlo...the rest of the story.

most of the problems were the pilots who were used to flying i-152 and i-513s...at 4000+ meters it was fine and with more than 6,000 built i'd say that was fairly significant until it was replaced by the yaks.

Ok ... 15 new models. 

[gyrene81]

now if i had said lagg-3 then a fish slap would have been called for...

[Arlo]

[Arlo]

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/aircraft/bomber/boeing-b-29-superfortress.asp

[Karnak]

Arlo,

Put the Wellington on that list as well. SM.79 would be nice too.

It is also missing the Mosquito which we already have a version of.

[Arlo]

Vickers Wellington



Operational History (History a key word here)

The first RAF bombing attack of the war was made by Wellingtons of No. 9 and No. 149 Squadrons, along with Bristol Blenheims, on German shipping at Brunsbüttel on 4 September 1939. During this raid, the two Wellingtons became the first aircraft shot down on the Western Front. Numbers 9, 37 and 149 Squadrons saw action on 18 December 1939 on a mission against German shipping on the Schillig Roads and Wilhelmshaven. Luftwaffe fighters destroyed 12 of the bombers and badly damaged three others; thus highlighting the aircraft's vulnerability to attacking fighters, having neither self-sealing fuel tanks nor sufficient defensive armament. In particular, while the aircraft's nose and tail turrets protected against attacks from the front and rear, the Wellington had no defences against attacks from the beam and above, as it had not been believed that such attacks were possible owing to the high speed of aircraft involved.[5] As a consequence, Wellingtons were switched to night operations and participated in the first night raid on Berlin on 25 August 1940. In the first 1,000-aircraft raid on Cologne, on 30 May 1942, 599 out of 1,046 aircraft were Wellingtons (101 of them were flown by Polish aircrew). With Bomber Command, Wellingtons flew 47,409 operations, dropped 41,823 tons (37,941 tonnes) of bombs and lost 1,332 aircraft in action.

Coastal Command Wellingtons carried out anti-submarine duties and sank their first enemy vessel on 6 July 1942. DWI versions (see below) fitted with a 48 ft (14.63 m) diameter metal hoop were used for exploding enemy mines by generating a powerful magnetic field as it passed over them. In 1944, Wellingtons of Coastal Command were deployed to Greece, and performed various support duties during the RAF interference in the Greek Civil War. A few Wellingtons were operated by the Hellenic Air Force.

While the Wellington was superseded in the European Theatre, it remained in operational service for much of the war in the Middle East and in 1942, Wellingtons based in India became the RAF's first long-range bomber operating in the Far East. It was particularly effective with the South African Air Force in North Africa. This versatile aircraft also served in anti-submarine duties with 26 Squadron SAAF based in Takoradi, Gold Coast (now Ghana).

In late 1944, a radar-equipped Wellington was modified for use by the RAF's Fighter Interception Unit as what would now be described as an Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.[6] It operated at an altitude of some 4,000 ft (1,219 m) over the North Sea to control de Havilland Mosquito fighters intercepting Heinkel He 111 bombers flying from Dutch airbases and carrying out airborne launches of the V-1 flying bomb.

The Wellington is listed in the appendix to the novel KG 200 as one flown by the German secret operations unit KG 200, which also tested, evaluated and sometimes clandestinely operated captured enemy aircraft during the Second World War.[7]

^ Richards 1953, p. 46.
^ Jackson 2007, p. 217.
^ Gilman and Clive 1978, p. 314.

Performance

    Maximum speed: 235 mph (378 km/h) at 15,500 ft (4,730 m)
    Range: 2,550 mi (2,217 nmi, 4,106 km)
    Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,490 m)
    Rate of climb: 1,120 ft/min (5.7 m/s)
    Wing loading: 34 lb/ft² (168 kg/m²)
    Power/mass: 0.08 hp/lb (0.13 kW/kg)

Armament

    Guns: 6-8× .303 Browning machine guns:
        2× in nose turret
        2× in tail turret[13]
        2× in waist positions [14]
    Bombs: 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) bombs


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Wellington

[Arlo]

Douglas A-26 Invader



The A-26 was an unusual design for an attack bomber of the early 1940s period, as it was designed as a single-pilot aircraft (sharing this characteristic with the RAF's de Havilland Mosquito, among others). The aircraft was designed by Edward Heinemann, Robert Donovan, and Ted R. Smith.[5] The project aerodynamicist on the program was A.M.O. Smith,[6] who designed the wing making use of the then-new NACA 65-215 laminar flow airfoil.[7]

The Douglas XA-26 prototype (AAC Ser. No. 41-19504) first flew on 10 July 1942 at Mines Field, El Segundo, with test pilot Benny Howard at the controls. Flight tests revealed excellent performance and handling, but there were problems with engine cooling which led to cowling changes and omission of the propeller spinners on production aircraft, plus modification of the nose landing gear after repeated collapses during testing.[8]
A-26B-15-DL (41-39186) during field testing with 553d Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group.

The A-26 was originally built in two different configurations. The A-26B had a "solid" nose, which originally could be equipped with a combination of anything from .50 caliber machine guns, 37mm auto cannon, 20mm or even a 75mm pack howitzer, but normally the solid nose version housed six (or later eight) .50 caliber machine guns, officially termed the "all-purpose nose", later commonly known as the "six-gun nose" or "eight-gun nose". The A-26C's "glass" nose, officially termed the "Bombardier nose", contained a Norden bombsight for medium altitude precision bombing. The A-26C nose section included two fixed M-2 guns, later replaced by underwing gun packs or internal guns in the wings.[9]

After about 1,570 production aircraft, three guns were installed in each wing, coinciding with the introduction of the "eight-gun nose" for A-26Bs, giving some configurations as many as 14 .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in a fixed forward mount. An A-26C nose section could be exchanged for an A-26B nose section, or vice versa, in a few man-hours, thus physically (and officially) changing the designation and operational role. The "flat-topped" canopy was changed in late 1944 after about 820 production aircraft, to a clamshell style with greatly improved visibility.[10][11]

Alongside the pilot in an A-26B, a crew member typically served as navigator and gun loader for the pilot-operated nose guns. In an A-26C, that crew member served as navigator and bombardier, and relocated to the nose section for the bombing phase of an operation. A small number of A-26Cs were fitted with dual flight controls, some parts of which could be disabled in flight to allow limited access to the nose section. A tractor-style "jump seat" was located behind the "navigator's seat." In most missions, a third crew member in the rear gunner's compartment operated the remotely-controlled dorsal and ventral gun turrets, with access to and from the cockpit only possible via the bomb bay when that was empty.[12]

Operational History (WWII)

Pacific

The Douglas company began delivering the production model A-26B in August 1943 with the new bomber first seeing action with the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific theater on 23 June 1944, when they bombed Japanese-held islands near Manokwari.[13] The pilots in the 3rd Bomb Group's 13th Squadron, "The Grim Reapers", who received the first four A-26s for evaluation, found the view from the cockpit to be poor for low level attack.

General George Kenney, commander of the Far East Air Forces stated that, "We do not want the A-26 under any circumstances as a replacement for anything."[14] Until changes could be made, the 3d Bomb Group requested additional Douglas A-20 Havocs, although both types were used in composite flights.[15] The 319th Bomb Group worked up on the A-26 in March 1945, joining the initial 3rd BG, with the 319th flying until 12 August 1945. The A-26 operations wound down in mid-August 1945 with only a few dozen missions flown.[15]
Europe

Douglas needed better results from the Invader's second combat test, so A-26s began arriving in Europe in late September 1944 for assignment to the Ninth Air Force. The initial deployment involved 18 aircraft and crews assigned to the 553d Squadron of the 386th Bomb Group. This unit flew its first mission on 6 September 1944. No aircraft were lost on the eight test missions, and the Ninth Air Force announced that it was happy to replace all of its A-20s and B-26s with the A-26 Invader.

The first group to fully convert to the A-26B was 416th Bombardment Group with which it entered combat on 17 November, and the 409th Bombardment Group, whose A-26s became operational in late November.[16] Due to a shortage of A-26C variants, the groups flew a combined A-20/A-26 unit until deliveries of the glass-nose version caught up. Besides bombing and strafing, tactical reconnaissance and night interdiction missions were undertaken successfully. In contrast to the Pacific-based units, the A-26 was well received by pilots and crew alike, and by 1945, the 9th AF had flown 11,567 missions, dropping 18,054 tons of bombs, recording seven confirmed kills while losing 67 aircraft.[16]

In Italy the Twelfth Air Force's 47th Bomb Group also received the A-26, starting in January 1945. They were used against German transport links, but also for direct support and interdiction against tanks and troop concentrations in the Po valley in the final campaigns in Italy.

Performance

    Maximum speed: 355 mph (308 kn, 570 km/h)
    Range: 1,400 mi (1,200 nmi, 2,300 km)
    Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,700 m)
    Rate of climb: 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s)
    Wing loading: 51 lb/ft² (250 kg/m²)
    Power/mass: 0.145 hp/lb (108 W/kg)

Armament

    Guns:
        Up to 8 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in the nose (1,600 rpg)
        8 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns paired in four optional underwing pods
        2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in remote-controlled dorsal turret
        2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in remote-controlled ventral turret
    Bombs: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) capacity - 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) in the bomb bay plus 2,000 lb (910 kg) carried externally on underwing hardpoints

^ a b Francillon 1979
^ Smith, A.M.O., "High-Lift Aerodynamics; the 37th Wright Brothers Lecture", AIAA paper 74-939, reprinted in the AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 12 No. 6, June 1975.
^ Lednicer, David. The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage. Champaign, Illinois: UIUC Applied Aerodynamics Group, 2010. Retrieved: 18 May 2011
^ Mesko 1980, p. 5.
^ Borland, Hal. "Plane of Many Faces." Popular Science, July 1945.
^ Winchester 2004, p. 75.
^ a b c d Thompson 2002
^ Johnsen 1999
^ "June 1944." 43rd Bomb Group Association via kensmen.com, 1999. Retrieved: 2 August 2007.
^ O'Leary 2002, p. 42.
^ a b Mesko 1980, p. 17.
^ a b Mesko 1980, p.12.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-26_Invader

[Arlo]

Bristol Beaufighter



Operational Service

By fighter standards, the Beaufighter Mk.I was rather heavy and slow. It had an all-up weight of 16,000 lb (7,000 kg) and a maximum speed of only 335 mph (540 km/h) at 16,800 ft (5,000 m). Nevertheless, this was all that was available at the time, as further production of the otherwise excellent Westland Whirlwind had already been stopped due to problems with production of its Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines.

The first Beaufighter was delivered to RAF Tangmere for trials with the Fighter Interception Unit on 12 August 1940, and the first operational machines were received by 29 Squadron and 604 Squadron on 2 September.[8]

The Beaufighter came off the production line at almost exactly the same time as the first British Airborne Interception (AI) Night fighter radar sets. With the four 20 mm cannon mounted in the lower fuselage, the nose could accommodate the radar antennas, and the general spaciousness of the fuselage enabled the AI equipment to be fitted easily. Even loaded to 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) the aircraft was fast enough to catch German bombers. By early 1941, it was an effective counter to Luftwaffe night raids. The various early models of the Beaufighter soon commenced service overseas, where its ruggedness and reliability soon made the aircraft popular with crews although it was heavy on the controls and not easy to fly, good landings being a particular challenge.[citation needed]

A night-fighter Mk VIF was supplied to squadrons in March 1942, equipped with AI Mark VIII radar. As the faster de Havilland Mosquito took over in the night fighter role in mid to late 1942, the heavier Beaufighters made valuable contributions in other areas such as anti-shipping, ground attack and long-range interdiction in every major theatre of operations.

In the Mediterranean, the USAAF's 414th, 415th, 416th and 417th Night Fighter Squadrons received 100 Beaufighters in the summer of 1943, achieving their first victory in July 1943. Through the summer the squadrons conducted both daytime convoy escort and ground-attack operations, but primarily flew defensive interception missions at night. Although the Northrop P-61 Black Widow fighter began to arrive in December 1944, USAAF Beaufighters continued to fly night operations in Italy and France until late in the war.

By the autumn of 1943, the Mosquito was available in enough numbers to replace the Beaufighter as the primary night fighter of the RAF. By the end of the war some seventy pilots serving with RAF units had become aces while flying Beaufighters.

At least one captured Beaufighter was operated by the German Luftwaffe – a photograph exists of the aircraft in flight, with German markings.[9]

Performance

    Maximum speed: 320 mph (280 kn, 515 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
    Range: 1,750 mi (1,520 nmi, 2,816 km)
    Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,795 m) without torpedo
    Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.2 m/s) without torpedo

Armament

    4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk III cannon (60 rpg) in nose, and depending on role;

Fighter Command Variant

        4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns (outer starboard wing)
        2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun (outer port wing)
        8 × RP-3 "60 lb" (27 kg) rockets or 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs

Coastal Command Variant

        1 × manually operated Vickers GO or .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning for observer
        1 × 18 in (450 mm) torpedo

^ Bowyer 2010, p. 262.
^ Roba, 2009 p. 140.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter