For those wanting the P-70 and P-61 in the game.

[bustr]

Here is a link to ibiblio HyperWar.

U. S. Army Air Forces in World War II
Conquering the Night
Army Air Forces Night Fighters at War

Stephen L. McFarland

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/AAF-Night/

I'm not sure how Mr. McFarland is considered by our resident WW2 publication experts on historic reliability. But, for those who want the P-70 and P-61 for daylight use in the game. He gives historic credit to their use. The P-70 lacked superchargers which made their ability to intercept high altitude intruding bombers unacceptable. In many cases they were used for night time intruder missions. Or repurposed to day time intruder missions as better platforms became available. The P-61 performed some day time intruder work in the ETO due to the lack of air targets. But, were far better at night time intruder work being the only aircraft that were able to support Patton and the 101st as long as they had about a 1500ft or so ceiling in bad weather.

This publication describes night time intruder bombing as not much different from our daylight S.O.P. sub 5k bombing strategies. Including B17 and B24 attacking ships at night low on the water following their wake, then skip bombing them. We sling bomb instead due to how our water is modeled. In Borneo night intruders followed roads at low alt and strafed\bombed Japanese convoys and other movements. Much the same way we conduct intrusions in the MA versus level bombing. Something comes to mind about necessity and invention. Our ingeniousness in the MA seems to be nothing more than rediscovering wheels invented by our grandfathers in ww2.

Night flyers quickly found that skip-bombing attacks on enemy shipping, so effective by day, were also possible at night. Without radar, airmen had trouble seeing ships at night, but soon discovered their wakes were a dead giveaway. Flying at 250 feet, fighters and bombers, including B–17s and –24s, dropped their bombs about sixty to one hundred feet short of the target, allowing the bombs to skip into the side of the targeted vessel. Some four-engine B–24 bombers were equipped with SCR–717 air-to-surface radars for finding targets at night and AN/APQ–5 low altitude radars for bomb aiming. Called “Snoopers,” three squadrons of about forty B–24s serving with Fifth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Air Forces claimed to have sunk 344 enemy ships, barges, and sampans at night, with 62 more probably destroyed and 446 damaged.

P-70, N-3 with elevated sight head specific to Douglas procurement for the P-70.


L-3 in a P-61.


L-3 in a P-61.

[Ack-Ack]

Here is a link to ibiblio HyperWar.

U. S. Army Air Forces in World War II
Conquering the Night
Army Air Forces Night Fighters at War

Stephen L. McFarland

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/AAF-Night/

I'm not sure how Mr. McFarland is considered by our resident WW2 publication experts on historic reliability. But, for those who want the P-70 and P-61 for daylight use in the game. He gives historic credit to their use. The P-70 lacked superchargers which made their ability to intercept high altitude intruding bombers unacceptable. In many cases they were used for night time intruder missions. Or repurposed to day time intruder missions as better platforms became available. The P-61 performed some day time intruder work in the ETO due to the lack of air targets. But, were far better at night time intruder work being the only aircraft that were able to support Patton and the 101st as long as they had about a 1500ft or so ceiling in bad weather.

This publication describes night time intruder bombing as not much different from our daylight S.O.P. sub 5k bombing strategies. Including B17 and B24 attacking ships at night low on the water following their wake, then skip bombing them. We sling bomb instead due to how our water is modeled. In Borneo night intruders followed roads at low alt and strafed\bombed Japanese convoys and other movements. Much the same way we conduct intrusions in the MA versus level bombing. Something comes to mind about necessity and invention. Our ingeniousness in the MA seems to be nothing more than rediscovering wheels invented by our grandfathers in ww2.

Night flyers quickly found that skip-bombing attacks on enemy shipping, so effective by day, were also possible at night. Without radar, airmen had trouble seeing ships at night, but soon discovered their wakes were a dead giveaway. Flying at 250 feet, fighters and bombers, including B–17s and –24s, dropped their bombs about sixty to one hundred feet short of the target, allowing the bombs to skip into the side of the targeted vessel. Some four-engine B–24 bombers were equipped with SCR–717 air-to-surface radars for finding targets at night and AN/APQ–5 low altitude radars for bomb aiming. Called “Snoopers,” three squadrons of about forty B–24s serving with Fifth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Air Forces claimed to have sunk 344 enemy ships, barges, and sampans at night, with 62 more probably destroyed and 446 damaged.

P-70, N-3 with elevated sight head specific to Douglas procurement for the P-70.
(Image removed from quote.)

L-3 in a P-61.
(Image removed from quote.)

L-3 in a P-61.
(Image removed from quote.)

Who has been asking for the POS that was the P-70?  There is a reason why it only had less than 3 kills the entire war and the vast majority if the P-70 served stateside as night fighter trainers.  P-70 couldn't catch the bombers it was tasked to shoot down.

ack-ack

[bustr]

Probably the same newbies you excoriated the last 3 times they wished for it. If it saw service in the PTO, and was repurposed to day\night intruder missions as this author states. Then for MA purposes it has a niche. Just like in the ETO some P-61 performed day light intruder missions due to the lack of night time air targets.

Is Stephen L. McFarland a reliable source? I suppose I can research his professional history related to this field. Does he have any reason to prevaricate?

There is this difference in the P-70A and subsequent P-70B which as you state was only used for state side training. The P-70A was used in the PTO being relegated to intruder missions due to the weak high alt engines.

 In 1943, between June and October, 13 A-20Cs and 51 A-20Gs were converted to P-70A. Differences were to be found in the armament, with the 20mm cannon package replaced by an A-20G gun nose with six .50 caliber guns installed, the SCR-540 radar installation being carried in the bomb bay with the transmitting antenna protruding between the nose guns. Further P-70 variants were produced from A-20G and J variants. The singular airframe P-70B-1 (converted from an A-20G) and subsequent P-70B-2s (converted from A-20Gs and Js) had American centimetric radar (SCR-720 or SCR-729) fitted. The P-70s and P-70As saw combat only in the Pacific during World War II and only with the USAAF. The P-70B-1 and P-70B-2 aircraft never saw combat but served as night fighter aircrew trainers in the US in Florida and later in California. All P-70s were retired from service by 1945.

[Ack-Ack]

Probably the same newbies you excoriated the last 3 times they wished for it. If it saw service in the PTO, and was repurposed to day\night intruder missions as this author states. Then for MA purposes it has a niche. Just like in the ETO some P-61 performed day light intruder missions due to the lack of night time air targets.

Is Stephen L. McFarland a reliable source? I suppose I can research his professional history related to this field. Does he have any reason to prevaricate?

There is this difference in the P-70A and subsequent P-70B which as you state was only used for state side training. The P-70A was used in the PTO being relegated to intruder missions due to the weak high alt engines.

 In 1943, between June and October, 13 A-20Cs and 51 A-20Gs were converted to P-70A. Differences were to be found in the armament, with the 20mm cannon package replaced by an A-20G gun nose with six .50 caliber guns installed, the SCR-540 radar installation being carried in the bomb bay with the transmitting antenna protruding between the nose guns. Further P-70 variants were produced from A-20G and J variants. The singular airframe P-70B-1 (converted from an A-20G) and subsequent P-70B-2s (converted from A-20Gs and Js) had American centimetric radar (SCR-720 or SCR-729) fitted. The P-70s and P-70As saw combat only in the Pacific during World War II and only with the USAAF. The P-70B-1 and P-70B-2 aircraft never saw combat but served as night fighter aircrew trainers in the US in Florida and later in California. All P-70s were retired from service by 1945.

Only a small number of P-70A-1s and A-2s flew in the Pacific with two detachments (Detachment A and B) from the 6th NFS and some more with the 416th NFS.  By the time the 416th NFS arrived, the 6th NFS had swapped most of their P-70A-1s for P-38s since the P-70A-1 was unable to stop the Japanese night raiders and only managed two air to air kills (only kills recorded by the P-70).  416th NFS was used in the night interdiction/bombing role.

The P-70A-1 (converted A-20C) or the P-70A-2 (converted A-20G) would be a hanger queen in the MA.  Why take one of those planes when the A-20G does the exact same job and is GASP the same plane.  The only positive that could come from the addition of the P-70A-1 is that we would also get the A-20C with the flex top gun mount, giving us an early Havoc.

ack-ack

[bustr]

Just helping out the kiddies you have succeeded in roasting to death over this. I believe McFarland mentions as with the P-61 the P-70 was used for some day time sorties. And the only reason the kiddies would mention the P-70 is the gun package. Just like they have chased the 4 cannon P51 version Mustang IA with you roasting them along with some others. Did the British use the IA for low level recon and attack missions? I believe I've seen pictures of some sitting on tarmacs as late as Italy.

Eventually with millennial game players, toys to play with count. Versus our generation's common knowledge appreciation for the iconoclastic standards of the era. Who is going to be the emerging market demographic here soon?

There is still time to keep them entertained with the Beaufighter for a low alt HOing machine with radials. At least HTC has a picture of the N-3 sight head adaptation to place the ring at the pilots eye level. Now that I know what to look for, I wonder if A-20G might have had the N-3 sans sight head projecting onto the wind screen. Or used the A1 or A2 tilt head for low level skip bombing and strafing in the PTO. North American was directly procuring an A12 sight head for the N-3 delivered in B25-J.

A12 adjustable sight head on N-3.

[Ack-Ack]

I believe McFarland mentions as with the P-61 the P-70 was used for some day time sorties. And the only reason the kiddies would mention the P-70 is the gun package.

Yes, the P-70A-1/A-2 saw use in the daylight interdiction/attack role but that's kind of irrelevant in the AH world as at that point the P-70 just becomes an A-20.  As for the gun package, the P-70A-1 has the same offensive forward fire power of the A-20C (6-8 .50 calibers in the solid nose) and the P-70A-2, which was based off the A-20G 20 block series, also retained the same offensive forward firing power of the solid nose A-20G (6 .50 calibers) but, like the P-70A-1, had all the defensive flex guns removed.  So the gun packages on the P-70A-1/A-2 was actually less than the A-20C (P-70A-1) and the A-20G (P-70A-2).  None of the Nighthawks had cannons like the early block A-20Gs.

ack-ack

[lyric1]

One of my books has a far more elaborate targeting system on P-61's.

[bustr]

Always thought they used a red filter for the L3 50Mil reticle. Never spent much time researching night fighter gun sight solutions since HTC models our cockpits for day time combat. I would venture the P-61 who performed daylight missions removed the night sight defaulting to the L3. 

[bustr]

I found the dimensions for the 4 horizontal dots in the night binoculars gun sight.

Inner 2 - 10Mil apart
Outer 2 - 70Mil apart

The L3 reticle was the N-9 inserts or 100Mil ring.

So when the P61 ships for the game, we have the L3 reticles and now the night binocular reticle.

[lyric1]

I found the dimensions for the 4 horizontal dots in the night binoculars gun sight.

Inner 2 - 10Mil apart
Outer 2 - 70Mil apart

The L3 reticle was the N-9 inserts or 100Mil ring.

So when the P61 ships for the game, we have the L3 reticles and now the night binocular reticle.