Which would you rather fly if your life depended..

[moot]

Ta152H

[hogenbor]

P-47

I don't like the P-47 much in AH although I had some success in it. But based on the scenario I'd pick it every time. If I didn't have to strafe it would be the P-51.

[Kubwak]

@wadke

i thought the d11 was a razorback like in AH?

[Puudeli]

262 or dora

[-ammo-]

P-47 definately, throughout the entire war.  Its recerd speaks for itself.

[-ammo-]

This may be the image that WW was trying to post. I have seen worst cases though.  A bomb fell off the AC while it was either taxiing or on it takeoff roll.  The Pilot survived.

[HoHun]

Hi Widewing,

>This unfortunate P-47 was the victim of a 500 pound bomb which fell from its fuselage shackle and exploded.

I don't believe a 500 lbs bomb going off right below any aircraft would have left the pilot with any chance of survival.

The decisive factor was not the strength of the aircraft, but the delay between the bomb striking the ground and the explosives actually detonating.

I'd suggest that the pilot survived because the bomb went off way behind his aircraft.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[udet]

Spit IX

[Angus]

This is not the correct picture. I have seen it and even have it somewhere on my HD.
The plane looked much worse, and yes, the pilot survived and flew a combat mission some days later. He had to tune the radio quite high though, - hearing damage!

[bolillo_loco]

I didnt think that the pic posted was the correct photo for the 500 lb bomb explosion. It has been a while since I have seen it, but I thought that the whole tail just aft of the cockpit was blown completely off.

[F4UDOA]

Udet,

How would you get your Spit IX to Germany?? Or better yet how would you get it back?

And BTW,

Not for nothing but as long as we are talking about crazy durabilty there is only one fish story to tell really.

From the VMF-312 Checkerboards Squadron Webpage (the real squadron not AH).

On May 10th, one of the most unique fighter interceptions of the war took place. Captain Kenneth Reusser, callsign Ruby 6, was on patrol with 3 other Checkerboarders over the island of Okinawa.  The following excerpt is from an article published in the May 1995 edition of Leatherneck.  The author is Ray Schanamann, 1st Lt. of VMF-312.

…The pilots started their climb to altitude, prepared for another routine patrol.  Instead, they received a transmission from        "Handyman", the Air Defense Control Center.

    "Ruby 6, this is Handyman, over."
    "Handyman, Ruby 6, go ahead."
    "Ruby 6, Handyman, We have a bogey approaching on course one eight zero, angels 25 (altitude 25,000 feet).  Climb to angels 25, steer 270 buster (full speed), over."
    "Handyman, Roger, course 270 angels 25, out."

    The flight dropped their belly tanks, test fired their guns, put their props in full low pitch, and firewalled their throttles.
Klingman remembered, "We could see the vapor trails as the bogey made two complete circles over the harbor."  The Marines had a good idea about the plane they were pursuing.  For several days that week their squadron and others took turns trying to intercept a plane that followed the same flight plan.  Intelligence believed the plane was on photo reconnaissance of the ships in the harbor, for use in planning kamikaze raids. The previous intercept attempts failed because the intruder, aware of the chase planes, kept climbing as he headed for home.  With his initial altitude advantage he easily outran his pursuers.  This time the Marines tried to close while climbing at their best speed.  Captain Reusser said, "We were turning inside him to try and join up, but we were so far below him we had little chance of reaching him.  I just pulled the nose up and held the trigger down, no aim, no accuracy, just trying to loop it up there.  I saw a couple of glints, but I remember I didn't think anything of it at the time.  He leveled off and headed back toward Japan."
    The division kept climbing and stayed on the bogey's tail even though it didn't seem possible to overhaul him.  Captain Jim Cox's plane fell back until he was about a thousand feet below the others-he couldn't coax another knot of speed out of the battle-weary Corsair.  Reusser ordered Cox and 1st Lt. Frank Watson to return to orbit over Point Nan while he and Klingman continued the pursuit.  Now they were at 38,000 feet, the service ceiling for the Corsair.  The bogey was still about a mile ahead, and the chase continued.

    Because of the thin air and limited power, maneuvers had to be limited to small, careful changes in direction or altitude; otherwise a stall or spin would result with small chance of recovery.  At such an altitude bailing out would have meant freezing to death.

    "As we got closer, Ken was firing, and I guess the bogey was firing at us.  I had a few small bullet holes in the plane.  My plane had no gun heaters and the guns were frozen, but I was pretty eager to get me a Jap plane.  My plane was faster because it was a brand new so I went on ahead of Ken at max speed and streamlined as much as I could…"

    "…We closed on the bogey until I was 20 or 30 feet behind him-I couldn't get any closer to him due to his prop wash.  It held me back and kept me from running into him.  I had to slowly climb above the airplane, and then I nosed over and ran into his tail with my prop.  I only had enough extra speed to chew off some of his rudder and elevator before being blown away (from Nick's prop wash) Since he was still flying, I climbed above him for a second run.  I nosed down and I pulled out too soon and only got some of his rudder and part of the top of the rear canopy.  At this time I remember seeing the rear seat gunner frantically looking around and trying to operate his machine gun.  I imagine at this altitude he was probably freezing to death.  I realized that a third wasn't necessary, but I was even more determined so I climbed above him for my third run and chopped the right side of his elevator, and we both went into a spin.  This run did the most damage to my plane, but I recovered after losing only about 1,000 feet.  Ken was along side then, and we both observed the enemy plane in a spin with both wings coming off at about 15,000 feet."

 Reusser had a bird's-eye view when Klingman first passes were made and related.  "The Japanese gunner pounded on his machine gun to free it up, but it was frozen solid and so was mine.  When Bob came down on the canopy with his prop, he tore the gun away from the mount and hit the gunner.  His plane was full of bullet holes and shrapnel holes from fragments of the Nick."
    Klingman had his kill but they were hundreds of miles from base and his plane shook and vibrated with the stick jumping in a large circle. Close to home at about 10,00 feet Bob ran out of fuel  but felt he could still reach the strip even though Ken suggested he bail.

    Pilots stood quietly at the upwind end of the runway.  They watched the Corsair plunge silently in a steep glide: no engine roar, the prop windmilling slowly.

    "Don't stretch the glide: don't be short.: they said almost prayerfully.

    At the last possible second, Klingman raised the Corsair's nose and the plane slammed into the ground and bounced the few remaining feet onto the airstrip.

    Watchers gasped as they saw the planes condition.  The tips of all three blades jutted outward with 6 inches missing from each end and the blades pierced by bullets; each wing contained large holes, and pieces of the Nick were in the cowling.  After extensive tests and a new propeller, the F4U Corsair Bob Klingman used in the downing of the Japanese Nick was returned to service!

    Bob Klingman and Ken Reusser both received the Navy Cross for their actions.

Here is a picture of the airplane and pilot.

[hogenbor]

Good story but was it a Nick??? I'm far from an expert on Japanese planes (maybe Brady can help out here) but the only Japanese aircraft that could that high and that fast was the Mitsubishi Ki-46 'Dinah'. Ceiling about 36.000 feet with  top speed of close to 400 MPH.

A quick serach reveals that the Nick could reach about 30k and was considerably slower. I do not know if lightened (no armament?) reconnaisance versions existed.

[Strange]

I'm still trying to find my bottle of Jack... Only the P-47 will get you home.

[moot]

I'll be happy to be killed by and die with the plane I like, thank you.

[Widewing]

Originally posted by icemaw
Just a red x widewing

I see that. Odd tho, cause it worked earlier. Damn Geocities server!

Try this URL

Scroll down to the picture of the wrecked P-47.

My regards,

Widewing