~HELLDIVER~

[angelsandair]

  a battleship

Which battleship?!?

[Jester]

Which battleship?!?

Soviet Battleship MARAT

He hit the ship in the bow area with a 2000 lbs bomb blowing up one of the forward magazines. Marat sank in shallow water but three out of her four main gun turrets were operational and she was used as an artillery battery.


Rudel was easily the BEST Dive-Bomber & Ground Attack Pilot of WW2. Here are some of his stats:

Flew 2,530 Combat Missions (Most of them in the Stuka)
Was shot down or forced landed 32 times
Destroyed:
Over 800 Vehicles
519 Tanks
150 SP Artillery Guns
4 Armored Trains
Plus numerous Bridges, Artillery guns, military positions, etc.
Sunk:
1 Battleship
2 Cruisers
1 Destroyer
70 Assault Craft/Landing Boats
Shot Down:
2 IL-2's
7 Fighter Aircraft

Had his leg amputated and flew the last quarter of his combat missions with a artificial leg.
He was the sole recipient of Germany's highest award - the Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds.

[Tr1gg22]

all i need to say is...its about time for a helldiver...it played a huge part in the war by destroying many japanese ships and ground targets.

and if it got in trouble the duel wing-mounted 20MMs could help it out

I will have to google the helldiver.   I don't no what they are

[whiteman]

[waystin2]

Stop posting such sexy pics Whiteman! 

[Motherland]

I believe those were 37mm cannon .

20mm's were the standard armament, in the wings, the 37mm's were mounted under the wings with the 20mm's removed.

[Ack-Ack]

20mm's were the standard armament, in the wings, the 37mm's were mounted under the wings with the 20mm's removed.

No.  The only Ju-87 that had 20mm mounted in the wings was the Ju-87D-5.  The Ju-87G-1 and G-2 were equipped with 37mm Flak 18 cannons mounted in pods under the wings.  In addition, they also carried mg-42s for the rear gunner. 

ack-ack

[Motherland]

No.  The only Ju-87 that had 20mm mounted in the wings was the Ju-87D-5.  The Ju-87G-1 and G-2 were equipped with 37mm Flak 18 cannons mounted in pods under the wings.  In addition, they also carried mg-42s for the rear gunner. 

ack-ack

I thought the Ju87G2 and the D5 were the same aircraft, just with the G2 having more armament options?

[Ack-Ack]

Ju87G-2 could mount 20mm cannons in the wings, and was flown by Hans-Ulrich Rudel who destroyed over 400 Soviet tanks, a battleship, several destroyers, and had 7-8 air to air kills IIRC.

He destroyed a battleship, 2 cruisers and a destroyer.  When he sank the Marat, he was flying a Ju-87B not a G-1 as the G-1 wasn't in service at the time he sunk the Soviet battleship or the other Soviet naval ships.  Rudel didn't start flying the G-1 until '43 when the model was introduced as a tank busting version of the Ju-87D-3.  Also, Rudel didn't fly a G-2, he maybe have taken a hop or two in one but his main ride after '43 was the G-1 (there was also a period where he flew a FW-190 (11 kills)).

ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

I thought the Ju87G2 and the D5 were the same aircraft, just with the G2 having more armament options?

The G-2 is a modified D-5 but with the 20mm wing mounted cannons removed.  The G-1 is a modified D-3.


ack-ack

[Karnak]

Calling the Marat a "Batttleship" in WWII is very generous.  When people read the word "Battleship" in the context of WWII they think of something like the Iowa class, Bismark class, Yamato class or even the "small" 42,000 ton King George V class, all of which positively dwarf the Marat.

[Roundeye]

+1.  Add the SB2C!

I met a Brother at lodge Thursday night who has been a Mason for 58 years.  I asked how old he was when he went in an he said 23.  So I asked him if he was in the "Big One" and he said yes, he was in aviation in the Navy.  I had a new best friend .  We talked for a while and I learned that he crewed SB2C Helldivers.  He had nothing but good things to say about them.  It was a rugged airplane that always brought him back. 

He had flown in SBDs and TBFs.  He liked the SB2C the best.  He said the SBDs were obselete and the TBFs were a good plane, but a crewmembers' life expectancy in one of those was short.  He told me of a hole made into the belly of the TBF underneath the radio operator/lower tail gun section that was used for a drain when they would spray out the blood after a bad mission ( I believe he called it a "slop hole").

I have a great respect for all veterans.  If you meet one of any conflict/war, look them in the eye, give them a firm handshake and THANK THEM for your freedom.      WWII vets are passing on at an alarming rate.  If you meet one, talk to them and you will get some one-of-a-kind firsthand stories.  I have been blessed to meet a B-17 pilot, a F4U pilot, a F4U mechanic, a B-29 crew member and now a SB2C crew member.

[Jester]

Calling the Marat a "Batttleship" in WWII is very generous.  When people read the word "Battleship" in the context of WWII they think of something like the Iowa class, Bismark class, Yamato class or even the "small" 42,000 ton King George V class, all of which positively dwarf the Marat.

I am sure the Germans at Normandy and the Japanese on Iwo Jima & Okinawa thought the same thing about the USS ARKANSAS BB-33 (Commissioned 1912) - that is till she opened fire on them.   

Not the Dog in the Fight - but the FIGHT in the Dog.   

USS ARKANSAS BB-33 off Iwo Jima, 1944

[HighTone]

  I would love to see the Helldiver

[C(Sea)Bass]

Not only does it have the 20mms, but it has better performance over the SBD in almost every category. Its faster, climbs better, flies higher, and carries more ords. The only thing the SBD may be better at is turning, but im not sure on that. An SB2C would see moderate use in the MA, far more than the SBD, and would also be a positive addition to scenarios.

Yes there are alot of Japanese planes missing, but how many of them would see usage outside of the SEA. The Judy is the only one I have seen alot of support for.

FYI that is a Helldiver in my Avatar. A friend of my family flew the one pictured during WWII. Im not sure what ship that is in the picture.