We NEED the Defiant!

[ghostdancer]

Yep, wish we had those to for early to midwar events.

[horble]

And of course, the Ki-43 and G4M were heavily involved in virtually EVERY PTO CAMPAIGN from beginning to end of the war.

We definately need those planes.

[usvi]

Thought you meant what Rooks already send down from orbit into B17 missions.
(Image removed from quote.)
My mistake.

[PJ_Godzilla]

Hey, I'm getting scared! Please, in this order: no, no, no, maybe but rather not... please. These are real death traps, my <Salute> to all the poor fellows that HAD to fly them but these models, even in scenarios, would only be lambs to the slaughter... And would add any value to them.

He-111? Yes! Curtiss-Hawk 75? Yes... Morane-Saulnier MS-406? Certainly yes! Dewoitine D-520? Absolutely! Blenheim? Yes... Ju-52? Yes...

Speaking for myself, I would fly one of the damned contraptions in a scenario IF I HAD TO but I would like to have a couple more extra lives than the rest of the chaps...

Cheers,

Sparrow, why so fearful?

It'd be no worse than taking a squad of unescorted JU-88s into a swarm of P-38s...

That was a fun squad operation.

Last Friday my squad was on Stuka duty. I actually got an assist on a Rata with my 7.92s. Some plane, that Stuka... kind of like a Battle with fixed gear (admittedly, perhaps a bit tougher and at least it can dive).

Albacore, anyone?

Now, the Fairey Barracuda, on the other hand, was a real Torp bomber.

Seriously, I've heard good things about the Skua/Roc as far as the handling goes. They're nice turners with a low w/A if a bit slow. They were decent dive bombers if slow for the fighter role. FAA should've laid down a more specialized spec. What they got was a bit of an F-111. Even so, it had a number of distinctions - first kill of the war, first enemy ship sunk.

TBD Devastator, Vultee Vengeance, and Vought Vindicator would also make good early war PTO allied additions (which is to say, also good deathtraps).

[Bino]

...
TBD Devastator, Vultee Vengeance, and Vought Vindicator would also make good early war PTO allied additions (which is to say, also good deathtraps).

Hey!  Why not go all the way and have HTC set up the ... (wait for it) ....




DEATHTRAP ARENA !!!

Nothing but slow, stable, under-armed crates!

[KG45]

geez, that plane was totally useless in RL. what was the RAF thinking?

[Ack-Ack]

geez, that plane was totally useless in RL. what was the RAF thinking?

Some squadrons had some initial success in the Defiant until the Luftwaffe figured out how to engage them without coming under fire by the turret.

No.264 Squadron reformed on 30 October 1939, as a Defiant-equipped fighter squadron. It used its two-seater fighters for the first time in May 1940, and had some initial successes, before the Germans discovered the Defiant's weak points.  The Defiant was initially successful against enemy aircraft. Its high-water mark was on 29 May 1940, when No. 264 Sqn claimed 65 kills (most likely over counted kills, further research indicates anywhere from 15-20 kills for a loss of 14 Defiants), mostly Junkers Ju 87 Stukas and Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engined heavy fighters (Battle of Dunkirk).

264 Sqn. also developed effective countermeasures against single-seat aircraft such as the Bf 109. By flying in an ever-descending Lufberry circle, Defiant crews sacrificed the advantage of height but eliminated the possibility of attack from underneath, while giving 360° of defensive fire. This tactic was used successfully by 264 Sqn. but other Defiant squadrons didn't follow this tactic and got chewed up, like 141 Sqn. during the Battle of Britain.

While the plane was obsolete by the start of the war, it did help "hold the line" when England needed all the planes she could muster and those pilots that flew the Defiant were probably some of the most courageous pilots of the war.

It also enjoyed some success as an early night fighter before being replaced by the Mosquito.


ack-ack