drifter

My Feedback: (53)

B-29's were shot down during the Korean war as well as WWII. Is this question war specific?

Regards

Mein Duff

I should have been more specific about the time frame... WWII..
Mobyal ..You Got It !!
Saburo Sakai it was...on the last day of WWII he and another pilot shared credit for the last B-29 Brought down..
I wasn't aware of the Black Widow story...

Mobyal it's your turn.. Please post us a Question.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

It has been well over 24 hours. If Mobyal doesn't post a question this evening, I suggest we open the floor to the first person with a question. Thanks; Ernie P.

mobyal

Ernie
Someone else go ahead. I've been out of town and just got back w/ no question ready.
Al

perttime

OK, here goes. I don't think this has been the correct answer for a while.

What aircraft?

1 It was simply a well-conceived, soundly designed (...) that maintained during maturity the success that attended its infancy

2 The auxiliary services were mostly electrical apart from the undercarriage and radiator, which were hydraulically operated, and the flaps which were directly connected to a manually-operated handwheel and in consequence, tediously slow to lower.

JohnnyS

Messerschmitt Bf 109.

perttime

You got it, JohnnyS. Your turn.

I thought I might get in a few more quotes from [link=http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/articles/109myths/]Messerschmitt 109 - myths, facts and the view from the cockpit[/link].

Mein Duff

Hurricane ?

JohnnyS

New aircraft:

1. It used a radial engine in a pusher configuration, with a 6 bladed propeller.

2. It was the only aircraft of its specific configuration to be ordered in quantity production anywhere in the world during WWII.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Mein Duff;

Since we're in a waiting mode, I'd like to respectfully disagree with your last answer. I knew what answer you wanted, but disagreed at the time. I finally had the time to chase down some cooborating data. Yes, Sakai did shoot down a B-29 the day before the Japanese Emperor announced the Japanese surrender on August 15th. However, the war did not officially end until September 2nd, when the actual surrender documents were signed. And other B-29s were shot down between the two dates. And I believe the last B-29 to be shot down was the "Hog Wild". It was shot down by Russian pilots, over North Korea. It is an interesting story. Thanks; Ernie P.


The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dominion of New Zealand on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

The date is sometimes known as Victory over Japan Day, although that designation is more frequently used to refer to the date of Emperor Hirohito's Gyokuon-hōsō (Imperial Rescript of Surrender), the radio broadcast announcement of the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration at noon Japan standard time on August 15.


-background data
My dad, Eugene Harwood, was the navigator of the other B-29 Hog Wild (Z-28, 44-70136) out of Saipan which had been shot down at the end of WWII (during Armistice) not by the Japanese but by the Russians while on a mercy mission to drop supplies at a POW camp in North Korea. The Hog Wild was the last B-29 shot down during WWII and the first B-29 shot down during the Cold War. The crew did not know if they would live or die. It caused an international incident in which General MacArthur had to intervene to get the crew released from the POW camp where they were delivering the supplies to. My dad is now deceased but we have coauthored a book of his life and specifically this incident in a book from his words entitled “Honorable Heart” by Eugene Harwood and Barb Harwood Hartwig. It details his duties as a navigator on the B-29 and uses a lot of his personal photos from the War (two are enclosed) including photos of the POW camp and some of the POW prisoners. It is available on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com The copilot’s son, Terry Rainey, has also written an article in the Cold War Times, November 2009, about the Hog Wild (online at http://www.coldwar.org/text_files/Co...mesNov2009.pdf (page 28, the Hog Wild story). A friend, Dwight Rider, is now writing an extensively researched and more detailed book about the downing of the Hog Wild.

JohnnyS

Ernie P.,

That's a really fascinating story: Thanks very much!!

Mein Duff

Thanks for the clarification Ernie...My appologies for the misleading quiz answer.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Not a problem, Mein Duff. It isn't as though I've never gotten it wrong. Sometimes, we can all learn from the questions. And somewhere back in the recesses of my overloaded brain, I remember something about some rogue Japanese pilots who shot up (I don't think they actually shot any down) some US aircraft after August 15th. They were simply upset at seeing US aircraft fly over Japan without being challenged. There was nearly a resumption of active bombing activities. Eventually, all Japanese aircraft had the props removed to prevent the pilots from going at it on their own. Thanks; Ernie P.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Well, let's get the Shinden out of the way. Thanks; Ernie P.


The Kyūshū J7W1 Shinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") fighter was a World War II Japanese propeller-driven aircraft prototype that was built in a canard design. The wings were attached to the tail section and stabilizers were on the front. The propeller was also in the rear, in a pusher configuration.

Developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as a short-range, land-based interceptor, the J7W was a response to B-29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese home islands. For interception missions, the J7W was to be armed with four forward-firing 30 mm cannons in the nose.

The Shinden was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor, but only two prototypes were finished before the end of war. Plans were also drawn up for a jet-powered version (J7W2 Shinden-Kai),[2] but this never left the drawing board.

The "J-" designation referred to land-based fighters of the IJN and the "-W-" to Watanabe Tekkōjo, the company that oversaw the initial design; Watanabe changed its name in 1943 to Kyūshū Hikōki K.K.[3][4]

The idea of a canard-based design originated with Lieutenant Commander Masayoshi Tsuruno, of the technical staff of the IJN in early 1943. Tsuruno believed the design could easily be retrofitted with a turbojet, when suitable engines became available.[5][6] His ideas were worked out by the First Naval Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho), which designed three gliders designated Yokosuka MXY6, featuring canards.[5][7] These were built by Chigasaki Seizo K. K. and one was later fitted with a 22 hp Semi 11 (Ha-90) 4-cylinder air-cooled engine.[8]

The feasibility of the canard design was proven by both the powered and unpowered versions of the MYX6 by the end of 1943,[8] and the Navy were so impressed by the flight testing, they instructed the Kyushu Aircraft Company to design a canard interceptor around Tsuruno's concept. Kyushu was chosen because both its design team and production facilities were relatively unburdened,[8] and Tsuruno was chosen to lead a team from Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho to aid Kyushu's design works.[5]

The construction of the first two prototypes started in earnest by June 1944, stress calculations were finished by January 1945,[9] and the first prototype was completed in April 1945. The 2,130 hp Mitsubishi MK9D (Ha-43) radial engine and its supercharger were installed behind the cockpit and drove a six-bladed propeller via an extension shaft. Engine cooling was to be provided by long, narrow, obliquely mounted intakes on the side of the fuselage.[10] It was this configuration that caused cooling problems while running the engine while it was still on the ground. This, together with the unavailability of some equipment parts postponed the first flight of the Shinden.

Even before the first prototype took to the air the Navy had already ordered the J7W1 into production,[10] with quotas of 30 Shinden a month given to Kyushu's Zasshonokuma factory and 120 from Nakajima's Handa plant.[10] It was estimated some 1,086 Shinden could be produced between April 1946 and March 1947.[9]

On 3 August 1945, the prototype first took off, with Tsuruno at the controls, from Itazuke Air Base.[5][11] Two more short flights were made, a total of 45 minutes airborne, by war's end. Flights were successful, but showed a marked torque pull to starboard (due to the powerful engine), some flutter of the propeller blades, and vibration in the extended drive shaft.[11]

JohnnyS

Ernie,

You got it!

Your turn...

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

This is not a difficult question, but it does highlight a point that I feel deserves to be made about WWII combat in the air. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What United States fighter do I describe?

Clues:

(1) Credited with the most enemy aircraft shot down in combat?

zippome

B-17?

Zip

lbrande

My Feedback: (16)

F6F Hellcat?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far. Which, quite frankly, surprises me. I thought this was a giveaway question which would only serve to highlight a sometimes overlooked point about the true effectiveness of fighter aircraft. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What United States fighter do I describe?

Clues:

(1) Credited with the most enemy aircraft shot down in combat?

(2) Considered to be the most successful mass produced aircraft (fixed wing) produced by its manufacturer.

uncljoe

My Feedback: (8)

F 86

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far (although some very interesting ones). Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What United States fighter do I describe?

Clues:

(1) Credited with the most enemy aircraft shot down in combat?

(2) Considered to be the most successful mass produced aircraft (fixed wing) produced by its manufacturer.

(3) Low wing design.

zippome

I missed that all important word "fighter" when I first read the question. Now you mention (fixed wing) in a clue. A red herring perhaps? Well I'm gonna guess not, and since the russians had considerable success with it, I'm gonna guess the Bell P-39?
Zip

cfircav8r

My Feedback: (1)

built and operated by the US, or just US designed aircraft?

lbrande

My Feedback: (16)

P-51 type.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

A red herring? Me? Would I do that? Yes zippome, the Bell P-39 is the right answer; and you are up, Sir. We await your question. Thanks; Ernie P.

Look at the production numbers below. Of the main US WWII fighter types, the P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, F4F, F4U and F6F, only the F4F Wildcat was produced in smaller numbers than the P-39. And the P-39, in Russian hands, scored more air to air victories than any other US type of aircraft. Yet somehow, the P-39 is considered to be a near failure; because it was only effective at low altitude. My point? Well, two points actually. When considering the effectiveness of any aircraft; you must consider one primary point: How did it fare IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH IT FOUGHT, and against the enemy opposition AT THE TIME? Also, this should highlight the fact that the struggle between Germany and Russia was the main thrust of the war. All else was secondary. It was in Russia that Germany put her main effort; and it was in Russia that she lost the war.


Question: What United States fighter do I describe?

Clues:

(1) Credited with the most enemy aircraft shot down in combat?

(2) Considered to be the most successful mass produced aircraft (fixed wing) produced by its manufacturer.

(3) Low wing design.

(4) All metal.

(5) Single engine.

(6) Tricycle landing gear.

Answer: The Bell P-39

Production Numbers


P-38: 10,037
P-39: 9,584
P-40: 13,738
P-47: 15,686
P-51: 15,000
F4F: 7,885
F4U: 12,571
F6F: 12,275

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force. In the P-39, Soviet pilots scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft would be the most successful mass-produced, fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.
The P-39 was an all-metal, low-wing, single-engine fighter, with tricycle undercarriage incorporating a very streamlined and aerodynamically efficient design.

The Airacobra was conceived as a "weapons system" design with the T9 cannon in mind. This weapon fired a 1.3 lb. (610 g) projectile capable of piercing .8" (2 cm) of armor at 500 yards (450 m) with armor piercing rounds. The complete armament fit as designed consisted of the T9 with a pair of Browning M2 .50" (12.7 mm) machineguns mounted in the nose. This would change to two .50s and two .30s in the XP-39B (P-39C, Model 13, the first 20 delivered) and 2x0.50 and 4x0.30 (all four in the wings) in the P-39D (Model 15), which also introduced self-sealing tanks and shackles (and piping) for a 500 lb. (227 kg) bomb or drop tank. The engine was placed behind the cockpit, so pilots often referred to this as "Allison armor." A long transmission tunnel passed through the fuselage, under the cockpit, and was linked to the three-bladed propeller. The radiator was located in the fuselage.

In September 1940, Britain ordered 386 P-39Ds (Model 14), with a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 and six .303 (7.7 mm), instead of a 37 mm and six 0.30 calibers. The RAF eventually ordered a total of 675 P-39s. However, after the first Airacobras arrived at 601 Squadron RAF in September 1941, they were promptly recognized as having an inadequate rate of climb and performance at altitude for Western European conditions. Only 80 were adopted, all of them with 601 Squadron. Britain transferred about 200 P-39s to the Soviet Union.

Another 200 examples intended for the RAF were taken up by the USAAF after the attack on Pearl Harbor as the P-400, and were sent to the Fifth Air Force in Australia, for service in the South West Pacific Theatre.
Because of the unconventional layout, there was no space in the fuselage to place a fuel tank. Although drop tanks were implemented to extend its range, the standard fuel load was carried in the wings, with the result that the P-39 was limited to short range tactical strikes.

United Kingdom
In 1940, the British Direct Purchase Commission in the US was looking for combat aircraft; they ordered 675 of the export version Bell Model 14 as the "Caribou" on the strength of the company's representations on 13 April 1940. The performance of the Bell P-39 prototype and 13 test aircraft which were able to achieve a speed of 390 mph (630 km/h) at altitude was due to the installation of turbo-supercharging. The British armament was 0.50-inch machine guns in the fuselage, and four 0.30-inch machine guns in the wings, the 37 mm gun was replaced by a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza.

The British export models were renamed "Airacobra" in 1941. A further 150 were specified for delivery under Lend-lease in 1941 but these were not supplied. The Royal Air Force (RAF) took delivery in mid 1941 and found that actual performance of the non-turbo-supercharged production aircraft differed markedly from what they were expecting.
In some areas, the Airacobra was inferior to existing aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire and its performance at altitude suffered drastically. On the other hand it was considered effective for low level fighter and ground attack work. Problems with gun and exhaust flash suppression and compass were fixable.
No. 601 Squadron RAF was the only British unit to use the Airacobra operationally, receiving their first two examples on 6 August 1941. On 9 October, four Airacobras attacked enemy barges near Dunkirk, in the type's only operational action with the RAF. The squadron continued to train with the Airacobra during the winter, but in March 1942, it re-equipped with Spitfires.

The Airacobras already in the UK, along with the remainder of the first batch being built in the US, were sent to the Soviet Air force, the sole exception being AH574, which was passed to the Royal Navy and used for experimental work, including the first carrier landing by a tricycle undercarriage aircraft on HMS Pretoria Castle, until it was scrapped on the recommendation of a visiting Bell test pilot in March 1946.

General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.2 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.4 m)
Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
Wing area: 213 sq ft (19.8 m²)
Empty weight: 5,347 lb (2,425 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,379 lb (3,347 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,400 lb (3,800 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp (895 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 376 mph; (605 km/h; Redline dive speed=525 mph.)
Range: 1,098 miles (1,770 km)
Service ceiling 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
Rate of climb: 3,750 ft/min (19 m/s; 15,000'/ 4.5 min at 160 mph (260 km/h).)
Wing loading: 34.6 lb/sq ft (169 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
Armament
1x 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub at the rate of 140 rpm with 30 rounds of HE ammo.
4 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. Rate of fire was 750 rpm x 1 gun in each wing, only 300 rpm each x 2 guns synchronized in the cowl. Ammo: 200 rounds per nose-gun, 300 per wing-pod.
Up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs externally

Several of the Red Air Force's ranking aces flew the P-39 for a major portion of their combat sorties. The top ace in the P-39 and number four overall was Guards Major Gregoriy Rechkalov, who shot down 50 of his total 56 kills while flying a P-39. Guards Colonel Aleksandr Pokryshkin, who finished the war as the number two Soviet ace with 59 individual and 6 shared kills, reportedly flew the P-39 for 48 of his kills. Another high scorer in the P-39 was Guards Major Dmitriy Glinka, who destroyed 20 German aircraft in 40 aerial engagements in the summer of 1943, and finished the war with an even 50 kills, 41 of them while flying the P-39. Third-ranked Soviet ace Guards Major Nikolay Gulaev transitioned to the P-39 in early August 1943 with 16 individual and 2 shared kills. He flew his last combat sortie on 14 August 1944 (ordered to attend higher military schooling), leaving the battlefield with an additional 41 individual victories and 1 shared kill after just over one year in his P-39.