F6F Hellkat

[Ryan_Cunningham]

Originally Posted by flipper35

The Corsair also shot down at least one Mig-15 in Korea when the pilot came to play on the low and slow arena. The only piston engine aircraft to do so in Korea. AFAIK.

The Skyraider went on to build on the rugged radial CAS role.

Until it got the Merlin engine, the Mustang was used quite a bit in WWII for ground attack.

The Skyraider claimed two MiGs in Vietnam btw.

[tcar]

Good Skyraider footage; watch the old movie (from the 50's)

"Bridges at Toko-Ri" from the Michener book. Color.

Also lots of Grumman Panther footage.
Also Sikorsky H5.

And a great flick.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Ryan_Cunningham

The Skyraider claimed two MiGs in Vietnam btw.

Yeah, I remember that and it was in a Dogfights episode. See, told you the Skyraider picked up the mantle where the Corsair left off! I think they were 15s or 17s in Viet Nam also and it was 2v2.

I still think the Corsair was the only piston aircraft to shoot down a jet in Korea though. In WWII some of our guys took out the ME262 jets also.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by flipper35

In WWII some of our guys took out the ME262 jets also.

The Allies figured out that when trying to land at airports after their missions, the ME262 was a sitting duck when flying low and slow, or lured into a turning fight.
The piston aircraft excelled in those conditions.

Otherwise, the ME262's 540mph top speed in a straight line was better than the P-51's 390mph and the Spitfire's 330mph.

The fighters could dodge them but the Allied bombers were shredded by those 4x30mm cannons in the nose.
Per orders from above the German pilots used them instead as fast bombers, which was useless.

[MFAFF]

Originally Posted by flipper35

I still think the Corsair was the only piston aircraft to shoot down a jet in Korea though.

I think that an RN Sea Fury also shot down a MiG 15 in Korea...

https://www.aerosociety.com/news/sea-fury-vs-mig-15-the-true-story/

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by john70t

The Allies figured out that when trying to land at airports after their missions, the ME262 was a sitting duck when flying low and slow, or lured into a turning fight.
The piston aircraft excelled in those conditions.

wasn't a question of luring em in a slow fight, they shot em down on short final to landing. And they were sitting ducks at that point because they were
1 unable to spool up the jet engines quick enough to accelerate and begin fighting
2 were usually on fumes by the time they landed.

The allies at that point were so numerous that quite often they would circle near airfields waiting for ME262's to come back from bomber intercepts. At some point the germans even installed a flak lane ... Ack Ack along the landing approach to cover the inbound 262's

[BReif61]

Originally Posted by svandamme

wasn't a question of luring em in a slow fight, they shot em down on short final to landing. And they were sitting ducks at that point because they were
1 unable to spool up the jet engines quick enough to accelerate and begin fighting
2 were usually on fumes by the time they landed.

The allies at that point were so numerous that quite often they would circle near airfields waiting for ME262's to come back from bomber intercepts. At some point the germans even installed a flak lane ... Ack Ack along the landing approach to cover the inbound 262's

The Germans also had dedicated FW-190s stationed at the airfields to fly cover during landing operations. JV-44. Very distinct "please don't shoot me down, AAA" coloring.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by john70t

The Allies figured out that when trying to land at airports after their missions, the ME262 was a sitting duck when flying low and slow, or lured into a turning fight.
The piston aircraft excelled in those conditions.

Otherwise, the ME262's 540mph top speed in a straight line was better than the P-51's 390mph and the Spitfire's 330mph.

The fighters could dodge them but the Allied bombers were shredded by those 4x30mm cannons in the nose.
Per orders from above the German pilots used them instead as fast bombers, which was useless.

Several Swallows were shot down by Mustangs during regular ops as well. Sometime the jet pilot did not see the fighter cover in time or got target fixation so not all were lost at the airfield. I believe the Tuskegee Airmen shot down 3 during an escort mission over Berlin.

[Jon B]

Meanwhile, back in the Pacific.... ;-)

The Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 1944.
Also known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, it was the last and largest carrier aircraft battle of WWII, involving 24 carriers.

The Hellcat played a major and decisive role in the battle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Philippine_Sea

[flipper35]

That battle was one of the most lopsided battles ever.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by flipper35

That battle was one of the most lopsided battles ever.

And it was the 'end of the war' for Japan.... only 6 months after Pearl Harbor...

Japan went from offence to a loosing defensive battle in one day.

[Jolly Amaranto]

Originally Posted by tcar

And it was the 'end of the war' for Japan.... only 6 months after Pearl Harbor...

No, the battle of the Philippine Sea was like 2 1/2 years after Pearl Harbor. Midway was 6 months after.

[Jon B]

Marine F4F Wildcats on Guadalcanal, 1942.
The F6F Hellcat first saw major action over Rabaul and Tarawa in November 1943.

[john70t]

The F6F Hellcat, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the F4U Corsair all used the 46L 18cyl R-2800 Double Wasp engine.
(A bomber engine in a fighter...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-2800


(For reference, the B-25 and the A-20 bombers used the smaller 42.7L 14cyl R-2600 Twin Cyclones)

[Jon B]

Marine F4U Corsairs over Okinawa, 1945.
The Corsair first saw action at Guadalcanal in February 1943.