Republic P-47D-2-RE Thunderbolt Unit: 340th Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group, New Guinea 1944 Pilot: Lt. Col Robert R Rowland - 348th FG commanding officer after Col. Neel Kirby was transferred to HQ The U.S. Army Air Force’s P-47 Thunderbolt was a very effective fighter and fighter bomber. It was ruggedly built and heavily armed, famed for its ability to absorb damage, bringing its pilot home after inflicting punishment on the enemy. The P-47 was conceived and engineered to be a high-altitude interceptor. Its designed purpose was to act in a defensive role, destroying attacking hostile bombers. However, by the time the P-47 became operational, it had become clear to military planners that an air attack on the continental United States was highly unlikely. Newly classified as an escort fighter, the first P-47Cs were sent to England to escort bomber missions. The P-47 D-2 Was a further refinement of the P-47C-5, adding more armor protection for the pilot, fuel and oxygen systems, improvements to the turbocharger ducting. It also added two additional cowl flaps on either side of the cowling to improve engine cooling. As soon as the D-1 and D-2 production ramped up, enough P-47s became available for them to be deployed to other theaters. With that, the 348th Fighter Group, which was originally intended for England, was transferred to the SW Pacific instead where it compiled an outstanding operational record. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, VC, paint textures, panel, and .dp Pilot figure: Shessi and Captain Kurt flight files: Jay McDaniel (modified to match P-47D performance) Prop blurred texture: Kelticheart Gauges: Alicat, Morton, Microsoft and others unknown

Republic P-47C-2-RE Thunderbolt Unit: 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group Halseworth, England 1943 Pilot: Capt Frank E. McCauley The U.S. Army Air Force’s P-47 Thunderbolt was a very effective fighter and fighter bomber. It was ruggedly built and heavily armed, famed for its ability to absorb damage, bringing its pilot home after inflicting punishment on the enemy. The P-47 was conceived and engineered to be a high-altitude interceptor. Its designed purpose was to act in a defensive role, destroying attacking hostile bombers. However, by the time the P-47 became operational, it had become clear to military planners that an air attack on the continental United States was highly unlikely. Newly classified as an escort fighter, the first P-47s were sent to England to support bomber missions. Even though the Thunderbolt’s range was limited to a combat radius of 200 miles, it was still about 50 miles more than the Spitfires of the time. The P-47C-2 and P-47C-5 are historically important since they were the first P-47s to see combat. The first fighter groups to receive P-47Cs were the 4th, 78th, and 56th Fighter Groups. These P-47Cs arrived in Great Britain a few days before Christmas of 1942. Further shipments were planned to equip the three fighter groups with enough Thunderbolts to fill three squadrons in each Group. The 8th Air Force hoped to have all three Fighter Groups operational by mid-February 1943. Unfortunately, radio and engine problems during high altitude testing made that goal unattainable. Once the solution to the communication problem was achieved, a sweep of 24 P-47C Thunderbolts over the Pas de Calais from all 3 Groups marked the real beginning of P-47 combat missions on April 8, 1943. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, VC, paint textures, panel, and .dp Pilot figure: Shessi and Captain Kurt flight files: Jay McDaniel (modified to match P-47C performance) Prop blurred texture: Kelticheart Gauges: Alicat, Morton, Microsoft and others unknown

Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator Unit: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) Midway Island, June 1942 Pilot: 2Lt James H. Marmande and rear seat gunner PFC Ed Colvin, lost after attacking the Japanese battleship Haruna on June 4, 1942 The SB2U-3 was developed to fill a Marine Corps requirement for a dive bomber with extended range and 57 were ordered in September 1939. The horizontal stabilizer span was increased from 13ft 3in, to 15ft 2in, a larger cowling air scoop was added, unprotected internal fuel tanks were installed increasing fuel from 118 gallons to 420 gallons, and provision was made for 4 wing 50 caliber machine guns and one for the rear gunner. Usually only one was fitted. This increased the operating weight by more than 1,000 pounds with no power increase. That made performance decidedly sluggish rendering it unfit for carrier operations, although it still retained its tail hook. This was the only US version of the Vindicator to see combat - at Midway June 1942 with VMSB 241. See the included Vindicator history document for the details. Of note: VMSB-241's Vindicators were due for overhaul and the fabric was wearing thin. Without any fabric available for repairs, the crews resorted to using 4 inch medical tape, clear doped over thin areas to hold it in place. That is the white stripes on this aircraft, not some kind of unit markings. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, US Naval ordinance bombs, bomb racks, VC, paint textures, panel, flight, and .dp file. Shessi: Pilot figures Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture BeePee: compass gauge unknown: some gauges Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Vought SB2U-1 Vindicator Unit: Scout Bombing Squadron (VB-3) aboard the USS Saratoga Pilot: Flown by the leader of the 5th flight section With the delivery of Vought-Sikorsky’s SB2U to the fleet on December 20, 1937, the US Navy took an important technological step. The airplane represented the service’s first monoplane scout-bomber whose speed eclipsed its predecessor in Navy bombing squadrons by 45 M.P.H. There were three versions of the airplane operated by the Navy and Marine Corps. The SB2U-1, of which 54 were ordered, was followed by 58 SB2U-2s delivered beginning in 1938 that differed only in weight, the result of extra equipment, externally it was identical. By the time of World War II, the Vindicator suffered from the inherent flaw of being the ultimate development of the trussed fuselage and fabric concept, prompting their replacement by newer designs like the SBD Dauntless, which incorporated metal stressed skin construction techniques. Nevertheless, it was available and continued to serve in the Atlantic aboard the USS Ranger (Vs-41 and VS-42) on convoy escort and anti-submarine missions until the summer of 1942. A later version, the SB2U-3, was developed for the US Marines having extra fuel tanks, a wider horizontal tail and provision for additional 50cal machine guns. As it was over 1,000lbs heavier with no power increase it was too sluggish for carrier operation, but it was only intended for land based Marine aviation. The French bought 20 under the designation V-156-F in 1939 and placed a second order for an additional 50 in 1940. These could not be delivered before France fell and the British took over the contract naming the type as the Chesapeake. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, US Naval ordinance bombs, bomb racks, VC, paint textures, panel, flight, and .dp file. Shessi: Pilot figures Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture BeePee: compass gauge unknown: some gauges Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat VF-15 Unit: VF-15 USS Essex (CV-9) 1944 Pilot: Anon The F6F-5 Hellcat was a further refinement of the successful F6F-3. It had a strengthened airframe, a closer cowl that eliminate the cheek bulges, added permanent rocket pylons under wings, a flat bullet proof front windscreen simplified the front canopy giving a better undistorted image through the gun sight especially at night, and the small rear windows were deleted with a rear view mirror installed as these windows added nothing to the rear view. (Some early dash 5 aircraft still had the rear windows before they were eliminated during production.) The camouflage for all of the F6F-5’s was changed to overall sea blue. It was built in the largest number of Hellcats, some 7,870 being produced. Simple, rugged, and deadly, yet easy to fly, the Hellcat was another product of the Grumman Iron Works. It was larger, heavier, faster, and more powerful than Grumman's F4F Wildcat, and the first American fighter to exceed the performance of the Mitsubishi Zero. Its immense 18-cylinder, 2,000 horsepower radial engine gave it the power to dictate the terms of engagement. Its speed, maneuverability, high-altitude capability, and typical Grumman toughness made it a winner against all comers. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, bomb racks, VC, paint textures, panel, aircraft.cfg and .dp Shessi: Pilot figure Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat VMF-212 Lt. Col. Harold W. Bauer, Guadalcanal September 1942 The original Grumman F4F-1 design was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane, the F4F-2. This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders. Grumman completely rebuilt the prototype as the XF4F-3 with new non-folding wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine.Testing of the new XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. The U.S. Navy officially adopted the aircraft type as the Wildcat. Armed with four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, it joined active units in 1940. At the time of Pearl Harbor, only Enterprise had a fully equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6. By the end of February, 1942 the US Navy had replaced its Brewster F2A's with the F3F-3 and F3F-3A Wildcats. The fixed wing F4F-3 Wildcat was generally outperformed by its major opponent the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more successful in combat partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage. In the hands of an expert pilot with a tactical advantage, the Wildcat could prove a difficult opponent even against the formidable Zero. USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a very effective defensive tactic that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated crossover maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the "Thach Weave". Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, bomb rack, bomb, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp Shessi: Pilot figure Morton: 2D F4F instrument panel modified to an F4F-3 version Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat VF-6 USS Enterprise (CV6) February 1, 1942 The original Grumman F4F-1 design was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane, the F4F-2. This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders. Grumman completely rebuilt the prototype as the XF4F-3 with new non-folding wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine.Testing of the new XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. The U.S. Navy officially adopted the aircraft type as the Wildcat. Armed with four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, it joined active units in 1940. At the time of Pearl Harbor, only Enterprise had a fully equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6. By the end of February, 1942 the US Navy had replaced its Brewster F2A's with the F3F-3 and F3F-3A Wildcats. The fixed wing F4F-3 Wildcat was generally outperformed by its major opponent the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more successful in combat partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage. In the hands of an expert pilot with a tactical advantage, the Wildcat could prove a difficult opponent even against the formidable Zero. USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a very effective defensive tactic that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated crossover maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the "Thach Weave". Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, bomb rack, bomb, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp Shessi: Pilot figure Morton: 2D F4F instrument panel modified to an F4F-3 version Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat VMF-211, Wake Island December 1941 The original Grumman F4F-1 design was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane, the F4F-2. This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders. Grumman completely rebuilt the prototype as the XF4F-3 with new non-folding wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine.Testing of the new XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. The U.S. Navy officially adopted the aircraft type as the Wildcat. Armed with four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, it joined active units in 1940. At the time of Pearl Harbor, only Enterprise had a fully equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6. By the end of February, 1942 the US Navy had replaced its Brewster F2A's with the F3F-3 and F3F-3A Wildcats. The fixed wing F4F-3 Wildcat was generally outperformed by its major opponent the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more successful in combat partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage. In the hands of an expert pilot with a tactical advantage, the Wildcat could prove a difficult opponent even against the formidable Zero. USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a very effective defensive tactic that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated crossover maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the "Thach Weave". Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, bomb rack, bomb, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp Shessi: Pilot figure Morton: 2D F4F instrument panel modified to an F4F-3 version Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat VF-2 USS Lexington (CV2) Lt. Albert O. Vorse Coral Sea May 1942 The original Grumman F4F-1 design was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane, the F4F-2. This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders. Grumman completely rebuilt the prototype as the XF4F-3 with new non-folding wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine.Testing of the new XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. The U.S. Navy officially adopted the aircraft type as the Wildcat. Armed with four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, it joined active units in 1940. At the time of Pearl Harbor, only Enterprise had a fully equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6. By the end of February, 1942 the US Navy had replaced its Brewster F2A's with the F3F-3 and F3F-3A Wildcats. The fixed wing F4F-3 Wildcat was generally outperformed by its major opponent the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more successful in combat partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage. In the hands of an expert pilot with a tactical advantage, the Wildcat could prove a difficult opponent even against the formidable Zero. USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a very effective defensive tactic that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated crossover maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the "Thach Weave". Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, bomb rack, bomb, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp Shessi: Pilot figure Morton: 2D F4F instrument panel modified to an F4F-3 version Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture Microsoft: Gauges and .air file

Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-3 late version Unit: 148 IAP The late Spanish Civil war experience showed the Soviet fighter aircraft to be inferior to the German Bf 109 which convinced Stalin that the Soviet Air Force needed to develop more modern fighter aircraft. The Mig-1 was one of several types rushed through design and into service in 1939 /1940. Major teething problems were encountered and the type went through several design changes resulting in the Mig-3. The Mig-3 was widely in service when the German invasion began. The late version incorporated a longer nose to accommodate space for more ammunition. Designed as a high altitude interceptor, the Mig-3 was forced to fight at low altitudes and even in ground attacks where it was unsuited and its performance was inferior to German types. Nevertheless it was available in large numbers and continued in service well into 1943. Credits Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, and Rs-82 rockets and rack UncleTgt: Paint schemes and air files Shessi: Pilot figure Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture