Murphy's war

[olderndirt]

Not the same paint but a J2 Grumman 'Duck' just like the one used in Peter O'Toole's fine movie.

[flyguy]

Back in the day, warplanes were still more of an afterthought which makes one think about their intended mission given their design. At least up until the early years of WWII the armed forces relied on their heavy armament with most money being spent on battleships and tanks to lead the charge. It's too bad that it took the Pentagon as long as it did to realize the awesome potential of airpower. One might wonder how much sooner the war could have been won otherwise.

[olderndirt]

Feb 28, 2023 15:51:37 GMT -5 flyguy said:

Back in the day, warplanes were still more of an afterthought which makes one think about their intended mission given their design. At least up until the early years of WWII the armed forces relied on their heavy armament with most money being spent on battleships and tanks to lead the charge. It's too bad that it took the Pentagon as long as it did to realize the awesome potential of airpower. One might wonder how much sooner the war could have been won otherwise.

The US was definitely behind the power curve in the field of aviation but it didn't take long to regroup.  The Brits led the way with their request to North American for a fighter.  The A36 wasn't that great 'til a Rolls Royce test pilot raised the possibility of the Merlin engine - lo and behold the P51.  American ingenuity kicked in and soon were producing what was needed to win. 

[penzoil3]

If they had listened to Billy Mitchell, instead of court marshaling him... What a difference it would have made.

[flyguy]

You right. The senior officers at the trial came up the ranks during the Spanish American War and WWI just like Mitchell, but unlike him they were not forward thinkers even when he proved to them that he was right.