More stuff to waste some of that time we all have on our hands. Not very interesting to most, but it sure keeps me busy. Unfortunately for y'all I love history and have access to social media.
The Brewster Buffalo was considered one of the worst aircraft ever built. By the time WWII came around they were obsolete, yet still in service. I have read that Chiang Kai-chek used them fighting the Japanese in Manchuria. The US Marines lost a ton of them at Midway where they were out performed by the Zero. The British and Dutch had the same results. From the Allies point of view it became yet another aircraft dubbed "flying coffin"
Finnish pilots had great success using them against the Soviet's. The Finns kill rates were as high as 32 to 1. There were even guys who made Ace in these crates, 40 of them in fact, 36 were Finns. There were more Buffalo aces then any other type during the war. Kind of hard to accept from an aircraft most thought was a funeral with wings.
A plane that appears to resemble the Buffalo, one of many for the time the Fokker D21 (more properly DXXI) served in many air forces in the late '30s, early '40s. Though Fokker had built aircraft for Germany during the first world war, he was working for the Allies during the second. Unfortunately, the Fokker factory was in Holland, which was invaded by the Germans in May, 1940.
The Dutch used the D21 against Germany's BF-109, considered one of the best fighters in the war, attempting to fight off German invasion of Holland in 1940. Before they surrendered, the plane and it's pilots did a fair amount of damage to the overwhelming Luftwaffe. Germany then used DXXIs captured in Holland on their Eastern Front.
The Fokker D21 was another aircraft used by Finland to great success, who even mounted skis on them. Out of 41 Finnish aircraft only 12 were lost, 6 in accidents. It continued in service until 1949, when it was deployed to a surplus reserve role. The Finns fought hard, using aircraft like the Bullalo and D21 to ultimately push back the Soviets, thus maintaining their Independence from the Soviet Union.
It was also used in the Spanish Civil War, where it flew along side BF-109's in the Spanish Republican Air Force. Many of these aircraft (as well as the Buffalo) were equipped with British engines, which just shows to go you how confusing war can get. Politics is not the only thing that makes strange bedfellows.
Like the Buffalo (and many other planes at the start of WWII) the P-35 was obsolete by the time it saw service. Like many modern aircraft the fuel was carried in the wings. Unlike modern planes, it suffered from chronic fuel leaks. While the plane was rugged, performance was poor, even amongst it's contemporaries.
In 1940, because of an American embargo, part of a Swedish order for the Seversky was redirected to the UK. As a result the British received planes with metric instruments and manuals in the Swedish language. While this may have presented an obstacle for the Brits who had to train or fly the aircraft, they were still used by the Royal Air Force.
The plane was also purchased by Ecuador and used by that countries first air squadron. They were also deployed in the Philippines where they were absolutely no match for the Japanese aircraft in 1941. Most of the P-35s were destroyed early in the invasion. The surviving Seversky flew against the Japanese in May of 1942 as the islands fell to the enemy.
The Swedes received 60 Severskys in 1940 and used them to defend Stockholm during the war. They flew for the Swedish Air Force until 1952.
There were probably several other aircraft in this category. The corollary of form follows function usually leads to similar appearance from completely different manufacturers.
Thank you for your time. By now you have probably found better things to absorb your time. Watching paint dry, for instance.
Thank you for your time. By now you have probably found better things to absorb your time. Watching paint dry, for instance.
I hope you all stay healthy.
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