USAFNM World War II - April 28th, 2012
Prejudice & Memory: photos/artifacts of Dayton residents
Curtiss P-36A Hawk was obsolete when it debutted in 1938
Seversky P-35 forerunner of the P-47
130+ US P-35s were all lost in action early in the war
Japan ordered 20 2-seaters in 1938 & used them in the war
This is the only known surviving P-35
Taylorcraft L-2M Grasshopper liason pilot trainer
Douglas B-18A Bolo replaced the Martin B-10
Less costly than the B-17 & US's primary bomber thru 1941
Used for anti-submarine warfare & transport after 1941
Over 10K Mitsubishi AGM2 Zeros were produced 1940-45
Official designation was Zero but the allies called it Zeke
Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, best US fighter at start of war
Slower & less maneuverable but extremely rugged
North American B-25B Mitchell first flew in 1940
Configured to match Lt. Col. Doolittle's Tokyo Raider
Bell P-39Q Airacobra - Aleutian Island fighter 1942
Bell P-63E Kingcobra was never used by US in combat
Russians received 2,456 P-63s through Lend-Lease
It was widely used by the Russians for tank busting
Painted in the manned target aircraft color scheme
Douglas A-24, a Dauntless without the Navy tailhook
Too slow for combat by July 1942, became trainers
Curtiss AT-9 Fledgling "Jeep" entered service in 1942
Museum's AT-9 was built from two incomplete AT-9s
AT-9 advanced trainer prepared pilots for the B-26 & P-38
Beech AT-10 Wichita plywood two engine trainer
Beech AT-11 Kansan standard WWII bombardier trainer
British Bristol Beaufighter used as US night fighter
Beaufighter replaced P-70 in reverse Lend-Lease
P-61 Black Widow replaced the Beaufighter in Dec, 1944
Stearman PT-13D Kaydet powered w/Lycoming engine
Macchi MC.200 Saetta (Lightning) primary Italian fighter
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc had the new Merlin 45 engine
Consolidated B-24D Liberator had a range of 2,850 miles
Display B-24D flew missions from North Africa, 1943-44
Libyans still talk about strawberry haired girls!
North American A-36A Apache, an Air Force Mustang
The 1st A-36A flew in 1942 & 500 were built by March, 1943
De Havilland DH98 Mosquito plywood twin engine fighter
Flew as photo & weather reconnaissance aircraft for US
Red Tail 25th Bombardment Group Mosquitos, Aug. 1944
Fieseler FI-156C-1 Storch laison aircraft
Lockheed P-38L Lightning high performance interceptor
Supermarine Spitfire PR.XI - photo reconnaissance aircraft
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt with bubble canopy
Heavily armed P-47D was ideal for ground attack
German Flak 36 88mm antiaircraft & antitank gun
Flakvierling 38 German 20mm antiaircraft gun
Martin B-26G Marauder - 5,266 built 1940-1945
Beech UC-43 Traveler biplane w/backward staggered wings
Douglas C-47D Skytrain adapted from the DC-3
Waco CG-4A Hadrian US troop cargo glider
Over 12K built but abandoned or destroyed after landing
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress flew 24 missions in 1944
Named Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, after a popular song
B-17 Upper Turret, 1st fully-powered on B-17E
Ford JB-2 Loon - US copy of famous V-1 Buzz Bomb
German V-2 was an alternative to long range artillery
Inaccurate military weapon but effective terror device
Junkers Ju 88D-1/Trop, tropical photo reconnaissance
Romanian pilot defected to the British on Cyprus, 1943
Messerschmitt Bf 109 built 1936-1958 (in Spain)
North American P-51D Mustang long range escort fighter
P-51D had the new "bubble-top" canopy & six .50-cal guns
French forty (men) and eight (horses) POW boxcar
Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet rocket powered fighter
Only 279 were delivered scoring 9 kills with 14 losses
Exceptional climb rate, limited range, very hazardous fuel
Messerschmitt Me 262A Schwalbe 1st operational turbojet
Of 1400 made, 300 saw combat, no fuel, spare parts, pilot
Hammered allied bombers but 100s destroyed on ground
Focke-Wulf Fw-190D-9, captured & brought to US, 1945
Republic P-47D Razorback (before bubble canopy)
Curtiss C-46D Commando delivered in July, 1942
Cessna UC-78B Bobcat trainer hangs left
C-46s transported over the Hump from India to China
Sikorsky R-4B Hoverfly worlds first production helicopter
Consolidated OA-10 Catalina, Air Force version of PBY
OA-10 was used primarily for air-sea rescue missions
Northrop P-61C Black Widow - 1st US night fighter
P-61C had its 1st kill in July, 1944
MXY7-K1 trainer to fly Model 11 Ohka suicide rocket bomb
Unlike the Ohka, the trainer had landing skid & flaps
Douglas A-20G Havoc reached combat in 1943
A low-level strafer of Japanese shipping & airfields
Kawanishi N1K2-JA Shiden Kai (George)
The best Japanese fighter of the war arrived in 1945
George was unable to stop the high altitude B-29s
Behold . . . Bockscar, the aircraft the ended WWII
1 of 15 "Silverplates" Boeing B-29 Superfortresses
L: Interstate L-6 Grasshopper R: Sikorsky R-6A Hoverfly
Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki by Bockscar, Aug. 9, 1945
Once operational Mk I Little Boy (Hiroshima bomb)
Cloud cover diverted the A-bomb from Kokura to Nagasaki
Bockscar landed with less than 5 mins remaining fuel
Silverplate B-29s only retained the tail 20mm gun
Don't forget your Whiz Wheel aviation circular slide rule