[RftS] Jane's All the World's Hunters of the French Civil War - 20 Mar

[NathanKell]

SNECA MB.2 Ouragan (Jul 1937): Introduced on the anniversary of the crisis that began the slide to Civil War, the MB.2 was a product of the New France. Its designer, Mark Block, was the son of Jews who emigrated to the United States during the Boulangist years; an accomplished designer in the US, he journeyed to France after the July Days and was quickly named one of the chief designers of the nationalized aircraft manufacturer the Société nationale d'études et de construction aéronautiques. Using a licensed BMW radial engine, Bloch (who returned to the original form of his name) set out to design a truly modern hunter; with the outbreak of the Civil War the project picked up speed, and as Italian and Russian designs showed the obsolescence of the D.65 and other French hunters the project received ever higher priority. The design first flew in late 1936; named Hurricane both for its performance and its armament, the new hunter proved very capable. Rushed into production, and entering service in mid-1937, for some time the MB.2 and the Hawk Mk III were the only républicain hunters able to go toe-to-toe with the latest Russian and Italian models, and it continued in French service until its replacement by jet hunters. MB.2: 6680lb dry, 9035lb loaded, 1700HP, 380mph, 4x 20mm cannon, 2x 7.5mm MG.

MB.2c Ouragan of Capitaine Marie Géroux, 76ième Escadrille, Groupe de Chasse I/2, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, September 1937.

[NathanKell]

Severski I-15 “Fireplug†(Aug 1937): The successor to the I-13, the I-15 was perhaps Alexander Kartvelishvili’s finest achievement. Entering squadron service in August 1937, with volunteer units flying it in the last months of the French Civil War, the I-15 was in an entirely different class from earlier hunters. Much larger than its contemporaries--tipping the scales at over four tonnes dry--Kartvelishvili was said to have remarked on designing it that “it will be a dinosaur, but it will be a dinosaur with good proportions.†The reason for its size was due to the turbosupercharger it carried, mated to the most powerful engine Russia could produce. That allowed for an incredible armament of 2x 37mm cannon for anti-bomber and anti-panzer work and 2x 23mm cannon for general purpose use, as well as armor to match. Indeed, in contrast to the delicate General Electric turbocharger in the H-25, the turbocharger in the I-15 proved quite rugged, significantly more rugged than the models used by the Starship and Rapier or the Eule. All this meant that the I-15 was a juggernaut of the skies: hard to kill, packing an exceptional punch, able to out-dive any League piston-engine hunter and able to fight at altitude on even terms with the Falke and Rapier and nearly match the performance of the early Eule. It would fall to the I-15's successor, the I-15bis "Firebolt", to match the later Eule and the early League jets. I-15 Type 9: 10075lb dry, 13007lb loaded, 2350HP, 447mph, 2x 37mm and 2x 23mm cannon.

I-15 Type 10, Russian "Volunteers", Italy, 1938.

[NathanKell]

Fiat C.37 Folgore (Oct 1937): The Folgore (Thunderbolt) was the third and last in a line of hunters from Fiat using their liquid-cooled V engines, becoming operational in late 1937. Described as having “no aeronautical vices whatsoever†the Folgore was incredibly maneuverable and very streamlined, able to dive better and turn quicker than most républicain and International hunters. However, it did not prove as fast in level flight at altitude as some other hunters due to its comparatively poorer supercharger, and it sacrificed some pilot visibility in the quest for smooth lines and speed. In addition, unlike the Rapiers and Falkes coming off the assembly lines in the United States and Germany, to reach its exceptional performance it was almost hand-built, and fitting a more powerful engine proved nearly impossible. Those few Folgores fielded during the latter days of the French Civil War and the Intervention developed a reputation as dangerous foes, but there were never enough of them. Folgore: 5622lb dry, 7628lb loaded, 1650HP, 420mph, 3x 20mm cannon.

Folgore of 52 Gruppo, prior to the Intervention, 1937.

[borisperrons]

Welp, I get back from an extended vacation lurking on AH.com, and I find this.

Bravo, Nathan! You and e of pi make me wanting so bad to spend this summer writing and launching stuff...

[NathanKell]

Thanks!

[Kerboman]

I have to ask, are these all real aircraft?

[billbobjebkirk]

I have to ask, are these all real aircraft?

No, this is an alternate history.

EDIT: By the way, when are we going to see more RftS?

[NathanKell]

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke J.4 Falke (Mar 1937): The Falke (Falcon) can trace its lineage through a long line of Otto hunters dating back to the First World War. When the Otto company was bought out and reorganized as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, it continued unbroken the tradition of supplying hunters to the Luftstreitkräfte. The requirement, released in late 1933, was for a general-purpose hunter with considerable range: with continuing Anglo-German advances in radar (and the possibility of the Russians using it too), it was becoming clear that the old saw that “the bomber will always get through†might no longer hold, and the Luftstreitkräfte had nothing with the range to escort its bombers into the now deeply-hostile Russia. The Falke was notable for being a “clean sheet†design, not derived from any prior Otto work, although influence was clear. It was designed around a two-stage supercharged inverted-V engine, whose radiator would employ the Meredith effect; the wings used laminar flow airfoils. Besides reducing drag, this would also increase range: considerable fuel could be stored in the thick wings. To take advantage of the powerful engine and low-drag wing, the Falke was also machined to a very high standard, with flush riveting, carefully-applied dope, and the like. In practice the Falke (and the similar Rapier) proved the most aerodynamically-clean piston-engine hunters of the Second World War, with the range of a twin and speed to rival (and beat) the early jets. The first service model (Bruno) reached operational capability in early 1937, and was soon being delivered to the escadrilles of the Spartakus Legion in France; during the Intervention the Bruno and the bubbletop, up-engined Dora models served side-by-side escorting bombers and flying medium cover. By the start of the Second World War the Gustav was just entering service; the final production variant, it featured a considerably lightened structure and a more powerful Daimler-Benz engine, topping out at 480mph. Falke D3 (1938): 7176lb dry, 9061lb loaded, 1720HP, 441mph, 3x 20mm cannon, 2x 13mm MG.

Falke D3 "Marlene" of Oblt. Josef Kautsy, in standard Luftstreitkräfte white, near Königsberg, 1938.

[MightyDarkStar]

I hope you have more planned. The backstories are quite interesting, the designs even more so.

[NathanKell]

Thanks! I do, I'm just super busy sad to say. I do have a few more written which I'll try to upload soon.

[NathanKell]

Avco H-31 Rapier (Feb 1938): As with the Dauntless, the Rapier’s origins cannot be separated from the “hyper engine†program of the USAF. In the late 1920s, USAF engineers embarked on an ambitious program to make an engine capable of developing at least 1 horsepower per cubic inch of displacement and per pound of weight. While eventually all the Great Powers’ engines would reach that level, it was a fantastic goal even for 1930, and it was in part driven by a paper claiming such an engine was “impossible†with existing valve technology. While the I-1730 engine would take until 1937 to mature, when it did it provided excellent performance, especially when used with the USAF’s “crown jewel†technology, the turbosupercharger. On the expectation of the I-1730’s eventual performance, in 1934 the USAF let out a Request for Proposal to replace the Thunderbird, just then about to enter service, and other general-purpose hunters like the Demon. Of the responses, those from Avco and Douglas were selected for future development; while the Dauntless would have its own share of developmental issues, the XH-31 prototype was ready well before production I-1730s were available, and it was not until the B model that the kinks of the engine were worked out. The new hunter was designed around a laminar flow wing like its German contemporary, the Falke, and featured a similar planform, but instead of a two-stage supercharger it used a turbocharger for better altitude performance and fuel economy. Lighter than the Falke and faster, though less rugged and with a weaker armament (3x 20mm cannon, one firing through the propeller hub), the Rapier lived up to its name. With excellent performance from sea level to 25,000ft, higher in later models, and more nimble and faster than the Starship, the Rapier was the primary US escort and air superiority hunter of the Intervention and the early Second World War. H-31B: 6790lb dry, 8796lb loaded, 1920HP, 465mph, 3x 20mm cannon. H-31D (1939): 6635lb dry, 9083lb loaded, 2550HP, 521mph, 3x 20mm cannon.

H-31B "Dixie Doll", outside Sisteron, late May 1938.

H-31D "Lucky Strike", after return from a patrol over Milan, April 1939.

[NathanKell]

Grumman H4F Tomcat (Mar 1938): A redesigned Bobcat for increased speed, toughness, and pilot-friendliness, the Tomcat was one of the most heavily-armored piston-engine hunters built during the Second World War, a true product of the Grumman “Iron Works.” Introduced in early 1938, the first Grumman hunter to feature hydraulically retracting main gear, it included many additional changes to increase pilot as well as aircraft performance, using experience brought back by US volunteers in the French Civil War. The wings’ mount point was lowered to increase visibility and maneuverability, and the cockpit was mounted higher with a Mukerjee hood and pronounced downslope to the fore. All this offered significantly increased forward visibility in combat and when taking off and landing. Wide-track hydraulically-actuated gear gave the Tomcat enhanced ground stability and did away with one of the Bobcat’s most hated features, the manually retracting gear. More heavily armed, with 4x 20mm cannon rather than the Bobcat’s 0.50 caliber machine guns, and much more heavily armored, Grumman sought to make a much more survivable and effective combatant. The most important change, however, was the massively more powerful engine fitted to the Tomcat, a 2000HP radial in the early models. Only during the later days of the Intervention did the Tomcat see service, flying off Atlantic Fleet carriers in the Mediterranean. It was, however, the frontline USN hunter at the start of the Second World War, and continued in service on carriers too small for the Skyhawk and the jets. H4F-1: 8157lb dry, 10803lb loaded, 2000HP, 403mph, 4x 20mm cannon.

 

H4F-1 "Jeannette" of VH-32 Redtails, USS Sambre, 1940.

[MightyDarkStar]

@NathanKell If you're not terribly busy, it would be interesting to see some more aircraft. Especially since your designs are impeccably realistic and seem to have very lifelike flight characteristics. Do you make custom textures for parts?

[NathanKell]

Thanks! I'll see if I can the remainder. The only textures I made were some solid colors.

[NathanKell]

Piaggio Re.21 Gabbiano (Jun 1938): Designed around the giant new Piaggio radial engine, the Gabbiano (Gull) sported distinctive inverted-gull wings that earned it its name. These were necessary to allow for a propeller large enough to take advantage of the engine’s unprecedented horsepower. With most Regia Aeronautica hunters showing their obsolescence compared to British, German, and American warplanes in the French Civil War, and even the Folgore at a disadvantage at altitude, the prototype Gabbiano was rushed into production in early 1938, entering service in the late spring. Tricky to fly, but with excellent performance, the Gabbiano acquitted itself well during the Intervention, proving a fine opponent for the Hawks, Rapiers, Falkes, and the occasional low-altitude Eule. Re.21: 8929lb dry, 11266lb loaded, 2250HP, 439mph, 4x 20mm cannon.

 

Unknown Gabbiano of 39°, Turin, 1938.

 

[NathanKell]

Hughes H2H Thunderfish (Jan 1939): Considered by many the finest piston-engine dogfighter ever to see service, the Thunderfish had an inauspicious beginning. With the success of the Thunderchief, Hughes decided to try again with the Naval market (their first success, the HH, being a forgettable biplane which saw quick obsolescence and left a bad taste with the Navy). The project was given the comic epithet "Thunderfish," deriving as it did from the Thunderchief (and before that Thunderbird), but as time went on the name stuck. At first it appeared unlikely to garner interest, but as the decade wore on and the Civil War continued, the Navy became increasingly worried about how quickly it could reinforce its carrier groups' Combat Air Patrols were the carrier group to be attacked by a large bomber force. While the Navy focused much research on radar, it also sought a fast-climbing interceptor to augment its projected squadrons of Tomcats, and Hughes offered to redesign the Thunderfish. The Thunderfish, originally a large aircraft of equivalent size to the Thunderchief and Tomcat, was quickly slimmed down. The new design was simple: take the most powerful radial engine available and stick the minimum of aircraft behind it. While the H2H was originally designed for the same 2200HP radial the Thunderchief used, it was later converted to the 2700HP Cyclone, and later still the 3000HP model, yielding the highest HP/pound of any piston-engine hunter, and by far the lowest wing-loading of the final generation of piston-engine hunters. Further, the H2H began its life two thousand pounds lighter than the Tomcat despite having similar wing area and the more powerful engine. The Thunderfish compromised much for its light weight, however: while it shared the armament of the Tomcat it could not carry much in the way of bombs or rockets, lacking wings reinforced to take them, and it was far less armored and far less survivable. Nonetheless it offered stellar performance, a racehorse to the Tomcat's workhorse. Only one squadron (VH-34) of Thunderfish was operational as of the end of the Intervention; while the Sunhawks flew combat missions over Italy neither kills nor losses were recorded. However, the H2H continued in service well into the Second World War, where it defended the fleet well into the Jet Age. H2H-1: 7650lb dry, 9259lb loaded, 2200HP, 448mph, 4x 20mm cannon.

 

H2H-1 Thunderfish "Lorie Lou" of VH-34 Sunhawks, in the hangar of USS Mobile Bay, Mediterranean, 1939.

[Jeb-head-mug kerman]

ITS AMAZING! YOU GET A LIKE FROME MMMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

[theonegalen]

I had forgotten about all of this. RtfS world is pretty great.

[HunHarcos]

Nice builds, tough, the Gloster Gauntlet was a biplane. Anyways what mods have u used, for coloring?

Edited April 30, 2017 by HunHarcos