Crutch and other Jug lovers

[wilz]

Came across this the other day talking to my uncle, pilot in the 396th. Not sure if you've seen this before Crutch, but it should make you yearn for an early fix to your stick.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=75277905547951258&q=%22P-47+Guncamera+footage%22+playable%3Atrue&pr=goog-sl

[crutch]

wish I could see it, still exiled to the land of dialup :(

thing most miss with the power of the 47s are this.

when a p38 strafed it used 4 .50s and 1 20mm in a nice concintrated blast.

when a P47 strafed it used the power of TWO p38s, one in each wing, (minus the 20mm naturally).

and depending on the personal prefs of the pilot, or the squadron CO, those 4 .50s of each wing were just as concintrated as the fire from the nose of a P38 all long the flight path of that wing's set of guns.

they were most devistating at the convergence point where both sets met but even outside of that point,,,,,,,, :)

12.5 round/sec/gun, 4 guns/wing = 50 rnds/sec avging a hit every 0.02 sec

dont get hit :)

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let enough load to see its clips I have seen before.

note how most of the gun action is at about 1.3 to 1.5 conv range.

[Crumpp]

when a P47 strafed it used the power of TWO p38s, one in each wing, (minus the 20mm naturally).


Keep in mind that 1 20mm cannon is equivilent to 3-4 .50cals.

The M2 LAWG has a gun power of 60. The Hispano II equals 200 and the Hispano V has a power of 250 using Tony Williams calculations.

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/WW2guneffect.htm

That being said, the P47 was a devasting ground attack platform with the survivability necessary to do the job well. The P38 twin engines gave it more survivability as a ground attack platform than the P51. It was not in the Jugs league IMHO.

All the best,

Crumpp

[crutch]

true, but that 20mm is only lobbing rounds out at whatever the ROF was per sec.

you were NOT getting hit with a 20mm round every 2 hundreths of a sec as you were with the .50s :)

in 'Victory Roll' by William Wolf
gives the loss rate of fighters hit by enemy fire as follows
8/24/43 - 5/31/44
p47 - 25%
p38 - 44%
p51 - 41%
6/1/44 to 8/31/44
p47 - 19%
p38 - 30%
p51 - 41%

percentage is of those lost from the total number hit.
this was from an 8th AF study.

shows that if you are going to get hit, do it in a Jug :)