Best Tank Killer of WW2 continued

[lesofprimus]

It was able to hold its ow when there were no Soviet fighters in the immediate airspace.... Through some Laggs or Yaks into the mix and the 87G was dead meat...

And I was not referring to Rudels ability as a pilot, but the slow moving, easy target tug that he was flying... Yes, 200+ enemy tanks destroyed makes him the greatest tank busting pilot the world has ever seen... His number is more likely in the 150-200 range tho....

U assume correctly, Rudel was the Reichs ultimate propaganda tool, a tool that Goebbels used with precision...

And where are u getting the info that 87G's were using bombs on enemy tanks??? Thats horsesh*t.... Show me a pic of an 87G carrying bombs on the Eastern Front and I'll eat my signed Bobby Nystrom autographed hockey puck....

[imalko]

Originally Posted by davebender

Not nearly as cool as a Tempest or Fw-190F. But this is the real tank killer of WWII.

[imalko]

Originally Posted by lesofprimus

Show me a pic of an 87G carrying bombs on the Eastern Front and I'll eat my signed Bobby Nystrom autographed hockey puck....

Please don't do that theres no need.

If I showed you picture of Ju 87G carrying bombs, then it would be without cannons and you couldn't tell if that is really "G" or "D". I just said it was capable of carrying bombs if neccesary and if cannons were remowed that is all.

In fact "G" was only a "D" version with dive breaks remowed and cannons installed. It was essentially the same aircraft. So there is many, many pictures of this version Stukas with bombs. But what were they bombing - tanks or something else I really don't know.

Add to Stuka a fighter escort of Hartmmanns Karaya Staffel and in that case Yaks would be dead meet.

Cheers!

[imalko]

Just wondering... What is your opinion on Henshel Hs 129?

Twin engines, heavy armour, fixed armament of 2xMG 151/20 20mm cannons and 2xMG 17 7,92mm machine guns, optional armament: rockets, bombs, 37mm anti-tank gun or 75mm(!) anti-tank gun.

It is said that it was efficient in combat but only small number was build (around 700 in total).

It probably had poor performance when armed with 75mm gun though.

Comments and opinions?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by Clay_Allison

Was the Ju-87 accurate enough to divebomb a tank with the swinging bomb?

The Ju 87G was not a dive bomber. It was a dedicated anti tank aircraft. It was armed with two 37 mm cannon. That is why it was known as the "Kanonenvogel" or "Cannon Bird".

Granted it could probably be used as a Dive Bomber, but that was not its mission.

DMP-D580 STUKA on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[lesofprimus]

Add to Stuka a fighter escort of Hartmmanns Karaya Staffel and in that case Yaks would be dead meet.

And I suppose those fighters stopped all the incoming VVS fighters??? The loss listings for Stukas in Russia is staggering to say the least.... They didnt all go down from AAA....

As far as the 129B goes, it is one of my very favorite aircraft, although the problems it had with the underpowered engines takes it off the Best Of List... Why they decided to use those damn French pieces of sh!t engines still baffles my mind..... I know they wanted to keep the DB engines for the 109 line, but comon.....

They had in their possession the best tank buster of the War and ruined it by underpowering it....

The 75mm gun was just too much for it to fly effectively... Many pilots died in it, even though u could jettison it in emergencies...

[imalko]

Is it true that Hs 129Bs cockpit was so small that some flight instruments were located outside on the engine nescelle?

I heard that somewhere but it just sounds strange.

[davebender]

As far as the 129B goes, it is one of my very favorite aircraft, although the problems it had with the underpowered engines takes it off the Best Of List... Why they decided to use those damn French pieces of sh!t engines still baffles my mind

Because the Luftwaffe never procured a compact and lightweight air cooled twin radial similiar to the R-1830. You are stuck with either the BMW132 single radial or the monster size and weight BMW801 twin radial. Why didn't the Luftwaffe order the R-1830 to be produced under license from the mid 1930s onward?

[lesofprimus]

Yes Malko, its true.... Also, the gunsight was outside the cockpit as well....

[imalko]

I thought so. And the gunsight too. Actually I have read about it in several books but never found any pictures to see it and it allways seemed to me strange. (I mean pictures of flight instruments on the engine nescelle, becouse gunsight is visible in front of windscreen on many pictures.)

Not that Germans were not known by making airplanes with small cockpits. Take Bf 109 as example.

As for engines, I think that prototype and Hs 129A were powered with Argus engines same as Arado trainers or Fw 189. Talk about underpowered ground attack airplane in that case.

[davebender]

Perhaps the original prototype didn't have armor and weapons installed. That would make quite a weight difference.

[fly boy]

i think its the M18 hellcat tank killer tank thing

[lesofprimus]

U retard....

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by davebender

Because the Luftwaffe never procured a compact and lightweight air cooled twin radial similiar to the R-1830. You are stuck with either the BMW132 single radial or the monster size and weight BMW801 twin radial. Why didn't the Luftwaffe order the R-1830 to be produced under license from the mid 1930s onward?

Dave,

You know, that's a good question.
I was going to state that the Hindenburg died before engine production started, but I found that just the opposite is true.
Even during The Great War, Germany never seemed too interested "round" engines.
Except for the Eindecker and the Tridecker, everything's an in-line with them.
I know part of the reason for WWII is that Hitler felt agitated at the way Germany was treated after The Great War, so maybe his propensity was not to use designs from one of those countries.

I don't know. Just speculation. That is an interesting observation, though.



Elvis

[Vincenzo]

Bramo 323 was not bad