Most effective planes of the early war years

[kiwimac]

Ok.

Kiwimac

[plan_D]

How, in any way was the D.520 superior to the Spitfire? The Hawk-75 was better than the D.520...just face it, del.

[Hot Space]

I don't think either was better then the Spitfire - even the MkI except for it's guns.

Hot Space

[plan_D]

I think we've largely excluded the Spitfire from this discussion because it didn't see fighter service over France until Dunkirk. This discussion is "...up to Dunkirk...".

However, since I see the moment to educate and inform...here I go;

The Hawk-75A-4 or Mohawk.IV in British service was superior to the Spitfire Mk.I in everything but speed and armament. It carried six Browning .303cal instead of the Spitfire IAs eight. It only achieved 323 mph when the Spitfire I achieved 362 mph.
The Mohawk.IV was superior to the Hurricane also in everything but armament. The MOD seemed to under-estimate the Mohawks abilities and sent it off to the far corner of her empire, to Burma.
When the Mohawk became the P-40 Warhawk the speed increased that was so desired by the RAF and USAAF was achieved but at a large cost. Everything else on the plane was lost and the P-36 was left forgotten in the CBI.

The Hawk-75As were France's most successful plane during the French campaign. They scored Europe's first aerial victories on the 8th of September, 1939, shooting down two Bf-109Es.

The Hawk-75s over France were largely A-1s and A-2s. They had little A-3s and no A-4s. Had they possessed A-4s the story in the air might have been even more in the Mohawks favour than it already was.
The RAF took many of the deliveries sent to go to France. These were all A-4s and when retrofitted with RAF equipment were re-designated Hawk-75A-9s but were still called Mohawk.IVs.

With the FAF they scored 190 kills to eight air losses and six lost to AA.

http://curtisshawk75.bravepages.com/

[FLYBOYJ]

I'm with you on this one D, especially after reading Steve Hinton's recent pilot report on a restored Hawk. Very under-rated aircraft that was considered obsolete at the start of the war.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Im will Plan_D on this as well. I am just not convinced about the D.520.

[marseille jr]

I am.

The Dewoitine wasn't superior to the spitfire, but it could held it's own against the bf109 emil, as that would have been a range/manoeuvrability Vs. engine's HP battle.

Imagine the D520 with a better engine. It was to have at least 150 HP extra, but the engines were unavailable so they put the obsolescent 920 HP engine in it. It would have decimated the Bf 109's ...

[cheddar cheese]

I agree. It was a good plane let down my lack of power and the fact it was French. I think it probably had a lot of development potential.

[plan_D]

I read somewhere the other day about Seafires easily burning Vichy D.520s over Morroco. I'll try and find it again...

[Smokey]

That could be because the Spitfire pilots had alot of experience, while the Vichy pilots had little/no experience.

[plan_D]

It could be but the Seafire was also superior to the D.520 because they were converted Spitfire Vb.

[marseille jr]

dewoitine d520 pilots sometimes had about 5 hours flying experience in the D520 when they entered combat ...

Of course the spit V was superior to the D520 .... That's a generation gap!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by marseille jr

I am.


Imagine the D520 with a better engine. It was to have at least 150 HP extra, but the engines were unavailable so they put the obsolescent 920 HP engine in it. It would have decimated the Bf 109's ...

Key word out of this here post: Imagine. It didn't and there for it was not superior and I dont think it ever would have. By the time the French even thought about doing something like that the F was on its way out and the G was in development, and through all this the Fw-190s were rolling off the assy line.

[plan_D]

The P-36 was superior to the D.520 and they're in the same area of development. They both also had under-powered engines.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree the D.520 was underpowered and underated but there is not much that one can that can prove to me it was better then the Hurricane and the Bf-109E. The last 2 aircraft are the best early war fighters and the Bf-109E had the upperhand, until the Spitfire can up.