TheElf -> RE: 5 May 42, Coral Sea (9/25/2008 8:10:45 PM)
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ORIGINAL: Tallyman662 Elf, It appears the P-39s and P-400s did fairly well considering their performance restriction at altitude. How different is this from WitP stock where I believe it was stated that 10'K was the break point? Does AE take this into account more or less than stock WitP? Thanks, Pete Yes, Pete they did perform fairly well, but we can draw some conclusions based on the facts of the engagements. In there first actions the P-39s and P-400s benefit from effective radar support and the fact that the Zeroes they face are on Escort. Not that being on Escort is the reason the Zeroes suffered though it certainly contributed. Here's why. The Rikko units are raiding at 16k', and by virtue of this the Zeroes are actually not far from the Airacobra's optimum performance band. Additionally this forces the Escort to fly at altitudes that give the CAP an advantage. When Radar detection checks are made and passed the CAP climbs to an altitude that would be considered optimal for interception. They get to do this for the entire time the raid plods along from 1st detection. More often than not, plenty of time to be in a good position. If you go back and look at some of the "Aftershocks" post, you'll note one engagement where 3 P-400s are downed for no loss to the Shoho Zekes. Here the P-400 is at the disadvantage, with no Radar support and little warning of the Zeroes in a superior position. Historically the Iron Dog suffered from a bad rap. Don't get me wrong, it was a dog but it DID have some advantages. Some pilots though it a hair better than the P-40, and it was faster and more capable against the Zero at lower Altitudes (<15k') than it was higher. That doesn't mean that if it had and altitude advantage that it couldn't make use of it. It could, as long as they didn't stick around to see what happened after they made their attacks. They also made their "bad" name when the USAAC was still learning the hard lessons about the Zero that so benefited the P-38, P-47, and P-51 later in the war. They were bad, but they still held the line and did their share of damage...
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