Placing the Fairey Battle.

[Franek Grabowski]

Originally Posted by Kutscha

Franek, why do you say that?

Because Thunderbolt was an 'overpaid' plane. It was too heavy, too expensive, not very manouverable. Analysis of the first year of operations shows that they were not that successfull against the Luftwaffe, and it is really no wonder 8th AF asked them to be replaced by Mustangs as soon as possible. I do not mean it was a completelly useless aircraft, but certainly did not deserve that much propaganda as it get, at least in the fighter role.

Tony
I would strongly recommend to get accustomed to the recent publications, mainly Russian, concerning the eastern front. Certainly hordes of Half Tracks, Shermans, Jeeps, Studebakers, Airacobras and Bostons made the Red Army superior to the Western counterparts. Any qualities? Some Russians would hang butcher Zhukov by his balls. Referring to old propaganda is not the way to proper research.

[tcolvin]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

Tony
I would strongly recommend to get accustomed to the recent publications, mainly Russian, concerning the eastern front. Certainly hordes of Half Tracks, Shermans, Jeeps, Studebakers, Airacobras and Bostons made the Red Army superior to the Western counterparts. Any qualities? Some Russians would hang butcher Zhukov by his balls. Referring to old propaganda is not the way to proper research.

Franek.

Butcher Zhukov, meet Butcher Harris!

I don't see why Russian dependence on Lend-Lease has anything to do with the qualities of the Red Army which also valued the boots and the steel and the gold braid they were sent.
The British also got Lend-Lease.
The Americans got all the British secrets from the atom bomb to Bletchley Park with centimetric radar along the way. So what?

I don't speak Russian. But I would appreciate a reference to what in your opinion is the best current English-language study of the Russian way of warfare.

I know Stalin was a better GROFAZ than Hitler, Churchill or FDR. But no one confuses that with the type of man he was - surely.

Tony

[Jukka Juutinen]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

Because Thunderbolt was an 'overpaid' plane. It was too heavy, too expensive, not very manouverable.

Another BS statement for the P-47 e.g. rolled better than your beloved PoS Mustang. Using WEP it could operate from similar sized runways that the PoS Mustang. As for prices, it was only some 15% more expensive than the Hellcat, supposedly a very production friendly design. Comparisons with the flimsy PoS Mustang are not fair for the latter is capable of carrying considerably smaller external stores or internal armament.