Battle of the Third Reich

Lancaster is different from the previous British bombers in that it has no traditional wooden structure and canvas skin. This is a heavy bomber made entirely of metal. The designer used all the advanced technology he wanted on this plane. It can be said that this is a Rolls-Royce phantom in the bomber group of that era.

The British installed four 1,480-horsepower "grey-backed falcon" type 20 engines on this aircraft. This is the best engine they can currently take out. It is also the jet currently being tested. The first choice for the Fire MK3 prototype.

Rolls-Royce’s “Greyback Falcon” (Merlin, also transliterated as Merlin or Merlin) is currently the strongest horsepower in the British production engine, but it does not mean that it is the most advanced, because There is also a "Griffon" (Griffon) engine also developed by Rolls-Royce.

Speaking of "griffin", Rolls-Royce actually built a prototype in three or nine years, with an engine power of 1,700 horsepower. The British Air Force did not consider the reason for mass production of the "Gryphon", just because it was a full circle larger than the "Grey Falcon", and it was difficult to stuff it into the engine compartment of the early-fire type.

At that time, the British only considered the fighter's windward area, but ignored the possible impact of increased power on flight quality. However, given that the Royal Air Force was surrounded by dogfights, it was reasonable to make this choice.

During the war, the "grey-backed falcon" has been officially put into mass production, and the weight loss research and development of the "griffin" engine is still slowly proceeding. Under the wartime system, the British Air Force is not prepared to consume resources elsewhere, so the "griffin" was stopped. The improvement project began to devote all of its energy to the production of "grey-backed falcon".

Xu Jun is well aware of the potential of the "Gryphon" engine, which is an excellent water-cooled engine that can reach more than two thousand horsepower after supercharging, and for the bomber, the larger volume is not a problem at all.

If Lancaster needs to improve its power, the "Gryphon" is currently the best choice, but it will take time for this engine to be put into mass production. Xu Jun hopes to solve these problems in the first half of the year.

The Lancaster bomber has an interesting feature compared to her similar class, that is, it is equipped with only one captain and pilot. Of course, this is also the case on the German side. This configuration was in 40 years. Previous bomber designs were very common.

But once entering the **** Eastern Front battlefield, this configuration is somewhat inappropriate. In fact, when the British bomber group entered German airspace, especially when traveling to and from Berlin for bombing, the crew members were already aware of this problem. Relying on only one pilot to complete the flight of this entire route is a severe test both in terms of physical strength and energy. At the same time, when the cockpit is attacked by a German fighter, once the pilot is injured or killed, it often means that the entire crew will be killed together.

The U.S. military has long considered the issue of crew backup, so their long-range bombers are often two-person pilots. They can change shifts during long-distance flights. They can also chat and fight when they are bored. If they encounter danger, they can also share the pressure on the operation.

Later in the history of war, the Royal Air Force added Lancaster with a linked driving system for use by aerial mechanics sitting in folding chairs on the right side of the driver’s seat. When the aircraft engine and control.

Now that we have figured out ways to improve it in history, there is no reason not to use it early. This co-pilot system has also been put into the transformation plan by Xu Jun.

Next is the issue of self-defense firepower. The British electric turret is indeed very advanced, but the Royal Air Force has not installed the firepower worthy of this system. Compared with the US military’s heirloom point 50, the British’s 7.7 mm is In addition to being lighter in weight, Running Mark II is simply a pile of garbage.

In the future, the Luftwaffe will encounter a group of Soviet fighters known for their thick skin on the Eastern Front. It is difficult to imagine how much deterrence the 7.7 mm "sprinkler" can give the other party.

Xu Jun felt that if he wanted to frighten the polar bears, the caliber must be at least 0.50. If necessary, he would even be willing to remove the bomb load for self-defense weapons, and install two MG151/15mm, quail for the tail and back turrets. The egg-flare tracer can't scare people. It's better to be a tennis player.

At the same time, the spherical turret at the bottom of the B17 is a good thing. You can consider "developing" it early, and maybe sell it to the Americans in reverse.

However, Xu Jun is also very clear that relying on the bomber's self-defense firepower, it is impossible to intercept multiple batches of multi-directional fighter jets to intercept surprise attacks. To reduce the loss of long-range bombing, the Germans must equip a fighter that can provide full escort.

Germany has already bought all the materials, patents and production licenses of the North American company NA-73 fighter jets, including even more than 250 sets of semi-finished wings and fuselages.

After the British government canceled the order, even if the pile of finished products and parts was completely smashed into the hands of North American companies, additional financial pressure was added to the North American airlines that were in financial crisis. If the Germans suddenly took over the batch With slow-moving products, this company will never have any trouble next.

In the history, the British "Weapon Procurement Commission" originally wanted to buy the P40 fighter of Curtiss, but Curtiss was going all out to complete the orders of the US Army Aviation, and there was no spare share for the British.

So the British began to turn to consider the feasibility of producing "Kitty Hawk" in the UK. The senior executives of North American companies that were selling trainers to the British knew that this was a rare business opportunity, maybe they could use this to reverse the company. Financial difficulties.

So they found a way to convince the British that North American companies could develop a fighter that surpassed the P40 specifically for the British, and the speed of mass production was definitely faster than building a new P40 production line.

As a result, the British believed in the promise of the North American company and placed orders for 320 aircraft without seeing the design drawings. This shows how dangerous the war situation in Europe was at that time. The British Empire had already He was forced to the point of hunger by the Germans.

The initial price of a NA-73 was $40,000, which was more than nine thousand cheaper than the P40 of Curtiss. This was indeed a conscience price at the time, but if the British knew the real performance of this thing, I am afraid that it will be cheaper. Half will not place this order.

Historically, after the P-51 Mustang was sent to the UK, the British pilots were used to swear at the father. The P51 did use a lot of advanced patented technology, and the Allison V1701 is also a low-altitude engine with good performance, but the problem is this The engine is very fleshy at high altitude, so once it encounters a German fighter at high altitude, then this aircraft will only be slaughtered obediently.

So this aircraft was assigned to the Royal Air Force Army Command Command to undertake low-altitude patrol reconnaissance and ground attack missions. The British were still very satisfied with the performance of this fighter at low altitude, and even added one in 40. The order was approved and it was not completed until Pearl Harbor broke out.

Here is a sentence. After the Pearl Harbor incident, the US Army also ordered a batch of Mustangs, but these planes were converted into ground-attacks, and large air brakes were installed on the wings. The Army gave her back. An A36 attack aircraft number, nicknamed "Apache".

In fact, it was not until April 1942 that the fate of the "Wild Horse" changed after an accidental encounter. At that time, a Rolls-Royce test pilot tested a Mustang. He found that this aircraft was driven by the same horsepower and was faster than the latest type of fire. So the test pilot thought if the aircraft was replaced with a fire-breathing "grey-backed falcon" engine, would there be a greater performance improvement?

Immediately, his suggestion was valued by the management of Rolls-Royce, and the experiment of replacing the "Greyback Falcon" engine with the "Wild Horse" began. The following story must have been guessed by everyone, and replaced with the powerful "Grayback" After "Falcon", "Wild Horse" turned into a finest fighter in World War II, and created the miracle of the era of "Wild Horse Dynasty".

The transformation of the "Wild Horse" is now being carried out in the secret workshop of Messerschmitt. In the future, what kind of legends will the German "Wild Horse" painted with an iron cross create in the history of war, the Empire The head of state is full of expectations in this regard.

PS: Thank you for your support, the author will continue to work hard.

The second chapter is presented. I will inform you again that the author will go out tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow will be supplemented.