Re: Many things - mostly very late aviation

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Llaneza <maserati@earthlink.net>
To: <gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 6:03 AM
Subject: Re: Many things - mostly very late aviation

> The Red Air Force had no chance to handle the Allied heavy bomber
> offensive. Their armies would have withered on the vine as heavy
bombers
> smashed their supply lines and airfields. No tank fights well without
> gas. Both air forces were combat experienced, with a probable edge to
> the USAAF in training and doctrine [1]. Put the US had the P-80 coming
> on line, and the Meteor was ready for series production as well. The
> Soviets had a few dozen rocket interceptors in service, but not much
> prospect for a front line jet fighter anytime soon.
SNIP
> That said, I must give the Red Air Force full credit for an excellent
job
in the
> role for which it was designed: close air support.
SNIP
> But nothing to cope with hundreds of P-80s in service by the end of
> 1945. And thousands in 1946.
SNIP

The Russians expected a German high-altitude threat and had a range
of types tested to counter it.	MiG "Series A" interceptors included
I-222 with a ceiling of 47000 feet and capable of 429mph at 41000 feet.
These being the Russians, who seem to like armed prototypes, that's with
2
ShVAK.	There were plans to build Series A aircraft in quantity if the
high
altitude threat appeared.  Unrelated was the MiG-13, I-250, with
Kholshchevnikov's Accellerator; 3 20mm G-20 cannon, ceiling 39240 feet,
513mph at 23000 feet. Nine aircraft were ready for a cancelled air
parade on
7th November 1945.   Even old 1941 fighter variants of the Pe-2 could
reach 36000 feet, so I think B-29s would have been far more vulnerable
than over Japan.  The single biggest problem the Japanese had with
homeland
defence was lack of decent numbers of decent engines. That's not a
problem
for the USSR in 1946.

By '47, Yak-15\17 and Yak-19, and the MiG-9, all Jumo 004 powered, are
appearing and perhaps even La-160; along with plentiful Yak-3-M-107 and
Yak-3U, that should be enough to cause some serious attrition to Western
bomber fleets.	At low level, Frontal Aviation will rule as it did in
the
East
("Avoid combat below 5000m with Yak fighters lacking oil coolers under
the nose" as the Luftwaffe ordered)

All info from Green and Swansborough, "Fighters"

Rob Paul