"Most Devastating Weapon The [US] Army Had In World War Two"

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

According to Don Carrell were the aircraft with an "L" in the name and often called Cubs, even if they were Stinsons or Taylorcraft or actual Pipers.

 

Mr. Carrell says he operated with the troops (he was with the 8th Armored, calling in fire on anything that looked worth shooting at from 800 feet AGL.  He helped KO Tigers on the ground and tangled with FWs... in a Piper Cub with no armor and just his sidearm as a weapon.

 

He said the strategy for dealing with an FW was to "...roll... over and [get] down below tree level.  The fighters wouldn't come after you because they were too fast."

 

As far as operating conditions, he flew when the Air Corps was grounded, under 500 foot ceilings.  Basically, if a tank could operate, he was flying to give support.

 

The strategy for assessing damage to the airplane was to put a stick in the bullet hole and run in through to where the bullet came out.  If it didn't hit anything in between, you didn't worry about it. "You got used to it" (!)

 

Later, he got a couple of bazookas mounted on his plane, to deal with targets not worth calling artillery on, or in a bad spot, or a moving target. For example a dispatch rider on a motorcycle.  Another pilot apparently knocked out a Tiger with the bazookas on his Cub. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Carpenter_(Lt._Col.)

 

Towards the end of the war, he hit a wire and crashed and was messed up pretty badly.

 

 

I don't think the Germans used the Storch the same way, but I have no idea if the Russians had an aircraft they used in a similar way for artillery control, but I would be interested in seeing missions along these lines.  I can't think of another combat sim that has done it.  Maybe it is not appropriate for BoS, but Possible if we get that MTO in the future.

 

 

 

  

 

 

[Original_Uwe]

Mr Carrell is mistaken.

I give you the most important, devestating and woeful weapon of war that has ever been:

 

Artillery, Armor, and air power exist to support the advance of the Infantry.

It was true at Marathon, its true today. No battle can be won, or ground held without the infantryman.

 

As for game stuff, RoF already has spottrers and atry support aircraft/missions in it, and I bet the IL2 would make a great FAC.

Edited September 20, 2013 by CWMV

[hiro]

OP interesting read . . .  another example of CAS . . . I remember reading the bird dog pilots in vietnam . . . 

 

I think the Russians either used witches or simply fell back to an IL-2. 

 

all kidding aside

 

 

 

The most devastating weapon in the army inventory in world war 2, was only used twice, and only in one theater. Ever. (exception is ww 3) 

 

But its true . . .  

 

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains that victory.

[Sim]

I am a huge fan of the liaison aircraft But the Storch is still the best looking plane ever to me. Even allied generals used captured Storch'es (Montgomery, Coningham, Broadhurst).

 

As for the Russian alternatives, not sure. I just know the story of Herman Goring presenting one Storch to Stalin (and Mussolini) and the Stalin was so impressed - they went ahead and planned a complete copy (known as OKA-38) of the Storch design with an inline engine. They even had factory finished (which was captured by the Germans early during the eastern front).

Edited September 20, 2013 by Sim

[Cybermat47]

 

 

 

Artillery, Armor, and air power exist to support the advance of the Infantry.

It was true at Marathon, its true today. No battle can be won, or ground held without the infantryman.

 

 

And sea power exists to provide safe passage for food to feed the troops.

[germanicusgermanicus1936]

Evaluate Fw 189 Uhu.. Precursor OV10 Bronco. I suggested that to developers for close support missions. I read the ac was very active on East front. Eric "Winkle" Brown test flew it. I confess I am not a fighter type. Some member reminded me we need people like me to fly the "targets!". Above descriptions of low slow flight pattern made them difficult to hit. Hope they add this to sim.

[germanicusgermanicus1936]

I googled Fw 189 and it has been modeled in a flight sim I do not recognize. On YouTube.

[bolox]

Production capacity

[Cybermat47]

I googled Fw 189 and it has been modeled in a flight sim I do not recognize. On YouTube.

It's flyable in IL2 1946 DBW.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Mr Carrell is mistaken.

I give you the most important, devestating and woeful weapon of war that has ever been:

 

Artillery, Armor, and air power exist to support the advance of the Infantry.

It was true at Marathon, its true today. No battle can be won, or ground held without the infantryman.

 

As for game stuff, RoF already has spottrers and atry support aircraft/missions in it, and I bet the IL2 would make a great FAC.

 

No question - when we talk about "boots on the ground" these are the guys wearing those boots and doing the heavy lifting.  Mr. Carrell gave them a tremendous amount of credit and apparently it was a mutual feeling. He was writing that he was always flying, and never had time to eat so he would frequently land near an infantry company and "they would roll out the red carpet" because they saw the results of his work first hand: accurate, timely artillery support can make tough objectives easy.  I doubt there are many infantrymen who wouldn't prefer to go past a burned out enemy tank rather than figure out how to get close enough to assault it.

 

He had a story about landing for gas in a field surround by woods, and firefights in the woods.  The sergeant that got him the gas commented the Cub looked "too dangerous".

[Mogster]

Airborne artillery spotting in BOS? The mechanics are already in ROF.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Airborne artillery spotting in BOS? The mechanics are already in ROF.

 

Yep, makes it an easy transition.  I don't know that we would get anything Cub like to do it in though (because I don't know that anyone actually used FO aircraft on the Eastern Front the same way), or be spending much time at 30mph below the tree line.

[LordNeuro*Srb*]

Well u cann use rof plane in bos for theat "or be spending much time at 30mph below the tree line.", just port it over and insted of rockets put bazoka, weapon mod lol. Just kiding . And yes all airforce , tenks , artulery is to suport the infantry. And like rof players in here r seying there is all redy missions , mehanics , trigers all in rof, so it be in bos probably.

[Cybermat47]

It's a bit funny that all the new forms of warfare only exist to support the oldest.

[LukeFF]

I don't think the Germans used the Storch the same way, but I have no idea if the Russians had an aircraft they used in a similar way for artillery control, but I would be interested in seeing missions along these lines.  I can't think of another combat sim that has done it.  Maybe it is not appropriate for BoS, but Possible if we get that MTO in the future.

 

Not a Storch, but similar concept nonetheless: http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2012/08/buckers-with-bazookas-bu-181-bestmann.html