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__TOC__
{{clear}}

= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">'Dick' Bong</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
{{clear}}
----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


{{clear}}
----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
{{break}}
----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">X-Ray Eyes</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


{{clear}}
== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">{{Annotation|Bubi|"The Kid"}}<br>{{Annotation|Der Schwarze Teufel|"The Black Devil"}}</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Early life for Erich Hartmann (born 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Wurttemberg, Germany) was unusual in that while born in Germany, Erich's father moved the family to China, where he practised medicine. Dr Alfred Hartmann attempted to give his family a better life and make more money; however, this fell short in 1928 when the Chinese Civil War broke out, causing the Hartmann family to flee to Germany.<ref name="Delong" />

To help the family, Erich's mother, Elisabeth, became one of Germany's first female glider pilots.<ref name="Neikirk" /> Erich would watch in wonder as his mother would be pulled into the air and safely glide the aircraft back to the ground. Erich learned what he could and had his mother teach him. He quickly learned and received his glider pilot's license at 15 in 1936.<ref name="Delong" /> Three years later, Erich completed his training on powered aircraft and received his pilot's license. Immediately after this, Erich joined the military and began fighter pilot training.

==== War Experience ====
In the early 1940s, Germany spent much time and money training their pilots. Erich Hartmann spent from October 1940 to October 1942 training on the Bf 109, the workhorse he would fly for the entire war. These aircraft were light-weight, robust and reliable aircraft, which Hartmann was able to exploit and become a deadly fighter pilot.

Like many young pilots, Hartmann proved to be a bit of a hotrod and paid for it after going against protocol by performing aerial manoeuvres over his airfield. For this stunt, he was grounded and unable to fly. While disappointed in being grounded, Hartmann later realised that this may have saved his life. During the next training mission, a squadron mate was selected instead to fly Hartmann's aircraft to a gunnery field. En route, the plane developed engine trouble and crashed, killing the squadron mate.<ref name="Neikirk" /><ref name="Delong" />

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
After being reinstated to flight status, Hartmann diligently trained whenever he could. At the age of 20, in 1942, Hartmann flew his first combat missions. At this time, Hartmann's assignment was to fly as a wingman to Edmund "Paule" Rossmann, a veteran fighter pilot. Rossmann, due to an injury, lost the use of one of his arms, thus preventing him from flying in physically demanding dog fights. Instead, Rossmann tended to use a "sneak attack" method by attacking the enemy from above. When possible, he would also utilise the sun to help shield his approach. Enemy aircraft rarely realised that Rossmann was attacking until their plane started falling apart from gunfire. This knowledge was gold, and Hartmann packed it away into his playbook.

==== Tactics ====
Hartmann learned early on that many of the Soviet fighters he faced had pilots who did not have the same training and skills he had learned. There were many times when Erich did not panic when a Soviet fighter was on his tail because he knew that the pilot most likely lacked the skills to shoot him down. Hartmann stated, "In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."<ref name="Neikirk" />

{{Quote
|"In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
Hartmann's heavily influenced fighting style was not a shooter like many of his contemporaries but instead an ambusher. Hartmann tried to get as close as possible behind the enemy aircraft so that it was near impossible to miss. Hartmann could conserve ammunition by utilising this method because it only took a few rounds to down an enemy aircraft at such close range. If he ended up in a long, drawn-out dog fight, he tended to have more ammunition to work with than many of his wingmen.

Though Hartmann was never shot down by an enemy aircraft, he crashed several times due to parts, pieces and debris flying off of the aircraft he was shooting. Since he usually passed close behind for the attack, it was not unusual for something to break off an enemy aircraft and smack into his.

By August 1943, Hartmann had amassed 159 aerial kills. Hartmann's aircraft was painted with a black tulip and became easily recognisable by Soviet pilots, who would typically turn away and fly back to base when they recognised the plane.<ref name="Tedeschi" /> Though Hartmann's kill count suffered due to this, he ended up lending the aircraft to junior pilots with less experience to give them a chance to learn the ropes while Hartmann flew in any random Bf 109 under anonymity.

At the war's end, on 8 May 1945, Germany was preparing to surrender to the Allies. Over the East German town of Brunn, a Soviet pilot flying a Yak-9 was performing acrobatic manoeuvres while Soviet troops on the ground were watching. Screaming in a dive out of the sun, Hartmann's Bf 109 unleashed several rounds of 20 mm cannon fire that wrecked the Yak-9's fuselage, causing it to fall to the ground in a flaming heap.<ref name="Delong" /> This Yak-9 was Hartmann's 352nd and final kill of the war.

{{clear}}
----



== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


{{clear}}
----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">{{Annotation|Батя|Dad}}<br>{{Annotation|Борода|Beard}}</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lilya<br>(White) Lily<br>White Lily of Stalingrad</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----


== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Dogsbody</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">{{Annotation|Zero Fighter Ace|零戦撃墜王}}<br>{{Annotation|Tiger Tetsu|零戦虎徹}}</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1938<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-45<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">{{Annotation|Sky Samurai|大空のサムライ}}</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commisioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1938-40<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1940-41<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_mod11}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-42 | 1945<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1944-45<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|n1k2_group|N1K-J| {{Tree-Unit|n1k1_ja}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_j}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_jko}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
{{clear}}

----
=== Matsuo Hagiri ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Matsuo Hagiri</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Matsuo_Hagiri_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">羽切松雄</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mustachio</span><span class="ttx-name">Nickname(s)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1932</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1932</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1935~</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936~</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1937</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">13</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1937-40<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4_hagiri}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1940-41<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_mod11}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-44<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1945<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|n1k2_group|N1K-J| {{Tree-Unit|n1k1_ja}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_j}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_jko}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15bis (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hawk III|Hawk III (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/495--en Ace of the Month - March - Matsuo Hagiri]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Matsuo Hagiri A5M4.jpg|thumb|none|250px|A group of Japanese Naval airmen pose in front of Matsuo Hagiri's A5M4. Seated in the centre is Hagiri himself.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Hagiri sitting on the wing of his A5M4.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Image of Matsuo "Mustashio" Hagiri sitting on the wing of his A5M4 W-102.]]</li>
</ul>

{{clear}}
----

== Italy ==


== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

{{break}}
== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|fokker_d21_mod20}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6_finland}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== American Fighter Introduction Year by Manufacture ==

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{{Tree-End}}

== Reference ==
<references>
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<ref name="Simha">Simha, R. K. (2014, June 07). Alexander Pokryshkin: The air ace who terrorised the Luftwaffe. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/blogs/2014/06/07/alexander_pokryshkin_the_air_ace_who_terrorised_the_luftwaffe_35823</ref>
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</references>

Harrier (Family)

2023-11-20T22:07:39Z

U64962917: Added service introduction by type table.

==Description==
The '''Harrier''' (informally known as the '''Harrier Jump Jet''') is a British-designed VTOL aircraft (Vertical Take-Off & Landing) introduced into service in 1969.

==Vehicles==
===Rank VI===

* [[AV-8A]]
* [[AV-8C]]
* [[Harrier GR.1]]
* [[Harrier GR.3]]

===Rank VII===
* [[Sea Harrier FRS.1 (e)]]
* [[Sea Harrier FRS.1]]

===Rank VIII===
* [[AV-8B Plus (Italy)]]
* [[Harrier GR.7]]

==Service Introduction by Type==
{{Tree-Start|3|without header}}
{{Tree-Line|}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|<center>Hawker-Siddeley</center>{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|<center>British Aerospace (BAe)</center>{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|<center>McDonnell-Douglas</center>{{Tree-Skip|10px}}


{{Tree-Line|1969}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|harrier_gr1}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Line|1971}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|av_8a}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Line|1976}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|harrier_gr3}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Line|1978}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|harrier_frs1_early}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
{{Tree-Unit|harrier_frs1}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Line|1979}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|av_8c}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Line|1982}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|av_8b_plus_italy}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}

{{Tree-Line|1990}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|
{{Tree-Unit|harrier_gr7}}
{{Tree-Skip|10px}}
|style="border-left: solid 1px #cccccc;"|

{{Tree-Skip}}

{{Tree-End}}
* The RAF had their GR.1s upgraded to GR.3 standards.
* The AV-8C is a modified AV-8A meant to extend unit service life and VTOL performance.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|fWSEk3AAfH0|'''Harrier''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|0aM7hS-ciYY|'''The Shooting Range #233''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:53 discusses the birth of the Harrier.}}

[[Category:Family pages]]

VB.10C-1

2023-11-20T17:43:16Z

U64962917: Updated the references, citations and bibliography format.

{{About
| about = French twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = VB.10-02
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=vb_10c1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.73 "Vive la France"]].

The VB.10 is a twin-engine fighter, with the second engine hidden behind the pilot driving its own set of propeller. Owing to its sleek design and contra-rotating propellers, it might appear as a single engine super-prop fighter. With 2 engines, the plane can achieve high speeds but it is heavy and does not fare well in dogfights.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 7,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 679 || 659 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 25.4 || 26.5 || 11.7 || 11.7 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 739 || 710 || 22.8 || 24.0 || 19.3 || 15.4
|-
|}

====Details====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 498 || 469 || 320 || ~11 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 380 || < 540 || > 340
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 6,400 m ||1,315 hp||1,500 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 50 mm Bulletproof glass in front and rear of the cockpit.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Hispano 404 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano 404 cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

The four cannons are arranged in bundles of two mounted in each wing. Each is armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all guns will fire with each other until empty.

== Usage in battles ==

The VB.10C-1, like most heavy fighters, is reliant on side climbing to engage enemy fighters, however this isn't the only way to play the VB.10C-1, if you decide to side climb and wait for enemy planes to drop down to lower altitudes they will find themselves in peril when a experienced pilot in a VB.10C-1 comes booming past with its quick dive rate and deadly armament of 4 x 20 mm Hispano 404 cannons. The best tactic when flying solo is Boom & Zoom and play as the team's support fighter, as its great acceleration and heavy weight can allow you to make fast attacks against unsuspecting enemy fighters at lower altitudes that are pre-occupied with fighting friendly aircraft. The heavy weight can also help carry the planes speed when extending and helps retain a bit of speed when going back into a climb, be aware however that the VB.10C-1's size and weight makes it a considerable target if you happen to miss your engagement. The best tactic when flying in a group of two or more is to help teammates that are struggling in a dogfight with enemy fighters, as a large target the VB.10C-1 can distract enemy fighters and outrun most using its advantage in weight and energy which allows teammates to slide onto the enemies six o'clock and finish them off.

If you need to do a quick turn, set combat flaps and reduce the power of the engine to around 50%, then turn and close the combat flaps when half-finished with your manoeuvre. Be aware that turning in the VB.10C-1 is a way to intentionally or unintentionally bleed off any built-up energy. Conserve energy when possible in the VB.10C-1 as it lacks the capabilities to dogfight other fighters in fast or slow turning engagements.

===Manual Engine Control===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil
! Water
! Type
|-
| Controllable || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Separate || rowspan="2" | Not controllable<br>1 gear || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast at all altitudes, especially in a dive
* Competitive climb rate at most altitudes
* Good turn rate for it size
* Good cockpit visibility (important for simulator battle players)
* Can fly well with one engine, improving its chance to limp back to the airfield for repairs

'''Cons'''
* The hidden rear-mounted engine can be hit by a chasing enemy
* Heavy plane, resulting into poor flat acceleration and roll rate
* Rudder is unresponsive at high speeds
* Guns are mounted far from the centre, can make lining up shot difficult
* Relatively low ammo count

== History ==

'''Development'''

The Arsenal VB-10 was a continuation in development from the earlier [[V.G.33C-1|VG-33]] aircraft designed during the early war period but unable to be manufactured in great numbers before the Battle of France which began in May 1940.

Under the Vichy government, the prior prototypes were reconsidered, and updated designs needed to be produced. Thus, the VB-10’s distinctive design of liquid cooled tandem engines were born. This was a method of circumnavigating the lack of a 2,000 HP engine with two 1,000 HP engines<ref name="Hartmann" />. The new design was higher performance than two similar American interceptor projects; the XP-62<ref name="Bowers" /> and XP-67<ref name="Francillion" />, the twinned engine system producing a higher top speed and competitive rates of climb and service range during a test flight in July 1945.<ref name="Green" />

'''Production'''

An initial order for 200 aircraft was placed after a test flight of the second prototype in September 1946 to enter service post-war, though this was reduced to 50 within three years. The first VB-10 took flight on 3<sup>rd</sup> November 1947 with Hispano-Suiza HS 12Z Ars 15/16 engines and the now standard armament for the prototype, four 20 mm cannons, replacing the prototypes' prior 23.7 mm machine guns.

The order was cancelled in September 1948 after just four of the aircraft were completed and tested. During the tests, mechanical failures caused two serious crashes, one of which was fatal and the aircraft were scrapped. The French Air Force would rely on foreign Allied fighter aircraft until the national production of jet-powered fighters began.<ref name="Green" />

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=vb_10c1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|NuacwZrhw3M|'''The Shooting Range #159''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:28 discusses the VB.10.}}

== See also ==


* [[V.G.33C-1]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/385704-vb-10c-1/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===
;Citations
<references>
<ref name="Hartmann">Hartmann, G. (2007)</ref>
<ref name="Bowers">Bowers, P. (1979)</ref>
<ref name="Francillion">Francillion, R. (1988)</ref>
<ref name="Green">Green, W., Swanborough, G. (2001)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

*Hartman, Gérard. (2007). Dossiers historiques et techniques aéronautique française. On-Line at [https://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/arsenal_de_l_aeronautique.pdf Hydroretro.net - L’Arsenal de l’aéronautique.pdf]. Retreived 13 August 2021
*Bowers, Peter. (1987). Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947. London: Putnam, pp.327-331. LCCN:[https://lccn.loc.gov/87062882# 87062882]
*Francillion, René. (1988). McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920. (Vol. 2). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, p.372. On-Line at [https://archive.org/details/mcdonnelldouglas0002fran Archive.org - McDonnel Douglas Aircraft Since 1920]
*Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon. (2001). The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown. London: Salamander Books Ltd., pp. 30-31.

{{AirManufacturer Arsenal}}
{{France twin-engine fighters and attackers}}

H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb)

2023-11-20T15:40:48Z

U64962917: Fixed bomb name error.

[[File:H.C Mk.I.jpg|x250px|thumb]]
== Description ==

During World War II the British military were employing the [[H.C._Mk.II_(4,000_lb)|H.C. Mk.II (4,000 lb)]] and [[H.C._Mk.II_(8,000_lb)|H.C. Mk.II (8,000 lb)]] bombs. Looking for larger options, engineers compared the explosive potential damage of dropping both an 8,000 lb and a 4,000 lb bomb versus a single 12,000 lb version and determined that the 12,000 lb bomb would provide a larger damage potential. Utilizing existing stock, a 4,000 lb bomb was bolted onto a 8,000 lb bomb and the detonation train was connected. Though approved for service, there was doubt with the Air Staff that the two bomb halves simultaneously detonated, so production of the bomb was limited. The H.C. Mk.I (12,000 lb) bomb took aircraft maintenance crews 35 minutes to get the bomb loaded into the Lancaster from its transport trolley.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk1}}
* {{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk3}}

== General info ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 12,656 lbs
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 3,973.5 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Torpex
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 6,357.6 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 365 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 114 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 374 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

With a huge destruction radius of 114 m, nothing that stands near the exploding H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb) is likely to survive. Simply aiming the bomb near a capture zone will guarantee destruction of anything inside of it's destruction radius (this also applies to teammates so be careful!). The fragment dispersion is very effective even past 370 m thanks to almost 2 tons of steel surrounding the Torpex explosive filler, more than enough to kill lightly armoured vehicles such as SPGs and SPAA or at least damaging crew.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

The Soviet [[FAB-5000_(5,000_kg)|FAB-5000 (5,000 kg)]] bomb is the closest comparable bomb to the British H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb) "Blockbuster" bomb. The FAB-5000 carries ~1,000 kg TNTe less explosive mass and has a slightly smaller explosion radius compared to the Blockbuster.

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this bomb in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely large destruction radius

'''Cons:'''

* Significantly hinders flight performance
* Carried by only one aircraft type

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb)

2023-11-17T18:52:29Z

U64962917: Updated description, effective damage, pro/con

[[File:H.C Mk.I.jpg|x250px|thumb]]
== Description ==

During World War II the British military were employing the [[H.C._Mk.II_(4,000_lb)|H.C. Mk.II (4,000 lb)]] and [[H.C._Mk.II_(8,000_lb)|H.C. Mk.II (8,000 lb)]] bombs. Looking for larger options, engineers compared the explosive potential damage of dropping both an 8,000 lb and a 4,000 lb bomb versus a single 12,000 lb version and determined that the 12,000 lb bomb would provide a larger damage potential. Utilizing existing stock, a 4,000 lb bomb was bolted onto a 8,000 lb bomb and the detonation train was connected. Though approved for service, there was doubt with the Air Staff that the two bomb halves simultaneously detonated, so production of the bomb was limited. The H.C. Mk.II (12,000 lb) bomb took aircraft maintenance crews 35 minutes to get the bomb loaded into the Lancaster from its transport trolley.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk1}}
* {{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk3}}

== General info ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 12,656 lbs
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 3,973.5 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Torpex
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 6,357.6 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 365 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 114 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 374 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

With a huge destruction radius of 114 m, nothing that stands near the exploding H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb) is likely to survive. Simply aiming the bomb near a capture zone will guarantee destruction of anything inside of it's destruction radius (this also applies to teammates so be careful!). The fragment dispersion is very effective even past 370 m thanks to almost 2 tons of steel surrounding the Torpex explosive filler, more than enough to kill lightly armoured vehicles such as SPGs and SPAA or at least damaging crew.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

The Soviet [[FAB-5000_(5,000_kg)|FAB-5000 (5,000 kg)]] bomb is the closest comparable bomb to the British H.C Mk.I (12,000 lb) "Blockbuster" bomb. The FAB-5000 carries ~1,000 kg TNTe less explosive mass and has a slightly smaller explosion radius compared to the Blockbuster.

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this bomb in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely large destruction radius

'''Cons:'''

* Significantly hinders flight performance
* Carried by only one aircraft type

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 45 (750 lb)

2023-11-17T17:29:11Z

U64962917: Added additional citation and effective damage description.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 45.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 45° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.<ref name="OP 2216" />

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.<ref name="OP 2216" />

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.<ref name="Lowery" />

{{Break}}

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Jet fighters'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-1}}{{Specs-Link|t2_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|t2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f1}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-4}}{{Specs-Link|f-4c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_adtw}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_kai}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f_late}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4j}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_kurnass_2000}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-5}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e_aidc}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-16}}{{Specs-Link|f_16d_block_40_barak_2}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-100}}{{Specs-Link|f-100a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f_100f_china}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-104}}{{Specs-Link|f-104c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_italy}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_asa}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_cb}}
{{Navigation-Line|Kfir}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c7}}
{{Navigation-Line|Nesher}}{{Specs-Link|nesher}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Strike aircraft'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-1H}}{{Specs-Link|douglas_a_1h}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-4}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_late_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4n}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-5}}{{Specs-Link|a_5c}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-7}}{{Specs-Link|a_7d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7k}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-105}}{{Specs-Link|f-105d}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-111}}{{Specs-Link|f_111a}}
{{Navigation-Line|SAAB 105}}{{Specs-Link|saab_105g}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Jet bombers'''}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2n}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

The M117 is a demolition bomb designed to have a higher blast effect than comparable sized general purpose bombs. This allows aircraft to deal more damage per bomb than with conventional general purpose bombs.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

== References ==

;Citations

<references>
<ref name="OP 2216">NAVWEPS OP 2216 - Volume 1 (1960)</ref>
<ref name="Lowery">Lowery, J. (2019, February 26)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Bureau of Naval Weapons (1960). Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components (Vol. 1). On-Line at [https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202216,%20Aircraft%20Bombs,%20Fuzes,%20and%20Associated%20Components%20(1960 "Bulletpicker.com - Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components").pdf]. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.
* Lowery, John. [https://www.historynet.com/short-fuzes-why-bombs-blew-up-on-fighters-in-the-vietnam-war/ "Why Bombs Blew Up on Fighters in the Vietnam War"], ''Historynet'', On-line, February 2019. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 90 (750 lb)

2023-11-17T17:29:05Z

U64962917: Added additional citation and effective damage description.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 90 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 90.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 90° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.<ref name="OP 2216" />

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.<ref name="OP 2216" />

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.<ref name="Lowery" />
{{Break}}
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.''

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

The M117 is a demolition bomb designed to have a higher blast effect than comparable sized general purpose bombs. This allows aircraft to deal more damage per bomb than with conventional general purpose bombs.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

== References ==

;Citations

<references>
<ref name="OP 2216">NAVWEPS OP 2216 - Volume 1 (1960)</ref>
<ref name="Lowery">Lowery, J. (2019, February 26)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Bureau of Naval Weapons (1960). Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components (Vol. 1). On-Line at [https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202216,%20Aircraft%20Bombs,%20Fuzes,%20and%20Associated%20Components%20(1960 "Bulletpicker.com - Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components").pdf]. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.
* Lowery, John. [https://www.historynet.com/short-fuzes-why-bombs-blew-up-on-fighters-in-the-vietnam-war/ "Why Bombs Blew Up on Fighters in the Vietnam War"], ''Historynet'', On-line, February 2019. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 90 (750 lb)

2023-11-15T23:43:31Z

U64962917: Added citations and bibliography.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 90 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 90.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 90° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.<ref name="OP 2216" />

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.<ref name="OP 2216" />

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.
{{Break}}
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.''

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of bomb (high explosive, splash damage, etc)''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

== References ==

;Citations

<references>
<ref name="OP 2216">NAVWEPS OP 2216 - Volume 1 (1960)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Bureau of Naval Weapons (1960). Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components (Vol. 1). On-Line at [https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202216,%20Aircraft%20Bombs,%20Fuzes,%20and%20Associated%20Components%20(1960 "Bulletpicker.com - Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components").pdf]. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 45 (750 lb)

2023-11-15T23:43:27Z

U64962917: Added citations and bibliography.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 45.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 45° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.<ref name="OP 2216" />

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.<ref name="OP 2216" />

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.

{{Break}}

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Jet fighters'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-1}}{{Specs-Link|t2_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|t2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f1}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-4}}{{Specs-Link|f-4c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_adtw}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_kai}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f_late}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4j}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_kurnass_2000}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-5}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e_aidc}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-16}}{{Specs-Link|f_16d_block_40_barak_2}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-100}}{{Specs-Link|f-100a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f_100f_china}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-104}}{{Specs-Link|f-104c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_italy}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_asa}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_cb}}
{{Navigation-Line|Kfir}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c7}}
{{Navigation-Line|Nesher}}{{Specs-Link|nesher}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Strike aircraft'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-1H}}{{Specs-Link|douglas_a_1h}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-4}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_late_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4n}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-5}}{{Specs-Link|a_5c}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-7}}{{Specs-Link|a_7d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7k}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-105}}{{Specs-Link|f-105d}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-111}}{{Specs-Link|f_111a}}
{{Navigation-Line|SAAB 105}}{{Specs-Link|saab_105g}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Jet bombers'''}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2n}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of bomb (high explosive, splash damage, etc.)''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

== References ==

;Citations

<references>
<ref name="OP 2216">NAVWEPS OP 2216 - Volume 1 (1960)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Bureau of Naval Weapons (1960). Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components (Vol. 1). On-Line at [https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202216,%20Aircraft%20Bombs,%20Fuzes,%20and%20Associated%20Components%20(1960 "Bulletpicker.com - Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes and Associated Components").pdf]. Retrieved on 13 November 2023.

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 45 (750 lb)

2023-11-15T02:58:08Z

U64962917: Updated descripion and pro/con.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 45.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 45° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.

{{Break}}

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Jet fighters'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-1}}{{Specs-Link|t2_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|t2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f1}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-4}}{{Specs-Link|f-4c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_adtw}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4ej_kai}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4f_late}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4j}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-4e_kurnass_2000}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-5}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-5e_aidc}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-16}}{{Specs-Link|f_16d_block_40_barak_2}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-100}}{{Specs-Link|f-100a_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-100d_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f_100f_china}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-104}}{{Specs-Link|f-104c}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104g_italy}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_asa}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|f-104s_cb}}
{{Navigation-Line|Kfir}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|kfir_c7}}
{{Navigation-Line|Nesher}}{{Specs-Link|nesher}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Strike aircraft'''}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-1H}}{{Specs-Link|douglas_a_1h}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-4}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4e_late_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_4n}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-5}}{{Specs-Link|a_5c}}
{{Navigation-Line|A-7}}{{Specs-Link|a_7d}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7e}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|a_7k}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-105}}{{Specs-Link|f-105d}}
{{Navigation-Line|F-111}}{{Specs-Link|f_111a}}
{{Navigation-Line|SAAB 105}}{{Specs-Link|saab_105g}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Jet bombers'''}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2n}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of bomb (high explosive, splash damage, etc.)''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M117 cone 90 (750 lb)

2023-11-15T02:58:06Z

U64962917: Updated descripion and pro/con.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:750 lb M117 cone 90 bomb}}
{{About
| about = American '''{{PAGENAME}}''' bomb
| usage = other versions
| link = M117 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:M117 cone 90.png|right|thumb|Side view of '''M117''' with it's fins mounted 90° in relation to the mounting lugs.]]
The M117 is a 750-lb demolition bomb designed and built to have a higher blast effect than a standard general-purpose bomb of comparable weight.

Ordinance crews bolted the conical-type fin assembly to the tapered aft-end of the bomb body before usage. The fin assembly mounting occurred in one of two ways: at 90 degrees (cone 90) or 45 degrees (cone 45) in relation to the mounting lugs. Having multiple mounting options allowed mounting the bombs in bomb bays or on pylons without the fins interfering or knocking into adjacent bombs.

The United States began using the M117 in the 1950s during the Korean War and continued through the early 2000s. Several nations, including China, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and Japan, also utilized this bomb. The United States Air Force had issues with early bombs, specifically with the fuzes designed to work with older general-purpose bombs from World War II. The faulty fuzes led to multiple mishaps where a bomb would detonate within several feet of the aircraft after being jettisoned, destroying the entire aircraft and crew. After the correction of the fuze issue, airborne mishaps virtually stopped.
{{Break}}
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.''

== General info ==


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 362.42 kg (799 lbs)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 175.1 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 206.62 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 89 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 9 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 134 m
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of bomb (high explosive, splash damage, etc)''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of bombs that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==

This bomb is very good at destroying bases and can be used against lightly-armoured targets in ground battles due to its large amount of explosive. However, it may not be so easy to destroy top-tier Russian MBTs because of their ERA.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* More powerful blast than standard general purpose bombs

'''Cons:'''

* Dumb bomb, once released, cannot be guided to target

== History ==

Early in aviation history, applications for aircraft to serve in a military capacity surfaced, not only with the intent to scout a battlefield from an aerial vantage point but for the possibility to drop explosive bombs too. Due to the frail nature of the early wood-frame and cloth covered aircraft, lifting capacity resulted in the ability to only carry small bombs. Effectively these early bombers were hailed as aerial artillery fire which could reach targets hundreds of miles further than the most powerful land-based cannons of the time. Prior to the war, contests abounded where pilots would drop oranges or flour sacks upon predesignated targets to see who could hit closes to the centre.

Italian aviators were the first to use bombs in a warfare capacity in 1912 during their campaign of Tripoli. These first bombs were conversions of existing cannon ammunition and were effective only against personnel as they did not provide a strong enough provision to damage hardened equipment or structures. As lifting capacity of aircraft increased, so did the ability for them to carry more and larger explosives.

For the United States, bomb design did not become a priority until the middle of 1917 when a French official came to the U.S. with several samples of the Gros Andreau bombs which the French were using in large quantities at that time. Immediately these bombs were accepted by the U.S. and used as a standard in developing the first three sizes to be implemented in the military. These three bombs were known as the early "Mark" series, 25 lb Mk.I demolition bomb, 50 lb Mk.I demolition bomb and the 100 lb Mk.I demolition bomb. By December 1917, only six months later, the military put forth requirements for the development of bombs larger than the existing 100 lb bomb. After two more months of development, production of demolition bombs up to 1,000 lbs was started. Rejected 3-inch artillery rounds were the basis for early 25 lb bombs which were modified into a streamlined shape, very similar to the British Cooper bombs of the time. Larger bombs were manufactured and filled with explosive filler, all of which were placed into a streamlined body, of which a cylindrical shape was the most advantageous.

Early on, the Mark series of bombs proved to be largely unsatisfactory in a number of different areas. The bomb body itself was weak due to the sheet metal it was made from and the number of welds needed to join the pieces together. The stabilizing fins were made of flimsy metal which tended to distort during both the handling and flight of the bomb, adversely affecting accuracy. For the field technicians, inserting the fuse was a complicated process which required removing the stabilizing fin structure potentially damaging the fins. The fuses tended to have a high fail rate and due to their design, they would instantly arm after release from the aircraft posing a direct to the delivery aircraft. Later modifications would eliminate many of the negative factors to include adding a nose fuse, time delaying arming of the fuse, strengthening of the stabilizing fins and adding primer detonators to ensure proper explosive train sequences. Other changes including streamlining all bomb bodies and utilising 100% T.N.T. as an explosive filler resulted in the newer "Modified Mark" series of Army bombs.

Prior to World War II, the military determined that the Modified Mark series of bombs were obsolete requiring newer and up-to-date bombs to be developed. Both the U.S. Army and Navy began development of their own series of bombs, the Army with the "M" series and the Navy with their "Mk" series. Both similar, these bombs were designed with parallel sides, an ogival nose and a boat tail which is a box type-tail reinforced to prevent warping and aid with accurate drops. Due to the shortage of T.N.T., the Army filled their bombs with 50/50 Amatol with T.N.T. ends to seal in the Amatol and protect it from moisture. The Navy, on the other hand, continued to manufacture their bombs with 100% T.N.T.

With the approach of World War II, the U.S. Army (including the Army Air Corps) and the Navy standardized their series of bombs allowing for interchanging between services, consolidating manufacturing capabilities and allowing for modifications which enabled British service aircraft to mount these bombs too. Even after the standardization of bombs in 1941, the standardization process went through a few phases of further refinement, the first of which changed all high-explosive bombs to be termed general purpose (G.P.) or general purpose high-explosive (G.P.H.E). Later the designation of demolition bomb would come back for a few specific bombs.

When bombs are dropped, there is always a chance that something in the explosive train of the bomb will fail and it will not explode. Early AN style bombs were defusable in the event they did not explode on contact, meaning that any unexploded AN bomb could have the fuses and boosters removed without the bomb exploding, rendering it inert. To counter this and allow for the potential "dud" bomb to explode when tampered with, the AN G.P.H.E. series bombs with the modification "A1" annotated that these bombs now had special pins mounted in the bomb's baseplate which fused with the explosive filler making it impossible to remove the booster without causing the bomb to detonate. Other modifications later added would include minor changes to the bomb body or the type of explosive filling used. During this time a second option for bomb tails was added, the box-type tail was already the mainstay of the bombs, however, to create a more aerodynamic bomb a conical tail assembly was added. This stretched out low profile tail improved the aerodynamics of the carrying aircraft, allowing it to carry more ordnance.

Progressing towards the Korean and Vietnam wars, piston-driven aircraft were giving way to jet fighters, bombers and attackers, many of which carried their ordnance on external pylons hung under the wing or underbelly. The new Mk 80 series bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83 and 84) were developed to keep external hung ordnance from creating too much drag on the delivery aircraft. Initially, the Mk 81 250 lb bombs were considered ineffective for their size or required a large amount to be effective and were removed from the munitions inventory. All-weather fighters and attackers were now being outfitted with the Mk series bombs and a new problem developed when it came to low-altitude attacks (typically coming in under low cloud cover) where the aircraft would deploy its ordnance which would hit the ground and explode catching the delivery aircraft in either the explosive blast or the shock-wave from the blast.

Modifications were developed to slow down or retard the flight of bombs, allowing for the delivery aircraft to depart out of the blast zone before they hit and detonated. Several options became available which allowed these bombs to remain aerodynamic low-drag while en-route to the target, but when deployed converted to high-drag, slower falling bombs. One option was to attach four bladed plates to the rear of the bomb so that when the bomb deployed, these plates would pop out and create high-drag to slow the fall. Another option was to use a ballute which was basically an airbag which deployed from the rear of the bomb that acted like a drogue chute, effectively causing high-drag. Later during the fighting in Iraq, the US military brought back the 250 lb Mk 81 bombs due to their ability to be used when deploying against a specific target and to help minimize collateral damage.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* [[US Bombs General Information]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

User:U64962917

2022-08-19T03:20:02Z

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= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
{{clear}}
----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


{{clear}}
----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
{{break}}
----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


{{clear}}
== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Early life for Erich Hartmann (born 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Wurttemberg, Germany) was unusual in that while born in Germany, Erich's father moved the family to China, where he practised medicine. Dr Alfred Hartmann attempted to give his family a better life and make more money; however, this fell short in 1928 when the Chinese Civil War broke out, causing the Hartmann family to flee to Germany.<ref name="Delong" />

To help the family, Erich's mother, Elisabeth, became one of Germany's first female glider pilots.<ref name="Neikirk" /> Erich would watch in wonder as his mother would be pulled into the air and safely glide the aircraft back to the ground. Erich learned what he could and had his mother teach him. He quickly learned and received his glider pilot's license at 15 in 1936.<ref name="Delong" /> Three years later, Erich completed his training on powered aircraft and received his pilot's license. Immediately after this, Erich joined the military and began fighter pilot training.

==== War Experience ====
In the early 1940s, Germany spent much time and money training their pilots. Erich Hartmann spent from October 1940 to October 1942 training on the Bf 109, the workhorse he would fly for the entire war. These aircraft were light-weight, robust and reliable aircraft, which Hartmann was able to exploit and become a deadly fighter pilot.

Like many young pilots, Hartmann proved to be a bit of a hotrod and paid for it after going against protocol by performing aerial manoeuvres over his airfield. For this stunt, he was grounded and unable to fly. While disappointed in being grounded, Hartmann later realised that this may have saved his life. During the next training mission, a squadron mate was selected instead to fly Hartmann's aircraft to a gunnery field. En route, the plane developed engine trouble and crashed, killing the squadron mate.<ref name="Neikirk" /><ref name="Delong" />

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
After being reinstated to flight status, Hartmann diligently trained whenever he could. At the age of 20, in 1942, Hartmann flew his first combat missions. At this time, Hartmann's assignment was to fly as a wingman to Edmund "Paule" Rossmann, a veteran fighter pilot. Rossmann, due to an injury, lost the use of one of his arms, thus preventing him from flying in physically demanding dog fights. Instead, Rossmann tended to use a "sneak attack" method by attacking the enemy from above. When possible, he would also utilise the sun to help shield his approach. Enemy aircraft rarely realised that Rossmann was attacking until their plane started falling apart from gunfire. This knowledge was gold, and Hartmann packed it away into his playbook.

==== Tactics ====
Hartmann learned early on that many of the Soviet fighters he faced had pilots who did not have the same training and skills he had learned. There were many times when Erich did not panic when a Soviet fighter was on his tail because he knew that the pilot most likely lacked the skills to shoot him down. Hartmann stated, "In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."<ref name="Neikirk" />

{{Quote
|"In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
Hartmann's heavily influenced fighting style was not a shooter like many of his contemporaries but instead an ambusher. Hartmann tried to get as close as possible behind the enemy aircraft so that it was near impossible to miss. Hartmann could conserve ammunition by utilising this method because it only took a few rounds to down an enemy aircraft at such close range. If he ended up in a long, drawn-out dog fight, he tended to have more ammunition to work with than many of his wingmen.

Though Hartmann was never shot down by an enemy aircraft, he crashed several times due to parts, pieces and debris flying off of the aircraft he was shooting. Since he usually passed close behind for the attack, it was not unusual for something to break off an enemy aircraft and smack into his.

By August 1943, Hartmann had amassed 159 aerial kills. Hartmann's aircraft was painted with a black tulip and became easily recognisable by Soviet pilots, who would typically turn away and fly back to base when they recognised the plane.<ref name="Tedeschi" /> Though Hartmann's kill count suffered due to this, he ended up lending the aircraft to junior pilots with less experience to give them a chance to learn the ropes while Hartmann flew in any random Bf 109 under anonymity.

At the war's end, on 8 May 1945, Germany was preparing to surrender to the Allies. Over the East German town of Brunn, a Soviet pilot flying a Yak-9 was performing acrobatic manoeuvres while Soviet troops on the ground were watching. Screaming in a dive out of the sun, Hartmann's Bf 109 unleashed several rounds of 20 mm cannon fire that wrecked the Yak-9's fuselage, causing it to fall to the ground in a flaming heap.<ref name="Delong" /> This Yak-9 was Hartmann's 352nd and final kill of the war.

{{clear}}
----

=== Marseille, Hans-Joachim ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


{{clear}}
----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia V. Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander I. Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----
=== Zhukovsky, Sergey Y. ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1938<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-45<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commisioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1938-40<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1940-41<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_mod11}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-42 | 1945<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1944-45<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|n1k2_group|N1K-J| {{Tree-Unit|n1k1_ja}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_j}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_jko}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
{{clear}}

----
=== Matsuo Hagiri ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Matsuo Hagiri</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Matsuo_Hagiri_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">羽切松雄</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1932</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1932</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1935~</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936~</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1937</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">13</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1937-40<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4_hagiri}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1940-41<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_mod11}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1941-44<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|a6m5_group|A6M|{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}} {{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line">1945<span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Group|n1k2_group|N1K-J| {{Tree-Unit|n1k1_ja}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_j}} {{Tree-Unit|n1k2_jko}}}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15bis (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hawk III|Hawk III (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/495--en Ace of the Month - March - Matsuo Hagiri]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Matsuo Hagiri A5M4.jpg|thumb|none|250px|A group of Japanese Naval airmen pose in front of Matsuo Hagiri's A5M4. Seated in the centre is Hagiri himself.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Hagiri sitting on the wing of his A5M4.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Image of Matsuo "Mustashio" Hagiri sitting on the wing of his A5M4 W-102.]]</li>
</ul>

{{clear}}
----

== Italy ==

=== Marcolin, Luciano ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

{{break}}
== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|fokker_d21_mod20}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6_finland}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== Reference ==
<references>
<ref name="Barker">Barker, C. (2016, June). [https://therake.com/stories/icons/real-maverick-robin-olds/ A Real Maverick: Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Hickman">Hickman, K (2019, July 03). [https://www.thoughtco.com/vietnam-war-brigadier-general-robin-olds-2360545Vietnam: Brigadier General Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Boyne">Boyne, W. J. (2008, June). The Robin Olds Factor. Retrieved from http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/June 2008/0608olds.aspx</ref>
<ref name="Hess">Hess, W. N. (2001). Americas top WW II aces in their own words: Eighth Air Force. St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref>
<ref name="Wyllie">Wyllie, A. (2004). Army Air Force victories. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.</ref>
<ref name="Gaijin01">Gaijin. (2015, April 24). [Weapons of Victory] P-51D Daddy's Girl. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en</ref>
<ref name="Baldridge">Baldridge, C., Fogg, J., & Fogg, R. (n.d.). A Manifest Spirit: The 359th Fighter Group 1943-1945 (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.</ref>
<ref name="AviationHist">Guttmann, J. (2000, September). Interview with Ivan Kozhedub. ''Aviation History''.</ref>
<ref name="Bourne">Bourne, Merfyn (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ItVuBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT263 The Second World War in the Air: The story of air combat in every theatre of World War Two]. Troubador Publishing Limited. 978-1-78088-677-0. p.263.</ref>
<ref name="Poltava">Лицар неба Іван Кожедуб. [Knight of the skies Ivan Kozhedub] (2010.). Retrieved from https://poltava.to/news/3210/ </ref>
<ref name="Prominent">Prominent Russians: Ivan Kozhedub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/ivan-kozhedub/ </ref>
<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, B. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.badassoftheweek.com/litvyak.html </ref>
<ref name="Courtney">Courtney, C. (2018, October 06). The First Female Flying Ace: Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://disciplesofflight.com/first-female-ace-lydia-litvyak/ </ref>
<ref name="White">White, E. (2017, October 06). The Short, Daring Life of Lilya Litvyak. Retrieved from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/10/06/short-daring-life-lilya-litvyak-white-rose-stalingrad/ </ref>
<ref name="Chen">Chen, C. P. (n.d.). Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=433 </ref>
<ref name="Simonovich">Simonovich, S. (2018). Pilot Profile: Lydia Litvyak, the World's First Female Fighter Ace. Retrieved from https://aviationoiloutlet.com/blog/lydia-litvyak-first-female-fighter-ace/ </ref>
<ref name="Vassilopoulous">Vassilopoulos, D. (2018, October 15). John Agorastos Plagis. Retrieved from https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/pilots-crews/fighter-pilots/john-agorastos-plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Aces">Aces of World War 2. (n.d.). Ioannis Agorastos "Johnny" Plagis. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/rhodesia/aces/plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Donjon">Donjon, Y. (2007). René Challe. Retrieved from http://chezpeps.free.fr/bruno-challe/@/rene_challe.htm </ref>
<ref name="Genealogy">Généalogie de René CHALLE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gw.geneanet.org/garric?lang=fr&p=rene&n=challe </ref>
<ref name="Alexander">Alexander, J. H. (2016, April 27). Trial by Fire at Coral Sea. Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/trial-by-fire-at-coral-sea.htm# </ref>
<ref name="Simha">Simha, R. K. (2014, June 07). Alexander Pokryshkin: The air ace who terrorised the Luftwaffe. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/blogs/2014/06/07/alexander_pokryshkin_the_air_ace_who_terrorised_the_luftwaffe_35823</ref>
<ref name="Chlon">Chlon, C. J. (2018, November 01). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/innovative-soviet-fighter-ace-2/</ref>
<ref name="Nye">Nye, L. (2019, January 28). That time the RAF bombed a POW camp with an artificial leg. Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/douglas-bader-replacement-leg-ace?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 </ref>
<ref name="Hull">Hull, M. D. (2018, December 12). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/fighter-ace-douglas-bader-the-rafs-legless-legend/</ref>
<ref name="Walton">Walton, B., & Walton, B. (2019, August 6). Profiles in Aviation: Richard Ira Bong- World War II American Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://www.avgeekery.com/profiles-in-aviation-richard-ira-bong-world-war-ii-american-ace-of-aces/</ref>
<ref name="Guttmann">Guttmann, J. (n.d.). Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation history/WW2/aces/Ilmari Juutilainen.htm</ref>
<ref name="AcesofwwII">Aces of WWII (n.d.) Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen - Finland's Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/finland/aces/juutilainen/</ref>
<ref name="Barber">Barber, M. (2014, May 30). May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/620--en</ref>
<ref name="Vojska">Vojska.net website (n.d.) Cvitan vitez Galić. Retrieved from http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/g/galic/cvitan/</ref>
<ref name="Neikirk">Neikirk, T. (2022, March 4). Erich Hartmann: The Most Successful Fighter Ace of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/erich-hartmann.html?firefox=1</ref>
<ref name="Delong">DeLong, W. (2018, October 30). Erich Hartmann: The German World War II Pilot Who Was The Deadliest Flying Ace Of All Time. Retrieved from https://allthatsinteresting.com/erich-hartmann</ref>
<ref name="Tedeschi">Tedeschi, D. (2020, October). Erich Hartmann, the Most Successful Fighter Pilot of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/who-was-erich-hartmann-180975845/</ref>
</references>

User talk:U17577377

2022-08-19T03:03:18Z

U64962917: Pilot/Ace Info

== B6N.gif ==

Maybe, the issue is that it's quite time-taking and there's [[:Category:Family pages|198 families]], so I won't be covering all for sure, but will slowly add some favorites, time permitted. As for keeping the upscaled image - it is not a good idea, it just looks bad to have such a huge image on the page, and for 30% increase in width, you get double the image size. :/ [[User:U12017485|U12017485]] ([[User talk:U12017485|talk]]) 21:49, 2 December 2020 (UTC)

== Reply ==

Greetings and thanks for the help, ShimakazeChan. I'm a new fish in here and I wanted to help the Wiki with my screenshots or/and any useful information. I never eddited a website before so it'll take me some time to learn, I'll be careful to not mess with the Wiki, I wish this website were more easy to eddit and even chat with other users.

Best regards, and thanks for the welcome! o7

''_CG_, 20 January 2022''

== Help in adding screenshots on vehicle's page ==

Hello again ShimakazeChan. I'm having a hard time trying to add my screenshots to Wiki's pages, unfortunately there's not a button to add screenshot/pictures, do I have to do it manually in code?

Here's the post: https://wiki.warthunder.com/DF105
The screenshot I want to add in it: https://wiki.warthunder.com/File:ArtImage_DF105.png

--[[User:U9202753|U9202753]] ([[User talk:U9202753|talk]]) 01:35, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

== Pilots/Ace Info ==
Hello ShimakazeChan, I look forward to the work you are doing with the pilots. Matsuo Hagiri is a good addition, I had read about him, but had not started anything for him. If I remember correctly, he was a bit of a rebel with the moustache, much like Robin Olds! I don't have an issue with adding nick names, you can probably add a space on the card under their native spelling or the country they represented. --[[User:U64962917|U64962917]] ([[User talk:U64962917|talk]]) 03:03, 19 August 2022 (UTC)

User:U64962917

2022-08-18T03:55:15Z

U64962917: Removed {{break}} in certain areas are replaced with {{clear}} - Thanks again for the tip!

{{DISPLAYTITLE:AN_TRN_26's Page}}




This page was the '''{{PAGEID}}'''<small>nd</small> page created in this wiki. There are currently '''{{NUMBEROFPAGES}}''' pages and growing. So far between '''{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}''' users (of which '''{{NUMBEROFACTIVEUSERS}}''' are actively editing), '''{{NUMBEROFEDITS}}''' edits have been made, how many of them are yours?


{{Userbox/Windows}}
{{Userbox/Favorite vehicle|yak_2_kabb|country}}
{{Userbox/Favorite vehicle|xp-55|country}}
{{Userbox/Favorite vehicle|fw-190a-5_cannons|country}}

__TOC__
{{clear}}

= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
{{clear}}
----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


{{clear}}
----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
{{break}}
----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


{{clear}}
== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Early life for Erich Hartmann (born 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Wurttemberg, Germany) was unusual in that while born in Germany, Erich's father moved the family to China, where he practised medicine. Dr Alfred Hartmann attempted to give his family a better life and make more money; however, this fell short in 1928 when the Chinese Civil War broke out, causing the Hartmann family to flee to Germany.<ref name="Delong" />

To help the family, Erich's mother, Elisabeth, became one of Germany's first female glider pilots.<ref name="Neikirk" /> Erich would watch in wonder as his mother would be pulled into the air and safely glide the aircraft back to the ground. Erich learned what he could and had his mother teach him. He quickly learned and received his glider pilot's license at 15 in 1936.<ref name="Delong" /> Three years later, Erich completed his training on powered aircraft and received his pilot's license. Immediately after this, Erich joined the military and began fighter pilot training.

==== War Experience ====
In the early 1940s, Germany spent much time and money training their pilots. Erich Hartmann spent from October 1940 to October 1942 training on the Bf 109, the workhorse he would fly for the entire war. These aircraft were light-weight, robust and reliable aircraft, which Hartmann was able to exploit and become a deadly fighter pilot.

Like many young pilots, Hartmann proved to be a bit of a hotrod and paid for it after going against protocol by performing aerial manoeuvres over his airfield. For this stunt, he was grounded and unable to fly. While disappointed in being grounded, Hartmann later realised that this may have saved his life. During the next training mission, a squadron mate was selected instead to fly Hartmann's aircraft to a gunnery field. En route, the plane developed engine trouble and crashed, killing the squadron mate.<ref name="Neikirk" /><ref name="Delong" />

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
After being reinstated to flight status, Hartmann diligently trained whenever he could. At the age of 20, in 1942, Hartmann flew his first combat missions. At this time, Hartmann's assignment was to fly as a wingman to Edmund "Paule" Rossmann, a veteran fighter pilot. Rossmann, due to an injury, lost the use of one of his arms, thus preventing him from flying in physically demanding dog fights. Instead, Rossmann tended to use a "sneak attack" method by attacking the enemy from above. When possible, he would also utilise the sun to help shield his approach. Enemy aircraft rarely realised that Rossmann was attacking until their plane started falling apart from gunfire. This knowledge was gold, and Hartmann packed it away into his playbook.

==== Tactics ====
Hartmann learned early on that many of the Soviet fighters he faced had pilots who did not have the same training and skills he had learned. There were many times when Erich did not panic when a Soviet fighter was on his tail because he knew that the pilot most likely lacked the skills to shoot him down. Hartmann stated, "In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."<ref name="Neikirk" />

{{Quote
|"In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
Hartmann's heavily influenced fighting style was not a shooter like many of his contemporaries but instead an ambusher. Hartmann tried to get as close as possible behind the enemy aircraft so that it was near impossible to miss. Hartmann could conserve ammunition by utilising this method because it only took a few rounds to down an enemy aircraft at such close range. If he ended up in a long, drawn-out dog fight, he tended to have more ammunition to work with than many of his wingmen.

Though Hartmann was never shot down by an enemy aircraft, he crashed several times due to parts, pieces and debris flying off of the aircraft he was shooting. Since he usually passed close behind for the attack, it was not unusual for something to break off an enemy aircraft and smack into his.

By August 1943, Hartmann had amassed 159 aerial kills. Hartmann's aircraft was painted with a black tulip and became easily recognisable by Soviet pilots, who would typically turn away and fly back to base when they recognised the plane.<ref name="Tedeschi" /> Though Hartmann's kill count suffered due to this, he ended up lending the aircraft to junior pilots with less experience to give them a chance to learn the ropes while Hartmann flew in any random Bf 109 under anonymity.

At the war's end, on 8 May 1945, Germany was preparing to surrender to the Allies. Over the East German town of Brunn, a Soviet pilot flying a Yak-9 was performing acrobatic manoeuvres while Soviet troops on the ground were watching. Screaming in a dive out of the sun, Hartmann's Bf 109 unleashed several rounds of 20 mm cannon fire that wrecked the Yak-9's fuselage, causing it to fall to the ground in a flaming heap.<ref name="Delong" /> This Yak-9 was Hartmann's 352nd and final kill of the war.

{{clear}}
----

=== Marseille, Hans-Joachim ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


{{clear}}
----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia V. Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander I. Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----
=== Zhukovsky, Sergey Y. ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
{{clear}}
----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1941</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commisioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
{{clear}}
== Italy ==

=== Marcolin, Luciano ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

{{break}}
== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">Fokker D.XXI</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|bf-109g-2_romania}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== Reference ==
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<ref name="Guttmann">Guttmann, J. (n.d.). Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation history/WW2/aces/Ilmari Juutilainen.htm</ref>
<ref name="AcesofwwII">Aces of WWII (n.d.) Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen - Finland's Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/finland/aces/juutilainen/</ref>
<ref name="Barber">Barber, M. (2014, May 30). May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/620--en</ref>
<ref name="Vojska">Vojska.net website (n.d.) Cvitan vitez Galić. Retrieved from http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/g/galic/cvitan/</ref>
<ref name="Neikirk">Neikirk, T. (2022, March 4). Erich Hartmann: The Most Successful Fighter Ace of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/erich-hartmann.html?firefox=1</ref>
<ref name="Delong">DeLong, W. (2018, October 30). Erich Hartmann: The German World War II Pilot Who Was The Deadliest Flying Ace Of All Time. Retrieved from https://allthatsinteresting.com/erich-hartmann</ref>
<ref name="Tedeschi">Tedeschi, D. (2020, October). Erich Hartmann, the Most Successful Fighter Pilot of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/who-was-erich-hartmann-180975845/</ref>
</references>

User talk:U64962917

2022-08-18T03:54:08Z

U64962917: /* Editing Questions Here */

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== Visual Editing - Some mistakes to avoid ==

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::Hello DnaGonite, thanks for the information, I will give it a try!! Always something to learn, thanks!! (Update - it is much cleaner looking!! Thanks for the tip!!) --[[User:U64962917|U64962917]] ([[User talk:U64962917|talk]]) 03:46, 18 August 2022 (UTC)

User talk:U64962917

2022-08-18T03:46:29Z

U64962917: /* Editing Questions Here */

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== Visual Editing - Some mistakes to avoid ==

Visual editing brings an alternative way to edit a wiki which does not require you to wade through wiki code. A few things to remember:

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[[File:VisualEditing-Instruction_Block.png|210px|thumb|right|Instruction block as viewed through the '''Visual Editor''', note the exclamation mark in the circle.]]

;How to convert text to hidden on the final version
*Using the visual editor, I notice wiki paragraph instructions tend to get deleted, which they should not. These serve as reminders especially for future new editors which may make updates, edits or changes and will need those instructions as to what needs to go where. If the information has been added, we don't want the instructions to show, however, we don't want them deleted either. To render the instructions invisible we use the comment brackets '''<nowiki></nowiki>''', anything between those will show up on the editing page, but not on the final page, allowing the instructions to remain intact, but not show on the final product. Utilizing the visual editor, what you do is highlight the instruction set, right-click and select "cut". Next, in the toolbar, click on the "Insert" drop-down and select "! Comment". A popup box should show up where you "cut" the instructions from and here go ahead and right-click in the box and select "Paste" which should paste the instructions within the box. Click the "Insert" button and you should now have a new comment with the instructions which will be available for future users, but not show up on the final page.

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== Editing Questions Here ==
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::Hello DnaGonite, thanks for the information, I will give it a try!! Always something to learn, thanks!! --[[User:U64962917|U64962917]] ([[User talk:U64962917|talk]]) 03:46, 18 August 2022 (UTC)

AIM-54A Phoenix

2022-08-17T04:15:47Z

U64962917:

== Description ==

The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is an American active radar homing missile. It was introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]]. The {{PAGENAME}} is the first active-radar homing missile introduced in War Thunder.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|f_14a_early}}

== General info ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 447 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG+DL
|-
| '''Signal''' || CW
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 16 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 150 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 4.3 M
|-
| '''Maximum overload''' || 16 G
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 100 secs
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 60.54 kg TNTeq
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

The AIM-54 is equipped with a 60 kg TNT warhead, capably of destroying targets with wide proximity fuze.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

Compared to the 2nd longest range missile in the game, [[AIM-7F Sparrow]], the Phoenix has much longer range, but sacrifices manoeuvrability heavily.

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:F-14A Launching AIM54APhoenix.jpg|x200px|right|thumb|The [[F-14A Early|F-14A]] launching a {{PAGENAME}}. Note the visible trailing smoke.]]
While taking more than 2 of these missiles isn't recommended in regular RB maps, an F-14 pilot can climb to about 5,000 meters after take-off and launch at any target it sees, preferably high-altitude targets. Backing up to their team right after. In EC maps, this missile can be launched in groups to different targets at very long ranges by F-14 pilots.

One recommendation when launching a {{PAGENAME}} is for the launching aircraft to first reach Mach 1. Launching at this speed allows the missile to immediately fly at Mach 1 and not have to accelerate as it would be launched from slower speeds.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has an active radar homing (ARH) seeker, which gives it fire-and-forget capability
* Can reach ranges that no other weapon system in the game can reach, if high enough in altitude can hit targets beyond 50 km
* Extremely fast at high altitudes after ramp-up acceleration
* Can be launched in TWS, which gives the target no radar lock notification until the missile goes pitbull
* Has a decently wide proximity radius which the missile can explode

'''Cons:'''

* Can only pull 16 Gs, easily dodgeable by changing directions
* Only usable in long ranges, cannot track at close ranges
* Extremely heavy, it takes a lot of time to reach the speeds that it's effective at
* May lose track right after the launch if TWS lock is lost

== History ==

[[File:AIM-54A_first_test_A-3A_NAN11-66.jpg|right|thumb|x200px|A Douglas A-3A Skywarrior equipped with a AWG-9 radar test-fires a Phoenix missile in 1966.]]

===Development===
Development of an American long-range air-to-air missile trace back to the 1958, when Hughes was awarded a contract by the United States Air Force for the ''GAR-9'' missile (designated in 1962 as the ''AIM-47''), which was to have a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) and a 45 kg (100 lb) warhead. Due to the long-distance required, the missile was given an active radar seeker in order to attack their target. The US Navy, seeking a fleet-defense weapon since the late 1950s, took interest in the GAR-9 design as a potential candidate and contracted Hughes in 1962 to develop a new long-range air-to-air missile, designated ''AAM-N-11'', for their fleet interceptor. AAM-N-11 would be later designated in June 1963 as the '''AIM-54A ''Phoenix'''''.<ref name="AirVector">Goebel 2021</ref>

Compared to the preceding AIM-47, Hughes' AIM-54 featured an AN/DSQ-26 semi-active radar homing seeker for cruising while receiving updates on target position. The missile switches over to active radar homing for the terminal attack around 18 km from the interception point. The AIM-54 featured a Rocketdyne Mk47 or Aerojet Mk60 rocket motor that helped propelled the missile more than Mach 4. The missile maintain the range specification of 160 km and was to be able to attack both aircraft and cruise missiles. The warhead is a 60 kg (132 lb) MK 82 blast-fragmentation warhead that was trigger by a fuse system consisting of radar proximity, IR proximity, and an impact fuse.<ref name="DS_Phoenix">Parsch 2004</ref>
[[File:YAIM-54A Phoenix missile with F-14A Tomcat in 1973.jpg|left|thumb|x200px|A YAIM-54A being evaluated with a F-14 in 1973.]]

Flight tests of the prototype (''XAIM-54A'') started in 1965, with the first interception tests taking place on 08 September 1966 at the Navy Pacific Missile Range, fired from a Douglas A-3A Skywarrior.<ref name="USN">Naval Air Systems Command 2017</ref> The aircraft platform for the AIM-54 Phoenix was originally the F-111B, an aircraft intended to have commonality with the US Air Force's F-111 ''Aardvark'', but this was cancelled in 1968. The US Navy set to work building a new fleet-defense fighter to their specifications on 03 February 1969, which produced the [[F-14A Early|F-14A ''Tomcat'']], which was to carry six AIM-54 missiles linked with its AN/AWG-9 radar, allowing the aircraft to fire all six AIM-54 missiles simultaneously at separate targets.<ref name="AirVector" />
[[File:F-14 VF-111 launching Phoenix 1991.jpg|right|thumb|x200px|A F-14A from VF-111 launching a AIM-54C Phoenix missile.]]

Hughes received a production contract for the AIM-54 missile in December 1970 as more tests with the missiles continue to show its capabilities. During November 1973, the missile passes its technical evaluation and is slated to be ready for deployment with the F-14A. The F-14A's capability with the AIM-54 was shown during an exercise on 21 November 1973, with the missile officially adopted into the US Navy service the same year and ready to be operationally deployed with the F-14A in November 1974. At the time, the missile costed $477,131 USD, which is roughly $3 million USD in 2022 adjusted for inflation.<ref name="USN" />

Other variants of the AIM-54A developed, primarily for training purposes, were the ''ATM-54A'' with an inert warhead for firing exercises, the ''CATM-54A'' as a non-launching missile for target acquisition practice, the ''DATM-54A'' for ground-handling training, and the ''AEM-54A'' that contained telemetry electronics for test and evaluation purposes.<ref name="DS_Phoenix" />

The AIM-54A would continue production until 18 November 1980 with a total of 2505 units as it was replaced by the improved ''AIM-54C Phoenix'' missile.<ref name="USN" />

===Iranian service===
The AIM-54A Phoenix would never be used in combat in F-14As piloted by American crew. Instead, most of the AIM-54A aerial victories were scored by the nation Iran.

Iran, under the Shah, made a signed contract in January 1974 for 30 F-14A ''Tomcats'' and includes 424 AIM-54As, with another 50 F-14As and 290 AIM-54A missiles in June the same year. However, only 274 Phoenixes and 10 training missiles would be delivered prior to the Iranian Revolution.<ref name="TC_F14IranIntro">Cooper and Bishop 2004, 13-14, 27</ref>
[[File:Iran_F-14_Tomcats_missle_assortment.jpg|left|thumb|x200px|Two Iranian F-14As flying, with the right F-14 holding four AIM-54A in its center pylons and the left F-14 holding one AIM-54A on the left outboard pylon.]]

The new Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) would use the procured F-14A and AIM-54A Phoenix missiles in the Iran-Iraq War that launched in 1980. The first air victory credited to the AIM-54A Phoenix occurred on 13 September 1980 when a patrolling Iranian F-14A of 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) from Tactical Fighter Base 8 (TFB 8) shot down a MIG-23MS.<ref name="TC_F14IranWar">Cooper and Bishop 2004, 38</ref> On 07 January 1981, two Iranian F-14A from TFB 8 spotted four MiG-23BN flying in a tight formation and launched a AIM-54A from a distance of 50 km. The missile detonated on the lead MiG, but the explosion, debris, and tight formation the MiGs were flying in led to two other MiG-23s crashing. This is currently the only known case of a single anti-aircraft missile downing three aircraft.<ref name="TC_F14Iran3">Cooper and Bishop 2004, 68</ref>

The IRIAF continued to use the AIM-54A Phoenixes throughout the Iran-Iraq War, even as the stocks of Phoenix missiles began to ran dry due to usage and inability to maintain AIM-54s due to the exigency of war and the lack of spare parts such as thermal batteries. The Iranians received spare parts and service-life extension kits known as Phase 1M54ALE for the AIM-54 Phoenixes as part of the Iran-Contra affair, but the stocks of AIM-54 fell below 50 working missiles by November 1987.<ref name="TC_F14Mainteannce">Cooper and Bishop 2004, 125, 156</ref> By the time a ceasefire is held 07 July 1988 to begin ending the Iran-Iraq War, the IRIAF was credited with 62 victories with the use of AIM-54 Phoenixes.<ref name="CSBA">Stillion 2015, 22</ref>

With the US retirement of the AIM-54 on 30 September 2004, the IRIAF remains the only user of the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.<ref name="DS_Phoenix" /> In an attempt to supplement their dwindling quantity of AIM-54, Iran developed a domestic production version of the missile, the ''Fakour-90'', which was unveiled in 2013. The Fakour-90 is suspected to be derived from reverse-engineering the US MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile.<ref name="Fakour">Cenciotti 2013</ref>

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

===References===

;Citations:
<references />

;Bibliography:

* Cencioti, David. 2013. "Iranian F-14 Tomcat’s “new” indigenous air-to-air missile is actually an (improved?) AIM-54 Phoenix replica." Last modified September 26, 2013. [https://theaviationist.com/2013/09/26/farouk-missile/ Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220724200115/https://theaviationist.com/2013/09/26/farouk-missile/ Archive]).
* Cooper, Tom and Farzad Bishop. 2004. ''Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units In Combat.'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. Kindle.
* Goebel, Greg. 2021. "[1.0] Falcon & Sidewinder." Air Vectors. Last modified July 01, 2021. [http://www.airvectors.net/avusaam_1.html Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220107173258/http://www.airvectors.net/avusaam_1.html Archive]).
* Naval Air Systems Command. 2017. "AIM-54 Phoenix Missile." United States Navy. Last modified March 10, 2017. [https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?PortalId=1&ModuleId=724&Article=2168381 Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220722043513/https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?PortalId=1&ModuleId=724&Article=2168381 Archive]).
* Parsch, Andreas. 2004. "AIM-54." Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Last modified October 08, 2004. [https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-54.html Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220722043903/https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-54.html Archive])
* Stillion, John. 2015. ''Trends in Air-to-Air Combat: Implications for Future Air Superiority.'' Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. CSBA Online.

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

User:U64962917

2022-08-17T04:04:21Z

U64962917: Added a few {{break}} to keep the pilot card from bleeding over into the next section (will need to add more as the pilot card grows and then remove as necessary as more content is added to the sections). :)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:AN_TRN_26's Page}}




This page was the '''{{PAGEID}}'''<small>nd</small> page created in this wiki. There are currently '''{{NUMBEROFPAGES}}''' pages and growing. So far between '''{{NUMBEROFUSERS}}''' users (of which '''{{NUMBEROFACTIVEUSERS}}''' are actively editing), '''{{NUMBEROFEDITS}}''' edits have been made, how many of them are yours?


{{Userbox/Windows}}
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__TOC__
{{clear}}

= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
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----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


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----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
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Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
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Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
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----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
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<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


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== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Early life for Erich Hartmann (born 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Wurttemberg, Germany) was unusual in that while born in Germany, Erich's father moved the family to China, where he practised medicine. Dr Alfred Hartmann attempted to give his family a better life and make more money; however, this fell short in 1928 when the Chinese Civil War broke out, causing the Hartmann family to flee to Germany.<ref name="Delong" />

To help the family, Erich's mother, Elisabeth, became one of Germany's first female glider pilots.<ref name="Neikirk" /> Erich would watch in wonder as his mother would be pulled into the air and safely glide the aircraft back to the ground. Erich learned what he could and had his mother teach him. He quickly learned and received his glider pilot's license at 15 in 1936.<ref name="Delong" /> Three years later, Erich completed his training on powered aircraft and received his pilot's license. Immediately after this, Erich joined the military and began fighter pilot training.

==== War Experience ====
In the early 1940s, Germany spent much time and money training their pilots. Erich Hartmann spent from October 1940 to October 1942 training on the Bf 109, the workhorse he would fly for the entire war. These aircraft were light-weight, robust and reliable aircraft, which Hartmann was able to exploit and become a deadly fighter pilot.

Like many young pilots, Hartmann proved to be a bit of a hotrod and paid for it after going against protocol by performing aerial manoeuvres over his airfield. For this stunt, he was grounded and unable to fly. While disappointed in being grounded, Hartmann later realised that this may have saved his life. During the next training mission, a squadron mate was selected instead to fly Hartmann's aircraft to a gunnery field. En route, the plane developed engine trouble and crashed, killing the squadron mate.<ref name="Neikirk" /><ref name="Delong" />

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
After being reinstated to flight status, Hartmann diligently trained whenever he could. At the age of 20, in 1942, Hartmann flew his first combat missions. At this time, Hartmann's assignment was to fly as a wingman to Edmund "Paule" Rossmann, a veteran fighter pilot. Rossmann, due to an injury, lost the use of one of his arms, thus preventing him from flying in physically demanding dog fights. Instead, Rossmann tended to use a "sneak attack" method by attacking the enemy from above. When possible, he would also utilise the sun to help shield his approach. Enemy aircraft rarely realised that Rossmann was attacking until their plane started falling apart from gunfire. This knowledge was gold, and Hartmann packed it away into his playbook.

==== Tactics ====
Hartmann learned early on that many of the Soviet fighters he faced had pilots who did not have the same training and skills he had learned. There were many times when Erich did not panic when a Soviet fighter was on his tail because he knew that the pilot most likely lacked the skills to shoot him down. Hartmann stated, "In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."<ref name="Neikirk" />

{{Quote
|"In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."
|Erich Hartmann
}}
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Hartmann's heavily influenced fighting style was not a shooter like many of his contemporaries but instead an ambusher. Hartmann tried to get as close as possible behind the enemy aircraft so that it was near impossible to miss. Hartmann could conserve ammunition by utilising this method because it only took a few rounds to down an enemy aircraft at such close range. If he ended up in a long, drawn-out dog fight, he tended to have more ammunition to work with than many of his wingmen.

Though Hartmann was never shot down by an enemy aircraft, he crashed several times due to parts, pieces and debris flying off of the aircraft he was shooting. Since he usually passed close behind for the attack, it was not unusual for something to break off an enemy aircraft and smack into his.

By August 1943, Hartmann had amassed 159 aerial kills. Hartmann's aircraft was painted with a black tulip and became easily recognisable by Soviet pilots, who would typically turn away and fly back to base when they recognised the plane.<ref name="Tedeschi" /> Though Hartmann's kill count suffered due to this, he ended up lending the aircraft to junior pilots with less experience to give them a chance to learn the ropes while Hartmann flew in any random Bf 109 under anonymity.

At the war's end, on 8 May 1945, Germany was preparing to surrender to the Allies. Over the East German town of Brunn, a Soviet pilot flying a Yak-9 was performing acrobatic manoeuvres while Soviet troops on the ground were watching. Screaming in a dive out of the sun, Hartmann's Bf 109 unleashed several rounds of 20 mm cannon fire that wrecked the Yak-9's fuselage, causing it to fall to the ground in a flaming heap.<ref name="Delong" /> This Yak-9 was Hartmann's 352nd and final kill of the war.

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----

=== Marseille, Hans-Joachim ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
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----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


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----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

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{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia V. Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander I. Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----
=== Zhukovsky, Sergey Y. ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
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----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1936</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1941</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commisioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
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== Italy ==

=== Marcolin, Luciano ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

{{break}}
== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">Fokker D.XXI</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|bf-109g-2_romania}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== Reference ==
<references>
<ref name="Barker">Barker, C. (2016, June). [https://therake.com/stories/icons/real-maverick-robin-olds/ A Real Maverick: Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Hickman">Hickman, K (2019, July 03). [https://www.thoughtco.com/vietnam-war-brigadier-general-robin-olds-2360545Vietnam: Brigadier General Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Boyne">Boyne, W. J. (2008, June). The Robin Olds Factor. Retrieved from http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/June 2008/0608olds.aspx</ref>
<ref name="Hess">Hess, W. N. (2001). Americas top WW II aces in their own words: Eighth Air Force. St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref>
<ref name="Wyllie">Wyllie, A. (2004). Army Air Force victories. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.</ref>
<ref name="Gaijin01">Gaijin. (2015, April 24). [Weapons of Victory] P-51D Daddy's Girl. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en</ref>
<ref name="Baldridge">Baldridge, C., Fogg, J., & Fogg, R. (n.d.). A Manifest Spirit: The 359th Fighter Group 1943-1945 (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.</ref>
<ref name="AviationHist">Guttmann, J. (2000, September). Interview with Ivan Kozhedub. ''Aviation History''.</ref>
<ref name="Bourne">Bourne, Merfyn (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ItVuBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT263 The Second World War in the Air: The story of air combat in every theatre of World War Two]. Troubador Publishing Limited. 978-1-78088-677-0. p.263.</ref>
<ref name="Poltava">Лицар неба Іван Кожедуб. [Knight of the skies Ivan Kozhedub] (2010.). Retrieved from https://poltava.to/news/3210/ </ref>
<ref name="Prominent">Prominent Russians: Ivan Kozhedub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/ivan-kozhedub/ </ref>
<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, B. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.badassoftheweek.com/litvyak.html </ref>
<ref name="Courtney">Courtney, C. (2018, October 06). The First Female Flying Ace: Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://disciplesofflight.com/first-female-ace-lydia-litvyak/ </ref>
<ref name="White">White, E. (2017, October 06). The Short, Daring Life of Lilya Litvyak. Retrieved from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/10/06/short-daring-life-lilya-litvyak-white-rose-stalingrad/ </ref>
<ref name="Chen">Chen, C. P. (n.d.). Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=433 </ref>
<ref name="Simonovich">Simonovich, S. (2018). Pilot Profile: Lydia Litvyak, the World's First Female Fighter Ace. Retrieved from https://aviationoiloutlet.com/blog/lydia-litvyak-first-female-fighter-ace/ </ref>
<ref name="Vassilopoulous">Vassilopoulos, D. (2018, October 15). John Agorastos Plagis. Retrieved from https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/pilots-crews/fighter-pilots/john-agorastos-plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Aces">Aces of World War 2. (n.d.). Ioannis Agorastos "Johnny" Plagis. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/rhodesia/aces/plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Donjon">Donjon, Y. (2007). René Challe. Retrieved from http://chezpeps.free.fr/bruno-challe/@/rene_challe.htm </ref>
<ref name="Genealogy">Généalogie de René CHALLE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gw.geneanet.org/garric?lang=fr&p=rene&n=challe </ref>
<ref name="Alexander">Alexander, J. H. (2016, April 27). Trial by Fire at Coral Sea. Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/trial-by-fire-at-coral-sea.htm# </ref>
<ref name="Simha">Simha, R. K. (2014, June 07). Alexander Pokryshkin: The air ace who terrorised the Luftwaffe. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/blogs/2014/06/07/alexander_pokryshkin_the_air_ace_who_terrorised_the_luftwaffe_35823</ref>
<ref name="Chlon">Chlon, C. J. (2018, November 01). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/innovative-soviet-fighter-ace-2/</ref>
<ref name="Nye">Nye, L. (2019, January 28). That time the RAF bombed a POW camp with an artificial leg. Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/douglas-bader-replacement-leg-ace?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 </ref>
<ref name="Hull">Hull, M. D. (2018, December 12). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/fighter-ace-douglas-bader-the-rafs-legless-legend/</ref>
<ref name="Walton">Walton, B., & Walton, B. (2019, August 6). Profiles in Aviation: Richard Ira Bong- World War II American Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://www.avgeekery.com/profiles-in-aviation-richard-ira-bong-world-war-ii-american-ace-of-aces/</ref>
<ref name="Guttmann">Guttmann, J. (n.d.). Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation history/WW2/aces/Ilmari Juutilainen.htm</ref>
<ref name="AcesofwwII">Aces of WWII (n.d.) Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen - Finland's Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/finland/aces/juutilainen/</ref>
<ref name="Barber">Barber, M. (2014, May 30). May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/620--en</ref>
<ref name="Vojska">Vojska.net website (n.d.) Cvitan vitez Galić. Retrieved from http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/g/galic/cvitan/</ref>
<ref name="Neikirk">Neikirk, T. (2022, March 4). Erich Hartmann: The Most Successful Fighter Ace of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/erich-hartmann.html?firefox=1</ref>
<ref name="Delong">DeLong, W. (2018, October 30). Erich Hartmann: The German World War II Pilot Who Was The Deadliest Flying Ace Of All Time. Retrieved from https://allthatsinteresting.com/erich-hartmann</ref>
<ref name="Tedeschi">Tedeschi, D. (2020, October). Erich Hartmann, the Most Successful Fighter Pilot of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/who-was-erich-hartmann-180975845/</ref>
</references>

User:U64962917

2022-08-16T03:42:43Z

U64962917: Added bio for Erich Hartmann.

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= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
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----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


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----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
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----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
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<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


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== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Early life for Erich Hartmann (born 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Wurttemberg, Germany) was unusual in that while born in Germany, Erich's father moved the family to China, where he practised medicine. Dr Alfred Hartmann attempted to give his family a better life and make more money; however, this fell short in 1928 when the Chinese Civil War broke out, causing the Hartmann family to flee to Germany.<ref name="Delong" />

To help the family, Erich's mother, Elisabeth, became one of Germany's first female glider pilots.<ref name="Neikirk" /> Erich would watch in wonder as his mother would be pulled into the air and safely glide the aircraft back to the ground. Erich learned what he could and had his mother teach him. He quickly learned and received his glider pilot's license at 15 in 1936.<ref name="Delong" /> Three years later, Erich completed his training on powered aircraft and received his pilot's license. Immediately after this, Erich joined the military and began fighter pilot training.

==== War Experience ====
In the early 1940s, Germany spent much time and money training their pilots. Erich Hartmann spent from October 1940 to October 1942 training on the Bf 109, the workhorse he would fly for the entire war. These aircraft were light-weight, robust and reliable aircraft, which Hartmann was able to exploit and become a deadly fighter pilot.

Like many young pilots, Hartmann proved to be a bit of a hotrod and paid for it after going against protocol by performing aerial manoeuvres over his airfield. For this stunt, he was grounded and unable to fly. While disappointed in being grounded, Hartmann later realised that this may have saved his life. During the next training mission, a squadron mate was selected instead to fly Hartmann's aircraft to a gunnery field. En route, the plane developed engine trouble and crashed, killing the squadron mate.<ref name="Neikirk" /><ref name="Delong" />

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
After being reinstated to flight status, Hartmann diligently trained whenever he could. At the age of 20, in 1942, Hartmann flew his first combat missions. At this time, Hartmann's assignment was to fly as a wingman to Edmund "Paule" Rossmann, a veteran fighter pilot. Rossmann, due to an injury, lost the use of one of his arms, thus preventing him from flying in physically demanding dog fights. Instead, Rossmann tended to use a "sneak attack" method by attacking the enemy from above. When possible, he would also utilise the sun to help shield his approach. Enemy aircraft rarely realised that Rossmann was attacking until their plane started falling apart from gunfire. This knowledge was gold, and Hartmann packed it away into his playbook.

==== Tactics ====
Hartmann learned early on that many of the Soviet fighters he faced had pilots who did not have the same training and skills he had learned. There were many times when Erich did not panic when a Soviet fighter was on his tail because he knew that the pilot most likely lacked the skills to shoot him down. Hartmann stated, "In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."<ref name="Neikirk" />

{{Quote
|"In the early days, incredible as it may seem, there was no reason for you to feel fear if the Russian fighter was behind you. With their hand-painted gunsights, they couldn't pull the lead properly (deflection shooting) or hit you."
|Erich Hartmann
}}
{{break}}
Hartmann's heavily influenced fighting style was not a shooter like many of his contemporaries but instead an ambusher. Hartmann tried to get as close as possible behind the enemy aircraft so that it was near impossible to miss. Hartmann could conserve ammunition by utilising this method because it only took a few rounds to down an enemy aircraft at such close range. If he ended up in a long, drawn-out dog fight, he tended to have more ammunition to work with than many of his wingmen.

Though Hartmann was never shot down by an enemy aircraft, he crashed several times due to parts, pieces and debris flying off of the aircraft he was shooting. Since he usually passed close behind for the attack, it was not unusual for something to break off an enemy aircraft and smack into his.

By August 1943, Hartmann had amassed 159 aerial kills. Hartmann's aircraft was painted with a black tulip and became easily recognisable by Soviet pilots, who would typically turn away and fly back to base when they recognised the plane.<ref name="Tedeschi" /> Though Hartmann's kill count suffered due to this, he ended up lending the aircraft to junior pilots with less experience to give them a chance to learn the ropes while Hartmann flew in any random Bf 109 under anonymity.

At the war's end, on 8 May 1945, Germany was preparing to surrender to the Allies. Over the East German town of Brunn, a Soviet pilot flying a Yak-9 was performing acrobatic manoeuvres while Soviet troops on the ground were watching. Screaming in a dive out of the sun, Hartmann's Bf 109 unleashed several rounds of 20 mm cannon fire that wrecked the Yak-9's fuselage, causing it to fall to the ground in a flaming heap.<ref name="Delong" /> This Yak-9 was Hartmann's 352nd and final kill of the war.

{{break}}

----

=== Marseille, Hans-Joachim ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
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----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


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----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia V. Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander I. Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----
=== Zhukovsky, Sergey Y. ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
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----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3A (China)|DB-3 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
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== Italy ==

=== Marcolin, Luciano ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

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== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">Fokker D.XXI</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|bf-109g-2_romania}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== Reference ==
<references>
<ref name="Barker">Barker, C. (2016, June). [https://therake.com/stories/icons/real-maverick-robin-olds/ A Real Maverick: Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Hickman">Hickman, K (2019, July 03). [https://www.thoughtco.com/vietnam-war-brigadier-general-robin-olds-2360545Vietnam: Brigadier General Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Boyne">Boyne, W. J. (2008, June). The Robin Olds Factor. Retrieved from http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/June 2008/0608olds.aspx</ref>
<ref name="Hess">Hess, W. N. (2001). Americas top WW II aces in their own words: Eighth Air Force. St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref>
<ref name="Wyllie">Wyllie, A. (2004). Army Air Force victories. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.</ref>
<ref name="Gaijin01">Gaijin. (2015, April 24). [Weapons of Victory] P-51D Daddy's Girl. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en</ref>
<ref name="Baldridge">Baldridge, C., Fogg, J., & Fogg, R. (n.d.). A Manifest Spirit: The 359th Fighter Group 1943-1945 (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.</ref>
<ref name="AviationHist">Guttmann, J. (2000, September). Interview with Ivan Kozhedub. ''Aviation History''.</ref>
<ref name="Bourne">Bourne, Merfyn (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ItVuBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT263 The Second World War in the Air: The story of air combat in every theatre of World War Two]. Troubador Publishing Limited. 978-1-78088-677-0. p.263.</ref>
<ref name="Poltava">Лицар неба Іван Кожедуб. [Knight of the skies Ivan Kozhedub] (2010.). Retrieved from https://poltava.to/news/3210/ </ref>
<ref name="Prominent">Prominent Russians: Ivan Kozhedub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/ivan-kozhedub/ </ref>
<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, B. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.badassoftheweek.com/litvyak.html </ref>
<ref name="Courtney">Courtney, C. (2018, October 06). The First Female Flying Ace: Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://disciplesofflight.com/first-female-ace-lydia-litvyak/ </ref>
<ref name="White">White, E. (2017, October 06). The Short, Daring Life of Lilya Litvyak. Retrieved from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/10/06/short-daring-life-lilya-litvyak-white-rose-stalingrad/ </ref>
<ref name="Chen">Chen, C. P. (n.d.). Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=433 </ref>
<ref name="Simonovich">Simonovich, S. (2018). Pilot Profile: Lydia Litvyak, the World's First Female Fighter Ace. Retrieved from https://aviationoiloutlet.com/blog/lydia-litvyak-first-female-fighter-ace/ </ref>
<ref name="Vassilopoulous">Vassilopoulos, D. (2018, October 15). John Agorastos Plagis. Retrieved from https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/pilots-crews/fighter-pilots/john-agorastos-plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Aces">Aces of World War 2. (n.d.). Ioannis Agorastos "Johnny" Plagis. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/rhodesia/aces/plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Donjon">Donjon, Y. (2007). René Challe. Retrieved from http://chezpeps.free.fr/bruno-challe/@/rene_challe.htm </ref>
<ref name="Genealogy">Généalogie de René CHALLE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gw.geneanet.org/garric?lang=fr&p=rene&n=challe </ref>
<ref name="Alexander">Alexander, J. H. (2016, April 27). Trial by Fire at Coral Sea. Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/trial-by-fire-at-coral-sea.htm# </ref>
<ref name="Simha">Simha, R. K. (2014, June 07). Alexander Pokryshkin: The air ace who terrorised the Luftwaffe. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/blogs/2014/06/07/alexander_pokryshkin_the_air_ace_who_terrorised_the_luftwaffe_35823</ref>
<ref name="Chlon">Chlon, C. J. (2018, November 01). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/innovative-soviet-fighter-ace-2/</ref>
<ref name="Nye">Nye, L. (2019, January 28). That time the RAF bombed a POW camp with an artificial leg. Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/douglas-bader-replacement-leg-ace?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 </ref>
<ref name="Hull">Hull, M. D. (2018, December 12). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/fighter-ace-douglas-bader-the-rafs-legless-legend/</ref>
<ref name="Walton">Walton, B., & Walton, B. (2019, August 6). Profiles in Aviation: Richard Ira Bong- World War II American Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://www.avgeekery.com/profiles-in-aviation-richard-ira-bong-world-war-ii-american-ace-of-aces/</ref>
<ref name="Guttmann">Guttmann, J. (n.d.). Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation history/WW2/aces/Ilmari Juutilainen.htm</ref>
<ref name="AcesofwwII">Aces of WWII (n.d.) Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen - Finland's Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/finland/aces/juutilainen/</ref>
<ref name="Barber">Barber, M. (2014, May 30). May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/620--en</ref>
<ref name="Vojska">Vojska.net website (n.d.) Cvitan vitez Galić. Retrieved from http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/g/galic/cvitan/</ref>
<ref name="Neikirk">Neikirk, T. (2022, March 4). Erich Hartmann: The Most Successful Fighter Ace of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/erich-hartmann.html?firefox=1</ref>
<ref name="Delong">DeLong, W. (2018, October 30). Erich Hartmann: The German World War II Pilot Who Was The Deadliest Flying Ace Of All Time. Retrieved from https://allthatsinteresting.com/erich-hartmann</ref>
<ref name="Tedeschi">Tedeschi, D. (2020, October). Erich Hartmann, the Most Successful Fighter Pilot of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/who-was-erich-hartmann-180975845/</ref>
</references>

Bf 109 G-2

2022-08-15T14:43:34Z

U64962917: /* Notable pilots */ Added bio link for Cvitan Galic.

{{About
| about = gift German fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Bf 109 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=bf-109g-2_romania
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced as a [[wt:en/news/901--en|premium pack]] in [[Update 1.43]]. This Bf 109 represents a version serving in the Romanian Air Force.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 673 || 656 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 20.0 || 20.7 || 19.5 || 19.5 || rowspan="2" | 250
|-
! Upgraded
| 721 || 696 || 18.1 || 19.0 || 27.7 || 23.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 437 || 408 || 260 || ~13 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 450 || < 390 || < 450 || > 450
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 6.700 m || 1,280 hp || 1,422 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


Very minimal armour protecting the pilot and engine.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|MG 151 (20 mm)|MG 17 (7.92 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

The Bf 109 G-2 comes with a nose mounted single 20 mm MG 151 (200 rounds) autocannon and two synchronized 7.92 mm MG 17 (1000 rounds) machine guns all located on the nose of the aircraft. With these stock armaments it is all but a breeze to get on target offering little to no drop when firing. Ammunition conservation is not an issue but pilots may want to pay close attention to their 20 mm with its 200 rounds.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|SC50JA (50 kg)|SC250JA (250 kg)|MG 151 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (200 kg total)
* 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb (250 kg total)
* 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, wing-mounted (gunpods) (135 rpg = 270 total)

The Bf 109 G-2 comes with two additional underwing 20 mm MG 151 auto cannons great for attacking light ground targets and making quick work of bombers. The Bf 109 G-2 also comes with four 50 kg SC50JA bombs or a single 250 kg SC250JA bomb which both come in handy when destroying tanks, in tank RB.

== Usage in battles ==


The Bf 109 G-2 is very similar in performance to the Bf 109 G-2/trop. The major difference between the two is the Bf 109 G-2 is faster than its brother but it offers little to no support when facing allied (USA, Britain, USSR, etc.) opponents. It turns better than most aircraft in its tier and holds energy very well.

When used in battles it is best to climb to an altitude of 10,000 ft or more. Maintaining an energy advantage with this aircraft is the best tactic to maintain when in battle. The Bf 109 G-2 preforms extremely well at higher altitudes with the ability to outmanoeuvre most of its opponents. The Bf 109 G-2 is universal when it comes to a preferred flight characteristic but boom and zoom is preferred for the best results.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very good climb rate
* Good performance in high altitude
* Decent Turn rate
* Good energy retention
* Excellent armament
* All weaponry mounted in the nose, allowing easy aiming without having to worry about convergence

'''Cons:'''

* Engine overheats quickly
* Engine very fragile when damaged
* Wings overload at lower speeds than other fighters at its tier
* For Sim, the numerous canopy frames and razorback greatly limit the all-round view, and huge engine torque causes severe turning when taking off

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

=== In-game description ===
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a single-seat monoplane fighter used by the Luftwaffe before and during WWII. It was used as a fighter, interceptor, high-altitude interceptor, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.

The Bf 109 G "Gustav" was the most mass-produced variant of the 109, powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 605. The 605 was basically a DB 601 with the cylinder block redesigned to increase displacement from 33.9, to 35.7 liters - which resulted in 175 extra HP with no significant change in size. The Gustav also received improved armament. Instead of the previously standard 7.62mm MG 17 machine guns, 13mm MG 131 heavy machine guns were used. The heavier guns lead to distinct cowling bulges, needed to cover the breechblocks on the new guns.

However, the increased equipment led to heavier weight on the Gustav, in fact 10% heavier than the Friedrich. Compared to the much earlier Bf 109B, the Gustav was almost 46% heavier. The new aircraft had begun to reach front-line units by May 1942. In essence, the Bf 109 design had reached its peak, and would ideally need to be replaced with newer, more modern designs. However, the troubled Me 209 replacement was still in development and things at the front were beginning to look ominous for Germany. Consequently, the RLM decided to continue to further refine the 109.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

=== Notable pilots ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="300">
File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Juutilainen, Ilmari.|Finnish Air Force pilot [[User:U64962917#Juutilainen, Ilmari.|Ilmari Juutilainen]] transitioned from the Brewster Buffalo to the Bf 109 G-2 and felt that it was an extremely aggressive aircraft, one that helped him score 56 of his 94 kills including Soviet La-5 fighters which he felt were more agile than the 109.
File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Galić, Cvitan.|Croatian ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Galić, Cvitan|Cvitan Galić]] racked up 23 of his 38 kills in the {{PAGENAME}}. Most of these kills were Russian fighters and bombers from the Russian front, however, Cvitan was also able to down a Spitfire V.
</gallery>

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* Mitsubishi [[A6M (Family)|A6M]]
* Bell [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] Airacobra
* Curtiss [[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]
* Dewoitine [[D.520]]
* Fiat [[G.55 serie 1|G.55]]
* Focke-Wulf [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]
* Grumman [[F4F (Family)|F4F]] Wildcat
* Grumman [[F6F (Family)|F6F]] Hellcat
* Hawker [[Hurricane (Family)|Hurricane]]
* [[IAR-81C|IAR-81]]
* Kawasaki [[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]
* Lavochkin [[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]
* Macchi [[C.205 serie 1|C.205]]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]
* Morane-Saulnier [[M.S.406C1|MS.406]]
* Nakajima [[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]
* North American [[P-51 (Family)|P-51]] Mustang
* Supermarine [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]
* Yakovlev [[Yak-9]]
</div>

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/155556-messerschmitt-bf-109-g-2/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany fighters}}
{{Germany premium aircraft}}

M.S.406C1

2022-08-15T14:32:35Z

U64962917: /* Notable pilots */ Added bio link for Cvitan Galic.

{{Specs-Card
|code=ms_406c1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]].

The MS.406C1 is a good general fighter for newer players (though, experienced pilots should not discount this aircraft). This aircraft has a good climb-rate, is manoeuvrable and retains energy allowing for repeated dive and climb situations. This aircraft performs its fighter role, but with having a [[Hispano 404 (20 mm)|Hispano 404]] cannon installed, it can also take on the role of a bomber-hunter or soft-ground target attacker.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 4,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 465 || 453 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.0 || 21.8 || 9.8 || 9.8 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 502 || 483 || 19.1 || 20.0 || 15.4 || 12.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 270 || ~14 || ~9
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 310 || < 320 || < 330 || > 330
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* No armour plating
* No armour glazing
* Critical components located at front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Hispano 404 (20 mm)|MAC 1934 (7.5 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm Hispano 404 cannon, nose-mounted (60 rpg)
* 2 x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

The Hispano 404 is nose-mounted, firing out of the prop spinner while the two MAC 1934 are wing-mounted. If fired at the same time, the cannon will run out of ammunition before the machine guns will.

== Usage in battles ==

The MS.406C1 retains its energy well and is best utilized for energy fighting or Boom & Zoom situations. This aircraft can be used for head-on attacks using its cannon, however, be careful as the MS.406C1 does not have any armour protection. It will be best to get a few bursts off at range and then manoeuvre out of the head-on. When using this aircraft in a bomber-hunter role, it is best to avoid flying towards the rear or sides of this aircraft as typically this is where most of the bomber's defensive weapons are pointed. It is best to come at the front of the bomber from either below or from above (make sure you have energy as if you are near stall speed, you will be an easy target for gunners) and make strafing shots and wait until you are out of gunner range to turn and attempt a second pass.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Retains energy well
* 20 mm [[Hispano 404 (20 mm)|Hispano 404]] cannon
* Decent turn time, can almost catch its smoke trail without flaps
* Small target

'''Cons:'''

* Low ammo for both MG and cannon
* Controls lock up in high-speed dives above 480 km/h (300 mph)
* Only two flap positions, up and landing
* Prone to catching fire
* Difficult to do severe damage when autocannon is out of ammunition or reloading

== History ==

The first modern fighter of WW2 France, and their most famous combat plane. A first-class aircraft, it was only inferior in performance in French pre-war service to the D.520. A total of 1,081 were built, more than any other French plane except the Potez 63. The prototype (the in-game M.S. 405) first flew in August 1935, becoming the first French fighter to break the 400 km/h limit. In 1937, it was advertised at the Brussels Air Show as "the best fighter plane in the world." The fourth prototype would be taken into production as the M.S. 406, with 600 aircraft in 12 units at the start of the war, having been taken into operational service in December 1938. During the war, the M.S. 406 proved a fair match for the German Bf. 109: 150 M.S. 406s were shot down in the Battle for France, against 191 confirmed and 89 probable kills by the same make of aircraft. Another hundred were destroyed on the ground. Finland also purchased 40 before the war.

=== Notable pilots ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250">
File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Challe, René M.P.A.|French ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Challe, René M.P.A|René Challe]]'s first confirmed kill happened while flying a '''M.S.406''' for the French Air Force.
File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Galić, Cvitan.|Croatian ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Galić, Cvitan|Cvitan Galić]] was killed in early 1944 when his '''M.S.406''' was bombed during a strafing run just after he landed from a mission.
</gallery>

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ms_406c1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|NhjHEAM0_Hg|'''Realistic: MS.406C1 [Return of the Baguette!]''' - ''Jengar''}}

== See also ==


;Related development
* [[M.S.405C1]]
* [[M.S.410]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2874--en|[Ace Profile] Capitaine Pierre Le Gloan]]
* [[wt:en/news/847--en|[Historical] The Saar Offensive]]
* [[wikipedia:Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406|[Wikipedia] Morane-Saulnier M.S.406]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/392583-ms406c-1/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer MS}}
{{France fighters}}

User:U64962917

2022-08-15T06:42:00Z

U64962917: Added biography of Cvitan Galić, Croatian fighter ace.

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__TOC__
{{clear}}

= Aces of World War II =
== USA ==

=== Bong, Richard I. ===

* American top flying ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Richard Ira Bong</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1942-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">January 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">+200</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">40</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38e}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38g}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38l}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-38j_marge}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[A6M (Family)|A6M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[D3A1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[G4M1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[J1N1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-21-Ia|Ki-21]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-44 (Family)|Ki-44]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">Ki-46</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Other aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
From an early age, Bong was very interested in flying as the farm where he grew up in Wisconsin frequently had airplanes fly over. One of his early hobbies was building model aircraft. It was not until 1938 when he graduated high school and started college that he took his interest in aircraft and enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program along with taking private flying lessons flying in a Piper J-3 Cub.<ref name="Walton" /> Later in 1941, Bong enlisted into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.

By January 1942, Bong’s piloting abilities were recognized and he was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned a second lieutenant. While flying at Luke, one of the instructor pilots commented that Bong was a natural pilot and that he could never prevent Bong from getting on his tail during mock dogfights even though Bong was flying the much slower AT-6 Texan trainer.<ref name="Walton" /> While his first assignment put him in Arizona as an instructor (gunnery) pilot, it wasn’t long before he was transferred to Hamilton Field in California where he was able to learn how to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

During the summer of 1942, Bong and a few other pilots broke a few flying rules (flying low level down Market Street in San Francisco and looping around the Golden Gate Bridge to name a few) and were reprimanded and temporarily grounded. While grounded, the rest of Bong’s unit was sent to England while he remained behind.<ref name="Walton" /> Bong was then transferred to another unit at Hamilton Field and then subsequently was transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area where action against the Japanese was heating up.

==== War Experience ====
In September 1942 Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron based out of Darwin, Australia. Here P-38 fighters had not yet been delivered so several pilots including Bong were sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea where they were to began flying P-40 Warhawks to gain combat experience. Stepping down to an older fighter was not the smartest move to be made, so the higher-ups temporarily reassigned Bong to another unit with P-38 fighters and on 27 December, he claimed his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Japanese A6M and Ki-43.<ref name="Walton" />

By the end of January 1943, Bong and the other pilots were returned to their unit which finally received their P-38 fighters. The 9<sup>th</sup> Fighter Squadron was transferred to Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. Here while flying the P-38, Bong shot down four more Japanese fighters in one day, earning him another medal and a promotion to Captain.<ref name="Walton" />

By April 1944, Bong had shot down his 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> Japanese aircraft, surpassing a record set during World War I by Eddie Rickenbacker. Bong was then sent to the United States to tour military bases and promote war bonds but was able to return to the South Pacific in September 1944. Upon his return and having been promoted to the rank of major, Bong was also assigned as the V Fighter Command staff’s advanced gunnery instructor. While in this position he was also allowed to fly on missions but was not allowed to seek combat. While flying during the Philippines campaign, Bong racked up enough aircraft shot down to finally reach his 40<sup>th</sup> victory.<ref name="Walton" /> It was after this achievement, Bong was once again presented with a medal and was also permanently sent back stateside for the rest of the war, mostly utilised in public relation campaigns and to also begin test flying Lockheed’s new P-80 jet fighter.

==== Tactics ====

While history tells the facts about Bong’s achievements, he told a different story as he felt that his gunnery skills were quite poor. In an effort to make up for this lack of ability, he compensated by getting as close to the enemy aircraft as he could before opening fire, thus resulting in his aircraft often getting banged up due to flying through flying debris as enemy aircraft came apart while under fire. It was noted that during one occasion, Bong was so close to the enemy fighter that he actually collided with it, causing it to crash and thus able to claim a probable victory from it.<ref name="Walton" />

==== Media ====
;Images

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Richard Bong P-38 cockpit.jpg|Bong prepping to take off for flight patrol.
File:Richard Bong and P-38 Lightning Marge.jpg|Bong standing next to his fighter ''Marge''.
File:Richard Bong in his P-38 in New Guinea 1944.jpg|Bong posing from the cockpit of his P-38.
File:Bong McArthur medal.jpg|Major Bong being presented the Medal of Honor from General McArthur shortly after his 40<sup>th</sup> aerial victory.
File:Bong Medal of Honor recipient.jpg|Richard Bong after receiving the Medal of Honor.
</gallery>

;News
* [[wt:en/news/861--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Major Richard Ira 'Dick' Bong]]
* [[wt:en/news/273--en|[Special:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Richard Ira Bong Birthday]]
{{break}}
----

=== Bostwick, George E. ===

*
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">George Eugene Bostwick</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:George Bostwick profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1950</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d-28}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-47m-1-re}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/3073/current|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt]]
* [https://store.gaijin.net/story.php?title=George-Bostwicks-P-47M-1-RE-Thunderbolt-Pack-1| [Gaijin Store<nowiki>]</nowiki> George Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack]


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----
=== Olds, Robin ===

* Triple ace, fought in both World War II and Vietnam
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Robin Olds</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1945-1966</span><span class="ttx-name">Active duty</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Vietnam History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1966-1967</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Cadet Private</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1953</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Brigadier General</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1968</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">259</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-38j}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-20-na}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-80}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1951-1952</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86k_late}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1955-1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">F-101C Voodoo</span><span class="ttx-name">1963-1965</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-4c}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1966-1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-17|MiG-17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MiG-21</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Robin Olds, born in 1922 was born into a military family. His father Robert Olds was a World War I fighter pilot and a pilot instructor in France.<ref name="Barker" /> Robert Olds served as an aide to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and was promoted to commander of 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field with the innovative B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Senior Olds ended his Army Air Force career as a Major General. Robin’s mother died when he was four, leaving his father to raise him and his three brothers. Due to his father’s position in the Army Air Force, Olds grew up around prominent officer figures such as General Billy Mitchell and Carl Spaatz who became the USAF’s first Chief of Staff.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" />

When eight years old, Olds flew in an open cockpit biplane which his father flew as a pilot in command. This experience and others from growing up so close to military installations instilled a desire when at age 12, Olds made up his mind that he would attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which would allow him to do three things most important to him at that time, become an officer, a pilot and play football.<ref name="Boyne" />

Olds passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted to attend, however, a month after starting the academy, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Immediately, Olds was sent to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Oklahoma for a year-long course for flight training. Olds returned to West Point where due to an act of Congress, he was placed in a three-year program which streamlined the learning process for future pilots. On 30 May 1943, Olds received his pilot’s wings from General Henry “Hap” Arnold and graduated 194th the following day out of 514 classmates.<ref name="Hickman" />

Unfortunately, during his tenure at West Point, Olds saw and was at the brunt of several instances of officers abusing their position of power and leadership rather than leading by example and mentorship. Olds’ strong dedication to the air service which he gained while growing up led him to have a low tolerance for officers of a low calibre which did not exhibit the same characteristics which would become even more evident further into his career.<ref name="Boyne" />
==== War Experience ====
Olds went to California and Arizona to complete his fighter training and then twin-engine aircraft training. Initially training on the Curtiss AT-9, Olds transitioned to the P-322, a basic version of the P-38 which lacked advanced components such as turbochargers which simplified the transition from civilian twin-engine aircraft to eventually the P-38. After 650 hours of flight time and training completed, Olds’ training unit was shipped out to England where they flew out of R.A.F. Wattisham on the 14th of May. On the 26th of May, Olds began flying escort missions for bombers and attacking transportation targets in occupied France in a new P-38J. Here, Olds began to show himself different than most pilots as he took an active interest in the maintenance of his aircraft and would work and learn from his crew chief various aspects of the maintenance of the P-38 to include emergency servicing tasks. Olds frequently aided the aircrews when it came to maintenance of the aircraft. Soon after Olds was promoted to the rank of Captain and given a command as a squadron leader and shortly afterwards during a bridge-bombing mission in France on the 14th of August, he and his flight came across German Fw 190 fighters in which he promptly shot two down.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 25 August, while flying escort duty, Olds’ flight encountered a formation of about 40 Bf 109s. Directing his flight to follow, they gained altitude and manoeuvred into position above the German fighters. Just prior to their diving, he directed his wingman to drop the external fuel tanks and then dove on the unsuspecting Germans. As he lined up one aircraft and began to fire, both of his engines sputtered out, having fuel starved. In his excitement of battle, Olds forgot to switch his fuel tank switch from “external” to “internal” fuel tanks. Olds continued to dead-stick his aircraft and fired another volley into the Fw 190, causing the engine cowling to rip off and the fighter to go down. Olds switched over his fuel lever and restarted both engines just in time to help his wingman and shoot down the other Germany fighter. On the flight back to base, Olds bagged another Bf 109 which was his first ace of the war. Three more German fighters were chalked up to Olds in his P-38J fighter before his squadron switched to the P-51D-25 Mustangs.<ref name="Boyne" />

In September 1944, Olds’ fighter group converted from the P-38J twin-engine fighters to the single-engine P-51D-25. Having gotten used to the counter-rotating propellers on the P-38, Olds wasn’t ready for the powerful torque of the single-engine P-51 which when attempting to land caused him into a ground loop when the P-51 angled off the runway. On the 6th of October, Olds had the opportunity to shoot down his first aircraft in the P-51, an Fw 190 while flying near Berlin. With his first tour ending, Olds returned to the United States for two months of leave and then returned to Wattisham in January 1945 to start a second tour. In February, Olds downed a Bf 109 while flying over Magdeburg, Germany and a few days later on the 14th of February, he shot down another two Bf 109s.<ref name="Hickman" />
<center>
{{quote
|"There are pilots and there are pilots. With the good ones, it is inborn. You can’t teach it."<ref name="Barker" />
|Triple ace pilot Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Olds’ final aerial kill of World War II happened in April while he lead an escort group on a mission to protect B-24 bombers. Olds noticed contrails showing up near some high billowing clouds. These aircraft followed for about five minutes before he turned to investigate them. At that time Olds noticed two German Me 262 fighter jets diving towards the bombers. This was a tactic meant to draw the fighter escort away from the bomber group, leaving it exposed to the Sonderkommando Elbe or German Bf 109s specifically used to ram Allied bombers. Olds took off after one of the Me 262s, damaging it, but not destroying it. Olds then returned to the bomber formation where he saw a Bf 109 diving through the formation and shoot down a B-24. Olds accelerated and tracked the Bf 109 through the formation and shot it down for his final victory of the war and tallying up a second ace and becoming the only pilot which gained ace status in both the P-38 and the P-51.<ref name="Boyne" />

Return to the United States after the war saw Olds in several different jobs including flying P-80 Shooting Stars in California. He became part of a jet aerobatic demonstration team and continued this until transferred to England under the USAF/RAF exchange program where he flew the Gloster Meteor jet fighter and commanded the No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere until September 1949.<ref name="Barker" /> Olds returned to California and was the operations officer over a squadron flying F-86A Sabres. Over the next few years, he was routed through several staff assignments and in 1955 was once again in charge of a fighter group in Germany. After an assignment at Wheelus Air Base in Libya, transferred back to the United States where Olds served at the Pentagon and attended the National War College. Olds next commanded a fighter wing of F-101 Voodoo fighters-bombers at R.A.F. Bentwaters in England. After forming a demonstration team with his F-101 pilots without command authorization, he was removed from command and sent to South Carolina for a staff slot at Shaw Air Force Base.<ref name="Hickman" />

In September 1966, with the war in Vietnam raging, Olds was selected to command an F-4C Phantom wing in Southeast Asia, specifically out of Thailand. Enroute, he was able to pull strings and arranged to be checked out as a pilot in the Phantom while at a stopover at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, completing the process in just five days. One of the instructor pilots, Major William Kirk, served under Olds at R.A.F. Bentwaters and accompanied him to Point Mugu missile range in California where Olds became proficient at firing AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Olds continued onto Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento where he then made the overseas hop to Thailand.<ref name="Hickman" />

On 30 September 1966, at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. The prior commander had a lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose which trickled down through the ranks, especially noted that he only had flown 12 missions during the last 10 months the wing had been in combat. Olds, at 44, aimed to make a major change and one of his first actions was to put himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot and as a full-bird colonel, under the junior officers and the challenged them to train him correctly because he would soon be leading them.<ref name="Boyne" />

Frustrations mounted due to the obstacles placed in front of the pilots by the command staff and Congress and having very limited targets to hit. North Vietnamese air bases could not be attacked and the MiG fighters which they housed could not become targets unless they were doing something which was considered a direct threat. After hearing of a plan from a junior officer to potentially draw the MiG fighters into an aerial trap, Colonel Olds drafted up an operation known as “Operation Bolo”. Early on, the F-105 Thunderchiefs were used as bombers throughout Vietnam, however, they became easy targets to surface-to-air missiles (SAM). To counter these SAM threats, one bomb was left off the aircraft and QRC-160 radar jamming pods were attached which virtually nullified any losses to these missiles. This change in tactic prompted the North Vietnamese to use their MiG fighters to pick off the F-105s whenever they “announced” themselves with their radar jammers on.<ref name="Boyne" />
<center>
{{quote
|"If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks"
|Colonel Robin Olds
}}
</center>
{{break}}
Operation Bolo ended up being a wolf in sheep’s clothing type of operation. The F-4C fighters would be equipped for air-to-air combat, but would each attach a jamming pod used by the F-105s. Next, the F-4s would fly just as the F-105s would on a bombing mission in an attempt to trick the North Vietnamese into thinking it was another F-105 bombing run. The ruse worked and as the F-4s flew over the MiG bases, MiG-21 fighters began to pop up through the low overcast layer. Leading the flight was Colonel Olds and within twelve minutes, seven MiG-21 fighters had been shot down without the loss of a U.S. fighter while the rest retreated.<ref name="Hickman" /><ref name="Boyne" /> What was significant was this was almost half of the entire North Vietnamese air force of 16 aircraft. Olds claimed one of the MiG-21s that day. A smaller but similar operation took place a few days later when two more MiG-21 fighters were shot down. After this, North Vietnamese fighter activity virtually stopped for about 10 weeks. When they resumed flights, Olds bagged another MiG-21 and several weeks later during another flight after his wingman was shot down during a dogfight, Olds claimed two MiG-17s. Following shooting down his fourth jet, he purposefully avoided downing any other jets after hearing information that if a fifth was claimed, he would have been an ace again and pulled from command and paraded around in the States as a public relations puppet. Another side note, pilots who reached 100 combat sorties were sent home and relieved from any further action in Vietnam and as such Olds stopped counting his combat sorties at 99 to remain in command of his squadron for a total of 51 weeks (a total of 152 missions were flown by Olds in Vietnam).<ref name="Barker" /> <ref name="Boyne" />

==== Media ====
;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights=190>
File:Robin-Olds-P-38.jpg|Lt. Olds standing in front of his [[P-38J-15|P-38J]] fighter, SCAT II in England.
File:Robin Olds SCAT V.jpg|Major Olds standing in front of his [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT V.
File:Robin Olds Scat VII.jpg|Major Robin Olds at the controls of is [[P-51D-20-NA|P-51D]] fighter, SCAT VII. The photo was taken from a B-17 he was escorting over Germany.
File:Robin Olds Scat X.jpg|Image of Major Robin Olds' [[F-80A-5|P-80]] jet fighter, SCAT X.
File:Robin Olds F100C.jpg|Colonel Olds giving a briefing while standing before his F-101C Voodoo fighter while commanding a fighter wing at R.A.F. Bentwater.
File:Robin Olds SCAT XXVII.jpg|44-year-old Colonel Robin Olds posing in front of his F-4C Phantom, note the two stars on the air splitter representing his first two of four MiG fighters which he shot down over Vietnam.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|SwBK0a3n658|'''Yesterday's Air Force - Robin Olds''' - ''PeninsulaSrsVideos''|-rN3kWMcqWQ|'''Who was Robin Olds?''' - MAHARBAL5022''}}
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----

===Wetmore, Ray S. ===

* Shot down a [[Me 163 B]] with his [[P-51D-10|P-51D]] at speeds around 600 mph (965 kph).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ray S. Wetmore</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USA [[File:CountryIcon USA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">United States Army Air Force (USAAF)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1951</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Armament Specialist</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1949</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">142</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-47d}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-51d-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86a-5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1949-1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">11</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 163 B|Me 163]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Raymond Shuey Wetmore grew up in central California amid farm land, the son of a farmer.<ref name="Hess" /> Growing up Wetmore had the opportunity to take a short ride in an airplane when a flying circus came through, although he was largely unimpressed with the flight. It wasn’t until 1941 when he enlisted into the Army Air Corps that he chose to take the route of a pilot. In 1942 he started flight school as an aviation cadet and graduated in March 1943. With his pilot’s wings, Wetmore was next assigned to the 359th Fighter Group out of England with his first assignment flying P-47 Thunderbolts.<ref name="Gaijin01" />

==== War Experience ====
One instance Wetmore proved himself as a fighter pilot came when was leading "Red Section" over Merseburg while escorting bombers. During the flight, the bombers were jumped by approximately 30 Bf 109 fighters, reacting to this, Wetmore told his section to drop their external fuel tanks and bank to intercept. The P-51s were travelling too fast to target the Bf 109s who performed a split-ess. While overshooting, this caused the German fighters to split up and made it easier for the American pilots to select and chase a target. Wetmore singled one German fighter out and flew to within 400 meters before he opened fire. Several rounds hit the 109 in the wing root and fuselage and the German pilot reacted by deploying his combat flaps allowing him to slow down and perform a split-ess. Wetmore was in jeopardy of overshooting, however, he was able to make a quick burst into the German fighter which converted into a descending barrel roll which developed into a flat spin of which he did not recover from. As Wetmore was ascending back up to the fray, he was “bounced” or jumped by 15 to 20 Bf 109s at around 6,000 ft. Making a tight turn to avoid the attackers, Wetmore was able to take advantage of the attackers lack of tactics and was able to get behind one where when at a 70° deflection, Wetmore fired a quick burst which all struck the cockpit, apparently killing the pilot as the plane ended up stalling out and tumbling to the ground.<ref name="Hess" />

<center>
{{Quote
|Recalling later when his flight came across approximately 100 German Bf 109 fighters..."''In order to defend ourselves, we had to attack''."<ref name="Gaijin01" />
|Captain Ray. S. Wetmore
}}
</center>

Another instance came when flying near Drummer Lake, looking below himself, Wetmore saw a flight of four Fw 190s following in a trail and called out to have he and his wing-man make the bounce on them. Wetmore singled out one of the 190s and at a 20-degree deflection opened fire at 300 meters. The German pilot attempted to extend his gear, however, ended up performing a belly landing which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and killing the pilot. Selecting a second target, Wetmore gave chase and from very close range, Wetmore fired a short burst and in the 190s attempt to make a break ended up snapping the aircraft into the ground and exploding. Taking on a third target, again within 300 meters, Wetmore opened fire making several positive contacts resulting in the 190 spinning out of control into the ground.<ref name="Wyllie" /> Wetmore caught up with his wing-mate and noticed his canopy had frosted over and could not see very well let alone able to make an accurate shot. Both P-51 pilots were able to hit the fourth target with short bursts causing the German fighter to belly land on the snow-covered ground. Wetmore made for a go-around and fired several more shots into the downed fighter causing it to catch fire.<ref name="Hess" /><ref name="Gaijin01" />

The pinnacle of Wetmore's combat achievements happened on 15 March 1945 when he shot down a rocket-powered Me 163.<ref name="Gaijin01" /> In his own words, he stated: "''I dived with him and leveled off at 2,000 ft at six o'clock. During the dive my IAS was between 550 and 600 mph. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces flew all over. He made a sharp turn to the right, and I gave him another short burst, and half of his left wing flew off, and the plane caught on fire. The pilot bailed out and I saw the E/A [enemy aircraft] crash into the ground.''"<ref name="Baldridge" />
==== Tactics ====
Wetmore's preferred tactic whether it was in the P-47 or in the P-51 was to get in close behind the enemy and wait for a deflection shot. Typically he would wait until around 300 - 400 meters and pause until the target aircraft would manoeuvre to allow for a 20° - 70° deflection shot. Apparently, Wetmore had exceptional eyesight as during his reports he would recall where his shots landed on the enemy aircraft, specifically noting "wing-root", "cockpit" or "engine."<ref name="Hess" />

Situations, where Wetmore and his wingmen were outnumbered, did not deter them from attacking or taking on a numerically superior enemy. Wetmore took the side of divide-and-conquer trying to take on smaller amounts of enemies, however, remained cool under combat when that did not work out and more enemy aircraft jumped into the fight than expected.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Daddy's Girl]
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<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_ground_crew.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' (left) converses with his armourer Sgt Locklyn Sangster who is in the process of servicing one of the [[P-51D-10|P-51D's]] several machine guns.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_Daddys_Girl.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' preparing to taxi for takeoff in his [[P-51D-10|P-51]] ''Daddy's Girl''. ]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_Wetmore_DSM.png|thumb|none|325px|Captain '''Ray S. Wetmore''' (2<sup>nd</sup> from right) receives the Distinguished Service Medal from Lt. General Carl A. Spaatz (2<sup>nd</sup> from left).]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_mission_return.jpg|thumb|none|200px|'''Ray S. Wetmore''' being carried from his [[P-51 (Family)|P-51B]] after a successful mission by his ground crew.]]</li>
</ul>

== Croatia ==

=== Galić, Cvitan ===

* Awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class and 2nd Class.
* Received the Ante Pavelić Award for Bravery which gave him the title of vitez (knight).
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Cvitan Galić</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Croatia (Yugoslavia) [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1932-1944</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">439</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">38</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109e-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">9</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-153 M-62|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">MDR-6</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Spitfire (Unknown Type)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-10</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

====General====
Cvitan Galić was born on 29 November 1909 in Gorica, located in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, only a few kilometres from the Croatian border. In 1927 at 18, Cvitan graduated from school and was recruited into the Yugoslavian military as a soldier in the infantry. The military proved to be a place where he fit in and excelled at his training. Upon completing his training, Cvitan requested a transfer to the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Cvitan received approval for the transfer where he received orders to attend pilot school in Mostar, not far from where he grew up.

Like Cvitan's other military training, pilot school proved natural for him, where he completed his training with high marks. Following his pilot training, Cvitan transferred to Skopje, where he continued his military service. In 1932, following his time in Skopje, Cvitan was transferred to Zemun near Belgrade to attend fighter pilot school.<ref name="Vojska" /> After fighter pilot school, Cvitan continued at a particular training school for air combat and eventually became an instructor pilot.

As the war in Europe started, Cvitan worked at the 3rd VKK pilot school at the Kosor auxiliary airfield near Mostar. Cvitan felt the need to volunteer for combat duty and flew to Sinja to request approval for the transfer. With permission granted, Cvitan transferred to the 4th Group of the Air Legion and reported for advanced training in Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="Vojska" /> With his training completed in September 1941, Cvitan transferred to the front lines, stationed at Poltava, Ukraine.

Between 1942 and 1944, Cvitan flew in a series of aircraft, including the Bf 109E-4, Bf 109E-7, Bf 109G-2 and Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406. Most of the planes shot down by Cvitan were Russian aircraft; however, Cvitan was able to claim a British Spitfire V in late 1943. In April 1944, Cvitan had just landed at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when the airfield was strafed by attacking Spitfire IXs. While attempting to exit his M.S.406, Cvitan died when a Spitfire scored a direct hit with a bomb.<ref name="Vojska" /> Flying a total of 439 sorties, Cvitan was credited with 38 kills.


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== Germany ==

=== Hartmann, Erich A. ===

* Highest scoring fighter pilot of all time
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Erich Alfred Hartmann</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Erich_Hartmann_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Germany [[File:CountryIcon NDE.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Luftwaffe</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">German Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1956-1970</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1<sup>st</sup> Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1960</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">July 1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1,404</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">352</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-6}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-10}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|bf-109g-14}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f-86_canadair_german}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">112</span><span class="ttx-name">[[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">84</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">53</span><span class="ttx-name">LaGG (unspecified)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">26</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-9 (Family)|Yak-9]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">23</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-7 (Family)|La-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[IL-2 (Family)|Il-2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-7 (Family)|Boston]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Po-2]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-7B|Yak-7]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Yak-3 (Family)|Yak-3]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-1]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[La-5 (Family)|La-5]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25J-30_(USSR)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">R-5</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unidentified aircraft</span></div>

</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Experience ====

{{Quote
|"When the enemy fills the entire windscreen you can’t miss"
|Erich Hartmann
}}
==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====


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----

=== Marseille, Hans-Joachim ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== USSR ==

=== Dolgushin, Sergei F. ===

* Landed at an empty airfield behind enemy lines in a MiG-3 during a battle to successfully retrieve fellow pilot Junior Lieutenant S.V. Makarov who crash landed and both safely returned to base amid hostile fire in the single-seat aircraft.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sergei Fedorovich Dolgushin</div>

<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Сергей Фёдорович Долгушин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1937-1976</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant General</span><span class="ttx-name">1967</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">468</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">17</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-7b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-9}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|hurricanemkii_ussr}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|la-7_dolgushin}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Reconnisance Aircraft</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Unnamed German Fighters</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2910--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Dolgushin's La-7]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Dolgushin_group_image.jpg |thumb|none|300px|Hero of the Soviet Union '''Sergei Dolgushin''', Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo was taken in Germany, 1945.]]</li>
</ul>
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----

=== Golovachev, Pavel Y. ===

* After running out of ammunition, slashed the tail of a Ju 188 with the propeller of his La-7
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Pavel Y. Golovachev</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Pavel_Golovachev_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Павел Яковлевич Головачёв</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major General</span><span class="ttx-name">1957</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">457</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">31</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type24}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941-1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|lagg-3-11}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-45</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">27</span><span class="ttx-name">Unlisted German aircraft types</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2983--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Golovachev's Yak-9M]


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----
=== Kozhedub, Ivan N. ===

* Top allied fighter ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ivan N. Kozhedub</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Иван Н. Кожедуб</span><span class="ttx-name">Ukranian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1940-1985</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">March 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Guard Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">General</span><span class="ttx-name">1956</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Aviation Air Marshall</span><span class="ttx-name">1985</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">320</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">120</span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial engagements</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">64</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|i-16_type5}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;max-width:150px;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type37_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1944</span>
</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5_type39}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-5fn}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|la-7}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig-15_ns23}}</span><span class="ttx-name">post-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">21</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[He 111 (Family)|He 111]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">18</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Me 262 (Family)|Me 262]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">PZL P.24</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned how to fly through the local Shostkinsk aeroclub where they flew Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the PO-2) and UTI-16 (two-seat trainer version of the I-16).<ref name="Poltava" /> The "U" in the aircraft name is the Russian ''uchebny'' which means "trainer." In 1940 he joined the Soviet military and graduated from Chuhuiv Military Air School in 1941 around the time the German's began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Eager to get to the front, Kozhedub was denied a transfer, instead, his superiors recognized his knowledge and expertise around the aircraft along with his ability to teach and retained him as a pilot instructor.<ref name="Prominent" /> Ivan remained at the school for two more years instructing many pilots who would transfer to the front lines.<ref name="Poltava" /><ref name="Prominent" /> It was during the process of teaching the student pilots that Kozhedub refined his own abilities as a pilot. Finally, in 1943 Kozhedub after several denied requests to go to the front, was granted a transfer to the 240th IAP.

==== War Experience ====

Now on the front lines, Kozhedub was provided with one of the new Lavochkin La-5 fighters. In March 1943, Kozhedub flew on his first combat sortie and it would be one that he would not forget, as while focusing on one target, he developed tunnel vision and did not see two Bf 109s which descended upon him and riddled his aircraft with holes.<ref name="Poltava" /> Able to get away, Kozhedub limped his aircraft back to base where it had to be scrapped after he landed. Lessons learned here taught him that you must always look around and keep an eye on the enemy at all times. Religated to older fighters, Kozhedub did not give up and began to increase his tally score of aerial victories as the months went on.<ref name="Prominent" /> Kozhedub exercised confidence and technique and incorporated it with the experience he was gaining. Initially, he started out as part of a squadron, usually working in pairs when going after enemy aircraft, sometimes as bait and other times an attacker. Bomber escort duty was also necessary, but that didn't stop him from adding victory stars to his aircraft. Over time Kozhedub was provided with another new La-5 and several months later he was given an upgraded La-5F and then a La-5FN.<ref name="Prominent" />

In 1944 as Kozhedub was generating a significant tally of downed enemy aircraft, he was transitioned into the new La-7, which he determined to be the best fighter aircraft in the world and held that belief even after the war.<ref name="Bourne" /> Aerial victory number 55 was especially memorable for Kozhedub, as while he and a partner were flying on patrol, they spotted an unusual aircraft which was travelling faster than what their La-7s could do. The aircraft turned out to be a German jet fighter, the Me 262 which could outrun them. Eager to attempt to shoot down the jet, Kozhedub's partner shot at the jet, spooking the pilot which caused him to turn to the left, right in front of Kozhedub. Losing enough speed in the turn, the jet was an easy target, one which Kozhedub unloaded on, knocking it out of the sky.<ref name="Bourne" /><ref name="Prominent" /> By the time the war had ended, Kozhedub had 64 confirmed aerial victories, however, it is estimated he had over 100, many of those others were shared kills in which he gave the full credit to the other pilot rather than take it for himself.<ref name="Bourne" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Kozhedub was a pilot of patience, waiting until almost on top of his target before letting loose his weapons. With nose-mounted cannons in [[La-5]], [[La-5FN]] and [[La-7]], setting gun convergence was not necessary, yet, Kozhedub typically waited until he was within 200 - 300 meters before firing and preferred unloading on an aircraft through deflection shooting or by aiming ahead of the target while it was climbing, diving or banking left or right. In an interview with ''Aviation History'' magazine, Kozhedub stated that while he respected the courage of German aces, he did not pay much attention to them, instead, he focused on "trying to guess as soon as possible the plans and methods of my enemy, and find weak spots in his tactics."<ref name="AviationHist" />
<center>
{{Quote
|I always felt respect for an enemy pilot whose plane I failed to down.
|Ivan N. Kozhedub, Soviet Aerial Ace
}}</center>

Describing attacking a target, Kozhedub stated, "I chose a ''victim'' and came in quite close to it. The main thing was to fire in time."<ref name="AviationHist" /> However, it was important to avoid tunnel vision when following a target hence why it was important to maintain caution as "caution is all-important and you have to turn your head 360-degrees all the time", a valuable lesson he learned in his first combat sortie in 1943. "The victory belonged to those who knew their planes and weapons inside out and had the initiative."<ref name="AviationHist" />

Kozhedub spent the early years of the war from 1940 to 1942 as a pilot instructor. While learning to fly always takes time (Kozhedub was required 100 hours of flight time before he was first licensed at the aeroclub) and with the Great Patriotic war heating up, many new recruits were eager to get flying and mastering skills as quickly as possible and as often as eager students tend to do, <blockquote>"...young pilots often ask how they can learn to fly a fighter quickly; I came to the conclusion that the main thing is to master the technique of pilotage and firing. If a fighter pilot can control his plane automatically, he can correctly carry out a maneuver [sic], quickly approach an enemy, aim at his plane precisely and destroy him. It is also important to be resourceful in any situation."<ref name="AviationHist" /></blockquote>

Keeping a cool head and knowing your surroundings were critical for setting up a battle to the attacker's advantage and here, "the main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds..."<ref name="AviationHist" /> because any second lost was an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables and take any advantage away.
==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image01.jpg |thumb|none|250px|Ivan Kozhedub posing with a group of classmates at the Air Force Academy, 1945.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Kozhedub group image02.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Kozhedub demonstrating maneuvers to a group of pilots in Korea.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan-Kozhedub.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Kozhedub posing in front of his La-5FN fighter.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|qNlmTWSWnD0|Ivan Kozhedub - Early video clips [aircraftube]}}
----
=== Litvyak, Lydia V. ===

* First female fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft
* First female ace
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Lydia V. Litvyak</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Лидия В. Литвяк</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1943</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Junior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">February 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Missing in Action</span><span class="ttx-name">August 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">66</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|po-2}}</span><span class="ttx-name">pre-war</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Observation Balloon</span></div>
</div> 
</div>

==== General ====

Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, born in 1921 in Moscow and found an early love of aviation where she enrolled in a local flying club at the age of 14.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> By age 15, Litvyak had performed her first solo flight.<ref name="Courtney" /> By the time she was 18, Litvyak had become a flight instructor at the Kalinin Airclub and training 45 pilots by the time the German-Soviet war broke out in 1941.<ref name="Chen" /> By June 1941 Litvyak applied to join a military aviation unit, however, the recruiter noted that she did not have enough flight hours (1,000 total flight hours were needed) and rejected her application. Undeterred, Litvyak went to the next closest recruiting office and listed her pre-war flight time at over 1,000 hours, thus “meeting” the requirements, she was admitted into Soviet military aviation.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

After military basic training, Litvyak was assigned to Marina Raskova’s female air combat unit, Air Group 122, which included three regiments, the 586<sup>th</sup> Fighter Regiment, 687<sup>th</sup> Bomber regiment along with the famous 588<sup>th</sup> Night Bomber Regiment (''the Night Witches'').<ref name="Courtney" /><ref name="White" /><ref name="Simonovich" /> Litvyak was assigned to the 586th Fighter regiment where she was selected to and trained on the single-seat Yakovlev [[Yak-1]] fighter aircraft. At the time more advanced fighter aircraft such as the [[LaGG-3-8|LaGG-3]] was reserved for male pilots, whereas the female pilots were allotted the older Yak-1 aircraft.<ref name="White" />

Litvyak was not a cookie-cutter military recruit and often found ways to express her individuality, including bleaching her hair with peroxide after being required to cut it short and adding a fur collar to her standard-issued military uniform. In spite of her rebelliousness, Raskova determined that Litvyak was a “brilliant pilot with instincts and gifts no training could provide.”<ref name="Courtney" />

==== War Experience ====
Lydia Litvyak’s first opportunity to fly combat patrols started in the summer of 1942 where she and others were assigned to fly defence missions over the city of Saratov, an important city and major port on the Volga River. After a successful assignment, Litvyak and other female pilots were transferred to a male flying regiment near Stalingrad (current-day Russian: Волгогра́д, English: Volgograd).<ref name="White" /> It was here on September 13, 1942, in which Litvyak was pitted in her first dogfight against Jagdgeschwader 53, one of Germany’s most lethal fighter units at the time.<ref name="Simonovich" /> It was during this event in which Litvyak shot down her first two enemy aircraft, a [[Ju 88 A-1|Ju 88]] bomber and a [[Bf 109 G-2/trop|Bf 109 G-2]] piloted by German 11-kill ace Erwin Meier.<ref name="Courtney" /> After Meier was allowed to meet the pilot who shot him down, he was shocked when it turned out to be Litvyak and refused to believe it was her until she explained in great detail the dogfight which lead to his being shot down.<ref name="White" /><ref name="Chen" /> Upon realizing the truth, he offered his gold watch to Litvyak as a sign of his respect where she stated:
<center>
{{Quote
|"I don’t accept gifts from my enemies."
|Lydia Litvyak, after meeting German Bf 109 pilot Erwin Maier, whom she shot down earlier that day.
}}</center>
{{break}}
This began a series of successful missions in which she proved herself as a fighter pilot and earned the respect of the other pilots. Over the next few months, Litvyak racked up several more kills both as the sole attacker and shared attacks with fellow pilots of German Ju 88 bombers, Bf 109s and a [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Opportunities for combat lessened, mostly due to the senior leadership of Litvyak’s flying regiment and so she was transferred to the 9th Guard Fighter Regiment in early January 1943.<ref name="Chen" /> The men of this unit flew LaGG-3s and so the squadron did not have the facilities to repair the Yak-1 fighters. Coupled with this and the units upgrade to [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Aerocobra]]s, the female pilots with their Yaks were moved to the 73<sup>rd</sup> Guard Fighter Regiment which did have facilities to repair the Yaks.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was here with the 73<sup>rd</sup> that Litvyak was promoted to Junior Lieutenant. Due to her fierceness in the air and her proven abilities, Litvyak was selected to participate in an experiment dubbed “Okhotniki” or “free-hunter”, an elite aerial fighting tactic which allowed specific pilots to fly in pairs, hunting the skies for enemy aircraft to seek and destroy at will and racked up a few more aerial victories.

In May of 1943, the German artillery was utilizing an observation balloon to report the location of Soviet soldiers, snipers and equipment to German artillery crews on the ground with great success. Attempts were made to destroy the balloon, however, all Soviet fighter attacks which attempted to attack the balloon were repulsed by heavy anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="White" /> Litvyak volunteered to attack the balloon but was turned down. For Litvyak, “no” meant looking for another way to get the job done. This time she approached her flight commander with a plan to fly a wide circle around the active battlefield and attack the balloon from the rear from over German-occupied territory. The plan was accepted and Litvyak took off. The plan worked flawlessly as she was able to come in from the rear of the balloon and get close enough to ignite the hydrogen-filled balloon with her tracer bullets, sending it to the ground in a crumpled heap.<ref name="Courtney" />

August 1943 proved to be Lydia Litvyak’s final flights where on her 4th sortie of the day on August 1<sup>st</sup> escorting IL-2 attackers, her flight was attacked by German Bf 109s. Focused on attacking a Ju 88 bomber, Litvyak did not see the two Bf 109s descend on her tail.<ref name="Courtney" /> Another pilot from her flight, Ivan Borisenko recalled, “Lily just didn’t see the Messerschmitt 109s flying cover for the German Bombers. A pair of them dived on her and when she did see them she turned to meet them. Then they disappeared behind a cloud.” Borisenko last saw Litvyak’s Yak through a gap in the clouds which at that time was pouring out smoke and at that point being pursued by as many as eight Bf 109s. When an opportunity presented itself, Borisenko descended below the clouds but did not see her, a parachute or results of an explosion, however, she never returned from that mission.<ref name="Chen" /><ref name="Simonovich" />

Litvyak was listed as missing in action, however, the full truth is not known. There are accounts of a Yak-1 discovered near the battlefield with a female who had a fatal head wound and was buried in a village nearby, however, there are also accounts of a female pilot parachuting to safety and then captured by German forces. Also listed is an account of fellow POWs recognizing her in a POW camp. Stalin was known to state any Russians taken as POW were considered to be traitors, so it is possible if she was captured, she may have avoided returning to a hostile Soviet Union. To this day there are many speculations as to the end of Lydia Litvyak, but no definite proof.

;Aircraft flown:

* Yak-1 - ''White 02''
* Yak-1 - ''Red 32''
* Yak-1 - ''Yellow 44''
* Yak-1 - ''White 23''
* Yak-1b – unknown

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Lydia Litvyak, was a fearless pilot who took to the skies in her Yak-1 fighter, an underdog when compared to the German Bf 109s both in firepower and overall aircraft characteristics, never-the-less, Litvyak outperformed even some of Germany’s best.<ref name="Thompson" /> One tactic Litvyak utilised was to attack the bombers, in doing so, this would bring in the escorting Bf 109s which she would then work into a dogfight. Not all fights went in her favour as she brought back to base several heavily beat-up aircraft including one which she had to belly-land. Even when wounded, she opted to get back into a fighter and return to the melee. Litvyak also found success when hunting with a partner and teaming up on enemy aircraft brought down a number of them.<ref name="Courtney" /> It was a combination of instinct and brute force which kept Litvyak fighting even when at against all odds until the end.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_bomber.jpg|thumb|none|450px|A decorated Lydia Litvyak posing in front of a [[Pe-2 (Family)|Pe-2]] bomber.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia-litvyak yak-1b.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak standing on the wing of her [[Yak-1B]]]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_flightsuit.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Senior Lieutenant Litvyak posing in her flightsuit.]] </li>
</ul></div>

{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|sAfHjtDPCkg|Heroines of the Soviet Union - Lydia Litvyak [Posadist Pacman]}}
----
=== Pokryshkin, Alexander I. ===

* The first pilot to achieve Hero of the Soviet Union three times<ref name="Chlon" />
* All time highest scoring pilot in an American made fighter (47 kills in a P-39)
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Alexander I. Pokryshkin</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Alexander_Pokryshkin_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Алекса́ндр И. Покры́шкин</span><span class="ttx-name">Russian spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Soviet military air forces (VVS)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1972</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1933</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Senior Aviation Mechanic</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sr. Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Major</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Deputy Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1968-1971</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Air Marshal</span><span class="ttx-name">1972</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">560</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">59</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|mig_3_series_1_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|yak-1b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39k_1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39n_su}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|p-39q_15}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">34</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">19</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">15</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">Ju 52</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">Hs 126</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Hs 129 (Family)|Hs 129]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Su-2 (Family)|Su-2]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was of Russian ethnicity, born in Novosibisk (Siberia). Pokryshkin’s father was a first generation factory worker and due to not having much money, the family was raised in the poor and crime-ridden part of town.<ref name="Chlon" /> Rather than following the crowd, Pokryshkin followed his own path which noted by his peers as they called him “Engineer”. While at an airshow when he was 12 years old, Pokryshkin developed a fascination for flying. After finishing school, he found work as a construction worker, however, this was not to last very long as in 1930 he left home to attend a technical college where he excelled and earned his degree in 18 months. Finishing this, Pokryshkin then enlisted in the army to follow his dreams and be sent to aviation school. Unfortunately the flight school was closed and all of the cadets were transferred to become aircraft mechanics. Although requests for transfer were made, none were granted.<ref name="Chlon" />

Determined not to let this drag him down, Pokryshkin decided to put in his all and excel as a mechanic. Graduating from the mechanic school in 1933, he then rose quickly through the ranks and by December 1934 was promoted to Senior Aviation Mechanic with the 74th Rifle Division where he worked until 1938. While working as a flight mechanic, Pokryshkin worked at improving the equipment he worked on which included making improvements to the ShKAS machine guns and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="Chlon" /> This would ultimately play to his favour later on when higher-ups would try to have him court-martialed. During vacation times, Pokryshkin studied flight manuals and enrolled in a local aeroclub where he learned to fly glider aircraft. During one stint of leave, tested for engine powered aircraft and was able to perform a solo flight and earn his flying license in just under three weeks. Having this flying license automatically qualified him for flight school in which he was accepted.

==== War Expierence ====

Pokryshkin’s first assignment took him very close to the battlefront, into Moldavia, June 1941. On June 22nd, the first day of the war, his airfield was bombed, however, he and his aircraft survived without incident. Unfortunately, the next day was his first combat experience which ended in disaster. While patrolling with his squad in MiG-3s, he happened upon an aircraft which he had never seen, taking the opportunity, he opened fire and shot down the aircraft. To his horror, as the aircraft was going down, he noticed the red star on the wings. This aircraft was the new secret Soviet Su-2 light bomber and to prevent his wingmates from shooting down any others, Pokryshkin flew between them and the bombers to prevent any other loss. Pokryshkin was vindicated as the next day he and a wingman were jumped by five Bf 109s where he was able to shoot one down. He scored several more victories, however as luck would have it, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines. Pokryshkin spent the next four days working his way back to his base.<ref name="Chlon" />
{{break}}
{{quote
|"One who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Early on in the fighting, Pokryshkin began to realize that the aerial combat doctrine taught by the Soviets was extremely outdated and he began to take extensive notes of battles and dogfights he and others were going through, looking to find a more efficient and better way to tactically fight.<ref name="Chlon" /> Combat at that time was a treasure trove of information in which Pokryshkin took very detailed notes and ideas to improve over the outdated tactics. Items which he had to factor in were that Soviet pilots were in constant retreat, lacked controlling assistance from HQ and always up against a superior opponent with the odds stacked against them. Pokryshkin had his work cut out for him.<ref name="Simha" />

In 1942, Pokryshkin’s squadron was outfitted with the Yak-1 fighter (replacing the MiG-3). Still the underdog against the German Bf 109s, he employed his new tactics with much success. During one light bomber/attacker escort, Pokryshkin was jumped by two Bf 109G-2 “Gustav” fighters. Now separated from his wingman, Pokryshkin attempted to dive away, however realizing the German fighters were faster and heavier, it would only be a matter of time before they would catch up, so he manoeuvred into a chandelle and then barrel-rolled which caused the first Gustav to overshoot, placing him within the Yak’s gunsights. Pokryshkin opened fire and shot the Gustav down. Although Pokryshkin’s aircraft was damaged by the second Gustav, he performed another barrel roll causing the Bf 109 to slide forward into gun range and was subsequently shot down. Pokryshkin proved that a lesser aircraft could outperform a superior aircraft if the proper tactics were employed.<ref name="Chlon" />

Later during the summer of 1942, the Yak-1 fighters were replaced by the newer lend-lease American P-39 fighters.<ref name="Chlon" /> While not a favourite aircraft of the American pilots and ultimately rejected by the British, the P-39s found a home with the Soviets who put the fighters to good use. The tide was beginning to turn in the Soviets favour as they started to implement Pokryshkin’s tactics which included stacking different aircraft at different altitudes, basically creating a net so that any incoming enemy fighters if attempting to escape would be intercepted by the different layers of Soviet aircraft.<ref name="Simha" /> Also at this time, ground-based radar, forward controllers and advanced central ground control systems were implemented which were able to help feed real-time information to the pilots in the air and give them a head start on inbound enemy aircraft.

Now outfitted with the P-39K-1s, Pokryshkin once again began to pounce on the Germans. His very first combat flight in the P-39 netted him one Bf 109, however, days later he scored four more and another 8 over the next couple weeks. One of the tactics Pokryshkin learned was that German flights tended to become disoriented and demoralized when the flight leader was shot down and would typically retreat, so he started attacking the flight leader on the initial run into a group. Taking on the most experienced enemy was a difficult task, however with that pilot out of the way it was much easier for his wingmates to go after the rest that did not flee. It was on 23 June 1943 that Pokryshkin traded in his P-39K-1 “White 13” for the now-famous P-39N-0 known as “White 100”. White 100 was Pokryshkin’s call sign for the rest of the war and became a call sign feared by German pilots. Transferred down to Ukraine, when escorting Pe-2 bombers, Pokryshkin would break radio silence to announce he was flying and during those times, the Pe-2 bombers performed their tasks without the threat of German fighters because they would not fly when “White 100” was in the air.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" />

{{break}}
{{quote
|"Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft" (English: "Attention! Attention!, Pokryshkin is in the air")
|Typical German notification to fighters that Pokryshkin was in the air after his plane was spotted or he announced over the radio "Внимание! Я-сотка. Поеду на работу! (English: "Attention! I am '100' and am going to work!")
}}
{{break}}
==== Tactics ====
Pokryskin rewrote the tactical doctrine for Soviet fighters to replace the outdated doctrine he was trained with. It was crucial as a pilot to have advantages which included altitude, speed, manoeuvrability all of which put you behind the enemy to fire on them.<ref name="Simha" /><ref name="Chlon" /> Even when outclassed and overmatched, tactics could equal the playing field or even transfer the advantage if the pilot knew what they were doing.
{{break}}
{{quote
|"The battle training of a fighter pilot, as I see it, is complex process... the formula: altitude, speed, maneuver, and fire."<ref name="Simha />
|Alexander Pokryshkin
}}
{{break}}
Especially true with the P-39 fighters was the need to be in close when firing as the 37 mm shell had a slower velocity than machine gun rounds and with enough distance could be avoided, in close, it was much more difficult. The new doctrine also included flying with wingmates or squads to allow for watching each other’s backs whether firing at the enemy or just announcing their positions so the wingmates could avoid them. Demoralization was another tactic Pokryshkin employed to great success where he would exclusively target the enemy squad leaders (typically German aces themselves) and eliminate them first. This aggressiveness often caused the enemy fighters to become disoriented or flee the area in retreat. So effective were the tactics, just calling out that “100” was flying in the area kept the Germans from flying that day.

{{break}}

;Aircraft Flown

* MiG-3 - ''7''
* MiG-3 - ''4''
* MiG-3 - ''01''
* MiG-3 - ''White 5'''
* MiG-3 - ''67''
* Yak-1B - unknown
* P-39K-1 - ''White 13''
* P-39N-0 - ''White 100''
* P-39N-5 - ''White 100''
* P-39D - ''White 17''
* P-39Q-15 - ''White 50''

==== Media ====

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5405-news-birthday-of-alexander-pokryshkin-en War Thunder News: Birthday of Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/104/current/ War Thunder Ace of the Month: Alexander Pokryshkin]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6648-news-alexander-pokryshkin-s-birthday-en War Thunder News: Alexander Pokryshkin's Birthday]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_P-39.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Image of '''Alexander Pokryshkin''' standing at the door of a [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] lend-lease fighter.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_and_Glinka.jpg|thumb|none|370px|'''Alexander Pokryshkin''' and fellow squademate Dmitry Glinka standing before one of their lend-lease [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] fighters.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Pokryshkin_La-7.jpg|thumb|none|250px|'''Pokryshkin''' standing in front of a [[La-7]] gifted to his squadron, however, he ultimately rejected these fighters and stayed with the [[P-39 (Family)|P-39s]].]]</li>
</ul>
----
=== Zhukovsky, Sergey Y. ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== Great Britain ==

=== Bader, Douglas R.S.B. ===

* British fighter ace who flew with no legs.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sir Douglas Bader</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Douglas_Bader_profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1928-1933</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1938</span><span class="ttx-name">Medicaly retired</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1939-1946</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Officer Cadet</span><span class="ttx-name">1928</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Pilot Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1930</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Acting Wing Commander</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Group Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">1946</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">22</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|hurricane_mk1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_ix_early}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">12</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 110 (Family)|Bf 110]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
'''Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader''' was born in London, England in 1910. Bader’s father fought in World War I, however, due to injuries sustained in the war, died in 1922. Bader’s mother remarried, however, due to his high energy levels and unruliness, Bader was sent away often to his grandparent's house and later was sent as a border to a prep school. This proved to be what he needed as sports became his outlet for expending energy and competitiveness. Rugby and any other physical confrontations with bigger and older opponents became his go to.<ref name="Hull" />

At the age of 13, during a holiday trip to visiting his aunt and future uncle, RAF pilot Cyril Burge, Bader was given a tour of an Avro 504 biplane. Although interested in the visit, Bader did not give much thought to becoming a pilot. Bader was accepted to Cambridge and it was at this time that his uncle Cyril Burge let him know of a cadetship offered at RAF Air Force College Cranwell each year for six students. Bader applied and finished in fifth place and at the age of 18, leaving his school early.<ref name="Hull" />

At RAF Cranwell, officer cadet Bader continued his studies and expanded the types of sports he participated in to include hockey and boxing. Bader also found himself participating in banned activities which included speeding with motorcycles and racing motorcars. His studies lacked, causing him to almost be kicked out not only for grades but for being caught too many times participating in banned activities.<ref name="Hull" />

Having just barely passed, Bader began flight instruction in September 1928 and after just over 11 hours of flight time, he made his first solo flight. Upon finishing flight school Bader was commissioned a pilot officer and was assigned to No. 23 Squadron RAF where he flew Gloster Gamecocks and Bristol Bulldogs.<ref name="Hull" /> Bader’s competitiveness and thrill-seeking nature led him to perform unauthorized aerobatics with the biplanes, pushing what both he and they could do. In 1931 at an upcoming airshow, Bader and a teammate Harry Day were scheduled to participate in a “Paris” event consisting of acrobatics in competition with another squadron. During a practice session and apparently on a dare while flying a Bulldog Mk. IIA, Bader made a low pass in which his left wing touched the ground causing the aircraft to slam down, pinning Bader in the wreckage. Once pulled free, Bader was immediately taken to the hospital where both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee, the other above.<ref name="Nye" /><ref name="Hull" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{quote
|"Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show."
| Entry into Douglas Bader's logbook shortly after crashing.
}}
</center>

It took most of a year for Bader to recover from the accident and work to regain many of his former abilities after being fitted for prosthetic legs. Grit and determination learned from early life helped him here as he learned to drive a car, play golf and even qualified to fly again after a trial flight in an Avro 504. While initially, his military medical examination proved him fit, the R.A.F. turned and medically retired Bader.<ref name="Hull" />

In October 1939, with the threat of war looming and with help from personal friends in the military, Bader was given a second chance to qualify for a flying position. Upon completing refresher courses, Bader was once again medically qualified to fly. Almost eight years after his accident, Bader performed a solo flight in an Avro Tutor and true to form, did the unthinkable to most and turned the biplane upside down flying about 600 feet off the ground. Soon after, Bader trained on Fairey Battle and Miles Master aircraft which were stepping-stones in preparation for flying Spitfires and Hurricanes.
==== War Experience ====
Bader’s first assignment was to be with No. 19 Squadron which was based out of RAF Duxford. At age 29, Bader was older than most of his fellow pilots. It was here that he got his first look at the legendary Spitfire fighter. Here Bader practised air tactics, formation flying and even flights out over the ocean with sea convoys to practice navigation. Like other pilots such as Alexander Pokryshkin, Bader found that R.A.F. combat doctrine, flying in a line-astern and attacking enemy aircraft singly to be outdated where he preferred to utilise altitude and attacking from the sun to ambush enemy aircraft. He was ordered to learn the R.A.F. doctrine and did so with great skill which aided in his rapid promotion. In June 1940 Bader had his first taste of combat while flying near the coast of Dunkirk at around 3,000 feet. While flying, Bader noticed a Bf 109 flying in front of him heading in the same direction and at about the same speed. It wasn’t long before Bader caught up and downed the 109. Later that day, Bader was also credited with damaging a Bf 110 twin-engine fighter. On his next patrol flight, he was credited with damaging a He 111 bomber and then later while patrolling around allied shipping, almost collided with a Do 17 while firing at the bomber’s rear gunner during a high-speed pass.

On 28 June 1940, Bader was switched to No. 242 Squadron R.A.F. and became acting squadron leader of a [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane]] unit which was mostly made up of Canadians, a unit which had suffered many losses and was plagued with low morale. Initially resistant of the new commanding officer, the Canadian pilots soon followed their new champion due to his strong personality. With the struggling squadron reactivated and clear to fly, 242 once again became an effective flying unit.<ref name="Hull" />

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain officially began and Bader’s squadron began to score kills. During inclement weather on one flight, Bader happened upon a Do 17 while only 600 yards out and when reaching approximately 250 yards, the rear gunner opened fire. Bader pressed his attack and fired two bursts into the bomber, which crashed into the ocean, confirmed by the Royal Observer Corps.<ref name="Hull" /> 21 August saw a similar situation where Bader sent another Do 17 into the ocean. August also saw Bader claim four Bf 110 twin-engine fighters, however during one engagement, he was jumped by a Bf 109 and was almost ready to bail out of his Hurricane but was able to recover the aircraft and limp it back to base.<ref name="Hull" />

September action slowed a little but Bader claimed several Do 17 and Ju 88 bombers. Sadly, when one of the Do 17 gunners attempted to bail out, his parachute snagged on the 17’s tail wheel and drug him to his death when the aircraft crashed into the ocean. Apparently, Bader took pity on the gunner and tried to kill him to spare him from the rest of the fall, but could not reach him in time.<ref name="Hull" />

Starting in March of 1941, Bader received a promotion to acting wing commander and was stationed at Tangmere. This assignment rolled three squadrons under his command, the 145, 610 and 616 Squadrons.<ref name="Nye" /> In an attempt to divide the Germans and keep them fighting on two fronts (Eastern Europe/Russia and Western Europe), Bader’s wing of Spitfire fighters would perform sweeps over German-held territory and what was called “Circus” operations. Circus operations involved utilising medium bombers escorted with Spitfires to perform bombing operations, not necessarily to inflict heavy damage to ground structures, but more to keep the German Luftwaffe tied up trying to repel these attacks.

In the late spring of 1941, the wing’s Spitfires were all being replaced by the newer Spitfire VBs which carried two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 machines guns in the wings. Bader instead opted to fly a Spitfire Mk. VA which did not have the 20 mm cannons, but had a total of eight .303 machine guns. It was his opinion due to his tactics of using a close-in approach that the lower calibre machine guns were more devastating than the 20 mm cannons. Here while flying in France, Bader typically encountered Bf 109s and shot down a handful over the summer as he flew over 60 fighter sweeps through France.

Bader’s last flight occurred on 9 August 1941 while he was patrolling the French coast in his Spitfire Mk. VA looking for Bf 109s. Unlike most days, his typical (and trusted) wingman was sick and could not fly, so Bader flew with three other aircraft from his squadron. Not long after crossing over to France, Bader spotted 12 Bf 109s flying in formation below their position. Initiating the attack, Bader dove, however, his angle was too steep and too fast to realize a gun solution and barely missed colliding with one of the 109s. Pulling up to extend away, Bader levelled out around 24,000 feet but found he was all alone, his wingmen nowhere to be found. Considering returning to base, Bader noticed three pair of Bf 109s several miles ahead of him. Bader dropped down in altitude to gain speed and came up under the 109s, the opened with a short burst from in close, destroying one of the German fighters. He was in the process of attacking a second when it started to trail white smoke and descend and noticed two of the other 109s off of his right, coming at him. He banked away and then believed he had a mid-air collision with one of the other pair of 109s.<ref name="Nye" />

The back half of Bader’s aircraft from the cockpit on was gone and his fighter began to rapidly descend in a slow spinning fashion. Knowing he could not stay with the aircraft, he followed the bailout procedure by jettisoning his canopy and releasing his harness pin. The air now rushing into the cockpit started to force him out, however, his artificial leg became trapped in the rudder pedals and would not release. Bader’s only thought was to release his parachute and hopefully pull the leg free. It worked, however, the straps for the artificial leg broke, remaining with the aircraft, however, Bader was free and floating to the ground. Later looking through R.A.F. records, it is believed that another Spitfire pilot mistook Bader for a Me 109, this pilot described in detail of the “Bf 109” whose tail had come off and the pilot bailed out. German records (searched through by Adolf Galland himself concluded that no Bf 109’s had collided that day nor do any of the flight reports – even those of German pilots killed in action matched Bader’s incident). Bader’s artificial leg which was lodged in the aircraft when he bailed out was subsequently found in a field, however, it was badly damaged.

Upon his capture by the Germans, Bader was treated with great respect because of his being a double amputee and a fighter pilot. General Adolf Galland, in an attempt to help Bader, petitioned the British Government safe passage to bring a replacement leg, the operation was approved at the highest level on the German side by Hermann Göring himself. The British responded on 19 August 1941 by sending “Leg Operation” which included six Bristol Blenheim bombers with a good size fighter escort to parachute the replacement leg at a Luftwaffe base in St Omer.<ref name="Nye" /> Bader spent the next several years a prisoner of war, however every chance he got, he attempted to escape or practised “goon baiting” as the practice was to cause as much trouble to his captors as was possible or to play mind-games with them in an attempt to get them to lose their composure. Bader was ultimately placed in Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on 18 August 1942 which was determined to be escape-proof. Bader remained here until 15 April 1945 when the United States Army liberated the facility. After his repatriation to Britain, in June 1945 a victory flyover London of 300 aircraft was conducted and Bader was given the honour of leading the entire flight in a [[Spitfire_F_Mk_IX|Spitfire Mk IX]].
==== Tactics ====

{{quote
|"If you had the height, you controlled the battle...if you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you...if you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed."
| Douglas Bader
}}
{{break}}
Bader was a fearless pilot which stems from his thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie attitude he portrayed early on when racing motorcycles and fast cars. He did not have any issues with pushing an aircraft to its limits and was a natural when it came to performing aerobatics. Early on in his career and life, he survived a gruesome low altitude plane crash which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Such was his determination that within a year he was back racing cars and flying aircraft to prove he could still be a pilot with the R.A.F. Much of what he learned from racing and aerobatics bled over into his ideas on how to be the best fighter pilot he could be. While he was forced to learn the doctrines of the R.A.F., he never just left it at that and implemented what he learned from combat not only for himself but also for those pilots which flew under his command.

Bader’s philosophy of having altitude, speed and surprise, you could be devastating as a fighter pilot. Several instances during his flying suggested that he flew extremely close to enemy aircraft and at times almost colliding. At one point when attacking a German bomber and realizing he was out of ammunition, Bader contemplated taking out the enemy’s tail rudder with his propeller. With Bader’s preference for in-close fighting (200 – 300 meters), he preferred to have all machine guns on his aircraft instead of a combination of machine guns and autocannons. When his squadron was being upgraded to Spitfire Vb fighters, he chose to retain the Spitfire Va which had eight .303 machine guns as opposed to four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. It was Bader’s belief that when in close, the eight machine guns could be used with devastating effect.

While most people would think that Bader was at a severe disadvantage being a double amputee, he proved that it actually was a benefit when it came to being a fighter pilot. Without his lower legs, he was able to make tighter turns and maneuvers without suffering the same G-force effects as normal pilots because the blood could only pool so far in his legs and it would take longer and more G-force before he would get to the point of blacking out. In effect his amputation was like later flight suits which would squeeze the pilots legs during high G-force maneuvers, restricting the blood flow to the lower extremities.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Spitfire.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Douglas Bader''' carefully maneuvering his prosthetic legs as he enteres his Spitfire's cockpit. While the artificial legs allowed him to fly, they almost prevented him from bailing out of his disabled aircraft when he was shot down in 1941.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_Hurricane.jpg|thumb|none|400px|'''Douglas Bader''' posing on his [[Hurricane (Family)|Hawker Hurricane Mk.I]] in 1940.]]</li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Douglas_Bader_noseart.jpg|thumb|none|300px|'''Bader''' (center) and members of his squadron 242 posing before the noseart on his aircraft depicting a book kicking Hitler in the rear-end.]]</li>
{{break}}
{{Youtube-gallery|cq5taJZ24cQ|The WWII Flying Ace with No Legs (Strange Stories) - ''Simple History''}}

----
=== Plagis, Ioannis "John" A. ===

* Top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace of the war, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">John Plagis</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:John_Plagis_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Γιάννη Πλαγή</span><span class="ttx-name">Greek spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Great Britain [[File:CountryIcon GBR.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Royal Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1948</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Seargeant</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Flight Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Squadron Leader</span><span class="ttx-name">1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">16</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5b}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|spitfire_mk5c_notrop}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|spitfire_ix_plagis}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|p-51_mk1a_usaaf}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|meteor_fmk3}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1945+</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[C.202|M.C.202]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Re.2001 (Family)|Re.2001]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Born in Hartley, South Rhodesia (current day Zimbabwe) in 1919, Ioannis Agorastos (John) Plagis was born to Greek parents who immigrated from the Aegean island of Lemnos. In 1939 when Britain and German commenced hostilities, John headed to the recruiting station and attempted to volunteer with the Rhodesian Air Force.<ref name="Aces" /> His application was denied due to the fact that he was still considered a Greek Subject due to his parents being Greek and having been born before the 1923 referendum when Southern Rhodesia became an independent colony in the British Empire. England, however, was desperate for volunteers and accepted Plagis’ application into the Royal Air Force of Britain, beginning service with the R.A.F. in 1940.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== War Experience ====
For Plagis, military training began in Southern Rhodesia, however, he didn’t begin operationally flying until the tail end of the Battle of Britain while based out of Britain. Early operations included flights over France, Holland and Belgium escorting bombers and looking for targets of opportunity. In 1942 an opportunity for Plagis to volunteer to reinforce Malta as they were under constant bombardment from the Germans and Italians. One of the first 16 Spitfires loaded on the H.M.S Eagle aircraft carrier, Plagis and several other fellow colony pilots (one other from Rhodesia, four from Australia, two from New Zealand and eight from England) headed for Malta.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /> Upon their arrival, they went into immediate actions, always outnumbered by enemy aircraft. It was only a matter of weeks before many of the pilots had been killed and most of the aircraft had been lost or badly damaged. England tried several more times to ferry in aircraft and pilots, but fewer were making the journey. Plagis once quipped that “...we at all times fought the enemy with great odds against us, in fact, if four of us were airborne and we encountered twenty enemy fighters and bombers, we considered it a reasonable fight.” In one day during four separate flights, Plagis and three wingmates intercepted and attacked 180 bombers which were escorted by 80 fighters, personally tallying up four destroyed, one damaged and one probably destroyed (not confirmed) without loss of any Spitfires. Total enemy aircraft destroyed while stationed in Malta tallied at 11, with two others probably destroyed and five more damaged.<ref name="Aces" />
{{break}}
<center>
{{Quote
|"It is difficult to single out one fighter pilot and make comparisons but because pilot officer Plagis shot down four enemy aircraft, he is worthy of special mention. He flies a Spitfire and with it he is devastating."
|His Majesty King George VI, as stated on the Distinguished Flying Cross citation presented to Pilot Officer John Plagis.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />
}}</center>
{{break}}

Plagis was sent back to England where he was found to be malnourished and had both a mental and physical breakdown.<ref name="Aces" /> After convalescing, he was assigned to No 64 Squadron in Coltishall in Southern England. Here his duties included bomber escort duty and armed recon patrols where he was able to tally up to two more German aircraft shot down. During July 1944, Plagis was promoted to Squadron Commander in charge of No 126 Squadron in which he racked up four more kills. Plagis participated in Operation Market-Garden and during the battle was shot down by anti-aircraft flak over Arnhem. The disabled Spitfire ended up crashing at a high rate of speed, however, Plagis walked away with only minor injuries.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" /><ref name="Aces" /> Later in 1944, No 126 Squadron was upgraded from their Spitfires to Mustang IIIs (essentially P-51B Mustangs) which he flew to the end of the war performing bomber escort.<ref name="Aces" /> After the war ended, Plagis was sent back to his home country of Rhodesia and continued to serve the R.A.F. there. It wasn’t long until he was called back to England and at the personal request of Lord Tedder, Plagis flew the new Meteor jet aircraft for the next three years. It was at this time he was specifically tasked with giving an exhibition of aerobatics in the jet fighter for various foreign delegations in many city-centres in Europe. In 1948, Plagis received his discharge orders and returned to Salisbury, Rhodesia.<ref name="Vassilopoulous" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Typically outnumbered while flying in Malta, Plagis learned to rely on wingmates to help balance out air battles where they were at a disadvantage. No time for single glory heroics the Spitfire pilots would work on separating enemy fighters and working them into a position where any of the chase aircraft could line up a firing solution. Teamwork ensured safety with more eyes looking out for enemy fighters trying to sneak into the fight.
==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2943--en War Thunder's Weapons of Victory - Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc]
{{break}}
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_SpitfireMkIX.jpg|thumb|none|250px|John Plagis posing in front of his [[Plagis%27_Spitfire_LF_Mk_IXc|Spitfire Mk IX]].]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_Malta.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis sitting on the wing of his Spitfire in Malta showing off his tally marks of confirmed German and Italian aircraft he shot down.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:John_Plagis_Spitfire_England.jpg|thumb|none|300px|John Plagis seated in the cockpit of his Spitfire close to the end of his tour in England, shortly before converting over to Mustang III aircraft.]] </li>
</ul>

== Japan ==

=== Iwamoto Tetsuzō ===

* Japan's top ace of the Second Sino-Japanese War (war with China 1937 - 1945)
* Shot down 48 [[F4U (Family)|F4U Coursair]] fighters, 1-in-4 of all F4U air-to-air losses in WW II were at the hands of Iwamoto Tetsuzō.
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Iwamoto Tetsuzō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Tetsuzo_Iwamoto_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">岩本徹三</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1934-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">June 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1934</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">December 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Third Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer Second Class</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Petty Officer First Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Chief Petty Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1942</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Commissioned Ensign</span><span class="ttx-name">November 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">87</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-15 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16 (prewar)]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">10</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Chinese aircraft (prewar)</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aerial victories claimed in Iwamto's diary:</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">7</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4F (Family)|F4F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-38 (Family)|P-38]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F4U (Family)|F4U]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-39 (Family)|P-39]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">29</span><span class="ttx-name">[[F6F (Family)|F6F]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-47 (Family)|P-47]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[P-51 (Family)|P-51]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">48</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">[[TBF-1C]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">5</span><span class="ttx-name">SB2C</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-25 (Family)|B-25]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">B-26</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">6</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-24/PB4Y (Family)|B-24]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[B-29/Tu-4 (Family)|B-29]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[PBY-5a_Catalina|PBY-5a]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value"></span><span class="ttx-name">Aircraft destroyed by 30 kg No.3 aerial bombs</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">30</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SBD-3|SBD]]</span></div>

</div>
</div>

==== General ====
Tetsuzo Iwamoto was born in 1916 and initially grew up in Sapporo, Japan and later moved to Masuda, Japan. Early subjects in school which interested him included mathematics and geometry. Upon graduation at age 18, Iwamoto’s parents suggested he take college entrance examinations. Iwamoto left home, however to his parents' disappointment, they found out that instead he applied for entrance into the Imperial Japanese Navy, passed the examination and had become an Imperial Japanese naval airman 4th class. Five months later, Iwamoto was promoted to 3rd class. In 1936 he again advanced in rank and was a naval mechanic and crewman on the light carrier Ryūjō. It was during this time he studied hard and passed the IJNAS exam allowing him to attend aviator school. Iwamoto passed the flight training program and later a more formal aviation training which lasted through 1937.

==== War Experience ====
After graduating from aerial combat training, Iwamoto was assigned to the 13th Flying Group which routinely flew over Nanchang, China. The first opportunity for Iwamoto to participate in combat occurred on 25 February 1938 while escorting Type 96 land-based attack bombers. It was during this time when sixteen Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters commenced attacking. The first enemy fighter Iwamoto engaged was only 50 m away when he opened fire causing the enemy fighter to ignite and crash. The second target, an I-15 was spotted below him where he descended and pounced on it, causing it to lose control and crash. Next came an I-16 which was at the top of its roll when Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 was burning and out of control, however, Iwamoto lost sight of it and could only count it as a probable kill. The next I-15 attempted a head-on attack, both aircraft began to climb and dogfight, however, the I-15 attempted to dive away, but this made it an easy target for the Japanese pilot. The final enemy aircraft shot down was an I-16 which was descending with its landing gear extended and at about 200 meters above the ground, Iwamoto opened fire, the I-16 made an immediate split-S manoeuvre, however at that low of an altitude with gear extended, there was no room for error and the I-16 crashed. Iwamoto racked up four confirmed kills in his first aerial confrontation and by the time he was ordered back to Japan, he had flown over 82 sorties and downed a total of 14 enemy aircraft on the Chinese front.

During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Iwamoto was flying the A6M Zero fighter, however, he did not participate directly in the attacks that day. Instead, Iwamoto was chosen to fly “top cover” or security patrols over the carrier group. Due to the violent battle at Coral Sea and the heavy losses endured by the Japanese, they were ordered back to Japan for resupply and in doing so, Iwamoto missed the opportunity to participate in the battle of Midway. Defeat at Midway necessitated Iwamoto returning to service as a pilot instructor to train many new replacement pilots. With pilots trained, Iwamoto was ordered to Rabaul in 1943 where he lead many new and very inexperienced pilots against the Americans, British and Australian pilots of the US Navy and USAAF. During his time at Rabul, Iwamoto filed documentation stating that he shot down over 140 enemy aircraft.

Iwamoto seemed to be like a ping pong ball, going back and forth from Japan to the front lines and back again. In 1944, Japanese forces were removed from Rabaul to Japan, but only for a short time when they were ordered to go to the Philippines. When pulled from the Philippians, Iwamoto was ordered to defend Kyushu and Okinawa, however, the last months of the war, Iwamoto was tasked with training kamikaze pilots.

Iwamoto’s success in the cockpit has been compared to the same strategy of the top Luftwaffe ace pilot, Erich Hartmann where they prefer quick diving attacks with weapons bursts from very close range rather than turning in a dogfight. During the Battle of Coral Sea, US air forces were attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku, however, it was here that Petty Officer Iwamoto and a wingman fended off the TBD Devastators, preventing their attempts to torpedo the carrier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Dauntless dive-bombers got through and dropped several 1,000 lb bombs on the carrier deck.<ref name="Alexander" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
Iwamoto had several tactics he employed depending on the circumstance of the aerial battle:

;1 vs. 1

*''Quick Roll'': When being followed, begin by skidding sideways to cause a sudden deceleration followed with a 1/2 quick roll causing the attacking aircraft to overshoot, reversing roles of the aircraft, causing the initial target aircraft to become the attacker with a firing solution on the overshot aircraft.

*''Corkscrew Loop'': When being followed, initiate a loop and attacker will follow, at the top of the loop, begin a skid-roll which will position your aircraft with guns on the attacker aircraft as they are coming up in the loop.

*''Yo-yo Turn'': This manoeuvre can be performed at either high or low speed and can be used to cause overshoot of an attacker or provide enough spacing for a pursuing aircraft to gain a target solution.
** Causing overshoot: The target aircraft must turn inside the attacking pursuit aircraft, causing the attacker to overshoot, allowing the initial target aircraft to roll onto the initial attackers tail and acquire target solution.
** Preventing overshoot: When an attacker wants to prevent an overshoot of their target, they must perform a quick climb followed with a quick dive, which absorbs energy, but maintains flight path preventing overshoot of the target.

;Formation Tactics

*''Two Group Linked Formation Attack'': The two groups are divided into offensive and defensive formations. The offensive formation utilises Boom & Zoom and diving attacks against the enemy aircraft while the defensive formations oversee the battle and provide high-altitude cover for the offensive group.
*''Rendezvous Attack'': Attack enemy aircraft after their mission is over and while they are on the way back to the rendezvous location where they meet up with other aircraft before heading over long distances back to base.

;No.3 Aerial Bomb Attack

*From the 12 o'clock high position, the attacking fighter will invert itself and dive on its target.
**Using an almost vertical dive (60 degrees) is required as the 30 kg No.3 aerial bomb requires releasing at speeds over 280 knots to properly work the timer and arm the bomb for the detonator explosion.
**Due to its excellent flight characteristics, the Zero had to start the dive in the inverted position to allow it to maintain the steep dive angle.

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3142--en Ace of the Month - June - Lt JG Tetsuzo Iwamoto]

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_group_photo.jpg|thumb|none|300px|This is an image of five Imperial Japanese Naval pilots including '''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' (back row, left). February 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Iwamoto_flight_gear.jpeg|thumb|none|250px|'''Tetsuzo Iwamoto''' dressed in flight gear prior to a mission. Standard flight gear included survival flotation vest, flight cap and goggles. The monkeys were not part of the issued gear.]] </li>
</ul>
{{break}}
----
=== Sakai Saburō ===

<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Sakai Saburō</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Sakai_Saburo_Profile.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">坂井三郎</span><span class="ttx-name">Japanese spelling</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Japan [[File:Japan flag.png|130px|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Imperial Japanese Navy</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1933-1945</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sailor Fourth Class</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1933</span></div>

<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sub-Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">September 1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">28</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a5m4}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m2_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m3_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|a6m5_zero}}</span><span class="ttx-name"></span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3A (China)|DB-3 (Pre-War)]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/243--en Ace of the Month - August - Saburo Sakai]


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|824I_anxW-w|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (1)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''|F7mKM4mEGNk|'''Japanese Ace Interviews: Sakai Saburo (2)''' - ''-Juno- TakaLeon''}}
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== Italy ==

=== Marcolin, Luciano ===

*

==== General ====

==== War Expierence ====

==== Tactics ====

==== Media ====

== France ==

=== Challe, René M.P.A. ===

* Fought with famed Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment out of Tula, USSR
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">René Challe</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Rene_challe_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">France [[File:CountryIcon FRA.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">USSR [[File:CountryIcon SUN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">French Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1938-1942</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2nd Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1938</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment (USSR)</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Captain</span><span class="ttx-name">18 March 1944</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Lieutenant Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">April 1951</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Colonel</span><span class="ttx-name">October 1955</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">8</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|ms_406c1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1939-1940</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|yak-9t_france}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1944-1945</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">3</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[Do 17 (Family)|Do 17]]</span></div>
</div>
</div>

==== General ====
René Marie Paul Alexandre Challe and several siblings learned to love flying and the military at an early age. Their father General Georges Challe was in charge of France's 4<sup>th</sup> Infantry division during World War I, where he would ultimately die in combat 1917. General Challe's younger brother Maurice Challe was a French aviation pioneer after receiving military flight certification in 1911 as the 46<sup>th</sup> French military aviator. Maurice died in combat in 1916 while performing missions over enemy territory. Patriotism and heroic stories of General Georges Challe and his brother Maurice inspired the Challe children to pursue careers in aviation and with the military.<ref name="Genealogy" />

Before the start of World War II, René Challe attended military school at St. Cyr and at the Air School in Versailles, upon his 25<sup>th</sup> birthday Challe received his pilot credentials. Challe would then be assigned to the 3/7 hunting group in the French Air Force. At the beginning of World War II, Challe is promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to 5<sup>th</sup> group.<ref name="Genealogy" />

==== War Experience ====
Challe’s early venture into World War II began after Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the time, Challe had entered into the service of the French Air Force and was part of GC III/7. During the Battle of France, he was assigned to fly an [[M.S.406C1|M.S.406]], a fighter of French design and build. The 406 was not a stellar aircraft, however, it did have a good climb rate and energy retention allowing for repeated dive and climb situations (Boom & Zoom). This aircraft carried two light-weight 7.5 mm machine guns and a single 20 mm Hispano cannon. As Challe found out, one weakness of the aircraft is its lack of armour. While credited with a potential kill shooting down a He 111, while chasing a Do 17 he was able to disable it causing it to crash, but not before the defensive gunners set his M.S.406 alight and Challe took a bullet to the chest, puncturing his right lung. Upon parachuting to the ground, according to one source, peasants mistook for a Luftwaffe pilot and attempted to kill him. Apparently, it took him slinging insults in French before they realised he was a French pilot evacuated him to Bar-le-Duc to recover in a hospital.<ref name="Donjon" />

After his recovery, France fell to the Germans and while the military was demobilized, Challe was determined to continue the fight against Germany. In August 1943 in the company of eight other aviators, they attempted to escape through Spain only to be caught and imprisoned. At the end of 1943, they were released to French authorities in Casablanca where they immediately volunteered to serve in the Normandie-Niémen Hunting Regiment which was French pilots flying for the Soviet Union in Soviet-built fighters in the city of Tula. Challe and others began their training on Yak-9 fighter aircraft and he was later assigned to the Yak-9T known as “White 60”. In June 1944, Challe was credited with his first German fighter kill when he downed a Bf 109. In a flight of three Yaks, Challe and his wingmates spotted two Bf 109s, determining they were alone, he dove and came up under one of the 109s and within 100 meters of his target, he opens fire with his 37 mm cannon, shearing off the right-wing of the 109, causing it to enter into a spin and crash into the ground. Challe’s wingmates took care of the remaining 109.<ref name="Donjon" />

Later in October 1944, Challe and wingmates happened upon Fw 190 fighters around Eydukhnen, East Prussia. The French manned fighters each took a target and Challe continued to manoeuvre to remain behind the 190 in front of him. At one point the Luftwaffe pilot cut his throttle in an attempt to get Challe to blow past him, however manoeuvres to avoid the overshoot and is able to line up on a slow-moving Fw 190. Several cannon rounds were unloaded into the 190 apparently taking out the pilot as he failed to take evasive action and the disabled aircraft crashed into the ground without a parachute emerging during the descent.<ref name="Donjon" />

Challe’s final flight took place on 17 January 1945 when he and two other wingmates took to the skies (a fourth had engine trouble and returned to the airfield). Around 09:00, between Insterburg and Gumbinnen, enemy aircraft were reported, upon arriving in the area, Challe found that Fw 190’s were strafing ground targets with escort aircraft watching from above. Undaunted, Challe and his wingmates select targets and attack. Getting in close range, Challe opened fire and ignited an Fw 190, however, he quickly had to disengage to help his wingmate Marchi who had an enemy on his tail. After taking care of the tail, a third enemy passed by closely and after doing a quick look around, Challe determined it safe to pursue. Challe closed the distance, lined up his shot and immediately his aircraft was rocked by minengeschoß rounds which exploded in his cockpit, one exploding near his throttle quadrant, badly injuring his left hand and forearm. His wingmates were able to relay the location of the pursuing enemy aircraft and Challe was able to avoid further hits and dodged incoming shots with quick rudder adjustments. Out of ammunition, the enemy fighters disengage and Challe is able to limp back to base without the use of his left hand. After safely landing, the ground crew were surprised when Challe did not come bounding from his aircraft in typical fashion and after approaching, understood the severity of Challe’s wounds and aided him out of the aircraft and to the hospital. Soviet doctors wanted to perform an amputation due to the wounds, however, Challe put up a fight and persisted that his arm be saved. The doctors relented and did their best to repair the damage. Challe later recovered from the ordeal with the use of his arm, however, the war ended before he was able to fly again.<ref name="Donjon" />

==== Preferred Tactics ====
The 37 mm NS-37 cannon of the Yak-9T was a fearsome weapon, however, due to its reload time and ammunition capacity, "spray and pray" firing tactics were not an option. As Challe demonstrated time and again, for him, the best bet was to manoeuvre his fighter as close to the enemy as possible, sometimes within 100 m and then engage with the cannon. At this range, the cannon had a better chance of hitting its target and as demonstrated by Challe, it could remove a wing or disable a pilot with ease. Challe would wait for the target aircraft to manoeuvre in a fashion which would expose enough surface area to reduce the chance of the 37 mm rounds bouncing or deflecting off of the target aircraft.

==== Media ====
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_1.jpg|thumb|none|300px|Rene and Maurice Challe in front of White 60, a [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|Yak 9T-37]]. The Challe Brothers had joined the Normandie-Niemen Regiment on 18 March 1944.]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Yak9t_normandie_2s.jpg|thumb|none|250px|Rene Challe shares a joke with Kazanov, his Russian Mechanic. In the background is [[Challe%27s_Yak-9T_(France)|White 60]], Challe's personal aircraft carrying the emblem of the French GC HI/7 Fighter Group.]] </li>
</ul>

{{break}}
== Other Nations ==

==Finland==
=== Juutilainen, Ilmari. ===

*Top scoring non-German fighter pilot
<div class="ttx">
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Ilmari Juutilainen</div>
<div class="ttx-image">[[File:Ilmari_Juutilainen_portrait.jpg]]</div>
<div class="ttx-table">
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finland [[File:CountryIcon FIN.png|link=]]</span><span class="ttx-name">Country fought for</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">WW II Military History</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Finnish Air Force</span><span class="ttx-name">Branch</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1941-1963</span><span class="ttx-name">Years served</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Military rank</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Sergeant</span><span class="ttx-name">May 1935</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Warrant Officer</span><span class="ttx-name">1941</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Service record</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">437</span><span class="ttx-name">Combat missions flown</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">94</span><span class="ttx-name">Confirmed aerial victories</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">Yes</span><span class="ttx-name">Ace</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft Flown</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">Fokker D.XXI</span><span class="ttx-name">1939</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit|f2a-1}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1940-1943</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span style="float:right;font-weight:normal;">{{Tree-Unit-Prem|bf-109g-2_romania}}</span><span class="ttx-name">1943-44</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line ttx-table-head">Aircraft shot down</div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[DB-3B]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-15 (Family)|I-153]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">4</span><span class="ttx-name">[[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">2</span><span class="ttx-name">[[SB 2M (Family)|SB 2M]]</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">1</span><span class="ttx-name">Li-2</span></div>
<div class="ttx-table-line"><span class="ttx-value">85</span><span class="ttx-name">Other Russian aircraft</span></div>
</div>
</div>
==== General ====

Ilmari Juutilainen was born on 21 February 1914 in Lieksa, Finland, though he spent his childhood growing up in Sortavala.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> During his teenage years, Juutilainen spent time as a member of the Volunteer Maritime Defence Association sailing on the Laatokka Sea which he enjoyed, but not enough to pursue later on in life. On the other hand, the town had a military airport which did catch the interest of Juutilainen and other youth of the area. Another form of inspiration came from a book passed on by his older brother which was about the Red Baron; Manfred von Richthofen. Juutilainen spent many hours reading and dreaming of the aerial manoeuvres which the Red Baron performed eliminating one enemy fighter after another.<ref name="Guttmann" /><ref name="Barber" />

==== War Experience ====

Pressed into required national military service, Juutilainen worked as an assistant mechanic from 1932 to 1933 with the 1st Separate Maritime Squadron, though he spent his free time working on completing his civilian pilot license. When he was finally awarded his civilian pilots license, Juutilainen applied and was accepted into the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer. Military pilot training came next from 1935 to 1936 at the Air Force Academy in Kauhava.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> Juutialinen’s first assignment after completing the academy was to Suur-Merijoki Air Base near Viipuri in 1937 and then to Utti Air Base in 1938. It was at Utti that Juutilainen went through an intensive fighter flying and gunnery training. Upon completing this training, he was then assigned permanently to Utti where he was then assigned to fly Dutch-built Fokker D.XXI biplane fighters.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Finland knew of their position in the world and was very aware of the Soviets gaze in their direction. With an obviously disproportionate amount of pilots, the Finns realized their numbers would never match what the Soviet Air Force could through at them, instead they focused on training and ensuring the Finnish pilots were masters at flying and shooting. Bucking trends, the Finnish Air Force trained with loose formations, typically the basic fighter element consisted of two fighters flying 150 to 200 meters apart and if flying in a larger group such as a section, the sections would be 300 to 400 meters apart.<ref name="Barber" /> With this setup, the Finns planned to always be the attackers, no matter the number of enemy fighters. Since the Finnish pilots went through such intensive aircraft training (including aerobatics mixed with basic combat manoeuvres) and aerial gunnery training, their intent was to break up the larger enemy formations and then combat would reduce to section duels (1 – 2 aircraft vs. 1 - 2 aircraft) where typically in this situation the better pilots always won.<ref name="Guttmann" />

Early on, Juutilainen favoured the Fokker D.XXI, unfortunately, it lacked any armour protection, however, he felt that the aircraft had favourable diving characteristics and was a very steady shooting platform which to attack from. It was apparent that the intense training Finnish pilots went through paid off with flying the Fokker during the Winter War after the Soviets attacked. While this was the best fighter the Finnish Air Force had in 1939, Juutilainen knew the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter to be a faster and more agile aircraft, including pilot protection with protective armour. Later, Juutilainen had the opportunity to fly a captured I-16 and was impressed with its speed (50 kph faster than the D.XXI) and its fantastic turn rate.

Juutilainen’s first taste of combat did not start as planned as it was the first clear day after a series of bad weather storms came through. His aircraft did not want to cooperate and so it took longer than normal to get his engine started. Once in the air, he was behind the rest of his flight, however, nearing Antrea, Juutilainen received a radio message that three enemy bombers were approaching the area. A few minutes later, he spotted them, three Ilyushin DB-3 bombers.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> They were approximately 460 m below him when he began to turn an attack. Falling back on the training he received at gunnery camp, he pursued the bombers. When the bombers realized the attack was imminent they jettisoned their bombs in the forest and turned for home and it was at this point that Juutilainen attacked. One by one, Juutilainen focused on shooting the three rear gunners of the DB-3s and once those gunnery positions went silent, he commenced to open fire on the engines.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Eventually, one of the bombers rolled and crashed while the other two were slowly losing altitude and pouring out smoke when Juutilainen had to return to base after running out of ammunition. His impression of combat came across as nothing special as he felt that everything proceeded as he had trained.

<center>
{{Quote
|"If you threaten Finns, they do not become frightened – they become angry. And they never surrender.."
|Ilmari Juutilainen.
}}</center>

By early 1940 the Finns started receiving the B-239 Brewster Buffalos and Juutilianen to his credit began to put his aircraft through its paces. Having numerous hours in the Fokker D.XXI and having flown in the I-16, he felt happy and comfortable with his new fighter. Pilots during their familiarization flights performed all sorts of aerobatic manoeuvres along with conducting stall and dive tests and determined the aircraft to be an excellent replacement aircraft, one that if they had earlier in the war would have definitely made the Finns even more of a force to have reckoned with.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Performance and gunnery tests were conducted which resulted in many of the pilots putting all of the bullets they fired into the targets set up for them. Pilots also received an armoured pilot’s seat with the aircraft which helped endear the new aircraft over the previous they flew.

Juutilainen continued to fly the B-239 into 1943 where he racked up a total of 34 enemy aircraft shot down. During this time, he transferred to a new unit which operated the Bf 109 G-2 fighters. The 109 turned out to be a different animal compared to other aircraft he had flown. Juutilainen felt that the 109 was far more aggressive than any of the other aircraft which he had previously flown.<ref name="Barber" /> The aggressiveness of the 109 did not let things go to his head, instead utilizing his experience and training, Juutilainen continued adding enemy aircraft to his list of those shot down including the La-5 which he felt was more agile than the 109 and a series of Il-2s of which he exploited their blind spot by attacking them from above and the side where neither the forward-facing guns nor the rear gunner could fire.<ref name="AcesofwwII" /> In June of 1944, during a single mission, Juutilainen shot down six aircraft.

Juutilainen was an impressive pilot, one that scored 94 confirmed kills, although his actual claim puts the number closer to 120.<ref name="Guttmann" /> Though the number of confirmed kills is impressive, even more, is the fact that his aircraft was never hit by enemy fire and that through his extensive practice and training he was able to fly his aircraft in a manner in which the enemy pilot could never get a firing solution on him while he was able to methodically dispatch enemies which crossed his gun sights.

Known Aircraft Flown:

BW-364 - "Orange 4"

==== Media ====

* [[wt:en/news/620--en|[Series:News<nowiki>]</nowiki> May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen]]



----

== Reference ==
<references>
<ref name="Barker">Barker, C. (2016, June). [https://therake.com/stories/icons/real-maverick-robin-olds/ A Real Maverick: Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Hickman">Hickman, K (2019, July 03). [https://www.thoughtco.com/vietnam-war-brigadier-general-robin-olds-2360545Vietnam: Brigadier General Robin Olds. Retrieved from </ref>
<ref name="Boyne">Boyne, W. J. (2008, June). The Robin Olds Factor. Retrieved from http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/June 2008/0608olds.aspx</ref>
<ref name="Hess">Hess, W. N. (2001). Americas top WW II aces in their own words: Eighth Air Force. St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref>
<ref name="Wyllie">Wyllie, A. (2004). Army Air Force victories. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.</ref>
<ref name="Gaijin01">Gaijin. (2015, April 24). [Weapons of Victory] P-51D Daddy's Girl. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/3010--en</ref>
<ref name="Baldridge">Baldridge, C., Fogg, J., & Fogg, R. (n.d.). A Manifest Spirit: The 359th Fighter Group 1943-1945 (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.</ref>
<ref name="AviationHist">Guttmann, J. (2000, September). Interview with Ivan Kozhedub. ''Aviation History''.</ref>
<ref name="Bourne">Bourne, Merfyn (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ItVuBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT263 The Second World War in the Air: The story of air combat in every theatre of World War Two]. Troubador Publishing Limited. 978-1-78088-677-0. p.263.</ref>
<ref name="Poltava">Лицар неба Іван Кожедуб. [Knight of the skies Ivan Kozhedub] (2010.). Retrieved from https://poltava.to/news/3210/ </ref>
<ref name="Prominent">Prominent Russians: Ivan Kozhedub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/military/ivan-kozhedub/ </ref>
<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, B. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.badassoftheweek.com/litvyak.html </ref>
<ref name="Courtney">Courtney, C. (2018, October 06). The First Female Flying Ace: Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://disciplesofflight.com/first-female-ace-lydia-litvyak/ </ref>
<ref name="White">White, E. (2017, October 06). The Short, Daring Life of Lilya Litvyak. Retrieved from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/10/06/short-daring-life-lilya-litvyak-white-rose-stalingrad/ </ref>
<ref name="Chen">Chen, C. P. (n.d.). Lydia Litvyak. Retrieved from https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=433 </ref>
<ref name="Simonovich">Simonovich, S. (2018). Pilot Profile: Lydia Litvyak, the World's First Female Fighter Ace. Retrieved from https://aviationoiloutlet.com/blog/lydia-litvyak-first-female-fighter-ace/ </ref>
<ref name="Vassilopoulous">Vassilopoulos, D. (2018, October 15). John Agorastos Plagis. Retrieved from https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/pilots-crews/fighter-pilots/john-agorastos-plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Aces">Aces of World War 2. (n.d.). Ioannis Agorastos "Johnny" Plagis. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/rhodesia/aces/plagis/ </ref>
<ref name="Donjon">Donjon, Y. (2007). René Challe. Retrieved from http://chezpeps.free.fr/bruno-challe/@/rene_challe.htm </ref>
<ref name="Genealogy">Généalogie de René CHALLE. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gw.geneanet.org/garric?lang=fr&p=rene&n=challe </ref>
<ref name="Alexander">Alexander, J. H. (2016, April 27). Trial by Fire at Coral Sea. Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/trial-by-fire-at-coral-sea.htm# </ref>
<ref name="Simha">Simha, R. K. (2014, June 07). Alexander Pokryshkin: The air ace who terrorised the Luftwaffe. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/blogs/2014/06/07/alexander_pokryshkin_the_air_ace_who_terrorised_the_luftwaffe_35823</ref>
<ref name="Chlon">Chlon, C. J. (2018, November 01). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/innovative-soviet-fighter-ace-2/</ref>
<ref name="Nye">Nye, L. (2019, January 28). That time the RAF bombed a POW camp with an artificial leg. Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/douglas-bader-replacement-leg-ace?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 </ref>
<ref name="Hull">Hull, M. D. (2018, December 12). Site Navigation. Retrieved from https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/fighter-ace-douglas-bader-the-rafs-legless-legend/</ref>
<ref name="Walton">Walton, B., & Walton, B. (2019, August 6). Profiles in Aviation: Richard Ira Bong- World War II American Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://www.avgeekery.com/profiles-in-aviation-richard-ira-bong-world-war-ii-american-ace-of-aces/</ref>
<ref name="Guttmann">Guttmann, J. (n.d.). Interview with Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation history/WW2/aces/Ilmari Juutilainen.htm</ref>
<ref name="AcesofwwII">Aces of WWII (n.d.) Eino Ilmari "Illu" Juutilainen - Finland's Ace of Aces. Retrieved from https://acesofww2.com/finland/aces/juutilainen/</ref>
<ref name="Barber">Barber, M. (2014, May 30). May Ace of the Month – Ilmari Juutilainen. Retrieved from https://warthunder.com/en/news/620--en</ref>
<ref name="Vojska">Vojska.net website (n.d.) Cvitan vitez Galić. Retrieved from http://www.vojska.net/hrv/zivotopis/g/galic/cvitan/</ref>
</references>

File:Cvitan Galic.JPG

2022-08-15T06:24:18Z

U64962917: Croatian ace pilot Cvitan Galić. This image was found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cvitan_Gali%C4%87#/media/File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG This Croatian work is in the public domain because its copyright expired pursuant to the Yugoslav Copyright Act of...

Croatian ace pilot Cvitan Galić.

This image was found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cvitan_Gali%C4%87#/media/File:Cvitan_Galic.JPG

This Croatian work is in the public domain because its copyright expired pursuant to the Yugoslav Copyright Act of 1978 and the succeeding Croatian Copyright Act of 1991 (NN 53/91 and 58/93), which provided for copyright term of the life of the author plus fifty years, respectively 25 years for photograph or a work of applied art (details). This applies to works already in the public domain on or before July 27th, 1999, when the law was changed.

P-36C

2022-08-13T02:34:33Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-36 flight manual.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-36 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-36c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-36c.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.31]].

In the early 1930s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation began a private venture to build a fighter aircraft which was a revolutionary departure from earlier cloth-covered biplanes of World War I. This project aircraft under development was named the Curtiss Hawk Model 75 (later it would be known by P-36 Hawk, Hawk-75 – or just H-75 and Mohawk). The P-36 was an all-metal monoplane (although the control surfaces were fabric-covered) with a 900 hp radial engine, enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear.<ref name="MilFac" /> Even though this aircraft touted some of the state-of-the-art development in aircraft design, several aspects remained lacking, such as the original two machine guns firing through the propeller arc, a 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm and other critical components such as the absence of armour in the cockpit and self-sealing fuel tanks.

By May 1935 the first prototype flew and attained speeds of 281 mph (452 km/h) and reaching an altitude of 10,000 ft (3,000 m). It wasn't long before the original 900 hp Write XR-1670-5 radial engine was replaced with an upgrade Wright XR-1820-39 Cyclone at 950 hp and several modifications to the body of the aircraft was completed like the addition of scalloped rear windows which significantly improved the pilots rear view (although the hump on the back of the aircraft still blocked a significant portion of the view).<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> This version of the aircraft was designated as Model 75B while oddly enough the earlier version with the 1670-5 was listed as a Model 75D.

In early competitions against the [[User:U5724584#P-35A|Seversky P-35A]] the underpowered and more expensive P-35A was seen as the winner in the U.S. government's eyes, however the United States Army Air Command (USAAC) went ahead and placed an order for three Y1P-36 prototypes as a backup contingency fighter. When delivered, the Y1P-36 (Model 75E) had been outfitted with the 900 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp engine. Due to this version of the aircraft performing so well, an order for 210 P-36-A fighters was placed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="MilFac" />

The P-36 was known as an outstanding turning aircraft due to its extremely low wing loading and had a beefy power-to-weight ratio of 0.186 hp/lb that placed this aircraft as one of the best climbing aircraft of the time.<ref name="AviHis" /> One drawback noted was that the P-36 was not outfitted with a supercharger which hampered its ability to operate at high altitudes, requiring it to stay under 10,000 ft in altitude.<ref name="MilFac" /> For all of this aircraft's positive attributes and unfortunate shortcomings, it performed well mostly for other nations such as Finland where the Hawk was known as "Sussu" or Finnish for "Sweetheart" as between 58 Finnish pilots flying the Hawk, they scored 190.3 aerial victories. The P-36 was the proving ground and stepping stone to the later great fighter, the [[P-40 (Family)|P-40]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


The {{PAGENAME}} is a relatively easy fighter aircraft to fly and requires only a relatively short space to both take-off and land. During World War II the P-36 was ferried over to Pearl Harbor aboard an aircraft carrier from which they took off and then landed at the Army Air Corps base.<ref name="MilFac" /> In the game, due to the very low stall speed, the P-36 can land on an aircraft carrier to a complete stop and take off again. Due to the fantastically low wing loading rate of 23.9 lb/ft<sup>2</sup><ref name="JoeB" />, this fighter is an excellent turning aircraft and accompanied by a strong rudder can spiral climb easily, especially during WEP cycles. This aircraft has the advantage of being both a turn fighter and a Boom & Zoom fighter, depending on the situation, type of aircraft which are flying against and mission type. The P-36 will out-turn many fighters of its rank and can prove difficult to follow if attempting to shoot it down. The [[P-36A]] and {{PAGENAME}} utilise the same engine, however with the extra two machine guns and associated ammunition, the C model lags slightly behind the A with flight characteristics, but not noticeable enough for the upgrading pilot to realize while manoeuvring the aircraft. The trade-off for more guns vs. slightly hampered flight model is well worth it.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,048 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 480 || 464 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 17.7 || 18.1 || 7.1 || 7.1 || rowspan="2" | 183
|-
! Upgraded
| 524 || 501 || 16.8 || 17.0 || 15.2 || 10.6
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 488 || 446 || 232 || ~12 || ~7
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 290 || < 380 || < 420 || > 300
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 9.5 mm armoured pilot seat
* Self-sealing fuel tanks

As with many early pre-war fighters, not much emphasis was put on the survivability of the aircraft. The best course of action was for the pilot to not let anyone get behind them. The {{PAGENAME}}'s only sources of protection for the pilot is the engine block and the 9.5 mm (angled at 24° for effective thickness of 13 mm), that being said, depending on the engine block to save the pilot may do so at the expense of the engine, thus requiring the pilot to glide back to base if possible or bailout. There are also two unprotected oil coolers if which are punctured, the aircraft will leak oil until depleted eventually causing the engine to seize up.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)
* 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Armament weaknesses found in the [[P-36A]] were addressed when outfitting the {{PAGENAME}} fighter, as the armament of a single 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine gun was found lacking. While the engine cowling was already crowded and no more machine guns could be centrally mounted which required wing modifications to install two more 7.62 machine guns, one in each wing. For this aircraft, two machine guns are mounted in the engine cowl and fire through the propeller arc while the other two are mounted one in each wing. Due to the wing-mounted machine guns, convergence is a factor to deal with with the optimal range being 100 - 200 m, anything beyond this will still work, however, the bullets significantly start losing their punch. The increase in armament increased the damage output ability of the fighter, however, the next generation P-36, the [[P-36G]] increased the deadliness of the fighter by adding two more wing-mounted machine guns for a total of six guns. Options in ammunition will allow the pilot to select the type best suited for their mission whether it be as an interceptor, ground target hunter or a stealthy pouncer.

;Option 1 Configuration (optimal 200 - 400 m convergence)

* 12.7 mm = Ground target rounds
* 7.62 mm = Stealth round
* The use of ground target rounds gives you access to hard-hitting ammunition rounds with tracers to help guide in the rounds, however, the 7.62 mm should be set up with stealth rounds as providing a good mix of armour-piercing and incendiary rounds without the tell-tale tracers. Without the tell-tale show of tracers flying by, the pilot of the aircraft may assume a weakly armed aircraft is on their tail with intermittent tracers from the 12.7 mm machine gun. This can be a huge advantage for the attacking aircraft by sneaking in a large amount of lead and incendiaries while still having the ability to walk in the shots with the tracers (especially helpful in realistic and simulator battles where the aiming helper is not available for use).

==== 12.7 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|M2 Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}
* '''Ground targets:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}

==== 7.62 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}

This aircraft does not have the option to select any additional suspended armaments nor does it have any defensive weapons to counter any attackers.

== Usage in battles ==

Energy retention lends this fighter to be a great zoomer, dropping in for a shot and then speeding back up to regain the energy advantage. With this aircraft having such a low stall speed; it makes a great fighter to practice Rope-a-dope energy depletion manoeuvres. This requires the P-36 pilot to bait another fighter into following them in a climb, as the attacker attempts to get guns on, the P-36 pilot can start to spiral climb which will cause the attacking aircraft to pull a tighter circle haemorrhaging their energy. If done correctly, the attacking fighter will stall out and be completely helpless as they begin to fall back to the ground allowing the P-36 to roll over or Split-S and take out the stalled fighter below.

Most fighters are typically only good at one thing whether its turning, speed or weapon systems, however, the P-36 is good at two, speeding and turning. This fighter has the ability to not only zoom attack but can also turn fight competitively with most other aircraft. There are few aircraft (notably the A6M Zero fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy) which may outshine while turning, however, when utilizing flaps and rudder while turning, the P-36 can manoeuvre into some tight turns and allow guns to get on target.

Even with all of its power and mobility, the P-36 is a relatively fragile aircraft. Without much armour on the aircraft, many of its critical systems are exposed and it will not take much even from lower calibre machine guns to cause fuel fires, oil leaks and the engine shutdowns, not to mention a knocked out pilot. Situational awareness is critical to potentially know not only where the targets are, but also the enemy aircraft which are manoeuvring into position and ready to pounce. The weakness of only having four machine guns will require the pilot to get in close (50 – 200 m) to make the most of their shots as anywhere past 150 m, bullet penetration drops off considerably.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent climb rate
* Excellent dive speed
* Better-than-average turn-radius
* Good energy retention for Boom & Zoom manoeuvres
* Two more machine guns (four total) for increased firepower over the [[P-36A]]

'''Cons:'''

* Less effective weapons compared to contemporary aircraft
* No suspended armament options
* Lower-than-average roll rate at high speeds
* Very little armour protection
* Poor in a head-on, engine and pilot exposed

== History ==


The P-36 Hawk began its life at Curtiss Aeroplane Company as a design in the early 1930s. A private venture by Curtiss, the project was headed up by Donovan A. Berlin, a former Northrop aircraft company engineer who was the principal designer and incorporated design portions of early Northrop designs.<ref name="MilFac" /> The P-36, at this time known as the X-17Y, was a stretch from the biplane years by utilizing an all-metal low-wing monoplane with fabric-covered control surfaces. This aircraft also featured retractable landing gear, which utilized a design put forward by Boeing Aircraft Company and required royalties to be paid to Boeing for every aircraft in which this landing gear was installed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> Initial weapon load-outs included the standard 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, both of which were mounted in the forward fuselage deck and fired through openings in the cowling, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.<ref name="AviHis" />

The initial flight took place in 1935 and when it was presented at a competition the next year, the competitor aircraft (Seversky SEV-2XP/P-35) was heavily damaged in transit. While Seversky took their aircraft back to perform repairs and modifications, Curtiss took the opportunity during this time to make some modifications of their own, and namely replacing the Wright XR-1670-5 twin-row air-cooled radial engine with the upgraded Write XR-1820-39 Cyclone radial.<ref name="MilFac" /> With the Seversky aircraft repaired, the competition was back on. Even though the Seversky aircraft underperformed and was more expensive than Curtis X-17Y, it was selected and an order of 77 aircraft were put in for, however later the Material Division of the USAAC contacted Curtis and put in an order for three examples as they were becoming nervous about Seversky's ability to deliver their aircraft on time. Curtiss worked on modifying the P-36 by again upgrading the motor and working on the cockpit, especially increasing the amount of area behind the cockpit where the pilot could see. During the 1937 competition, test pilots who piloted the P-36 all commented that the aircraft responded to pilot input favourable and at all speeds and even noted that it handled well on the ground while taxiing. With such a reaction from the test pilots, the USAAC put in an order for 210 P-36A fighters, which at that time was the largest single US military aircraft order since World War I.<ref name="JoeB" />

As the P-36 fighters began to roll off the assembly line, they were shipped to US squadrons, however, problems developed with the aircraft which left them grounded while waiting repairs. The P-36 continued to have problems, however, four P-36A fighters stationed at Wheeler Air Field in Hawaii were able to get airborne and attach a flight of Nakajima B5N1 torpedo bombers, claiming two shot down and gaining the first US fighter aircraft "kills" of the Pacific War. Despite this action, the P-36 fighters were withdrawn from combat outfits and sent to training units for new pilots to train on. While the P-36 did not see much action with the U.S., it did see combat action while flown by other nations such as France and Finland where they put the little fighter to the test and were highly successful with it. 10 P-36A training fighters were transferred in 1942 to Brazil where they remained in service until 1954.<ref name="JoeB" />

=== In-game description ===
The P-36A's "teething problems" were so serious that its introduction was halted in several squadrons and flights with the new fighters were limited. Many of the planes were left grounded and waiting for the modernization they needed.

The Curtiss company had to fix the situation quickly. The measures they took resulted in the creation of the new P-36C model with a strengthened airframe and improved exhaust system.

They also made modifications to the powerplant – the new model was powered by the air-cooled Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp engine with a maximum output of 1,200 hp.

The P-36A's firepower was inferior to that of European fighters of the time, such as the Spitfire and Bf.109D, so its armament was enhanced. Two more 7.62 mm Colt-Browning ANM2.3 machine guns with 500 rounds each were mounted on the wing panels, supplementing the two synchronized machine guns the plane already possessed.

These Brownings were equipped with special containers mounted under the wing for the collection of spent shell casings. This was done to prevent changes to the plane's center of gravity as its ammunition was used.

In spite of its increased flight weight of 2,630 kg, the new engine increased the plane's maximum speed, which reached the round number of 500 km/h at a height of 3,000 m.

A total of 30 P-36C planes were produced.

By the time Japan attacked the USA, most P-36 planes still in service were being used as training vehicles. However, they were still present in fighter squadrons in distant regions such as Alaska, the Panama Canal Zone and Hawaii. It was these planes that had to go into battle against the attacking enemy.

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, there were 45 P-36As in Hawaii, 44 of which were part of the three squadrons and command division of the 15th PG. Ten of the Hawks were destroyed or damaged in attacks on airfields. After the first wave from the Japanese, four standby P-36s from the 46th Pursuit Squadron were able to take off and chase the retreating group of 11 B5N2 torpedo bombers and A6M fighters. In the resulting battle, they shot down two Japanese planes, making these the first USAAC conquests in the Pacific War. On the same day, P-36s made another 14 combat flights in search of Japanese aircraft carriers.

The American Hawks ended their combat operations there. P-36 planes were quickly removed from active service and given to training subdivisions, which used them until mid-1943.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-36c Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|91duRbIoCPM|'''The Shooting Range #91''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:02 discusses the P-36.|58jMcWoTkew|''War Thunder Talisman Series - P-36C Hawk/Hardy Hawk'' - '''Hairyfeet'''|u6vkPdnQb0A|''War Thunder Arcade: P-36C Hawk'' - '''Jengar'''}}

== See also ==


;Related development
* [[P-36 (Family)|Curtiss P-36 and H-75 variations]]

;Analogues of other nations
* Polikarpov [[I-180S]]
* Mitsubishi [[A6M (Family)|A6M]] Zero
* Nakajima [[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]
* Reggiane [[Re.2000 serie 1|Re.2000]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/86594-p-36-h-75/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-36/P-36_Operation_and_Flight_Instruction.pdf/ Technical Order 01-25CB-1 - Handbook of Operation and Flight Instructions for the Models P-26A and P-26C Pursuit Airplanes]

=== References ===
;Citations
<references>
<ref name="JoeB">Baugher, Joe (1999)</ref>
<ref name="MilFac">Militaryfactory.com website (2019)</ref>
<ref name="AviHis">Aviationhistory.com website (2007)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Aviationhistory.com website. [http://www.aviation-history.com/curtiss/p36.htm The Curtiss P-36 Hawk]. ''The Aviation History Online Mueseum website'', On-line 12 June 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
* Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p36_1.html Curtiss P-36A Curtiss P-36A]. ''Joebauer.com website", On-line 12 June 1999. Retrieved 24 August 2019.''
* Militaryfactory.com website (2019) [https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=155 Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75 / Mohawk).] ''Militaryfactory.com website'', On-line 10 May 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

{{AirManufacturer Curtiss}}
{{USA fighters}}

Rasmussen's P-36A

2022-08-13T02:34:30Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-36 flight manual.

{{About
| about = gift American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-36 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-36a_rasmussen
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-36a_rasmussen.jpg
|store=6951
}}

== Description ==

'''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. Rasmussen's P-36A Hawk is a unique American low-tier aircraft in War Thunder. Although it does not appear in the American tech tree, it can be purchased in the Gaijin store.

The plane is modelled after the one that Philip M. Rasmussen flew on the island of Oahu during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

In the early 1930s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation began a private venture to build a fighter aircraft which was a revolutionary departure from earlier cloth-covered biplanes of World War I. This project aircraft under development was named the Curtiss Hawk Model 75 (later it would be known by P-36 Hawk, Hawk-75 – or just H-75 and Mohawk). The P-36 was an all-metal monoplane (although the control surfaces were fabric-covered) with a 900 hp radial engine, enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear.<ref name="MilFac" /> Even though this aircraft touted some of the state-of-the-art development in aircraft design, several aspects remained lacking, such as the original two machine guns firing through the propeller arc, a 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm and other critical components such as the absence of armour in the cockpit and self-sealing fuel tanks.

By May 1935 the first prototype flew and attained speeds of 450 km/h (280 mph) and reaching an altitude of 3,000 m (10,000 ft). It wasn't long before the original 900 hp Write XR-1670-5 radial engine was replaced with an upgrade Wright XR-1820-39 Cyclone at 950 hp and several modifications to the body of the aircraft was completed like the addition of scalloped rear windows which significantly improved the pilot's rear view (although the hump on the back of the aircraft still blocked a significant portion of the view).<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> This version of the aircraft was designated as Model 75B while oddly enough the earlier version with the 1670-5 was listed as a Model 75D.

In early competitions against the [[User:U5724584#P-35A|Seversky P-35A]] the underpowered and more expensive P-35A was seen as the winner in the U.S. government's eyes, however the United States Army Air Command (USAAC) went ahead and placed an order for three Y1P-36 prototypes as a backup contingency fighter. When delivered, the Y1P-36 (Model 75E) had been outfitted with the 900 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp engine. Due to this version of the aircraft performing so well, an order for 210 P-36-A fighters was placed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="MilFac" />

The P-36 was known as an outstanding turning aircraft due to its extremely low wing loading and had a beefy power-to-weight ratio of 0.186 hp/lb that placed this aircraft as one of the best climbing aircraft of the time.<ref name="AviHis" /> One drawback noted was that the P-36 was not outfitted with a supercharger which hampered its ability to operate at high altitudes, requiring it to stay under 10,000 ft in altitude.<ref name="MilFac" /> For all of this aircraft's positive attributes and unfortunate shortcomings, it performed well mostly for other nations such as Finland where the Hawk was known as "Sussu" or Finnish for "Sweetheart" as between 58 Finnish pilots flying the Hawk, they scored 190.3 aerial victories. The P-36 was the proving ground and stepping stone to the later great fighter, the [[P-40 (Family)|P-40]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


Rasmussen's P-36A is a relatively easy fighter aircraft to fly and requires only a relatively short space to both take-off and land. During World War II the P-36 was ferried over to Pearl Harbor aboard an aircraft carrier from which they took off and then landed at the Army Air Corps base.<ref name="MilFac" /> In the game, due to the very low stall speed, the P-36 can land on an aircraft carrier to a complete stop and take off again. Due to the fantastically low wing loading rate of 23.9 lb/ft<sup>2</sup><ref name="JoeB" />, this fighter is an excellent turning aircraft and accompanied by a strong rudder can spiral climb easily, especially during WEP cycles. This aircraft has the advantage of being both a turn fighter and a Boom & Zoom fighter, depending on the situation, type of aircraft which are flying against and mission type. The P-36 will out-turn many fighters of its rank and can prove difficult to follow if attempting to shoot it down.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,048 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 482 || 468 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 17.9 || 18.4 || 7.0 || 7.0 || rowspan="2" | 168
|-
! Upgraded
| 527 || 504 || 17.1 || 17.3 || 15.3 || 10.6
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 488 || 446 || 232 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 290 || < 380 || < 420 || > 300
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,981 m || 1,050 hp || 1,229 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 9.5 mm steel - behind the pilot
* All fuel tanks in the fuselage

As with many early pre-war fighters, not much emphasis was put on the survivability of the aircraft. The best course of action was for the pilot to not let anyone get behind them. The P-36A's only sources of protection for the pilot are the engine block and the 9.5 mm (angled at 24° for an effective thickness of 13 mm), that being said, depending on the engine block to save the pilot may do so at the expense of the engine, thus requiring the pilot to glide back to base if possible or bailout. The P-36 lacks self-sealing fuel tanks, so if any of the three are punctured (one directly behind the pilot and two below the pilot's feet) they will leak fuel and if accompanied by fire, will rapidly degrade the aircraft structure to failure and destruction.<ref name="JoeB" /> There are also two unprotected oil coolers if which are punctured, the aircraft will leak oil until depleted eventually causing the engine to seize up.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)

For the P-36A, the armament of a single 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine gun is quite weak in comparison to the level of performance this aircraft is capable of. Later Hawks rectified this situation by adding two or four machines guns. For this aircraft, both machine guns are mounted in the engine cowl and fire through the propeller arc. The disadvantage to this is that the machine guns are limited in firing rate due to being synchronized with the rotating propeller; however, with these guns nose-mounted, there is little need to adjust for convergence. Options in ammunition will allow the pilot to select the type best suited for their mission whether it be as an interceptor, ground target hunter or a stealthy pouncer.

==== 12.7 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|M2 Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}
* '''Ground targets:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}

==== 7.62 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}

== Usage in battles ==


Rasmussen's P-36A is essentially identical to the [[P-36A]], so, energy retention lends this fighter to be a great zoomer, dropping in for a shot and then speeding back up to regain the energy advantage. With this aircraft having such a low stall speed; it makes a great fighter to practice Rope-a-dope energy depletion manoeuvres. This requires the P-36 pilot to bait another fighter into following them in a climb, as the attacker attempts to get guns on, the P-36 pilot can start to spiral climb which will cause the attacking aircraft to pull a tighter circle haemorrhaging their energy. If done correctly, the attacking fighter will stall out and be completely helpless as they begin to fall back to the ground allowing the P-36 to roll over or Split-S and take out the stalled fighter below.

Most fighters are typically only good at one thing whether its turning, speed or weapon systems, however, the P-36 is good at two, speeding and turning. This fighter has the ability to not only zoom attack but can also turn fight competitively with most other aircraft. There are few aircraft (notably the A6M Zero fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy) which may outshine while turning, however, when utilizing flaps and rudder while turning, the P-36 can manoeuvre into some tight turns and allow guns to get on target.

Even with all of its power and mobility, the P-36 is a relatively fragile aircraft. Without much armour on the aircraft, many of its critical systems are exposed and it will not take much even from lower calibre machine guns to cause fuel fires, oil leaks and the engine shutdowns, not to mention a knocked out pilot. Situational awareness is critical to potentially know not only where the targets are, but also the enemy aircraft which are manoeuvring into position and ready to pounce. The weakness of only having two machine guns will require the pilot to get in close (50 – 200 m) to make the most of their shots as anywhere past 150 m, bullet penetration drops off considerably.

In mixed battles, use your machine guns to kill open-topped SPAAs. The MGs are weak against closed topped tanks but open-topped tanks are much easier targets. Because of the low stall speed, you can strafe ground targets for a longer period of time.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High climb rate, especially with war emergency power applied
* Impressive roll and turn rate, highly efficient Immelman and split-S manoeuvres
* Strong rudder, excels in wing-over and hammerhead stall manoeuvres
* Slow stall speed, around 89 km/h (55 mph)

'''Cons:'''

* Armament is inadequate against bombers and other aircraft with rear-facing gunners
* Standard Army Air Corps armament for the time, same as the [[P-26A-34 M2]] Peashooter
* Lack of adequate armour renders engine, fuel tanks, oil coolers and virtually defenceless
* Huge blind spot behind the pilot's seat (critical for simulator players)

== History ==


The P-36 Hawk began its life at Curtiss Aeroplane Company as a design in the early 1930s. A private venture by Curtiss, the project was headed up by Donovan A. Berlin, a former Northrop aircraft company engineer who was the principal designer and incorporated design portions of early Northrop designs.<ref name="MilFac" /> The P-36, at this time known as the X-17Y, was a stretch from the biplane years by utilizing an all-metal low-wing monoplane with fabric-covered control surfaces. This aircraft also featured retractable landing gear, which utilized a design put forward by Boeing Aircraft Company and required royalties to be paid to Boeing for every aircraft in which this landing gear was installed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> Initial weapon load-outs included the standard 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, both of which were mounted in the forward fuselage deck and fired through openings in the cowling, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.<ref name="AviHis" />

The initial flight took place in 1935 and when it was presented at a competition the next year, the competitor aircraft (Seversky SEV-2XP/P-35) was heavily damaged in transit. While Seversky took their aircraft back to perform repairs and modifications, Curtiss took the opportunity during this time to make some modifications of their own, and namely replacing the Wright XR-1670-5 twin-row air-cooled radial engine with the upgraded Write XR-1820-39 Cyclone radial.<ref name="MilFac" /> With the Seversky aircraft repaired, the competition was back on. Even though the Seversky aircraft underperformed and was more expensive than Curtis X-17Y, it was selected and an order of 77 aircraft were put in for, however later the Material Division of the USAAC contacted Curtis and put in an order for three examples as they were becoming nervous about Seversky's ability to deliver their aircraft on time. Curtiss worked on modifying the P-36 by again upgrading the motor and working on the cockpit, especially increasing the amount of area behind the cockpit where the pilot could see. During the 1937 competition, test pilots who piloted the P-36 all commented that the aircraft responded to pilot input favourable and at all speeds and even noted that it handled well on the ground while taxiing. With such a reaction from the test pilots, the USAAC put in an order for 210 P-36A fighters, which at that time was the largest single US military aircraft order since World War I.<ref name="JoeB" />

As the P-36 fighters began to roll off the assembly line, they were shipped to US squadrons, however, problems developed with the aircraft which left them grounded while waiting repairs. The P-36 continued to have problems, however, four P-36A fighters stationed at Wheeler Air Field in Hawaii were able to get airborne and attach a flight of Nakajima B5N1 torpedo bombers, claiming two shot down and gaining the first US fighter aircraft "kills" of the Pacific War. Despite this action, the P-36 fighters were withdrawn from combat outfits and sent to training units for new pilots to train on. While the P-36 did not see much action with the U.S., it did see combat action while flown by other nations such as France and Finland where they put the little fighter to the test and were highly successful with it. 10 P-36A training fighters were transferred in 1942 to Brazil where they remained in service until 1954.<ref name="JoeB" />

This specific aircraft was piloted by Philip M. Rasmussen during the attack on Pearl Harbour. He and three other pilots amidst the burning wreckage of other fighter and bomber aircraft on the tarmac, raced into battle to engage Japanese fighters and bombers. Rasmussen is documented to have shot down an [[A6M (Family)|A6M]] Zero before being forced to land due to extensive damage by his aircraft suffered during the Pearl Harbour battle.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-36a_rasmussen Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|91duRbIoCPM|'''The Shooting Range #91''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:02 discusses the P-36.|zYqpwof85qo|'''Best Low Tier Premium Plane to buy - Rasmussen's P-36A Hawk''' - ''Krebs''}}

== See also ==


;Analogues of other nations
* Polikarpov [[I-180S]]
* Mitsubishi [[A6M (Family)|A6M]] Zero
* Nakajima [[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]
* Reggiane [[Re.2000 serie 1|Re.2000]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/86594-p-36-h-75/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [[wt:en/news/680--en|[News] Second Lieutenant Philip M. Rasmussen]]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=155 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75 / Mohawk)]
* [http://www.aviation-history.com/curtiss/p36.htm <nowiki>[Aviation History]</nowiki> The Curtiss P-36 Hawk]
* [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p36_1.html <nowiki>[Joe Baugher]</nowiki> Curtiss P-36A]
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-36/P-36_Operation_and_Flight_Instruction.pdf/ Technical Order 01-25CB-1 - Handbook of Operation and Flight Instructions for the Models P-26A and P-26C Pursuit Airplanes]

=== References ===
<references>
<ref name="JoeB">Joebaugher.com website (1999) [[http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p36_1.html Curtiss P-36A]].</ref>
<ref name="MilFac">Militaryfactory.com website (2019) [[https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=155 Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75 / Mohawk).]]</ref>
<ref name="AviHis">Aviationhistory.com website (2007) [[http://www.aviation-history.com/curtiss/p36.htm The Curtiss P-36 Hawk]].</ref>
</references>

{{AirManufacturer Curtiss}}
{{USA fighters}}

P-36A

2022-08-13T02:34:26Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-36 flight manual.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = the premium version
| link-1 = Rasmussen's P-36A
| usage-2 = other versions
| link-2 = P-36 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-36a
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-36a.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.31]].

In the early 1930s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation began a private venture to build a fighter aircraft which was a revolutionary departure from earlier cloth-covered biplanes of World War I. This project aircraft under development was named the Curtiss Hawk Model 75 (later it would be known by P-36 Hawk, Hawk-75 – or just H-75 and Mohawk). The P-36 was an all-metal monoplane (although the control surfaces were fabric-covered) with a 900 hp radial engine, enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear.<ref name="MilFac" /> Even though this aircraft touted some of the state-of-the-art development in aircraft design, several aspects remained lacking, such as the original two machine guns firing through the propeller arc, a 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm and other critical components such as the absence of armour in the cockpit and self-sealing fuel tanks.

By May 1935 the first prototype flew and attained speeds of 281 mph (452 km/h) and reaching an altitude of 10,000 ft (3,000 m). It wasn't long before the original 900 hp Write XR-1670-5 radial engine was replaced with an upgrade Wright XR-1820-39 Cyclone at 950 hp and several modifications to the body of the aircraft was completed like the addition of scalloped rear windows which significantly improved the pilots rear view (although the hump on the back of the aircraft still blocked a significant portion of the view).<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> This version of the aircraft was designated as Model 75B while oddly enough the earlier version with the 1670-5 was listed as a Model 75D.

In early competitions against the [[User:U5724584#P-35A|Seversky P-35A]] the underpowered and more expensive P-35A was seen as the winner in the U.S. government's eyes, however the United States Army Air Command (USAAC) went ahead and placed an order for three Y1P-36 prototypes as a backup contingency fighter. When delivered, the Y1P-36 (Model 75E) had been outfitted with the 900 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp engine. Due to this version of the aircraft performing so well, an order for 210 P-36-A fighters was placed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="MilFac" />

The P-36 was known as an outstanding turning aircraft due to its extremely low wing loading and had a beefy power-to-weight ratio of 0.186 hp/lb that placed this aircraft as one of the best climbing aircraft of the time.<ref name="AviHis" /> One drawback noted was that the P-36 was not outfitted with a supercharger which hampered its ability to operate at high altitudes, requiring it to stay under 10,000 ft in altitude.<ref name="MilFac" /> For all of this aircraft's positive attributes and unfortunate shortcomings, it performed well mostly for other nations such as Finland where the Hawk was known as "Sussu" or Finnish for "Sweetheart" as between 58 Finnish pilots flying the Hawk, they scored 190.3 aerial victories. The P-36 was the proving ground and stepping stone to the later great fighter, the [[P-40 (Family)|P-40]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


The {{PAGENAME}} is a relatively easy fighter aircraft to fly and requires only a relatively short space to both takeoff and land. During World War II the P-36 was ferried over to Pearl Harbor aboard an aircraft carrier from which they took off and then landed at the Army Air Corps base.<ref name="MilFac" /> In the game, due to the very low stall speed, the P-36 can land on an aircraft carrier to a complete stop and take off again. Due to the fantastically low wing loading rate of 23.9 lb/ft<sup>2</sup><ref name="JoeB" />, this fighter is an excellent turning aircraft and accompanied by a strong rudder can spiral climb easily especially during WEP cycles. This aircraft has the advantage of being both a turn fighter and a Boom & Zoom fighter, depending on the situation, type of aircraft which are flying against and mission type. The P-36 will out-turn many fighters of its rank and can prove difficult to follow if attempting to shoot it down.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,048 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 482 || 468 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 17.9 || 18.4 || 7.0 || 7.0 || rowspan="2" | 168
|-
! Upgraded
| 527 || 504 || 17.1 || 17.3 || 15.3 || 10.6
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 488 || 446 || 232 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 290 || < 380 || < 420 || > 300
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 9.5 mm steel behind the pilot

As with many early pre-war fighters, not much emphasis was put on the survivability of the aircraft. The best course of action was for the pilot to not let anyone get behind them. The {{PAGENAME}}'s only sources of protection for the pilot is the engine block and the 9.5 mm (angled at 24° for effective thickness of 13 mm), that being said, depending on the engine block to save the pilot may do so at the expense of the engine, thus requiring the pilot to glide back to base if possible or bailout. The P-36 lacks self-sealing fuel tanks, so if any of the three are punctured (one directly behind the pilot and two below the pilot's feet) they will leak fuel and if accompanied by fire, will rapidly degrade the aircraft structure to failure and destruction.<ref name="JoeB" /> There are also two unprotected oil coolers if which are punctured, the aircraft will leak oil until depleted eventually causing the engine to seize up.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)

For the {{PAGENAME}} fighter, the armament of a single 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine gun is quite weak in comparison to the level of performance this aircraft is capable of. Later Hawks rectified this situation by adding two or four machines guns. For this aircraft, both machine guns are mounted in the engine cowl and fire through the propeller arc. The disadvantage to this is that the machine guns are limited in firing rate due to being synchronized with the rotating propeller; however, with these guns nose-mounted, there is little need to adjust for convergence. Options in ammunition will allow the pilot to select the type best suited for their mission whether it be as an interceptor, ground target hunter or a stealthy pouncer.

==== 12.7 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|M2 Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}
* '''Ground targets:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|M1 tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|M1 incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|M2 armour-piercing}}

==== 7.62 mm ammunition ====
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|T|Tracer}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}

This aircraft does not have the option to select any additional suspended armaments nor does it have any defensive weapons to counter any attackers.

== Usage in battles ==

Energy retention lends this fighter to be a great zoomer, dropping in for a shot and then speeding back up to regain the energy advantage. With this aircraft having such a low stall speed; it makes a great fighter to practice Rope-a-dope energy depletion manoeuvres. This requires the P-36 pilot to bait another fighter into following them in a climb, as the attacker attempts to get guns on, the P-36 pilot can start to spiral climb which will cause the attacking aircraft to pull a tighter circle haemorrhaging their energy. If done correctly, the attacking fighter will stall out and be completely helpless as they begin to fall back to the ground allowing the P-36 to roll over or Split-S and take out the stalled fighter below.

Most fighters are typically only good at one thing whether its turning, speed or weapon systems, however, the P-36 is good at two, speeding and turning. This fighter has the ability to not only zoom attack but can also turn fight competitively with most other aircraft. There are few aircraft (notably the A6M Zero fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy) which may outshine while turning, however, when utilizing flaps and rudder while turning, the P-36 can manoeuvre into some tight turns and allow guns to get on target.

Even with all of its power and mobility, the P-36 is a relatively fragile aircraft. Without much armour on the aircraft, many of its critical systems are exposed and it will not take much even from lower calibre machine guns to cause fuel fires, oil leaks and the engine shutdowns, not to mention a knocked out pilot. Situational awareness is critical to potentially know not only where the targets are, but also the enemy aircraft which are manoeuvring into position and ready to pounce. The weakness of only having two machine guns will require the pilot to get in close (50 – 200 m) to make the most of their shots as anywhere past 150 m, bullet penetration drops off considerably.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High climb rate, especially with war emergency power applied
* Impressive roll and turn rate, highly efficient Immelmann and split-S manoeuvres
* Strong rudder, excels in wing-over and hammerhead stall manoeuvres
* Slow stall speed (about 55 mph or 88.5 km/h)

'''Cons:'''

* Armament is inadequate against bombers and other aircraft with rear-facing gunners
* Standard Army Air Corps armament for the time, same as the [[P-26A-34 M2]] Peashooter
* Lack of adequate armour renders engine, fuel tanks, oil coolers and virtually defenceless

== History ==


The P-36 Hawk began its life at Curtiss Aeroplane Company as a design in the early 1930s. A private venture by Curtiss, the project was headed up by Donovan A. Berlin, a former Northrop aircraft company engineer who was the principal designer and incorporated design portions of early Northrop designs.<ref name="MilFac" /> The P-36, at this time known as the X-17Y, was a stretch from the biplane years by utilizing an all-metal low-wing monoplane with fabric-covered control surfaces. This aircraft also featured retractable landing gear, which utilized a design put forward by Boeing Aircraft Company and required royalties to be paid to Boeing for every aircraft in which this landing gear was installed.<ref name="JoeB" /><ref name="AviHis" /> Initial weapon load-outs included the standard 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, both of which were mounted in the forward fuselage deck and fired through openings in the cowling, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.<ref name="AviHis" />

The initial flight took place in 1935 and when it was presented at a competition the next year, the competitor aircraft (Seversky SEV-2XP/P-35) was heavily damaged in transit. While Seversky took their aircraft back to perform repairs and modifications, Curtiss took the opportunity during this time to make some modifications of their own, and namely replacing the Wright XR-1670-5 twin-row air-cooled radial engine with the upgraded Write XR-1820-39 Cyclone radial.<ref name="MilFac" /> With the Seversky aircraft repaired, the competition was back on. Even though the Seversky aircraft underperformed and was more expensive than Curtis X-17Y, it was selected and an order of 77 aircraft were put in for, however later the Material Division of the USAAC contacted Curtis and put in an order for three examples as they were becoming nervous about Seversky's ability to deliver their aircraft on time. Curtiss worked on modifying the P-36 by again upgrading the motor and working on the cockpit, especially increasing the amount of area behind the cockpit where the pilot could see. During the 1937 competition, test pilots who piloted the P-36 all commented that the aircraft responded to pilot input favourable and at all speeds and even noted that it handled well on the ground while taxiing. With such a reaction from the test pilots, the USAAC put in an order for 210 P-36A fighters, which at that time was the largest single US military aircraft order since World War I.<ref name="JoeB" />

As the P-36 fighters began to roll off the assembly line, they were shipped to US squadrons, however, problems developed with the aircraft which left them grounded while waiting repairs. The P-36 continued to have problems, however, four P-36A fighters stationed at Wheeler Air Field in Hawaii were able to get airborne and attach a flight of Nakajima B5N1 torpedo bombers, claiming two shot down and gaining the first US fighter aircraft "kills" of the Pacific War. Despite this action, the P-36 fighters were withdrawn from combat outfits and sent to training units for new pilots to train on. While the P-36 did not see much action with the U.S., it did see combat action while flown by other nations such as France and Finland where they put the little fighter to the test and were highly successful with it. 10 P-36A training fighters were transferred in 1942 to Brazil where they remained in service until 1954.<ref name="JoeB" />

=== In-game description ===
A single-seat cantilever monoplane fighter with an all-metal construction, closed cockpit and retractable landing gear with a tail wheel. Designed by Don R. Berlin at the Curtiss Wright Corporation design bureau.The plane's prototype (Model 75B) completed its maiden flight in mid-April 1935.

On the whole, test pilots gave the new plane positive reviews: they noted its ease of control and good manoeuvrability. The plane was also stable in flight and responded well to its pilot, reacting precisely to every movement of the stick.

Pleased with the results of the flight tests, the United States Army Air Corps signed a contract with the Curtiss company on 7 June, commissioning the immediate production of a series of 210 P-36A planes. This was the largest fighter order any American company had received since the end of World War I.

The plane was powered by the twin-row 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp air-cooled radial engine with a maximum output of 1,050 hp.

The plane's armament was standard for American fighters of the time – one 7.62 mm synchronized Colt-Browning ANM2.3 machine gun with 600 rounds and one 12.7 mm synchronized Colt-Browning ANM2.5 machine gun with 200 rounds.

The planes began to join USAAC combat units in April 1938. The first fighters joined the 55th, 77th and 79th Pursuit Squadrons, which made up the 20th Pursuit Group at the Barksdale Field airbase. As soon as the new plane went into active service, a number of problems became visible, in particular the design's weak structural integrity and incomplete exhaust system. Nonetheless, the military continued to gradually switch to P-36A fighters in the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field (17th, 27th and 94th PS), the 8th Pursuit Group at Langley Field (33rd, 35th and 36th PS) and the 16th Pursuit Group in the Panama Canal Zone (24th, 29th and 43rd PS).

A total of 180 P-36A planes were produced.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-36a Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|onmk88dnDbg|P-36A Hawk - Learn to Turn - '''tx141TX'''|91duRbIoCPM|'''The Shooting Range #91''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:02 discusses the P-36.}}

== See also ==


;Related development
* [[P-36 (Family)]]

;Analogues of other nations

* Polikarpov [[I-180S]]
* Mitsubishi [[A6M (Family)|A6M]] Zero
* Nakajima [[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]
* Reggiane [[Re.2000 serie 1|Re.2000]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/86594-p-36-h-75/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-36/P-36_Operation_and_Flight_Instruction.pdf/ Technical Order 01-25CB-1 - Handbook of Operation and Flight Instructions for the Models P-26A and P-26C Pursuit Airplanes]

=== References ===
;Citations
<references>
<ref name="JoeB">Baugher, Joe (1999)</ref>
<ref name="MilFac">Militaryfactory.com website (2019)</ref>
<ref name="AviHis">Aviationhistory.com website (2007)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Aviationhistory.com website. [http://www.aviation-history.com/curtiss/p36.htm The Curtiss P-36 Hawk]. ''The Aviation History Online Mueseum website'', On-line 12 June 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
* Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p36_1.html Curtiss P-36A Curtiss P-36A]. ''Joebauer.com website", On-line 12 June 1999. Retrieved 24 August 2019.''
* Militaryfactory.com website (2019) [https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=155 Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75 / Mohawk).] ''Militaryfactory.com website'', On-line 10 May 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

{{AirManufacturer Curtiss}}
{{USA fighters}}

P-26B-35

2022-08-13T02:22:35Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to Boeing P-26 history page.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-26b_35
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-26b_35.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The P-26B-35 is a reserve fighter for the American aviation tree. The difference between the P-26A and P-26B variants is negligible (the B variant received a fuel-injector engine).

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 2,286 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 369 || 355 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.6 || 19.7 || colspan="2" | 9.3 || rowspan="2" | 170
|-
! Upgraded
| 385 || 377 || 17.6 || 18.0 || 16.1 || 12.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 240 || ~12 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 260 || < 180 || < 340 || > 190
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Compressor
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
! Setting 1
| 1,829 m || 600 hp || N/A
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The P-26B has no armour protection and all important modules are centrally located, meaning that the aircraft is, much like most of its contemporaries, very fragile. However, this is mitigated somewhat by the scarcity of deadly large-calibre guns at the rank.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

Like most US fighters, the P-26B-35 Peashooter is a decent Energy fighter even though its high lift creates unstable diving characteristics. Despite being a monoplane, the P-26 is not the fastest reserve fighter. In most regards the P-26B will be outmatched by enemy fighters; for example, the Japanese [[Ki-10 (Family)|Ki-10s]] will not only turn circles around the P-26B, but will out-climb it and out-run it too. However, the slow German [[He 51 (Family)|He 51]] makes an easy target for a P-26B.

Unlike the [[P-26A-34 M2]], the P-26B-35 does not have a 12.7 mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun. Both fighters are available at the same time and identical in all other regards.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fairly fast for a reserve
* Stable turning

'''Cons:'''

* Slower than some late biplanes
* No armour
* Poor dive characteristics
* Poor energy retention

== History ==

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a plane both ahead of its time and quickly made obsolete. First flown in 1932, the P-26 is the oldest plane in the game. It was one of the first all-metal monoplanes adopted into military service in 1933 (in comparison, the He 51 and Ki-10 entered service in 1935), making it one of the fastest fighters in the world at the time, but it suffered from poor flight performance and dangerous landing characteristics. However, as newer fighters entered service around the world, the P-26s advantages diminished and its disadvantages became vulnerabilities. By the time of World War Two, the P-26 was hopelessly obsolete.

The P-26 saw the most of its combat serving in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, against Japanese Ki-10s, and notably A5Ms in some of the first all-metal monoplane dogfights. Although it performed admirably in the pursuit role (bomber interception), in air-to-air combat with Japanese fighters, the deficiencies of the model showed.

In US service, the P-26 had a similar record. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the P-26s scored only a handful of air-to-air kills against Japanese attackers. On December 24, 1941, their crews burnt the remaining planes to prevent their capture. Of the one hundred and fifty-one built, only nine airworthy P-26s remained by Christmas 1941, a single squadron defending the Panama Canal Zone, which was removed from service shortly after.

=== In-game description ===
In addition to the P-26Аs they had already received, the USAAC ordered 25 more fighters. Two of them were designated P-26В (Model 266A). These aircraft were equipped with 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-33 nine-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected engines.

At first, landing flaps were mounted on the aircraft. Externally, these machines differed from the Р-26А in the absence of a carburettor air scoop and in the modified design of their exhaust pipes and the tail wheel. But in other respects, P-26B fighters were identical to the late variants of the P-26A. Both planes were test-flown in June 1935 and then handed over to the USAAC.

It was planned that all 25 aircraft would be built as P-26Вs, but Pratt & Whitney Company was not able to supply R-1340-33 fuel-injected engines. So, 23 machines of the P-26C variant were produced and equipped with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 engines, with minor modifications to the fuel system and the carburettor. The first P-26Сs were delivered to the troops in early 1936.

After a year in service, the P-26С planes were equipped with R-1340-33 fuel-injected engines and brought up to the P-26В's standard. They then obtained the update designation.

The P-26 became the first monoplane – and the first all-metal fighter – accepted for service with the USAAC. At the same time, it was the last American fighter with external wing braces, an open cockpit and a non-retractable landing gear system. The Peashooter became the last fighter built on a full-scale basis by Boeing Company.

The P-26 was not in service with the USAAC for very long. After the new P-35 and P-36 fighters were accepted into service, P-26 aircraft were withdrawn from the front lines. At the beginning of the Pacific War, P-26 fighters remained at US military bases on the Hawaiian Islands and in the area around the Panama Canal. 12 planes were handed over to the Philippine Air Force, which was in the process of forming. It was these aircraft that participated in combat operations in December 1941, and they were completely destroyed by the Japanese. The P-26 was officially withdrawn from service in early 1942.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-26b_35 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[P-26 (Family)]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Polikarpov [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]
* Mitsubishi [[A5M4]]
* Dewoitine [[D.500]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.boeing.com/history/products/p-26-peashooter.page/ Boeing History Page - P-26 Peashooter]

{{AirManufacturer Boeing}}
{{USA fighters}}

P-26A-33

2022-08-13T02:22:33Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to Boeing P-26 history page.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-26a_33
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-26a_33.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The P-26A-33 Peashooter is a reserve monoplane for the US Faction in War Thunder. The P-26 series are the only reserve monoplanes available to new players other than the [[D.37 (Family)|D.37Xs]] and [[D.500]] aircraft in the French tech tree. The differences between the P-26A and P-26B variants are negligible however, including the B variant receiving a fuel-injected engine.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 2,286 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 367 || 357 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.6 || 19.6 || 9.2 || 9.2 || rowspan="2" | 170
|-
! Upgraded
| 384 || 377 || 17.7 || 18.0 || 16.0 || 12.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || X || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~12 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 260 || < 180 || < 340 || > 190
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,829 m || 600 hp || N/A
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* No armour
* Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 under pilot, 1 in each wing)

The P-26 is a typical mid-1930s design, and just like all the contemporaries (other reserve fighters) does not have pilot armour, but instead, is upgraded with self-sealing fuel tanks. Pilot, engine, and fuel are centrally located, but its simple design (no flaps and retractable gear) has less that could be damaged. Although a monoplane its speed is average to other reserve fighters, and do not dare turn fight. One major advantage is the excellent visibility from the cockpit to easily spot threats during simulator battles.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

On this early tier of aircraft any upgrade is valuable and easy to come by. In general ''"Engine"'' and ''"Compressor"'' are good upgrades, likewise for the ''"Offensive 7 mm belts"'' and ''"New 7 mm MGs"'' unlocks.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

Like most US fighters, the P-26A-33 Peashooter is a decent energy fighter even though its high lift creates unstable diving characteristics. Despite being a monoplane, the P-26 is not the fastest reserve fighter. In most regards the P-26A-33 will be outmatched by enemy fighters; for example, the Japanese [[Ki-10 (Family)|Ki-10]]s will not only turn circles around the P-26A-33 but will out-climb it and out-run it too. However, the slow German [[He 51 (Family)|He 51]] makes an easy target for a P-26A. P-26 pilots should instead focus on attacking and harassing enemy bombers.

Unlike the [[P-26A-34 M2]], the P-26A-33 does not have a 12.7 mm (.50 cal) machine gun. Because both fighters are available at the same time and identical in all other regards, this makes the P-26A-34 M2 the clearly superior choice. The P-26A-33 should be reserved for Arcade Battles as a backup.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fairly good speed, for a reserve plane
* Stable turning

'''Cons:'''

* Slower than some late biplanes
* No armour
* Poor dive characteristics
* Poor energy retention

== History ==

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a plane both ahead of its time and quickly made obsolete. First flown in 1932, the P-26 is the oldest plane in the game. It was one of the first all-metal monoplanes adopted into military service in 1933 (in comparison, the [[He 51 A-1|He 51]] and [[Ki-10-I|Ki-10]] entered service in 1935), making it one of the fastest fighters in the world at the time, but it suffered from poor flight performance and dangerous landing characteristics. However, as newer fighters entered service around the world, the P-26s advantages diminished and its disadvantages became vulnerabilities. By the time of World War Two, the P-26 was hopelessly obsolete.

The P-26 saw the most of its combat serving in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, against Japanese [[Ki-10-I|Ki-10s]], and notably [[A5M4|A5Ms]] in some of the first all-metal monoplane dogfights. Although it performed admirably in the pursuit role (bomber interception), in air-to-air combat with Japanese fighters, the deficiencies of the model showed.

In US service, the P-26 had a similar record. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the P-26s scored only a handful of air-to-air kills against Japanese attackers. On December 24, 1941, their crews burnt the remaining planes to prevent their capture. Of the one hundred and fifty-one built, only nine airworthy P-26s remained by Christmas 1941, a single squadron defending the Panama Canal Zone, which was removed from service shortly after.

In addition to several replicas, two original aircraft still survive today, including one (serial no 33-123) which has been restored to flying condition.

=== In-game description ===
A single-seat, all-metal braced monoplane fighter with an open cockpit and non-retractable landing gear in its fairings. It was designed by the design office of the Boeing Company. The XP-936 (Model 248) prototype made its first flight on 20 March 1932. The aircraft was accepted for service with the USAAC under the designation of P-26А. Full-scale production was started at the Boeing plant in Seattle in December 1933. The first production P-26А (Model 266) got off the ground in January 1934.

The P-26А had a 550 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 nine-cylinder, air-cooled engine equipped with a Hamilton Standard two-bladed, controllable-pitch metal propeller.

The P-26А's armament consisted of two synchronous 7.62 mm Browning M1 machine guns with 500 rounds each. The machine guns were mounted below the forward fuselage, and they fired through the arc of the spinning propeller. A C-3 gun sight was fitted in front of the cockpit. A G-4 gun camera could be installed over the right wing's centre section.

Under the centre wing sections, an A-3 bomb rack that could carry either two 100 lb (45 kg) high-explosive bombs or five 30 lb (14 kg) fragmentation bombs could be mounted.

Externally, production P-26Аs differed from prototype machines in their wing panels with elliptical tips and short landing gear fairings. Changes were introduced into the wing design, and a radio set was installed. An antenna mast was mounted on the starboard side, in front of the cockpit.

The first P-26А fighters were transferred to the 20th Fighter Group located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The P-26 was nicknamed the Peashooter by pilots.

Operational pilots praised the fighter's great flight characteristics, such as its rate of climb and excellent manoeuvrability. Pilot complaints included poor forward visibility during taxiing and takeoff, as well as by landing difficulties. Taxiing out to the start line in the S-curve became a standard Peashooter manoeuvre to reduce the takeoff accident rate.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-26a_33 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[P-26 (Family)]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Polikarpov [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]
* Mitsubishi [[A5M4]]
* Dewoitine [[D.500]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.boeing.com/history/products/p-26-peashooter.page/ Boeing History Page - P-26 Peashooter]

{{AirManufacturer Boeing}}
{{USA fighters}}

P-26A-34

2022-08-13T02:22:30Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to Boeing P-26 history page.

{{About
|about= American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= other versions
|link= P-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-26a_34
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-26a_34.jpg
|market=P-26A-34 (USA)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was available during the [[wt:en/news/2646/current|2014 Thanksgiving sale]] as a reward for buying two discounted packs and during the [[wt:en/news/3206/current|2015 Independence Day]] event as a prize in a tournament. It has also been obtainable in the Warbond shop in the trophy chest from [[wt:en/news/5668-news-how-can-you-get-premium-vehicles-warbonds-en|September 2018]] to November 2020.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 2,286 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 367 || 357 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.6 || 19.6 || 9.2 || 9.2 || rowspan="2" | 170
|-
! Upgraded
| 384 || 377 || 17.7 || 18.0 || 16.0 || 12.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 240 || ~12 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 260 || < 180 || < 340 || > 190
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,828 m || 570 hp || 621 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* No armour
* Fuel tanks in fuselage and wing roots

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==


Generally, to do well in the P-26 never, ever turn fight, as it has a huge turning radius compared to other reserves. Ideally practice "Boom & Zoom" tactics, that is climb above, dive in, attack, climb up again for a new attack. Also, use the "Stealth" ammunition belt, it is the hardest hitting belt for this aircraft and targets will not see where you are, giving you another second or two advantage. Stealth is harder to use, but it's worth it. While a mediocre at best reserve fighter, it is a very good ground attacker carrying 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs with 24.5 kg of TNT each, which is effective against even some Rank 3 tanks and Rank 2 ships.

Qualify the crew to "Expert", it is very cheap and invest Crew XP points in Pilot Vitality (i order to be able to resist injury) and Weapon Maintenance, good to take and give damage.

Study your opponents, this is critical on how to counter them as there is no single way to counter all targets. The Japanese Ki-10 and Soviet I-15 are this aircraft's greatest threats, if they get on your six evade like crazy and hope they overshoot (never turn); teammates are also very helpful. Bombs with 0.5 seconds delay could work. Others like the German He 51 you could outrun them, but do not turn. With higher BR units you may be just able to outmanoeuvre, but the best is constantly scan the sky for threats. Other rank 1 aircraft vary in threat level. Besides fighters, attacking bombers is a viable option, however, be mindful of defensive turrets as there are a few 12.7 mm machine guns and 20 mm cannons out there.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Best 7.7 mm machine gun type for reserve planes
* Snappy roll rate, better than any of the reserve biplanes from the other nations
* Decent turn rate, though not competitive to reserve biplanes
* Smaller target much like the Soviet [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]

'''Cons:'''

* Performance scales poorly. Should generally be replaced as soon as more advanced planes become available
* Slow compared to contemporary fighters, but faster than reserve biplanes
* Engine and fuel fires are next to impossible to extinguish due to wooden/canvas construction and lack of self-sealing fuel tanks
* Fragile, especially to high-explosive rounds from enemy autocannons
* Slower machine gun fire rate compared to Soviet aircraft

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
Many problems were revealed when the P-26's operation began. Due to its narrow landing gear tread and a landing speed too fast for its time, the aircraft was prone to nose over. When this happened, the pilots often lost their lives, although the planes themselves were not seriously damaged. As a result, the fuselage spine fairing was redesigned. Its height was increased by 20 cm, and the reinforced structure could endure a load of more than 12 tons if hit. The 29th production P-26А was the first to obtain this enlarged fuselage spine fairing, and the planes already produced were modified directly on the front lines.

New wing flaps allowed the aircraft's landing speed to be reduced. The plane was also equipped, in the event of an emergency landing on water, with two inflatable sacks occupying the containers in the wing roots. Beginning at the 26th production aircraft, this equipment became standard for the P-26А, but it was not installed on the aircraft already produced. There is no documented evidence that this system was ever used for its intended purpose, but one aircraft crashed after the raft kit opened spontaneously during flight.

P-26Аs produced later had reinforced armament: one synchronous 7.62 mm Browning M1 machine gun to the left of the fuselage and one synchronous large-calibre 12.7 mm Browning M2 .50 cal machine gun to the right. The magazine capacity of the large-calibre machine gun was 200 rounds.

A combined total of 111 machines of the P-26A variant were produced. The 20th Fighter Group was the first in the USAAC to be armed with Peashooters. It was followed by two more: the 1st Fighter Group based in Selfridge, Michigan, and the 17th Fighter Group at March Air Force Base, California. At various times, P-26s were operated in 22 USAAC fighter squadrons.

Peashooters were flown by many pilots who later occupied high positions in the USAAF and then in the USAF, including Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, future Commander-in-Chief of the USAF.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-26a_34 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Polikarpov [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]
* Mitsubishi [[A5M4]]
* Dewoitine [[D.500]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.boeing.com/history/products/p-26-peashooter.page/ Boeing History Page - P-26 Peashooter]

{{AirManufacturer Boeing}}
{{USA fighters}}
{{USA premium aircraft}}

P-26A-34 M2

2022-08-13T02:22:27Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to Boeing P-26 history page.

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-26a_34_m2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-26a_34_m2.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter is a reserve fighter for the American aviation tree. The majority of American fighters are most effective when using boom and zoom tactics, and the P-26A-34 M2 is no different.

The P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter differs from the other two P-26s in that it carries a single 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun with 200 rounds in the place of one of the 7.62 mm machine guns. This is the same set up as on the later [[P-36A]] and [[F3F-2]]. The 12.7 mm is much more powerful, takes longer to overheat, has a longer reload time, and has a slightly lower rate of fire than the 7.62 mm.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The P-26 possesses great manoeuvrability for a monoplane thanks to its small wings and low weight. However, its reserve counterparts are biplanes, which are much more manoeuvrable than it. Outturning monoplanes is almost always possible, but outturning biplanes is usually out of the question.

The P-26 is soundly average speed-wise, with many of the reserve biplanes outpacing it. It is still capable of catching some of the slower reserve fighters and many slow low-tier bombers.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 2,286 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 364 || 351 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.6 || 19.7 || 8.2 || 8.2 || rowspan="2" | 170
|-
! Upgraded
| 387 || 377 || 17.7 || 18.0 || 18.6 || 12.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 240 || ~12 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 260 || < 180 || < 340 || > 190
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,829 m || 600 hp || 666 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The P-26 is a typical mid-1930's design, and just like all its contemporaries (other reserve fighters) does not have pilot armour, but is upgraded with self-sealing fuel tanks. Pilot, engine, and fuel is centrally located, but its simple design (no flaps and retractable gear) has less that could be damaged. One major advantage is excellent visibility to easily spot threats in SB battles.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

Qualify the crew to "Expert", it is very cheap (1,000 SL), and put Crew points to Pilot Vitality (resist injury) and Weapon Maintenance, good to take and give damage.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)

Both of the P-26's guns are mounted in the nose, preventing gun convergence issues and allowing accurate fire at all ranges.

The P-26A-34 M2 is notably better than the other two P-26s thanks to the addition of a M2 Browning 12.7 mm machine gun. The 12.7 mm Browning will soon become the standard armament of American fighters, so learning its ballistics early is advantageous. The 12.7 mm Browning on the P-26A-34 M2 is only able to use the "early" set of belts, which consist mostly of less-effective armour-piercing rounds instead of the incendiary rounds that make the 12.7 mm so powerful, but it still represents a huge upgrade over the 7.62 mm Browning, which has very poor damage output.

The best belt for the 12.7 mm is likely either Universal (if you need tracers) or Stealth (if you can aim without tracers or in Arcade Battles). Default is also viable, although it contains a mostly-useless ball round. These belts have M1 Incendiary bullets in them, which translates to a higher fire chance, which is where most of your damage will come from when using machine guns.

The best belt for the 7.62 mm is Universal or Stealth, as both contain a good mix of AP rounds (best damage with rifle-caliber machine guns) and incendiary rounds (a little bit of fire chance).

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

The P-26 can mount two 100 lb bombs, which drop together. These bombs can be used to decent effect against light ground targets, such as AI artillery and player-controlled open-top tanks. A direct hit will be needed to destroy harder targets such as tanks.

== Usage in battles ==


Generally, to do well in the P-26 never, ever turn fight, as it has a huge turning radius compared to other reserves. Ideally practice "Boom & Zoom" tactics, that is climb above, dive in, attack, climb up again for a new attack. Also, use the "Stealth" ammunition belt, it is the hardest hitting belt for this aircraft and targets will not see where you are, giving you another second or two advantage. Stealth is harder to use, but it's worth it. While a mediocre at best reserve fighter, it is a very good ground attacker carrying 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs with 24.5 kg of TNT each, which is effective against even some Rank 3 tanks and Rank 2 ships.

A major asset for this P-26 variant is the .50 cal M2 (12.7 mm) upgrade machine gun with 2.5 x the penetration power making it much deadlier to targets (don't forget it will be on a separate trigger).

Study your opponents, this is critical on how to counter them as there is no single way to counter all targets. The Japanese Ki-10 and Soviet I-15 are this aircraft's greatest threats, if they get on your six evade like crazy and hope they overshoot (never turn); teammates are also very helpful. Bombs with 0.5 secs delay could work. Others like the German He 51 you could outrun them, but do not turn. With higher BR units you may be just able to outmanoeuvre, but the best is constantly scan the sky for threats. Other rank 1 aircraft vary in threat level. Besides fighters, attacking bombers is a viable option, however, be mindful of defensive turrets as there are a few 12.7 mm machine guns and 20 mm cannons out there.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decently fast for its rank
* Good armament thanks to the use of a .50 calibre machine gun
* It is a monoplane reserve plane
* Turning is okay

'''Cons:'''

* Not as manoeuvrable as other fighters at its rank
* Slower than some late biplanes
* No armour
* Poor dive characteristics
* Poor energy retention
* Slightly worse climb rate than most reserve aircraft

== History ==

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a plane both ahead of its time and quickly made obsolete. First flown in 1932, the P-26 is the oldest plane in the game. It was one of the first all-metal monoplanes adopted into military service in 1933 (in comparison, the He 51 and Ki-10 entered service in 1935), making it one of the fastest fighters in the world at the time, but it suffered from poor flight performance and dangerous landing characteristics. However, as newer fighters entered service around the world, the P-26s advantages diminished and its disadvantages became vulnerabilities. By the time of World War Two, the P-26 was hopelessly obsolete.

The P-26 saw the of its combat serving in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, against Japanese Ki-10s, and notably A5Ms in some of the first all-metal monoplane dogfights. Although it performed admirably in the pursuit role (bomber interception), in air-to-air combat with Japanese fighters, the deficiencies of the model showed.

In US service, the P-26 had a similar record. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the P-26s scored only a handful of air-to-air kills against Japanese attackers. On December 24, 1941, their crews burnt the remaining planes to prevent their capture. Of the one hundred and fifty-one built, only nine airworthy P-26s remained on Christmas 1941, a single squadron defending the Panama Canal Zone, which was removed from service shortly after.

=== In-game description ===
Many problems were revealed when the P-26's operation began. Due to its narrow landing gear tread and a landing speed too fast for its time, the aircraft was prone to nose over. When this happened, the pilots often lost their lives, although the planes themselves were not seriously damaged. As a result, the fuselage spine fairing was redesigned. Its height was increased by 20 cm, and the reinforced structure could endure a load of more than 12 tons if hit. The 29th production P-26А was the first to obtain this enlarged fuselage spine fairing, and the planes already produced were modified directly on the front lines.

New wing flaps allowed the aircraft's landing speed to be reduced. The plane was also equipped, in the event of an emergency landing on water, with two inflatable sacks occupying the containers in the wing roots. Beginning at the 26th production aircraft, this equipment became standard for the P-26А, but it was not installed on the aircraft already produced. There is no documented evidence that this system was ever used for its intended purpose, but one aircraft crashed after the raft kit opened spontaneously during flight.

P-26Аs produced later had reinforced armament: one synchronous 7.62 mm Browning M1 machine gun to the left of the fuselage and one synchronous large-calibre 12.7 mm Browning M2 .50 cal machine gun to the right. The magazine capacity of the large-calibre machine gun was 200 rounds.

A combined total of 111 machines of the P-26A variant were produced. The 20th Fighter Group was the first in the USAAC to be armed with Peashooters. It was followed by two more: the 1st Fighter Group based in Selfridge, Michigan, and the 17th Fighter Group at March Air Force Base, California. At various times, P-26s were operated in 22 USAAC fighter squadrons.

Peashooters were flown by many pilots who later occupied high positions in the USAAF and then in the USAF, including Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, future Commander-in-Chief of the USAF.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-26a_34_m2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|pSfjJcDS1Aw|'''P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter ACE''' - ''ArnoMedia''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[P-26 (Family)]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Heinkel [[He 112 (Family)|He 112]]
* Polikarpov [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]
* Mitsubishi [[A5M4]]
* Dewoitine [[D.500]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.boeing.com/history/products/p-26-peashooter.page/ Boeing History Page - P-26 Peashooter]

{{AirManufacturer Boeing}}
{{USA fighters}}

P-26 (Family)

2022-08-13T02:12:54Z

U64962917: Minor update to description.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:P-26 (Family)}}

== Description ==
The '''Boeing P-26 ''Peashooter''''' was the first American all-metal monoplane fighter put into military service in 1934. It served in the United States, the Republic of China, the Philippines and Guatemala.

== Rank I ==
* [[P-26A-33]]
* [[P-26A-34]] - <small>Philippine variant</small>
* [[P-26A-34 M2]]
* [[P-26B-35]]

{{AirManufacturer Boeing}}

[[Category:Family pages]]

P-38E

2022-08-12T20:16:57Z

U64962917: /* History */ Added history

{{About
| about = American twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = P-38 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-38e
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-38e.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]].

The P-38E is the first of the P-38 vehicles available in game, and is all round a very good plane. It gets an interceptor airspawn on most maps, which allows the P-38 to very often find itself above or at an equal altitude to its opponents. The main strength of the P-38E is its speed and energy retention, so it should be used accordingly - play it as an energy fighter or Boom 'n' Zoomer. The P-38E is also surprisingly manoeuvrable for such a large plane - while it can't outmanoeuvre single-engine fighters, it can put up a good fight.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 7,012 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 612 || 594 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.1 || 25.0 || 10.5 || 10.5 || rowspan="2" | 380
|-
! Upgraded
| 661 || 635 || 21.9 || 23.0 || 17.2 || 13.5
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 565 || 495 || 250 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 460 || < 500 || > 420
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 6,800 m || 1,050 hp || 1,176 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 7 mm steel - in front of cockpit
* 7 mm steel - pilot seat
* 10 mm steel behind pilot head
* 38 mm bulletproof glass - behind windscreen

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

== Usage in battles ==


'''Air Realistic Battles.'''

While fast at its BR of 3.0, the P-38 is slower than many planes it will face at 3.7 and 4.0, most specifically the Fw 190 A-1 and the Bf 109 F-4 and F-4/trop, although it does have an air spawn, which can be used temporarily to have the advantage on these enemies. Attempt to pick out planes at its BR or planes that are slower than it, then target them.

When forced to deal with faster opponents, evade and use teammates. If the direction it is caught going in is opposite to the team's side of the map, a handy trick is rolling over and pulling 180 degrees until the plane comes out the other direction, a manoeuvre known as a split S. It gains speed (instead of a horizontal turn, which loses it) and exposes the plane to the minimum amount of enemy fire while doing so, which is important, as the P-38 is very broad in the wings and prone to catching fire due to the fuel tanks.

In terms of ammunition, Air Targets is preferential for the cannon and Universal for the MGs, if stealth is not used. There are other options, most notably Ground Targets for the cannon and Tracers or Ground Targets for the .50 cals, but the tracers on the .50 cals are weak, unlike the M20 API-T on the P-51s and P-47s, and ground pounding should be reserved for later parts of the game in case a bomber is climbing to space, as the plane is an interceptor and cannot carry suspended armaments.

Ammo conservation on the cannon is not very important; it has a low fire rate and does not jam easily once the 'New 20 mm Cannon' modification is unlocked; moreover, each shell has a high damage output, especially on stealth. The .50 cals can be sprayed indiscriminately.

As a bomber-hunter, the P-38E is superb. Its nose-mounted armaments allow it to sit a kilometer behind enemy bombers such as He 111s, outside of effective range of their guns but still able to hit hard with its 20 mm cannon.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Nose-mounted armaments give great long-range accuracy: no need to worry about convergence
* Good speed on the deck
* Decent at head-ons in a tight spot, due to the 20 mm cannon and nose-mounted .50 cals
* Can always get home with one engine left

'''Cons:'''

* Very large airframe is easy to hit and burns quite easily
* Easy target when flying slow
* Bad at recovering energy after a dive or when turning
* Can't fight with one engine
* The tail is prone to snapping off when hit by cannon shells, even at long ranges

== History ==


Construction of the P-38 (XP-38) began in 1938 with a radically new type of fighter aircraft. Tasked with a twin-engine high-altitude interceptor, Lockheed Corporation built this aircraft to intercept and attack hostile aircraft at high altitudes. While the P-38D variants began to roll out with armoured windshields and self-sealing fuel tanks, it wasn't until October 1941 that the first combat-ready P-38E variants became available. The significant difference between the D and E variants came down to improved electrical and hydraulic systems, enhanced cockpit instruments and rearrangement of the nose-mounted machine guns. Due to the machine gun mounting configuration in the P-38D, they tended to jam frequently; however, with the off-set machine guns in the P-38E, ammunition belts had a straight feed into the guns.

Sent to Western Europe at the beginning of the war, P-38s operated with mixed results. While flying as bomber escorts, P-38s were often required to maintain formation with the bombers and not attack an enemy unless fired upon them first. German fighters realised this and would fly in high and from behind and would shoot the fighters and bombers without much recourse, downing many P-38s in this fashion. US military planners realised this error and allowed P-38s to leave formations to attack enemy aircraft when spotted.

P-38s spent time in North Africa and Italy, flying throughout the Meditrannian Theater; however, it was not until the P-38s started flying in the Pacific that this aircraft shined. Japanese aircraft had an advantage over the P-38 in their ability to turn. Still, the P-38 had a speed advantage that allowed them to build up energy in a dive, make an attack and then zoom away to a safe distance where they could turn around and make another attack run. With the centre-mounted machine guns on the P-38, they could begin shooting at a farther distance than the Japanese aircraft with wing-mounted machine guns configured for a specific convergence zone. Many missions required the tasking of P-38s, where large distances were needed to cover that many other US fighters did not have the fuel capacity for that type of assignment.

Over 10,000 P-38s were built throughout the war, seeing several upgrades and modifications, including cooling systems, propellers, engines and rocket tubes. The P-38 proved to be a valuable interceptor aircraft shooting down more Japanese aircraft than any other fighter employed during the war.

=== Notable pilots ===
[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Bong,_Richard_I.|Major [[User:U64962917#Bong, Richard I.|Richard Bong]] began military flight training in the {{PAGENAME}} after graduating from basic flight school in the single engine AT-6 Texan.]]

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-38e Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|cHakCK96pjA|'''The Shooting Range #155''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:53 discusses the P-38 Lightning.}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
* Northrop [[P-61C-1|P-61]] Black Widow
* Savoia-Marchetti [[SM.92]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/272425-lockheed-p-38e/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualP38/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-1 - Pilot Training Manual for the Lightning P-38]

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{USA twin-engine fighters}}

P-47N-15

2022-08-12T02:19:21Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-47N Pilot Training Manual

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-47 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-47n-15
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-47n-15.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.61 "Road to Glory"]].

The P-47N-15 can in many ways be considered a more specialised fighter version of the P-47D series of fighters, being built solely for a boom and zoom strategy. The key difference separating the P-47N from both the D-series and other planes in general at the battle rating is its top speed and manoeuvrability, bordering on just below 800 km/h and with an airframe that can support it. This, coupled with its 8 devastating M2 .50 cal Brownings make it an extremely deadly and dangerous opponent.

The P-47N also has clipped wing tips, allowing it higher level flight speed and giving it a much more controllable and faster roll rate. However, these wings widened the landing gear base and added room for more fuel tanks to be added to increase its range. This added quite a lot of weight, reducing its climb rate. But despite its clipped wings, the P-47N actually gained wing area over the other models of P-47, improving its pitch tremendously overall.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 9,144 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 713 || 697 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 31.5 || 32.6 || 9.7 || 9.7 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 787 || 750 || 28.6 || 30.0 || 20.1 || 14.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 950  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 495 || 464 || 300 || ~12 || ~9
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 400 || < 420 || < 450 || > 335
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 9.5 mm Steel - Fore cockpit plate
* 9.5 mm Steel - Armour plate behind Pilot's seat
* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windshield

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

First and foremost, the ''Offensive 12 mm'' should be researched. The next step should be to rush ''Compressor'', ''Engine'', and ''Engine Injection''. The proceeding choice should be between the ''New 12 mm MGs'' or the ''G-Suit'' (if you have weaker pilots, choose the ''G-Suit'' first over machine guns). The remaining modules can then be unlocked in any order desired.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg = 4,000 total)

This plane features late war belts, so the difference in damage output between belts is minimal. The best belt in damage output stands as the Tracer belt, followed by Universal; which is a good mixture between tracers and stealth rounds, then followed by the Stealth belt.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb)|HVAR}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (2,500 lb total)
* 10 x HVAR rockets
* 10 x HVAR rockets + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
* 10 x HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 10 x HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (2,500 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

'''How to offensively engage an enemy aircraft:''' From the start of the match you want to be gaining altitude. Side climbing is heavily recommended, as many planes at the P-47's BR climb much faster vertically. Once at a high enough altitude, the P-47's greatest strength is its speed. It has great acceleration and great speed at most altitudes. From there your main operation of attack will be the simple Boom & Zoom tactic, making good use of its amazing energy retention. However it isn't strictly limited to this role. The P-47N has very strong elevator and rudder authority. While it is not the most recommended tactic, if you are at a higher speed you can dogfight most planes for short periods of time, so long as you make use of vertical space as well as horizontal while you do it and watch your speed. Engaging in turn fighting is not recommended because most enemies you will be facing can out-turn you easily.

'''How to perform defensive fighting:''' The P-47N's primary defensive strength is its powerful engine and good energy retention. Additionally, its manoeuvrability is not too bad either. With its decent roll rate you are able to do repeated rolling manoeuvres to keep out of an enemies gun sights as a last resort. You can confidently put it in a full 90 degree dive until they pull off. It is very difficult to rip the wings of the P-47N- a great deal of speed is required.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[ZSD63]]: A dangerous SPAA to go up against in Tank Realistic Battles. Though it is hard to identify specific SPAA vehicles on the ground (especially when they are shooting tracers at the plane), if a ZSD63 is identified, avoid it at all costs and '''do not''' attempt head-ons with it, ever. It can easily snap a wing off by casually putting a short burst in the {{PAGENAME}}'s flight path. Don't even get close to it unless the {{PAGENAME}} is equipped with a bomb or if it is busy shooting another friendly. Some identifying features of the ZSD63 is its rather boxy and tall hull with a geometric turret sitting at the back, slightly similar to a Wirbelwind's. The firing manner is also distinctive: the sound and green tracers are very rapid, much like a buzz saw, but then it will remain silent for half a minute reloading. Note that an experienced ZSD player will hold its fire or shoot in single salvos with long halts between, making it look like that it's reloading. Armour piercing belt is recommended since their high penetration can tear through the ZSD's armour with ease and knock out its crews.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Controllable<br>1 gear || Auto controlled
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent armament:
** Very large ammunition pool
** 8 x 12.7 mm machine guns provide a very respectable damage output and great muzzle velocity
* Good boom and zoom plane:
** Above average energy retention horizontally and average vertical energy retention
** Extremely high rip speed (950 km/h)
** Good high speed turn rate
** Excellent high altitude performance
** Good roll rate
* Great linear energy retention (plane doesn't lose much speed when in a straight line) at most altitudes
* Durable engine and airframe that can take a beating, wing fuel tanks never catch on fire

'''Cons:'''

* Below average engine characteristics:
** Limited WEP (12 mins)
** Tends to overheat
** Bad automatic engine control: [[Guide to manual engine controls|MEC]] is needed (radiators and mixture management) to avoid overheating
* Below average performance at low altitudes
* Compresses at high speeds
* Extremely poor performance at low speeds:
** Very bad stall control
** Very poor turn at low to medium speeds
** Roll rate decreases exponentially the slower the plane goes
* Lower than average climb rate, significantly lower than the previous [[P-47D-28]]
* Minimal fuel load is very heavy (37 mins)
* Machine guns are mounted very far apart

== History ==


The P-47N was a long range version of the P-47 Thunderbolt designed for operations in the Pacific theatre. It was the last mass-production P-47 Thunderbolt variant.

=== Development and Design ===
Four P-47D-27-RE airframes were taken off the production line at Farmingdale to be fitted with the Pratt and Whitney R-2800-57(C) engine and a CH-5 turbosupercharger. These aircraft were designated as the YP-47M. The new power plant provided a greater 2800 up at 32,500 ft on war emergency power with water injection. These airframe were the prototypes for the P-47M Thunderbolt.

It became clear that operations in the Pacific theatre required greater operational range than in Europe, so the third YP-47M airframe (serial 42-27387) was modified in mid-1942. The wing was given a larger span, and the wing surface area was increased. One 93 US gallon fuel tank was fitted in each wing, a first for the P-47 family. The total amount of fuel that could be carried with external fuel tanks was 1266 US gallons, giving the aircraft a range of 2350 miles. The prototype was designated as the XP-47N.

The wing design increased the size of the ailerons and included squared-off wingtips. The dorsal fin was also taller than on earlier P-47s. These changes allowed an increase in roll rate and manoeuvrability, but also increased the weight significantly. Larger landing gear had to be fitted to cope with the increased weight, which increased the weight further. The maximum weight that resulted was in excess of 20,000 lbs.

The USAAF ordered 1900 P-47Ns on June 20, 1944, due to the fact that other proven P-47 variants were already in service; the order came before the XP-47N had even flown for the first time. The first flight occurred on 22 July 1944.

The P-47N-1-RE was first delivered in September 1944, with a total of 24 delivered by the end of the year. The P-47N-5-RE batch added zero-length rocket launchers. The P-47N-25-RE batch incorporated the improved R-2800-77 engine.

The P-47N, despite the more powerful power plant and other improvements, was much heavier than the P-47M. As such, the performance was actually lower than that of earlier models. The increased range, though, was more important in the Pacific theatre than was performance die to the nature of the missions assigned to the P-47N in that theatre.

=== Production ===
A total of 1667 P-47Ns of all types were built by the Farmingdale plant between December 1944 and December 1945. 149 P-47Ns were built by the Evansville plant for a total of 1,816 production P-47Ns. 5,934 more P-47Ns were cancelled after VJ Day, resulting in the end of all P-47 Thunderbolt by the end of December 1945.

=== Service ===
The P-47N saw service in the Pacific theatre during the last year of the war. They were used to escort B-29 Superfortesses on long, overwater flights - particularly from Saipan to Japan. After World War 2, P-47s were used by the USAAF and then USAF until 1949, and the Air National Guard until 1953. It was redesignated as the F-47 in 1948.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-47n-15 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|UXaIKX58Rd4|'''The Shooting Range #70''' - ''Special'' section at 04:26 compares the VB.10-02 and the {{PAGENAME}}.|VHJN6ZWOmnY|'''The bane of tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 1:47 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/325045-p-47n/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualForTheThunderboltP-47N/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-4 - Pilot Training Manual for the Thunderbolt P-47N]

{{AirManufacturer Republic}}
{{USA fighters}}

A-10A Late

2022-08-12T02:11:21Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to A-10A Flight Manual

{{About
| about = American strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the premium version
| link = A-10A
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=a_10a_late
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The single biggest downside with the A-10 is its top speed. At 642 km/h at sea level, the A-10A is the slowest aircraft at its BR. Not enough emphasis can be put on how much of a disadvantage the A-10's speed is, especially at a battle rating of 10.0, where apart from another A-10, every single aircraft it faces will have at least a 400 km/h faster top speed.

Despite how crippling the A-10's speed is, there are a handful of advantages to being so slow. First, while it is slow, it still is manoeuvrable at those low speeds, even with a heavy weapon loadout. It also means that its turn time is tight and quick compared to supersonic aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 624 || 609 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 30.2 || 30.8 || 21.0 || 19.9 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 662 || 642 || 28.5 || 29.0 || 30.3 || 25.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 874  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 740 || 370 || ~__ || ~__
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 550 || < 650 || < 500 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric TF34-GE-100A || 2
| colspan="3" | 11,636 kg || colspan="3" | ___ kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br>Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel
|-
| 654 kg || colspan="2" | High-bypass turbofan
| 13,092 kg || 13,651 kg || 14,659 kg || 16,170 kg || 16,489 kg || _,___ kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,036 kgf || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,036 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The A-10A has substantial armour around the cockpit, fuel tanks, and transmission. This armour is mostly effective toward autocannons up to 25 mm calibre.

* 38 mm titanium alloy - "bathtub" around the bottom of the cockpit
* 44 mm bulletproof glass (54°) - windshield in front of the pilot

The A-10A is equipped with a whopping 480 countermeasures. This gives an extended and effective protection against even the most potent heat-seeking missiles it will face. However, while the pilot has ample armour protection, the other parts of the plane, such as the wing, tail and especially the unarmoured and exposed engines, will easily be destroyed by any short cannon burst.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GAU-8/A (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon, chin-mounted (1,174 rpg)
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon + 480 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)|AGM-65D|AIM-9L Sidewinder|Hydra-70 M247}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 42 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 10 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (5,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (6,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (12,000 lb total)
* 6 x AGM-65D missiles
* 6 x AGM-65D missiles + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="5%" | 1 !! width="5%" | 2 !! width="5%" | 3 !! width="5%" | 4 !! width="5%" | 5 !! width="5%" | 6 !! width="5%" | 7 !! width="5%" | 8 !! width="5%" | 9 !! width="5%" | 10
| rowspan="7" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
| 1, 2 || || || || || || || || || 1, 2
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1
|-
! Hydra-70 M247 rockets
| || 7 || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || || || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || 7 ||
|-
! AGM-65D missiles
| || || 3 || || || || || 3 || ||
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| || || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || ||
|-
| colspan="11" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The A-10A Late is specifically designed to attack ground targets. The AGM-65Ds and Mk 84s provide substantial firepower against armoured ground units. When within range, the 30 mm GAU-8 cannon can be used: the gun may lack penetration power against armour, but is excellent at destroying exterior modules and inflicting damage by overpressure.

The A-10's low speed makes it difficult to reach enemy ground units and bases without being intercepted, and also makes the A-10 especially vulnerable to both attacking aircraft and SAMs. Another problem with being so slow is that it is very easy to get energy trapped. This means that any common enemy aircraft can simply fly above the A-10, and with its slow speed, it simply has no chance to follow and get in range to use its gun. After the A-10 inevitably pitches back down (or stalls), the enemy aircraft will dive down on the slow and vulnerable A-10. While the A-10 can utilize its all-aspect AIM-9Ls to potentially dispatch aircraft lacking flares before they can initiate an energy trap, flare-equipped aircraft (which can easily flare an AIM-9L) should never be engaged unless absolutely necessary as it will likely result in the A-10's destruction. This speed also disadvantages the A-10 in high-speed head-ons. While it does arguably have the most powerful gun in the game, the A-10 will have trouble dodging the rounds of an enemy aircraft because its low speed prevents it from quickly getting out of the way. Meanwhile, the enemy aircraft, which is likely going much faster than the A-10, won't have too much of a problem dodging the A-10's rounds provided they begin evading at an ample range.

However, the slow speed allows the A-10 much more time to aim its weapons at ground targets than if it were, say, a supersonic aircraft that is unmanoeuvrable at low speeds. Due to this, the A-10 can farm ground targets quicker than most other planes; with its 1,174 rounds of 30 mm, a single A-10 left unchecked to freely attack ground targets can reduce an enemy team's ticket count by half or more. As stated before, the A-10 has very little chance in a vertical dogfight. However, the A-10's slow speed and good low speed manoeuvrability gives it the advantage in a horizontal scissors dogfight, as the likely faster enemy aircraft will quickly pass in front of the A-10's devastating gun. In a prolonged horizontal low speed scissors dogfight, the enemy aircraft would have likely bled much of their speed, again giving the A-10 an advantage with its good low speed manoeuvrability. If the enemy attempts to run away, the A-10 can exploit their low speed to launch an AIM-9L. When flying the A-10, if you notice an attacking aircraft may be unaware of the A-10's speed weakness (or unaware of how to exploit it), attempt to force it into a horizontal turn fight or scissors where you will have the advantage.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good manoeuvrability
* Great roll rate
* Good armour protection around the cockpit area that will protect the pilot
* 480 countermeasures are extremely effective against common heat-seeking missiles
* Devastating cannon with a large ammo pool
* Great payload options for ground attack
* Access to four all-aspect AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles
* Sturdy wings which are hard to rip and don't break in dives
* Access to AGM-65D Air-to-Ground TV guided missiles which can fire during night operation unlike the AGM-65B
* The aircraft's slow speed means G-forces sustained during manoeuvres isn’t much of an issue

'''Cons:'''

* Bad climb rate compared to other jets
* Does not have access to either gunpods or guided bombs
* Extremely poor top speed makes it easy prey
* Engine can potentially overheat when running at or near 100% throttle unless on a winter map

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=a_10a_late Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|ty5x8xhle84|'''The Shooting Range #295''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[A-10A]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7590-development-a-10a-thunderbolt-ii-the-warthog-arrives-in-war-thunder-en|[Devblog] A-10A Thunderbolt II: The 'Warthog' Arrives in War Thunder!]]
* [https://archive.org/details/T.O.1A10A1FlightManualA10ASerno7500258AndSubsequent15031988/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1A-10-1 - USAF Series A-10A Aircraft Flight Manual]

{{AirManufacturer Fairchild}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

A-10A

2022-08-12T02:10:39Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to A-10A Flight Manual

{{About
| about = American premium strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the regular version
| link = A-10A Late
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=a_10a_early
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|StoreImage_{{PAGENAME}}_002.jpg|StoreImage_{{PAGENAME}}_004.jpg}}
|store=10896
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The A-10A is a very slow plane at its BR but it retains good manoeuvrability, even when carrying a large payload.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 624 || 609 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 30.2 || 30.8 || 21.0 || 19.9 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 662 || 642 || 28.5 || 29.0 || 30.3 || 25.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 874  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 740 || 370 || ~__ || ~__
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 550 || < 650 || < 500 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric TF34-GE-100A || 2
| colspan="3" | 11,636 kg || colspan="3" | ___ kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br>Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel
|-
| 654 kg || colspan="2" | High-bypass turbofan
| 13,092 kg || 13,651 kg || 14,659 kg || 16,170 kg || 16,489 kg || _,___ kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,036 kgf || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,036 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

[[File:A-10A armour layout.png|alt=Armour is shown around the cockpit.|thumb|Armour layout of the A-10A]]
The cockpit is where all of the extra armour plating is located, making the pilot have a high likelihood of surviving while leaving the fuel tanks, wings and engines without any armour. The armour is most effective against autocannons with the calibre of 25 mm or lower.

* 38 mm titanium alloy - Surrounding the bottom part of the cockpit.
* 44 mm bulletproof glass (54°) - Windshield.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GAU-8/A (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon, chin-mounted (1,174 rpg)
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon + 480 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)|GBU-8 (2,000 lb)}}
{{main|AGM-65B|AIM-9L Sidewinder|Hydra-70 M247|GAU-4 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* Without load
* 42 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets + 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 10 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (5,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (6,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs + 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (12,000 lb total)
* 4 x 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs (8,000 lb total)
* 4 x 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs + 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (8,000 lb total)
* 6 x AGM-65B missiles
* 6 x AGM-65B missiles + 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg = 2,400 total)

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10
| rowspan="9" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_A-10A_Late.png]]</div>
|-
! 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1200 rpg)
| || || || || 1 || 1 || || || ||
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1
|-
! 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs
| || || 1 || 1 || || || 1 || 1 || ||
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| || || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || ||
|-
! Hydra-70 M247 rockets
| || 7 || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || || || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || 7 ||
|-
! AGM-65B missiles
| || || 3 || || || || || 3 || ||
|-
! AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
| 1 || || || || || || || || || 1
|-
| colspan="11" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The A-10A is extremely effective in ground battles as long as it is used the right way. There are two methods for ground attack, and the tactic used is dictated by the type of threats on the ground. A low-risk situation is when there are no enemy SPAAs or fighters. When performing an attack run, start at a higher altitude, drop ordnance and fire the Avenger then escape for another attack run. In a high-risk environment, where there are enemy SPAAs, stay low and (relatively) fast. This allows pilots to stay below SPAA radar and lines of fire. When attacking, use intel from friendly ground forces to make precision strikes, then retreat after a single pass. After one pass, enemy SPAAs will know that there is an A-10, and be more alert. When trying to escape enemy fire after an attack run, preemptively dump chaff and flares in groups of at least four, and bank hard left and right until out of immediate range. AGM-65A Maverick AGMs are effective from up to 8 km, but from that distance any locked enemy has time to move behind cover before the missile impacts. When firing Mavericks, attempt to target enemy SPAAs that have not left spawn before targeting enemy MBTs. You can then use the ballistic computer for the GAU-8 and fire at any ground target. Because of the GAU-8's high penetration and extremely high rate of fire, the rounds will manage to go through any tank, even the heaviest armoured MBTs. Remember that even though the A-10 is a ground attack fighter, it is still equipped with AIM-9L AAMs. The A-10 has a good turn rate so, if attacked, swing around and fire a missile. However, you do not want any enemy aircraft to get the first shot on you, so keep an eye out for enemy aircraft.

In air battles, the A-10A is way less potent but still decent. It has two all-aspect AIM-9Ls which can pull 30G, at this BR this is almost two guaranteed kills. However, it struggles because of its very low top speed: any jet can easily outrun it. You can score some kills with the GAU-8 cannon but you are outclassed at that BR because of its poor flight performance in air-to-air combat.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Retains manoeuvrability with a heavy payload
* Exceptional roll rate
* Airframe can take a considerable amount of damage
* Deadly GAU-8 cannon
* High number and variety of suspended weapons
* Access to 2 x AIM-9L all-aspect missiles
* Access to up to two 20 mm GAU-4 Vulcan Gunpods
* Access to up to four 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs
* Extremely large amount of countermeasures

'''Cons:'''

* Very low top speed, making it an easy target both from the ground and in the sky
* Poor climb rate

== History ==

After WWII, American aircraft designers shifted focus toward developing tactical aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons while conventional strike aircraft fell out of favor with the new American military doctrine. By the start of the Vietnam War however, the A-1 Skyraider, being the most widely used strike aircraft in U.S. service at the time, was considered vastly outdated. Furthermore, new aircraft such as the very successful F-4 Phantom II proved to be too expensive for strike mission operations.

As a result, in September 1966 the USAF ordered the development and procurement of a dedicated new close air support aircraft, resulting in the A-X program being launched shortly afterwards. In May 1970, the first requirements were issued, including the need to design the aircraft around a new 30 mm rotary cannon. Of six aircraft manufacturers who submitted design proposals, the two from Northrop and Fairchild Republic were chosen for further development, resulting in two prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. After intensive testing of both prototypes, the YA-10A was declared the winning design and was ordered into production in January 1973.

After the USAF received its first production version of the A-10 in November 1975, the aircraft received its official name "Thunderbolt II" in April 1978 in honour of the WWII-era P-47 fighter-bomber also built by Republic. Although the A-10 was first assigned to a military unit in March 1976, its first combat use would be in 1991 as part of the Gulf War. During this conflict, the A-10 underwent its baptism by fire and successfully proved its design, racking up an impressive number of enemy targets destroyed. A-10s were also employed during the Balkan conflicts of the mid and late 1990s as well as during the Invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s. The A-10 Thunderbolt II, despite its age, still forms the backbone of the USAF's close air support force to this date, with over 700 units of the A-10 being produced in total.

''- From [[wt:en/news/7590-development-a-10a-thunderbolt-ii-the-warthog-arrives-in-war-thunder-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=a_10a_early Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
A-10A_WTWallpaper001.jpg
A-10A_WTWallpaper002.jpg
A-10A_WTWallpaper003.jpg
A-10A_WTWallpaper004.jpg
A-10A_WTWallpaper005.jpg
A-10A_WTWallpaper006.jpg
</gallery>

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7590-development-a-10a-thunderbolt-ii-the-warthog-arrives-in-war-thunder-en|[Devblog] A-10A Thunderbolt II: The 'Warthog' Arrives in War Thunder!]]
* [https://archive.org/details/T.O.1A10A1FlightManualA10ASerno7500258AndSubsequent15031988/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1A-10-1 - USAF Series A-10A Aircraft Flight Manual]

{{AirManufacturer Fairchild}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}
{{USA premium aircraft}}

F-5E (China)

2022-08-12T02:06:27Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-5E/F Flight Manual

{{About
| about = jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-5 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-5e_aidc
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]].

A licensed CKD built of Northrop's F-5E series by the AIDC (aka 漢翔) as the alternative for ROCAF's perished dream of a fleet of F-4Es and strengthening their military force: this variant of F-5E has the same capabilities of the original US built-ones, with hard hitting AAMs/AGMs as well as varieties of payload from rocket pods up to 2,000 lb bombs, making F-5E the saviour of the ground forces as a retaliation against both ground and aerial targets who pose a threat to the team. Although it is not as dominant in air combat as the PLAAF [[J-7E]], the F-5E's ability to carry four AGM-65 Maverick missiles makes it a uniquely valuable aircraft in the Chinese tech tree for precision standoff CAS.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

Since AIDC received different batches of F-5E/Fs through the two decades of assembling, their airframe naming can be confusing (K, Ba, C, Pseudo-C); but in this case, this is the C structure which is totally identical to its [[F-5E|American counterpart]]. With a pair of GE J85-G-21A and a light yet surprisingly sturdy airframe, although the overall acceleration is nowhere comparable to jets at its tier, but the revised airframe did help F-5E making manoeuvres easier thanks to its above-average manoeuvrability. Those who are stalling or used up their energy will meet their miserable end very quickly.

While some players take it as a deliciated jet fighter against aerial targets, as a multi-role lightweight fighter, the overall payload is surprisingly high thanks to the composite materials used on its wing; bringing either lightweight bombs or devastating heavy bombs are among its options; do keep in mind that this turns F-5E into a slow bomb truck which can be shot down with relatively ease, so avoid enemies before delivering the payloads.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 11,582 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,756 || 1,746 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.2 || 27.2 || 129.9 || 115.5 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,822 || 1,777 || 25.8 || 26.0 || 171.6 || 149.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 1,018 || 740 || 463 || ~11 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 680 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J85-GE-21A || 2
| colspan="2" | 4,825 kg || colspan="3" | 395 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross<br>Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel
|-
| 303 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 5,423 kg || 5,861 kg || 6,379 kg || 6,820 kg || 9,582 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel || MGW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,480 kgf || 2,220 kgf
| 0.82 || 0.76 || 0.70 || 0.65 || 0.46
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,575 kgf<br>(1,458 km/h) || 3,011 kgf<br>(1,458 km/h)
| 1.11 || 1.03 || 0.94 || 0.88 || 0.62
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

A common misconception of lightweight aircraft is its protection. While F-5E is known to be tough in top rank battles that sometimes it takes 2 missiles to send it back to hanger, the whole jet has no extra protection, meaning that any projectiles that shoot through the thin skin of the airframe is more than enough to take the pilot out with ease.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M39A3 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 2 x 20 mm M39A3 cannons, nose-mounted (280 rpg = 560 total)
** 2 x 20 mm M39A3 cannons + 45 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)|BLU-1 incendiary}}
{{main|AGM-65B|AIM-9P Sidewinder|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-13/A (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
* 1 x 30 mm GAU-13/A cannon (353 rpg)
* 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
* 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
* 5 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs
* 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
* 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
* 4 x AGM-65B missiles

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="6%" | 1 !! width="6%" | 2 !! width="6%" | 3 !! width="6%" | 4 !! width="6%" | 5 !! width="6%" | 6 !! width="6%" | 7
| rowspan="11" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! 30 mm GAU-13/A cannons (353 rpg)
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
|-
! 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs
| || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
|-
! 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs
| || || 1 || 1 || 1 || ||
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! BLU-1 incendiary bombs
| || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
|-
! FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
| || 19 || 19 || || 19 || 19 ||
|-
! Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
| || 4 || || || || 4 ||
|-
! AGM-65B missiles
| || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 ||
|-
! AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Like its tech tree predecessor and its American counterpart, F-5E was designed to be a lightweight and inexpensive option for countries with tight budgets. This version of ROCAF's F-5E is identical to US ones with new avionics and engines to retain its combat capability against possible enemies. While this might sound good at first glance, players have to consider for a major problem- the waves of SARH/ARH capable jets at 11.0; you will either face waves of [[AIM-7E-2 Sparrow|Sparrows]] or even worse, waves of [[AIM-54A Phoenix|Phoenixes]] from [[F-14A Early|F-14A]]; for lightweight jets exactly like F-5E, facing such missiles alongside their carriers will be the ultimate nightmare to deal with. Players have to survive the first wave of head-on attacks at the first place in order to take revenge on enemy targets. Although only a pair of AIM-9P and M39A2 cannons are available for air-to-air missions, if used at the right moment ie. a careless or slow enemy, 2 missiles are more than enough to score some hits. If it has to join a dogfight, the high ammo count at its tier can give trigger-happy players more opportunity to shoot down enemy aircraft, even multiple targets if aimed properly. But do note that a pair J85-GE-21A still aren't something with high thrust, any severe energy loss gives players very little chance to even regain the speed, making it easier to be shot at.

If CAS is your cup of tea, F-5E has a great variety of ordnance ranging from napalm bombs, general purpose bombs, Zuni rockets, as well as 2 pairs of AGM-65B. It can be said that F-5E is the long-awaited CAS aircraft for the Chinese tech tree ''<small>(note: PLAAF only had AGMs in service after the introduction of Su-30MKK Flanker-H in early 2000s)</small>'' . For a less risky approach, use the Mavericks to take out MBTs or menacing SPAAGs, its explosive content and penetration is more than enough to take out any unnoticed ground targets. Since Mavericks used IR/TV tracker in this case, some players sought it as a surprise way to shoot down hovering helicopters from safe distance and altitude. While bombs and rocket pods are available as well, due to the lack of equipment, F-5E still doesn't have any form of ballistic computer. Players should enter the battlefield below 600 m and at around 700 km/h then dive upon the target at 30°, then drop the payloads and pullup for a run; while rockets requires higher altitude for the dive, so use them with extreme caution and practice the trajectory for precise hits. Napalm can also be useful in some way for the nature that it could burn plants and open-top vehicles, but its aesthetic use is much greater than its practical use, i.e. blinding TVD modules on vehicles or equipment with its extreme heat.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Retains similar, if not better flight performance to its predecessor
* Small size, making it difficult for enemies to land shots onto the F-5E
* Variety of payloads ranging from bombs up to TV guided AGMs
* Finally comes with a radar which was lacking on previous models
* Surprisingly sturdy airframe for such a lightweight aircraft
* M39 cannons has generous ammo count and damage against aerial targets; sometimes even ground targets with AP belts

'''Cons:'''

* No ballistic computer of any form
* Low top speed at its rank
* The only A2A option is the pair of guns and two AIM-9Ps at most
* Small countermeasures capacity, less than the F-5A

== History ==

Earlier in 1968, the Nationalist Government had proposed an agreement to Northrop to produce their latest F-5E/F Tiger II domestically in Taiwan. While the batches of earlier [[F-5A (China)|F-5A]] Freedom Fighters joined ROCAF in 1965 as the replacement for the already obsolete fleet of F-86s, those 48 F-5A series were then handed over to the RVAF in 1972 while some batches of USAF's F-4 Phantoms II were transferred from US Pacific Air Force and stationed in Taiwan; the aforementioned agreement with Northrop was signed in February 1973 where AIDC received the license for building 100 F-5E/F series under "Project Tiger Peace 虎安計劃".
[[File:F-5E 5283 displayed in Taichung.jpg|thumb|293x293px|F-5E 5283 at 823 Park in Taichung]]

The overall production program could be divided into 6 separated batches and the very first F-5E assembled in Taichung (No. 5101) was then named Chung-Ching (中正, true name [名諱] of Chiang Kai-Shek [蔣介石；Kai-Shek is the courtesy name]) as his 88th birthday present. Although the first batches of 100 F-5E were delivered successfully, but later changes in Sino-American relationship (the 1979 Communique) forced the Nationalist Government to sign further agreements for new batches of F-5Es, as their proposed purchase for 48 [[F-4E Phantom II|F-4E]]<ref>https://ahonline.drnh.gov.tw/index.php?act=Display/image/2242741c=hD5La#9fC</ref> was ditched by President Carter. The upcoming batches of F-5 consists both the E/F variant and were produced until 1986 by the end of Tiger Peace VI, a total of 242 F-5E and 66 F-5F (308 in total excluding the first military aid ones from US). Although ROCAF had plans for an upgrade of [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/545113-aidc-f-5e-tiger-2000-the-forgotten-tiger/ F-5E with F-CK-1's avionics and missiles] in early 2000s, this project failed to earn ROCAF order.

Since the heat of the first Strait Crisis has passed, the "Tigers" didn't have the chance to be involved into combat actions; but two of these jets defected to Mainland China throughout the 1980s and they were among the very last cross-strait defects. These jets were also involved in 50 crashes with 52 deaths; after the three consecutive crashes within half-a year from October 2020 (5261; engine flameout; pilot DOA) to March 2021 (5286 and 5287; mid-air collision), ROCAF decided to decommission their fleet of remaining F-5s in Taitung by 2025 , replacing them with the new [[wikipedia:AIDC_T-5_Brave_Eagle|T-BE5A Brave Eagle]].<ref>https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2022-02-11/taiwans-brave-eagle-leaves-nest</ref>

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f-5e_aidc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

* [https://archive.org/details/T.O.1F5E11984OCR/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-5E-1 - Flight Manual for F-5E/F-5F Aircraft]

=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer AIDC}}
{{China jet aircraft}}

F-5E

2022-08-12T02:05:51Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-5E/F Flight Manual

{{About
| about = American jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-5 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-5e
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].

The F-5 series are known to be small, lightweight, and nimble. The F-5E Tiger II, made famous by its use as a US Navy aggressor aircraft, improves on the earlier [[F-5A]] and [[F-5C]] with more powerful engines and a revised airframe, increasing its top speed, acceleration, and climb rate. It also has access to deadly AIM-9J missiles, similarly to the [[F-5A (China)|ROCAF F-5A]]. In air-to-air combat, the F-5E still suffers from a subpar top speed and limited armament compared to other top-tier Rank VII fighters, but it remains an excellent dogfighter that can cover the weaknesses of heavier US jets like the [[F-4E]] and [[F-4J Phantom II|F-4J]] Phantoms. In the ground attack role, the F-5E packs a deceptively big punch: few would expect such a small fighter to have AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles and a 30 mm gunpod, among many other options.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed<br>(km/h at 11,582 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,756 || 1,746 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.2 || 27.2 || 129.9 || 115.5 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,822 || 1,777 || 25.8 || 26.0 || 171.6 || 149.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 1,018 || 470 || 463 || ~11 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 680 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J85-GE-21A || 2
| colspan="2" | 4,825 kg || colspan="3" | 395 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br>Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel
|-
| 303 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 5,423 kg || 5,861 kg || 6,379 kg || 6,820 kg || 11,000 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,480 kgf || 2,220 kgf
| 0.82 || 0.76 || 0.70 || 0.65 || 0.40
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,575 kgf<br>(1,458 km/h) || 3,011 kgf<br>(1,458 km/h)
| 1.11 || 1.03 || 0.94 || 0.88 || 0.55
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M39A3 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 2 x 20 mm M39A3 cannons, nose-mounted (280 rpg = 560 total)
** 2 x 20 mm M39A3 cannons + 45 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)|BLU-1 incendiary}}
{{main|AGM-65B|AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9J Sidewinder}}
{{main|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-13/A (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
* 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
* 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
* 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
* 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
* 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 4 x AGM-65B missiles
* 1 x 30 mm GAU-13/A cannon (353 rpg)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb (750 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 3 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (1,500 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 4 x AGM-65B missiles
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 1 x 30 mm GAU-13/A cannon (353 rpg)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,500 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 5 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,750 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (3,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 1 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bomb (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bomb (750 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 3 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (1,500 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 1 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 4 x AGM-65B missiles
* 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 1 x 30 mm GAU-13/A cannon (353 rpg)
* 5 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs
* 5 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs + 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
* 5 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs + 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
* 3 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
* 3 x BLU-1 incendiary bombs + 8 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles

== Usage in battles ==

The F-5E is one of the most manoeuvrable, and survivable fighters at its rank. The F-5E is a very prevalent gun fighter due to its conservation of energy and turn radius, but has weaker guns compared to the M61 Vulcan found on other American jets.

Before taking off, consider selecting a lighter fuel load to increase the {{PAGENAME}}'s speed and lower the turn radius, but using the afterburner will eat through the fuel due to its high inefficiency. Another suggestion is to disable the {{PAGENAME}}'s radar as the {{PAGENAME}} has no radar guided missiles, so the radar isn't necessary in combat and may harm the {{PAGENAME}}'s combat performance due to it tripping enemy {{Annotation|RWR|Radar Warning Receiver}}. After taking off, climbing too high will make the {{PAGENAME}} an easy target for enemy missiles, and without any ground to notch with or mask with it can be difficult to dodge a radar-guided missile. Staying below 10,000 feet (~3,000 metres) and going off towards the side of the battle at the start will let the {{PAGENAME}} work from the inside out, maximizing its survivability.

After the battle starts, {{PAGENAME}} pilots will want to abuse its energy conservation and turn radius to pick off threats in one vs. one fights. The {{PAGENAME}}'s primary targets should be MiG-23, MiG-27, and F-4EJ as they pose a large threat to the {{PAGENAME}}'s team. In a fight, constantly check behind the {{PAGENAME}} in order to defend against missiles. Maintain a relatively high speed, around 550-700 mph (~880-1,100 km/h) for the best turning. Whenever the {{PAGENAME}}'s plane is low on speed, disengage and try to regain that speed.

If an enemy jet follows the {{PAGENAME}}, be prepared to defend against a missile and reverse a turn, as long as the {{PAGENAME}} has speed and is in close range to an enemy jet, the {{PAGENAME}} will be able to win a dogfight against almost anything. The {{PAGENAME}} has the advantage against most jets in a turn-radius fight except against the MiG-21, Kfir, and JA37 Viggen. These enemy jets have very similar performance, but bleeds speed much easier, so a {{PAGENAME}} pilots can try to force them to lose their speed by maintaining a turn rate fight, where the {{PAGENAME}} will hold the advantage and force them to lose their speed. When using the plane's missiles, the AIM-9J has solid flare resistance, but will be defeated most of the time by an observant enemy. Pilots should only use missiles when an opponent lacks the speed to evade the threat, or against an enemy who is distracted by a friendly. The F-5E is a huge threat in battle, and can survive against lots of enemies at once, but without teammates the F-5E becomes an easy target. If there are teammates in the area, a {{PAGENAME}} pilots can draw enemies into a tunnel vision onto the {{PAGENAME}}, which will allow allies to pick the enemies off with ease if the {{PAGENAME}} baits the enemy into a low speed turn or inside loop.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great manoeuvrability
* An almost overwhelming selection of air-to-ground armaments, including Bullpup and Maverick air-to-ground missiles
* Generous ammunition capacity for guns
* Small target
* Efficient afterburner allows the use of lower fuel reserves, improving performance

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed
* Can only carry a maximum of two air-to-air missiles
* No ballistic computer

== History ==

In the late 1960s, Northrop realized that by using an improved version of the General Electric J85 engine with more maximum thrust, the flight performance of the N-156 fighter (F-5 Freedom Fighter) could be improved a lot. During the test, the new J85-GE-21 engine was approved that it could produce almost 23% more thrust than the earlier J85-GE-13 engine used by early produced F-5A/B Freedom Fighter, F-5C Skoshi Tiger and T-38 Talon, which was 5,000 pounds maximum thrust in afterburner mode and 3,500 pounds thrust in military mode.
[[File:1200px-Northrop F-5E (Tail No. 11417) 061006-F-1234S-067.jpg|thumb|332x332px|Official roll-out of first USAF F-5E Tiger II]]
As a result, the sixth production F-5B trainer was chosen to be modified with two new J85-GE-21 engines at Edwards AFB during the summer of 1969, and this upgraded Freedom Fighter with J85-GE-21 engines was called F-5-21 at that time. Overall, the new J85-GE-21 engine's weight was 100 lbs less than J85-GE-13 engine, the length of J85-GE-21 engine was 7 inches longer than J85-GE-13 engine, and an additional stage was added to the front of the J85-GE-13's previous eight-stage compressor to provide extra power, though the single rotor structure was retained, apart from that, two auxiliary intake doors were added to the fuselage above the wing trailing edge (one on each side of fuselage) to provide additional air to the engines for added thrust during take-off and low-speed flight. In Autumn of 1969, USAF decided to hold a new competition to select a new international fighter for Allied countries, and Northrop's F-5-21 program was announced the winner of new international fighter on 20th November 1970. Northrop received the contract from USAF for the further development of F-5E fighter on 8th December 1970. In January 1971, USAF changed the new F-5 fighter's designation from F-5-21 to F-5E, and the latter was named Tiger II in memory of the previous Skoshi Tiger Combat Evaluation program in Vietnam.

As for the airborne avionics system, a Central Air Data Computer was introduced on the new F-5E Tiger II, it could convert raw air data inputs into computed output, and transmit the results to other airborne electrical equipment such as Lead Computing Optical Sight System (LCOSS) and Stability Augmenter System. The new AN/ASG-29 LCOSS replaced the analogue fixed optical sight used by F-5A Freedom Fighter and F-5C Skoshi Tiger, which consisted a gyro lead computer (GLC) unit and an optical display unit (ODU), also an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile select switch was provided to select the appropriate missile launch envelope program stored in the GLC, and the ODU contained sight controls, a mirror drive assembly, and a combing glass which reflected the aiming reticle. Late production F-5Es changed the original AN/ASG-29 LCOSS to the new AN/ASG-31 LCOSS. The most important equipment of the F-5E was the new AN/APQ-153 multi-mode, forward-looking, X-band pulse, Search and Fire Control Radar, which could provide air-to-air search, range, and track information for use in Air-to-Air gunnery and missile launch, it formed the F-5E fighter's Fire Control System together with LCOSS unit, also the late production version of F-5E used AN/APQ-159 (V) 3 search and fire control radar instead of the previous AN/APQ-153 radar.

As for the aerodynamic design, in order to increase the manoeuvrability of F-5E, Northrop decided to increase the total area of Leading Edge Extensions (LEX) sections which were 2.75 times as large as that on the F-5A Freedom Fighter, also the wing area was more than 9% greater than that of F-5A Freedom Fighter, this improvement helped to increase lift and CL max (Coefficient of Lift) in high angle attack situations, also it could improve take-off and landing performance of F-5E too. The CL max of F-5E was increased to 1.4 compared with slightly lower than 1.2 for the F-5A Freedom Fighter, and the maximum lift-drag ratio at subsonic cruise speed was 10.

Thanks to the increased maximum power of new engine, the maximum level flight speed of F-5E was increased from Mach 1.4 to Mach 1.6, the maximum climb rate at sea level was also increased to more than 189 m/s, the empty weight was increased from 3,600 kg to 4,300 kg, and the maximum take off weight was increased to 9,800 kg, also the maximum internal fuel capability of F-5E was increased from 3,790 pounds to 4,536 pounds.

On 10th August 1972, the first F-5E completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. By March 1973, six F-5Es comprised the test force. One interesting fact was that during these flight tests at Edwards AFB, at least one F-5E fighter was painted with Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) desert camouflage because at that time Iranian government was still willing to buy American military equipment. The Saudi Arabian Air Force decided to buy several F-5E and F-5F in 1976, which the program was named Peace Hawk IV, as the Saudi Arabian Air Force wanted to add the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile firing ability and Radar Warning Receiver equipment on their F-5 fighters, F-5E 71-1418 was chosen to conduct the test flights with AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, also F-5E 75-00462 was chosen to test the new Chaff/Flare dispenser and AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles too. Except for Saudi Arabia and Iran, many other third-world countries such as Brazil, Kenya, and Malaysia became the customer of F-5 fighters, and the total number of countries and regions who received F-5Es was 37. Though the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was changed to Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) as a result of the coup in 1979, but during the Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, many former Imperial Iranian Air Force pilots who were trained by the US decided to join the battle against Iraq with the name of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force after they were released by the government, even one time a F-5E of IRIAF successfully shot down a MiG-25 Foxbat interceptor of Iraq Air Force, the total air-to-air kills made by F-5 fighters of IRIAF was 23.

By late November 1986, the F-5E/F production line in California was finally shut down after it completed the last seven aircraft on the contract. Northrop built 2,603 F-5 fighters in total including 1,399 E and F models (793 F-5E and 146 F-5F according to some sources). The first unit of USAF equipped with F-5Es was the 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (TFTS) at Williams AFB, which was responsible for the majority of the training of customer nation air and ground crew, they used F-5Es until June 1989, 1,499 students around the world were graduated from the 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (TFTS). Apart from that, Imperial Iranian Air Force started to receive their F-5Es in 1974, but as the war situation of South Vietnam became worse, American decided to divert 18 F-5Es from the later Iranian order to support the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.

As a result, a total of 55 F-5Es were transported by the USA to South Vietnam before they lost the war on 30th April 1975. Except for battle damage and loss, about 27 F-5E fighters and 60-87 F-5A/B fighters that hadn't escaped to Thailand were captured by the North Vietnamese army after the defeat of South Vietnam. Through Vietnamese government decided to retain a small number of F-5 fighters and used them during the invasion of Cambodia, and they also sent some of the F-5 fighters to the Soviet Union. At first, the Soviet aircraft engineers didn't show much interest in the F-5Es because of the low thrust of the J85 engine, and they still believed that their fighters were much better than Western products. According to the estimation report of F-5E written by the Soviet engineers, they even thought that F-5E's level acceleration performance was only as slow as a piston fighter, also the estimated rate of climb at sea level was only 160 m/s. As a comparison, the true rate of climb of F-5A Freedom Fighter was 189 m/s.

Therefore, they thought that using the latest MiG-23 fighters against F-5E fighters was really bullying, so they decided to let the MiG-21bis fighter, which entered into service in 1972, conduct simulated air combat with a captured F-5E. The final result of that simulated air combat was beyond everyone's expectations: no matter what combat manoeuvre the MiG-21bis fighter did during the test, it couldn't avoid the fate of being shot down by the F-5E! The frustrated Soviet aircraft engineers decided to let their most advanced MiG-23M fighter at that time teach the F-5E fighter a lesson, but the result was almost the same: though the MiG-23M fighter could win in Beyond Visual Range engagements because of its R-23R medium-range semi-active radar-guided missile, however, the F-5E fighter could always maintain at the six o'clock position of MiG-23M fighter through various air combat manoeuvres. At last, the Soviet Union officially claimed that their aircraft was fully capable of competing with the most advanced fighter in the West at the time, but only the Soviet pilots knew that their nightmare would continue until today.

[[File:1200px-Three F-5E agressors from Alconbury 1983.jpg|left|thumb|381x381px|Three USAF aggressor unit F-5Es in formation.]]
Back in 1972, the USAF realised the need for dissimilar aircraft combat training, and they began to use T-38 Talon trainers as an aggressor aircraft at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Although the USAF wanted the more desirable F-5E jets to act as the aggressor's aircraft, the F-5Es produced at the time were prioritized to South Vietnam to save the situation. After the Saigon government finally fell in 1975, many F-5Es including those former Republic of Vietnam Air Force's planes that escaped to Thailand successfully were transported to those aggressor squadrons of the USAF, apart from their homeland, the USAF also established some aggressor squadrons in England and the Philippines to train with other fighter squadrons overseas. As for the US Navy, they also realized the need for dissimilar aircraft combat training, even earlier than the Air Force. The famous Top Gun program was first established in 1969, initially with A-4 Skyhawk, but later it was changed to T-38 Talon and F-5E. In the 1980s, the U.S Navy introduced the F-16N Fighting Falcon and Israel F-21A Kfir as the new aggressor aircraft, therefore, the use of F-5E waned. In 2009, Northrop Grumman delivered the last 44 ex-Swiss Air Force F-5E to the US Navy after modification for use as aggressor aircraft, these 41 single seat fighters and three fighters modified from F-5E and F-5F were renamed F-5N by US Navy (one interesting fact was that in 1965, Northrop also tested a modified F-5A 63-8421 fighter which was equipped with two new J85-GE-15 engine, and this aircraft was initially named F-5N too, the N referred to Northrop), these aircraft were served in VFC-13 and VFC-111 aggressor squadrons in Nevada and Florida.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f-5e Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/526079-f-5e/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/T.O.1F5E11984OCR/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-5E-1 - Flight Manual for F-5E/F-5F Aircraft]

{{AirManufacturer Northrop}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

F-4EJ Kai Phantom II

2022-08-12T02:01:51Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-4C/D/E Flight Manual

{{About
| about = jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-4 Phantom II (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-4ej_kai
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,255 || 2,221 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.5 || 27.4 || 141.6 || 131.6 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,419 || 2,340 || 25.6 || 26.0 || 204.3 || 172.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 580 || 463 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J79-GE-17 || 2
| colspan="2" | 13,965 kg || colspan="2" | 403 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br>Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel
|-
| 1,750 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 15,724 kg || 17,787 kg || 19,829 kg || 24,000 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 5,200 kgf || 8,008 kgf
| 1.02 || 0.90 || 0.81 || 0.67
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,200 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || 10,170 kgf<br>(1,400 km/h)
| 1.29 || 1.14 || 1.03 || 0.85
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 8.5 mm of Steel below the cockpit.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|JM61A1 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 20 mm JM61A1 cannon, belly-mounted (640 rpg)
** 1 x 20 mm JM61A1 cannon + 90 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-4 (20 mm)}}
{{main|AIM-7E Sparrow|AIM-7F Sparrow|AIM-9P Sidewinder}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
* 4 x AIM-7F Sparrow missiles
* 3 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg = 3,600 total)
* 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 19 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (14,250 lb total)
* 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10 !! width="4%" | 11
| rowspan="10" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_F-4C_Phantom_II.png]]</div>
|-
! 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1200 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs
| 4 || 3 || || || || 5 || || || || 3 || 4
|-
! FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
| 57 || 57 || || || || 57 || || || || 57 || 57
|-
! Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
| 12 || 12 || || || || 12 || || || || 12 || 12
|-
! AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1* || 1* || || 1* || 1* || || ||
|-
! AIM-7F Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1* || 1* || || 1* || 1* || || ||
|-
! AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles
| || || 1, 2 || || || || || || 1, 2 || ||
|-
| colspan="12" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,500 kg
|-
| colspan="13" | * AIM-7E and AIM-7F Sparrow missiles cannot be mixed, only one type may be equipped across hardpoints
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Eased up modifications over the F-4EJ
** Comes with 2 x AIM-9Ps stock instead of 2 x AIM-9Bs
** 4 x AIM-9Ps is a tier I mod without the need of AIM-9Es
* AN/APG-66J pulse-Doppler radar
* A wide range of suspended armaments, suitable for any play-style
** AIM-7F capable
* Deadly frontal armament with high burst mass
* Makes use of a ballistic computer for assisting in the aim of cannons, rockets, and bombs against ground targets
* Large reserve of countermeasures

'''Cons:'''

* Limited ammunition in the frontally-mounted cannon
* Quite large and heavy compared to other fighters at its rank

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f-4ej_kai Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
{{Skin-gallery|market|ugcitem_1001078|F-4EJ_Kai_37-8315.jpg|Camo "F-4EJ Kai 37-8315 'Go For It!'"|market|ugcitem_1001158|F-4EJ Kai 77-8399.png|Camo "F-4EJ Kai 77-8399 '50th Anniversary JSDF'"}}

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

* [https://archive.org/details/t.o.1f4c1flightmanualf4cf4df4e01101970/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-4C-1 - Flight Manual for F-4C/F-4D/F-4E Aircraft]

{{Manufacturer MHI}}
{{Japan jet aircraft}}

Kurnass

2022-08-12T02:00:57Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-4C/D/E Flight Manual

{{About
| about = jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-4 Phantom II (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-4e_iaf
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]].

This aircraft is almost identical to the American [[F-4E Phantom II]] with little changes like Israeli weapons.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,097 || 2,074 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.5 || 27.5 || 160.8 || 151.2 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,202 || 2,140 || 25.5 || 26.0 || 221.6 || 190.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 607 || 584 || 463 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J79-GE-17 || 2
| colspan="2" | 14,205 kg || colspan="2" | 408 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br>Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel
|-
| 1,750 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 15,964 kg || 18,027 kg || 20,069 kg || 24,000 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 5,200 kgf || 8,010 kgf
| 1.00 || 0.89 || 0.80 || 0.67
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,200 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || 10,170 kgf<br>(1,400 km/h)
| 1.27 || 1.13 || 1.01 || 0.85
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M61A1 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)
** 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon + 90 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)}}
{{main|AGM-62A Walleye I (505 kg)|GBU-8 (2,000 lb)|AGM-65B}}
{{main|AIM-7E Sparrow|AIM-7E-2 Sparrow|AIM-9D Sidewinder|AIM-9G Sidewinder}}
{{main|BLU-27/B incendiary|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-4 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
* 6 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
* 6 x AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles
* 3 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg = 3,600 total)
* 24 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 19 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (14,250 lb total)
* 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
* 13 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (13,000 lb total)
* 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
* 4 x AIM-7E-2 Sparrow missiles
* 6 x AGM-65B missiles
* 4 x 505 kg AGM-62A Walleye I bombs (2,020 kg total)
* 4 x 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs (8,000 lb total)

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10 !! width="4%" | 11
| rowspan="18" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_F-4C_Phantom_II.png]]</div>
|-
! 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1200 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs
| 4 || 3 || || || || 5 || || || || 3 || 4
|-
! 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs
| 2 || 3 || || || || 3 || || || || 3 || 2
|-
! 505 kg AGM-62A Walleye I bombs
| 1 || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* || 1
|-
! 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs
| 1 || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* || 1
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
| 1 || || || || || 2 || || || || || 1
|-
! FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
| 57 || 57 || || || || 57 || || || || 57 || 57
|-
! Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
| 12 || 12 || || || || 12 || || || || 12 || 12
|-
! AGM-65B missiles
| || 3* || || || || || || || || 3* ||
|-
! AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1<sup>†</sup> || 1 || || 1 || 1<sup>†</sup> || || ||
|-
! AIM-7E-2 Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1<sup>†</sup> || 1 || || 1 || 1<sup>†</sup> || || ||
|-
! AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
| || || 2* || || 1<sup>†</sup> || || 1<sup>†</sup> || || 2* || ||
|-
! AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles
| || || 2* || || 1<sup>†</sup> || || 1<sup>†</sup> || || 2* || ||
|-
| colspan="12" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,500 kg
|-
| colspan="13" | * Marked options on hardpoints 2/10 cannot be carried in conjunction with air-to-air missiles on hardpoints 3/9 respectively <br> <sup>†</sup> Sparrows on hardpoints 4/8 cannot be carried in conjunction with Sidewinders on hardpoints 5/7 respectively
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Vast variety of air and ground ordnance
* Good top speed
* Equipped with RWR and countermeasures
* Can carry up to 8 potent AAMs
* 20 mm M61 cannon has great ballistics, high damage and high rate of fire
* Good acceleration

'''Cons:'''

* Relatively large aircraft is a big, easy to hit target
* Carrying payloads reduces flight performance
* Limited ammo for the internal 20 mm cannon which can be depleted in just a few bursts
* Wings can be ripped off easily during high speed manoeuvres
* Radar is not look-down capable

== History ==

Israel was a prominent user of the [[F-4 Phantom II (Family)|F-4 Phantom II]], having acquired its Phantoms starting in 1968. At first, the USA was unwilling to offer Israel the F-4, but developments in 1967-1968 led the USA to reconsider its position. Notably, a French embargo of Israeli aircraft and the defection of a Soviet MiG-21 convinced the USA to sell its F-4Es to Israel. The first of these aircraft arrived in January of 1968, nicknamed Kurnass (Heavy Hammer) in service.

Israeli Phantoms saw their first combat action in the War of Attrition (1967-1970) against Egypt, where they were used against Egyptian ground and air targets. During this time, more Phantoms continued to be delivered including six RF-4E reconnaissance Phantoms. During the Yom Kippur war, Israeli Phantoms were once again used against air and ground targets. This conflict also marked the debut of the AGM-65 Maverick in Israeli service shortly after the missile entered service with the USAF.

In total, Israeli Phantoms scored ~116 aerial kills against Arab aircraft between 1969-1982 compared to ~55 combat losses (total number disputed). The last Phantom was delivered in 1976, with a total of 204 aircraft delivered, including some as replacements for aircraft lost during the Yom Kippur war. In the last decades of the 20th century, the Phantom was complemented with newer aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16; the last Israeli Phantom was retired in 2004.

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

* [https://archive.org/details/t.o.1f4c1flightmanualf4cf4df4e01101970/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-4C-1 - Flight Manual for F-4C/F-4D/F-4E Aircraft]

=== References ===

* Aloni, S. (n.d.). ''Israeli Kurnass Aces – Part 1''. F4Phantom.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from <nowiki>http://www.f4phantom.com/SmokeTrails/ST1503_1.pdf</nowiki>
* Jewish Virtual Library. (1998). ''IAF Aircraft Inventory''. McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-ii</nowiki>

{{AirManufacturer McDonnell}}
{{Israel jet aircraft}}

F-4E Phantom II

2022-08-12T02:00:07Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-4C/D/E Flight Manual

{{About
| about = American jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-4 Phantom II (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-4e
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].

The mighty F-4E Phantom II is a famous US aircraft from the Vietnam War era and a reliable workhorse of many militaries around the world. Powered by two General Electric J79-GE-17 jets, each producing an incredible 8,010 kgf on maximum afterburner, the F-4E boasts high speed and a solid climb rate. Leading-edge "Agile Eagle" slats increase its turning capability and somewhat mitigate the reputation of the Phantom family as flying bricks. In the weapons department, the F-4E has access to AIM-7E-2 Sparrows for medium-to-long range combat, AIM-9J Sidewinders for close-in work, and an enormous array of ground attack ordnance including AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles and AGM-62 Walleye glide bombs. This multi-role vehicle is a supremely capable ground attacker and a competitive fighter, though in air combat pilots must account for its lack of a pulse-Doppler radar.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,097 || 2,074 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.5 || 27.5 || 160.8 || 151.2 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,202 || 2,140 || 25.5 || 26.0 || 221.6 || 190.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
[[File:F-4E Phantom II deploying drogue chute.png|right|thumb|420x420px|A ROKAF F-4E Phantom II from to 153th Combat Squadron deploying its drogue chute for landing]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 1,458 || 625 || 463 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J79-GE-17 || 2
| colspan="2" | 14,205 kg || colspan="2" | 408 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross<br>Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel
|-
| 1,750 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 15,964 kg || 18,027 kg || 20,069 kg || 28,681 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || MGW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 5,200 kgf || 8,010 kgf
| 1.00 || 0.89 || 0.80 || 0.56
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,200 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || 10,170 kgf<br>(1,400 km/h)
| 1.27 || 1.13 || 1.01 || 0.71
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


The survivability features of the {{PAGENAME}} have grown compared to its [[F-4C Phantom II|predecessor]] with an armour plate and missile countermeasures attached.

By this stage in the high-rank battles, all the fuel tanks are self-sealing. While this will assist with any fuel tank punctures from machine gun calibre weapons, the presence of fast-firing autocannons and missiles mean that these self-sealing tanks are only an accessory to the overall survival of the aircraft.

The addition of an armour plate is a minor benefit as it is only an 8.5 mm steel plate just below the forward fuel tank in the fuselage. This is only thick enough to block a glancing shot to the fuselage. Its most effective use seems to when the {{PAGENAME}} as it is pulling up from an attack run, as it is in that angle where the armour plate can potentially block any shot threatening the fuselage fuel tanks and engine. However, considering the small size it is made up of and the large plane overall, this armour plate should not be relied upon for the overall survival of the aircraft.

The biggest change from previous version is the countermeasure flares, which are greatly useful at deterring incoming infrared-homing missiles like the [[AIM-9J Sidewinder|Sidewinders]] or [[R-60]]s. To utilise the flares, one must turn off their engine afterburners to eliminate that as a significant source of heat, deploy the flares in a suitable manner, then bank away from the flares to that the missile lock onto the remaining heat source rather than the plane's engine.

A survivability feature shared with its predecessor is the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR). The RWR will ping the player in the source of any incoming radar scans, and will also notify if the radar source have achieved a lock-on with the player. Keep an eye on this as it may signify to the player that an enemy semi-active radar homing missile may be launched soon and evasive actions should be taken.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M61A1 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)
** 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon + 90 x countermeasures

Due to this cannon's high rate of fire, trigger discipline is a must.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)}}
{{main|AGM-62A Walleye I (505 kg)|GBU-8 (2,000 lb)|GBU-15(V)1/B (2,000 lb)|AGM-12C Bullpup|AGM-65B}}
{{main|AIM-7E Sparrow|AIM-7E-2 Sparrow|AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9J Sidewinder}}
{{main|BLU-27/B incendiary|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-4 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
* 3 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg = 3,600 total)
* 24 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 19 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (14,250 lb total)
* 13 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (13,000 lb total)
* 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
* 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
* 4 x AIM-7E-2 Sparrow missiles
* 2 x AGM-12C Bullpup missiles
* 6 x AGM-65B missiles
* 4 x 505 kg AGM-62A Walleye I bombs (2,020 kg total)
* 4 x 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs (8,000 lb total)
* 2 x 2,000 lb GBU-15(V)1/B bombs (4,000 lb total)

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10 !! width="4%" | 11
| rowspan="20" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_F-4C_Phantom_II.png]]</div>
|-
! 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs
| 4 || 3 || || || || 5 || || || || 3 || 4
|-
! 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs
| 2 || 3 || || || || 3 || || || || 3 || 2
|-
! 505 kg AGM-62A Walleye I bombs
| 1 || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* || 1
|-
! 2,000 lb GBU-8 bombs
| 1 || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* || 1
|-
! 2,000 lb GBU-15(V)1/B bombs
| || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* ||
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
| 1 || || || || || 2 || || || || || 1
|-
! FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
| 57 || 57 || || || || 57 || || || || 57 || 57
|-
! Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
| 12 || 12 || || || || 12 || || || || 12 || 12
|-
! AGM-12C Bullpup missiles
| || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* ||
|-
! AGM-65B missiles
| || 3* || || || || || || || || 3* ||
|-
! AIM-7E Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || || ||
|-
! AIM-7E-2 Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || || ||
|-
! AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
| || || 1, 2* || || || || || || 1, 2* || ||
|-
! AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
| || || 2* || || || || || || 2* || ||
|-
| colspan="12" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,500 kg
|-
| colspan="13" | * Marked options for hardpoints 2/10 cannot be used in conjunction with air-to-air missiles on hardpoints 3/9 respectively
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The F-4E Phantom II is well-suited for most in-game situations. For attacking ground targets, the plane is armed with an assortment of bombs, rockets, and missiles. And against air targets, players may employ the vehicle's deadly air-to-air missiles and frontal cannon(s). If desired, three externally-mounted gunpods may be equipped, but note that these may not be useful in certain situations. Although they will undoubtedly increase the vehicle's destructive capabilities, they also appreciably hinder flight performance through induced drag. In many situations, one front-facing cannon is all that is required to dispatch an opponent aircraft. As for the missiles, the ones used by this plane are average at its rank, comparable to the [[R-60]] missiles equipped by the [[MiG-21MF (Germany)]] and the [[MiG-21SMT]] (albeit with worse manoeuvrability). The AIM-9J missiles are most effective when fired from between 1 to 3 km away from the target. Any closer and they will struggle to track and likely veer off target for a miss.

The F-4E has one of the highest rates of climb out of any vehicle in the game. This is however where most of its performance advantages end. Due to its weight, the Phantom has rather mediocre acceleration, and not the best top speed. It is not advised to dogfight anything other than Starfighters and other Phantom variants, as the F-4 has a very poor turn rate. Although the aircraft has better energy retention than most of its opponents, it still bleeds considerable amounts of speed while turning, which can't be regained very quickly due to the aircraft's heavy weight. It also performs quite poorly at low speeds, which is also caused by its weight.

=== Air-to-Air ===
In air realistic battles, it is recommended to take a balanced fuel load of 20 or 30 minutes, depending on how aggressive you fly (this will also allow you to liberally use the afterburner without fear of premature fuel exhaustion). The most useful default Air RB armament for the F-4E are the 4 AIM-9Js or 4 AIM-7E-2s, though both missiles can be used under a custom loadout setting. As the F-4E's dogfighting abilities are rather lacklustre, the Sparrows may prove more useful in the long run compared to the AIM-9J Sidewinders. The best strategy is to accelerate to a speed of roughly 900-1,100 km/h on the deck and then zoom climb to altitude (5 km or higher), where the pilot should accelerate to the highest speed possible. Lock on to targets with your radar and use your Sparrows to shoot down enemy aircraft when in range; and remember to keep an eye on your RWR as being at altitude makes you an easy target for the long range missiles prevalent at this tier. Sparrows should ideally be launched above Mach 1 to take maximum advantage of their range and manoeuvrability. After using up all your Sparrows, return to base to rearm, with the Sidewinders (if brought along) used moreso for self-defense rather as a primary weapon. It is important to note that because of its poor flight characteristics, the Phantom will struggle in one-on-one fights, making it vital to keep your teammates around and to avoid dogfighting whenever possible. The Phantom should target enemies turnfighting its friendlies, as not only will the enemy be distracted and slow, but it provides you a chance to save your teammate, who in turn may down another enemy chasing you later in the match.

To reiterate, dogfighting should be avoided as much as possible. The Phantom was designed around missiles, so they will naturally be your main way of getting kills, with the gun being a backup weapon for opportune targets. Furthermore, most of the enemies you will face at 11.0 or above can and will be able to easily manoeuvre around you, if they haven't already fired a high performance AAM at you. Although if one has unlocked the triple SUU-23/A gunpods, that is an almost surefire way to earn at least one kill in the classic head-on (in addition to its usefulness in attacking ground targets, possibly being the best option in Air Realistic).

==== Notable Air RB enemies ====

* [[MiG-21bis]]: the most advanced Soviet MiG-21, with amazing acceleration that can catch up to the F-4E quite easily and evade missiles with flares. The German [[MiG-21bis-SAU]] has access to all-aspect R-60MK missiles as well. Neither has competitive radar-guided missiles however.
* [[JA37C|JA37C Viggen]]: a Swedish powerhouse that boasts high low-altitude speed, good turning performance, similar weapons to the F-4E, and a Pulse-Doppler radar.
* [[Mirage IIIC]]/[[Mirage IIIE|IIIE]]: armed with two of the best infrared missiles in the game, the R.550 Magic, and a long-range radar-guided missile with similar performance to the AIM-7. Strong short-term turning capabilities make them dangerous in snapshots. The former does not have countermeasures, however.
* [[Phantom FGR.2]]/[[Phantom FG.1|FG.1]]: British Phantoms with more powerful engines, can out accelerate and outrun the F-4E. They also have pulse-Doppler radars and are superior in BVR.
* [[F-4EJ Kai Phantom II|F-4EJ Kai]]: Japanese Phantom with an excellent pulse-Doppler radar and the same armament as the F-4E.
* F-4E Phantom II: This very aircraft, as a result you simply play around its weaknesses as described in the "[[#Pros and cons|Pros and cons]]" section.
* [[F-4J Phantom II]]: Later American Phantom variant, sacrifices ATGM/GBU capability for generally improved dogfighting performance/armaments over the F-4E.
* [[F-14A Early]]: American successor to the F-4 with the ultra-long range and fire-and-forget Phoenix missiles, a superior radar, and overall better dogfighting performance.
* [[MiG-23M]]/[[MiG-23MF (Germany)|MF]]/[[MiG-23MLD|MLD]]: swing-wing fighters with potent missiles, good avionics, and superior agility to the F-4E on lower sweep settings. Avoid dogfighting and keep an eye out for sneak attacks with the R-23T/24T missiles. The MiG-23M and MiG-23MF have very limited countermeasures, which the F-4E can exploit with its large missile capacity. The MiG-23MLD has excellent speed and climb performance that can match or exceed the F-4E.
* [[J-7E]]: a light and nimble Chinese fighter with exceptional agility but no radar-guided missiles. Avoid dogfighting whenever possible.

=== Ground Realistic ===
While the AA threat at this BR is significant, this aircraft can still find great utility if used properly and is among the top aircraft for CAS in the American tech tree when the appropriate modifications are unlocked. However, like most aircraft at this BR it has little utility in ground RB when stock/without countermeasures unlocked and even when spaded is still heavily pressured by SAMs, which on some maps can even immediately engage the aircraft as it spawns. In the ground attack role, while its 20 mm cannon can do significant damage against the thinly armoured topsides of most vehicles at this BR, the strafing runs required to do so put you at immense risk of being shot down by radar guided AAA, any SAM, or even some tanks with proximity fused ammunition/ATGMs/autocannons. As a result, you want to rely on quick strikes that put you in the line of fire for as little time as possible or long range attacks that eliminate the need to enter enemy AA range at all. The latter is most prominently done with its advanced guided munitions, the best of which are the AGM-65 Mavericks. To significantly make use of these guided weapons, you often need to put several kilometers worth of distance between you and the target so you can properly aim, fire, and pull away (and optimally against a stationary target). With the GBU and [[AGM-62A Walleye I (505 kg)|Walleye]], this can be difficult as the launch parameters for them put you in the range of most radar guided SAMs due to the limited zoom of its seeker head. As for quick strikes, this is best done through the use of the Bullpups (in a similar manner to the previous [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]], and all other aircraft that use the Bullpup). Bombs can also be suitable for this via high-speed treetop attacks with the ballistic computer. Rockets meanwhile are only slightly better than the cannon as while you can equip a large amount of them, they do little damage individually and have engagement distances similar to gun-runs, putting you at similar risk.

Air-to-air ordnance on planes is often dead weight in Ground Realistic battles as dogfighting is rare and nearly always limited to low altitude visual range, with most air kills being claimed by AA vehicles. With that in mind and the prevalence of countermeasures at this BR, you can often omit such ordnance. However, against helicopters at/above this BR and high performance planes, the Sidewinders can sometimes be of use, as it would often be quite risky to dogfight either with guns. The Sparrows have little use due to BVR combat being exceedingly rare and often non-viable due to small map sizes and/or map layout. Seeing as such ordnance also adds to the SP costs of air to ground loadouts, it's generally worth it to entirely omit or take a reduced loadout of said weapons.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Can carry up to eight missiles, allowing a total of four AIM-9Js and AIM-7E-2 (DF) for fighting either manoeuvring aircraft or at close-medium range head-on engagements respectively.
* Equipped with flares and chaff for evading enemy missiles
* Can carry a vast range of deadly ground attack ordnance (including fire-and-forget ATGMs)
* Deadly frontal armament with high burst mass and high damage
* Has a ballistic computer for assisting in the aim of cannons, rockets, and bombs
* Better manoeuvrability than most other Phantoms due to slats
* Has better CAS loadouts than any other Phantoms in the US tree.

'''Cons:'''

* Susceptible to wing rip, especially when doing negative G manoeuvres or rolls
* Limited ammunition in the frontally-mounted cannon
* Large target for aircraft and AA alike
* Despite having slats, it is still a heavy aircraft which will struggle in dogfights versus lighter fighters
* Two engines make for a strong heat signature, making it harder to dodge missiles
* Flight performance suffers immensely when carrying large amounts of ordnance
* Radar lacks pulse-Doppler or look-down capabilities, meaning it is difficult to lock and engage enemies below the horizon and/or at low altitudes
* In Air Battles, is often uptiered to top-rank where it can become outclassed in armament and manoeuvrability
* Has low battlefield endurance in ground realistic battles due to the prevalence of SAMs and/or radar guided AAA

== History ==

[[File:F-4E Phantom.jpg|thumb|400x400px|An F-4E of Holloman Air Force base.]]
The F-4E was initially designed as an incremental upgrade to the standard F-4C airframe used by the US Air Force. The aircraft carried a new radar in a redesigned radome, and more importantly, an internal M61 cannon mounted in the nose. As well, later-production aircraft featured the Agile Eagle upgrade, which gave the Phantom leading edge slats which improved manoeuvrability at the expense of top speed. The addition of an internal cannon was a highly anticipated upgrade, as it fixed a problem that F-4C squadrons faced when operating over Vietnam.

The first F-4Es entered service in the 1960s and were dispatched to serve in Vietnam, where they complemented the existing inventories of F-4C and D variant aircraft. The aircraft type was credited with 21 kills in Vietnam, most of which were achieved using the AIM-7E-2 'Dogfight Sparrow'. Several pilots achieved Ace status while flying the F-4 in Vietnam, including Charles B. DeBellevue, who was the highest-scoring American ace in Vietnam. The F-4 went on to form the backbone of the US fighter force for the bulk of the 1960s and 70s. As well, F-4E was flown by the USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration Team between 1969 and 1974. The large, noisy Phantom performed around the world until 1974, when rising fuel costs forced the Thunderbirds to convert to the smaller T-38 Talon.

The F-4E was exported to a variety of countries. Israel was the largest foreign user of the F-4 Phantom, having purchased 124 F-4 Phantoms from the United States betwen 1971 and 1974; the Israelis were credited with at least 115 kills using the F-4 Phantom during various conflicts. As well, Germany and Japan both procured modified versions of the F-4E, being the F-4F and F-4EJ, respectively. Other notable foreign users of the F-4E include Australia (24 aircraft), Egypt (35 aircraft), Greece (34 aircraft), and Turkey (40 aircraft).

During service, the Phantom gained a number of nicknames, including "Rhino" (referencing its titanium construction and long nose), "Double-Ugly", and even "The world's largest distributor of MiG Parts", referencing the 277 MiGs downed by the Phantom during various conflicts. The USAF retired the aircraft in 1996, and the aircraft was used as a target drone until 2016. The aircraft remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece and Turkey, 62 years after its maiden flight.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=fighter&vehicle=f-4e Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|TWT-ETcU_No|'''The Shooting Range #198''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:33 discusses the F-4E Phantom II.}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[F-4 Phantom II (Family)]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-21 (Family)]]
* SAAB [[J35D]] ''Draken''
* Dassault [[Mirage IIIC]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/479889-f-4e/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/t.o.1f4c1flightmanualf4cf4df4e01101970/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-4C-1 - Flight Manual for F-4C/F-4D/F-4E Aircraft]

{{AirManufacturer McDonnell}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

F-4C Phantom II

2022-08-12T01:59:16Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to F-4C/D/E Aircraft Flight Manual

{{About
| about = American jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-4 Phantom II (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-4c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

Development of fighter aircraft attempts to balance size, speed, armament and manoeuvrability to come up with the perfect fighter. Due to the difficulties and challenges of bundling all of these in one aircraft, many different varieties have been developed through the years which highlighted one or more aspects but rarely all in one. And sometimes the mould had to be broken and the motto "bigger IS better" came into play. Due to these such heavyweight fighters like the [[P-61C-1|P-61]], [[Me 410 (Family)|Me 410]], [[Beaufighter (Family)|Beaufighter]], [[J5N1]] and [[SM.91]] were developed to fly faster, remain manoeuvrable and carry heavier weapons and ordnance, sometimes much heavier than their lighter counterparts. The {{PAGENAME}} is no exception, originally developed as a souped-up F3H Demon, this fighter was modified into a larger, heavier, faster fighter-interceptor/bomber that the U.S. Navy didn't realize it needed and when it did, it went all in.<ref name="Hachette" />

The imposing {{PAGENAME}} can seem a bit intimidating at first due to its size, but the pilot will quickly find that with the dual J79-GE-15 engines that this fighter is no slouch. Going from takeoff, acceleration in a climb and to level flight the {{PAGENAME}} will move and is quite agile for an aircraft of its size. Pilots new to the {{PAGENAME}} will initially be set up with an M61 20 mm cannon. Due to this aircraft not being configured with an internal cannon, one was required to be mounted on a centre-line pylon. Options become available to mount two additional 20 mm cannon gun pods, one under each wing which all together will spew out a slew of 20 mm rounds acting like a shotgun effect even at >500 m. [[AIM-9B]] and [[AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9E]] Sidewinder missiles round out the Phantom's anti-air capabilities and are okay missiles to use against enemy aircraft which will cause the enemy pilot to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid the missile. In the event that happens, be ready with the cannons for backup as the enemy pilot should be an easy target after bleeding all of their speed and energy avoiding the missile.

[[File:F 4 phantom markymark 002.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Bird's eye view of a {{PAGENAME}} from the VF-111 Sundowners squadron]]

Another arena where the {{PAGENAME}} shines is in the ground-pounding or ground attack function of the aircraft. With eleven hardpoints, this fighter/bomber can be configured in many different ways to carry a combination of guns, bombs and rockets. When it comes to bombs, the {{PAGENAME}} has the option to use either 250 lb, 500 lb, 750 lb or 1,000 lb bombs and can hold upwards of 9,000 lbs total. The Phantom also has three different rocket types to choose from, depending on the targets you are going after. These range from anti-tank AGM-12B and AGM-12C Bullpup guided rockets, Zuni Mk32 anti-tank rockets and the small but powerful FFAR Mighty Mouse in a volume of 228, which can be devastating when used en masse.

The amazing F-4 Phantom II was state-of-the-art in its day and even 60 years later, several countries are still utilising this iconic fighter/bomber as a force multiplier with their air forces today. This fighter coupled with a pilots skill and determination can help alter the outcome in the jet-battle matches.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


The {{PAGENAME}} is an incredibly stable aircraft, however from the way its wingtips and tailplanes look, one might think otherwise. Due to extensive wind tunnel testing, McDonnell engineers determined that by canting the tailplanes downward at a 23° anhedral (inclination) the stability and stall recovery characteristics of the aircraft dramatically improved and in the same fashion they didn't interfere with the engine's jet exhaust. The wings, on the other hand, were developed to be extremely strong to support large suspended armaments; however, they needed to be given a 5° upward inclination to prevent having to redesign the entire wing. So, the engineers elected to just raise the wingtips at a 12° dihedral which averaged the wing at the necessary 5°. The iconic shape of the {{PAGENAME}} was set.<ref name="Hachette" />

With the airframe, wings and tailplanes set in place, the fighter became a stable and solid aircraft. Stability is especially critical with a jet which closes in on the Mach 2 mark. Early speed trials identified flaws in the aircraft which at times proved fatal, but corrections and modifications for later aircraft increased their stability and airworthiness which saved many pilots with damaged aircraft. The {{PAGENAME}} is powered by two General Electric J79-GE-15 engines which are necessary to keep the fighter/bomber in the sky, especially with heavy ordnance loads, however, these engines don't bog down too much under heavy loads as it will still accelerate in a climb, during level flight and during a dive. A testament to the jet and its engines, during one altitude test, the F-4 flew Mach 2 all the way to 90,000 feet where the engines were shut off and the plane coasted up to 98,000 ft, slowing to almost 45 mph and upon dropping back to Earth, fired up its engines at around 70,000 ft and successfully landed.

The Phantom II has the speed and acceleration and also has sufficient manoeuvrability. As a low altitude bomber, the F-4C needed to be manoeuvrable or else it would have been an easier target for either the MiG fighters or the anti-aircraft ground fire. Even with heavy ordnance loads, the Phantom II could still shimmy into position, release its ordnance and then rocket away to a higher altitude. Pilots found out early on that some MiG fighters like the -17 were extremely manoeuvrable and had to be prepared to nullify the target to prevent the MiG from getting behind them.
For the F-4C pilot, it is important when bombing targets to keep a look around and watch for enemy fighters attempting to swoop in, attack the ground target and rocket up to safety. When flying at altitude, be careful not to get into a turning fight as the Phantom is a very heavy aircraft and does not turn very well, instead fly fast and work with Boom & Zoom techniques and always watch your six as a MiG may try to sneak up from behind. Furthermore, beware pulling negative G's as this can result in a broken wing quite easily (especially if equipped with ordnance on the wing hardpoints).

In game, however, the aircraft will not reach both its maximum altitude of 16,000 m or top speed of over 2,000 km/h (even when unarmed and with the minimum fuel loadout). After about 8,000-9,000 m the aircraft starts to slowly lose nearly all lift and eventually plateaus at 12,132 m. In order to reach higher altitudes one must go supersonic, enter a steep climb, and then level off at the desired altitude (although currently this serves little to no gameplay purpose). As for its actual average speed, the F-4C is more likely to just barely break Mach 1 after about 30-40 seconds of level flight at any altitude with all upgrades (so keep this in mind when attempting to boom and zoom or outrun an opponent).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,228 || 2,202 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.5 || 27.5 || 142.4 || 132.5 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,362 || 2,288 || 25.5 || 26.0 || 203.9 || 172.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 584 || 463 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J79-GE-15 || 2
| colspan="2" | 13,405 kg || colspan="3" | 392 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross<br>Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 32m fuel
|-
| 1,720 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 15,164 kg || 17,014 kg || 18,819 kg || 19,270 kg || 27,745 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 32m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,910 kgf || 7,561 kgf
| 1.00 || 0.89 || 0.80 || 0.78 || 0.54
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,955 kgf<br>(1,458 km/h) || 8,856 kgf<br>(1,200 km/h)
| 1.17 || 1.04 || 0.94 || 0.92 || 0.64
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

[[File:F 4 phantom sgtroach.png|350px|thumb|right|Fox-2, Fox-2 - ROKAF F-4C Phantom II launching an [[AIM-9B]] Sidewinder missile]]
Due to the sheer weight of the {{PAGENAME}} it is surprising to note that there is no armour plating nor any bulletproof canopies. Littered with eight fuel tanks, one in each wing and the other six in the fuselage right above the engines, there isn't much protection for the self-sealing tanks. The Phantom pilot will need to be cognizant of where enemy aircraft are behind them to ensure they prevent their aircraft from taking damage as speed and manoeuvrability are the keys to survival and if lost, there is not much hope for the fighter.

For those aircraft attacking the {{PAGENAME}}, when using machine guns and cannons an attempt can be made to try to blow off a wing or snipe the pilot, however, the best bet will be to aim for centre fuselage where there is the greatest chance of hitting several fuel tanks or even the engines. Firing missiles will cause the pilot to take evasive manoeuvres which may cause the aircraft to pitch up or down which will expose the greatest surface area allowing guns or cannons to finish the fight as for without any armour, only the thin metal skin separates the incoming bullets from critical {{PAGENAME}} components.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
|}
=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

[[File:F 4 phantom news001.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Three-quarter view of an {{PAGENAME}} displaying the variance of suspended armament]]
{{main|LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)}}
{{main|AGM-12B Bullpup|AGM-12C Bullpup|AIM-7D Sparrow|AIM-9B Sidewinder|AIM-9E Sidewinder}}
{{main|BLU-27/B incendiary|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|GAU-4 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

* 1 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannon (1,200 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannon + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 3 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg = 3,600 total)
* 24 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 19 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (14,250 lb total)
* 13 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (13,000 lb total)
* 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
* 1 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannon + 4 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
* 1 x 20 mm GAU-4 cannon + 2 x AGM-12C Bullpup missiles
* 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 4 x AIM-7D Sparrow missiles

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10 !! width="4%" | 11
| rowspan="16" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! 20 mm GAU-4 cannons (1,200 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 6 || 3 || || || || 6 || || || || 3 || 6
|-
! 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs
| 4 || 3 || || || || 5 || || || || 3 || 4
|-
! 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs
| 2 || 3 || || || || 3 || || || || 3 || 2
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| 1 || || || || || 1 || || || || || 1
|-
! BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
| 1 || || || || || 2 || || || || || 1
|-
! FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
| 57 || 57 || || || || 57 || || || || 57 || 57
|-
! Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
| 12 || 12 || || || || 12 || || || || 12 || 12
|-
! AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
| 1 || 1* || || || || || || || || 1* || 1
|-
! AGM-12C Bullpup missiles
| || 1 || || || || || || || || 1 ||
|-
! AIM-7D Sparrow missiles
| || || || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || || ||
|-
! AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
| || || 1, 2* || || || || || || 1, 2* || ||
|-
! AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
| || || 2* || || || || || || 2* || ||
|-
| colspan="12" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,500 kg
|-
| colspan="13" | * The AGM-12C Bullpup missile on hardpoints 2/10 cannot be carried in conjunction with air-to-air missiles on hardpoints 3/9 respectively.
|}

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:F 4 phantom markymark 001.jpg|350px|thumb|left|VF-96 Showtime-100 F-4C unloading bombs in Vietnam]]
The {{PAGENAME}} is, frankly, not a dogfighter. That is because its ungainly manoeuvrability, large size, and lack of countermeasures leave it heavily disadvantaged and an easy target should one catch it in weapons range. The F-4C's best friend is its good speed and powerful armaments. As a result, F-4C pilots are forced to act as vultures, staying fast and using missiles or gunpods to pick off hapless targets of opportunity.

If playing this aircraft in Air Battles from stock the first modification you should focus on unlocking are the AIM-9Es and AIM-7Ds. If one does not want to spend the [[Golden Eagles|golden eagles]] to unlock them immediately, then ground attack in Air Realistic Battles is often the fastest avenue for advancement, as on most maps one can easily rack up an immense amount of [[Research Points|RP]] and [[Silver Lions|SL]] from the large number of targets (as a short burst from the 20 mm cannon is more than capable of destroying high value targets such as light pillboxes or tanks).

In Ground Realistic Battles this aircraft has next to no utility while stock due to both the powerful AA at this BR and the inability to penetrate most tanks with the stock 20 mm cannon. At most you may only be able to harass aircraft or thinly armoured vehicles before you are shot down, therefore it is recommended that you first unlock some basic ground ordnance before adding this to your Ground RB lineup (see [[#Ground pounding|"Ground pounding"]] for further information).

==== Air-to-air ====
Due to its size and weight, it is heavily recommended not to turn-fight in the F-4C. As stated earlier, speed and its weapons systems will be the F-4C's best friend. The two best weapons for air combat on the F-4C are its AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles and M61 Vulcan cannons (in a configuration of one or three). The Vulcan cannons can spray the area in front of the Phantom II with an insane amount of 20 mm rounds, with the three gun pods creating a shotgun scatter effect by the time it gets to where the enemy fighter is (often critically damaging or outright destroying the enemy aircraft). The AIM-9Bs meanwhile are relatively poor performing rear-aspect missiles that are easily evaded by even the most modest manoeuvres. If it is mandatory to use them: take rear-aspect only shots, from as close as possible to the target, while the target is not in a turn, and while they aren't deploying countermeasures (as the missiles can be easily decoyed). The AIM-9Es on the other hand are a moderate improvement all around, but top out as average at this BR due to their small seeker cone and rear-aspect only lock angle. Regardless, the AIM-9Es can make for a reliable backup anti-air missile and both Sidewinders will be your primary air combat missile that can at the very least force an enemy into a disadvantageous position.
[[File:F-4C A-5 kill.jpg|350px|thumb|A F-4C eliminating a enemy A-5 with a AIM-7D Sparrow missile]]
While the F-4C's speciality is its AIM-7D Sparrow SARH (Semi-Active Radar Homing) missiles, in game (as they were in real life) they are quite ineffective, especially at this BR or above where many enemies will have an RWR to alert them the moment you lock them and/or countermeasures (as the missile is easily decoyed).

Furthermore, three major factors significantly reduce the effectiveness of this missile, and one may find it simply constantly missing. First, perhaps the AIM-7D's biggest downside is that it has a 1 km warmup range before it starts tracking. What this means it that, once fired, it will always travel in a straight line for one kilometre (around 2-3 seconds) before it starts manoeuvring itself towards the target. While at longer ranges (7 km+) this generally isn't a problem, it is most problematic when the missile is launched at close ranges (with usual speed and at around 4 km or less); in these cases, the missile won't start manoeuvring until it's very close to the enemy (less than 1.5 km), which usually isn't enough time for the missile to turn into the now very close enemy. Additionally, this initial straight line travel means that there is a chance the enemy can move out of the missile's field of view before it can track, in which case the missile will simply self-destruct. Second, the F-4C's own unreliable radar. Despite it having a maximum listed range of over 150 km, in-game, you typically will only see the radar start picking up targets at less than 20 km. Commonly, the radar fails to see a target directly in front of it until it gets closer (less than 9 km). This is a significant downside, as oftentimes the radar will pick up a target too late to reliably launch an AIM-7D (due to its 1 km initial straight line travel). Additionally, the radar can easily lose lock on a target (often due to enemy manoeuvres reducing their radar signature or diving below you, hiding among ground clutter), which instantly ruins your missile attack. The latter is especially common when engaging aircraft with RWR and/or countermeasures, as the moment they are radar locked they can instantly begin dumping chaff and manoeuvring to avoid the missile. Overall, the radar generally struggles to do its job, even under ideal conditions. As a result, the majority of your air kills with missiles will be from the Sidewinders as they are far more reliable and give no warning to the enemy.

However, seeing as the Sparrow has its own dedicated pylons that don't interfere with your ability to equip other weapons, there is often little reason to not equip them (even if they're marginally effective). A common strategy for their use is to zoom climb to high altitude (at least 5 km) at the start of the match and/or sideclimb as the radar and missiles work better at high altitude. By side climbing, you can avoid the major furball, keeping the plane out of danger. Once the plane climbs up to a decent altitude (4-6 km), use the radar to lock onto someone, and start launching the AIM-7Ds. The thinner air at altitude also significantly increases your missiles' range, while aircraft will have trouble manoeuvring and regaining speed, increasing the chance your missile will hit the enemy. Furthermore, early match tends to be the only time where enemy targets will be at these high altitudes as later on, the fight goes to low altitudes where the radar will struggle with ground clutter and will be unable to lock low flying enemies. Retaining high speed is important as the faster the F-4C goes, the farther missiles go due to the higher launch speed. To actually use the AIM-7, you must first radar lock a target, and then launch the AIM-7. You must then keep the radar target locked for the entire duration of the missile's flight, or else it will stop tracking, as a result you want to avoid launching from your maximum range to limit the time the enemy has to avoid the missile. The AIM-7D has great range and under ideal conditions, can hit non-manoeuvring targets from upwards of a 10 km launch. It has a 15G manoeuvring capability, meaning it can follow targets in a turn decently well. And since they are radar guided, assuming you can get and maintain lock, they can engage targets from any angle. But remember that your lack of countermeasures makes high altitudes dangerous for you as well, as the thinner air limits your ability to dodge missiles. An alternative strategy, often used while/after attacking ground targets, is to fly in at treetop level to where you expect the enemies to be dogfighting and quickly popup and engage them from below/behind. Staying low will help hide you from enemy radar and allow you to engage your ground targets with ease, while doing so (largely dependent on the map) you're likely to spot enemies flying over you to engage the rest of your team at altitude, here your Sparrows can be quite useful as you can pop-up, quickly lock the target above you, and fire. This has the advantage of giving the enemy little time or room to evade as the missile will be coming from below them rather than above, meaning there's no chance for the lock to be lost in ground clutter. The obvious downsides is this will greatly reduce the range of your Sparrow seeing as such a tactic: often entails a far slower launch speed, forces the missile to expend much of its energy climbing rather than gaining speed, forces it to traverse much thicker air (even further limiting its terminal performance), and can leave you in a very vulnerable position while guiding the missing as another enemy could swoop in and engage you while you're stuck unable to manoeuvre.

After your AIM-7s are gone or no targets at altitude can be found, move down to lower altitudes to fight. Below 2 km, your primary weapons will be your cannons and AIM-9s. As the Phantom lacks in manoeuvrability, it is not recommended to get into a dogfight, but rather to utilize the its great top speed to make high speed passes, as the Phantom retains controllability even at very high speeds while the Vulcan's incredibly high muzzle velocity allows for ease of aiming. Try to make sure no one can/will bother following you though these passes so you aren't forced to turn into a dogfight.

The powerful M61 Vulcan is another tool you'll often use to engage air targets, especially if playing from stock (consider it your backup weapon if your missiles fail you/are unavailable). The cannon itself is quite powerful and you are given a decent pool of ammo. Its greatest and most common use will be in the classic head on, where you'll often come out on top due to its decent punch, high rate of fire, and massive spread. But again, remember to not dogfight as your poor manoeuvrability hinders your ability to line up a shot, especially if heavily loaded.

Unguided rockets are another option for this aircraft, however they are not recommended for air-to-air combat. While extremely large amounts of FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets can be carried, they are highly inaccurate for air-to-air combat, and even with a timed fuse, you generally won't be routinely hitting anything as aircraft are very fast at this BR (don't expect an [[F-89D]]-like experience). The Zuni rockets, on the other hand, create large explosions, and when the timed fuse is used correctly, they can be used somewhat reliably. However, the main downside of these rockets are that they are both carried in rocket pods which stay attached to the aircraft even after the rockets are fired. These rocket pods are large and heavy and significantly impact manoeuvrability and performance. This impact on performance is why it isn't recommended to use them in air combat; stick to using them for ground strikes.

In a downtier, the F-4C can act independently as it can easily outspeed most enemies. Additionally, most enemies in a downtier lack a radar warning receiver (RWR), allowing you to radar lock them and launch AIM-7Ds without alerting them in any way until they spot the missile. The F-4C's high top speed and high speed controllability allows the plane to boom-and-zoom and quickly getting out of a furball without much issue. Again, it is not recommended to get into a dogfight, as nearly all subsonics encountered in a downtier will out-manoeuvre you

In a full uptier, it is recommended to fly near teammates, as the F-4C's inferior top speed, manoeuvrability, and weapon systems make it very difficult to dogfight any high-tier fighter. As a result, the best chance at obtaining any significant amount of score will be to focus on ground targets and avoiding enemies as much as possible. Your lack of countermeasures generally means that if a high tier fighter gets on your tail, you are guaranteed to die. Therefore, you should avoid air combat at all costs, staying with the team should you be forced to do so. If you do get into air combat, keep your speed up as it will be your best (and only) defense against missiles, and make high speed passes with your M61 cannon. AIM-7Ds still can be used in fashions as described before, but know that your BVR capability is outclassed by much of the opposition, and all likely have countermeasures, making BVR combat of any type generally a waste with your horrendously outdated AIM-7Ds. In summary, try your best not to catch the attention of anyone and stay with your team should you do so, as you'll be largely ineffective against air targets and generally be considered free score due to your lack of of countermeasures and exceptionally poor dogfighting performance.

In Air Arcade battles, this aircraft's flaws are a lot more forgiving and it can see far more utility, especially with its gunpods. As with nearly all aircraft in Air Arcade, the minimum fuel option should be your default choice, as you will rarely if ever run out of fuel due to low survival time and overall match time in arcade battles. Even if you do run out, your airfield is a short distance away once you notice your fuel is low. The recommended armaments remain the same as in Air RB, but with much more leeway to tack on ground ordnance to quickly destroy large groups of armour (especially at the start of the "Domination" gamemode). Even the lack of countermeasures can be worked around via clever use of terrain on most maps (with the great exceptions being all the flat "Domination" maps). As for your opponents, you may encounter anything from top rank aircraft all the way down to lowly rank 1's. Be aware of the aircraft you're fighting, even if its a low rank propeller aircraft as all carry the risk of sniping your pilot (especially the Americans with their .50 cals and Germans with their cannons); all propeller aircraft also have a superior turn rate on the F-4C, so instead simply boom-and-zoom as you would with anyone else. Tactics for fighting aircraft around your BR remain the same as in Air RB, albeit they're much easier to execute and you have unlimited missiles. Because of the latter, you'd think side climbing could be a legitimate tactic, but due to the poor radar of the F-4C, the rarity of high-altitude fighting in Arcade, and/or the heavy terrain clutter on most maps you'll rarely find many targets to shoot at.

==== Ground pounding ====
[[File:F 4 phantom iscari.png|350px|thumb|right|Fully loaded {{PAGENAME}} en route to bombing site]]
The {{PAGENAME}} was not called a "Mud Mover" for nothing as with its legendary suspended ordnance options it can quickly reshape the landscape with bombs and rockets.<ref name="Hachette" /> Although in War Thunder there are better CAS options at or around this BR in the American tech tree (the [[F-105D]] being superior in all forms as it can carry countermeasures in addition to its ground ordnance). Nonetheless, the Phantom II's ballistic computer and bomb options ranging from 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 lbs let it effectively attack ground targets ranging from large bases to armour. The triple gunpods in particular can made the F-4C very efficient in destroying ground units in air battles, as they can destroy all but the heaviest of targets and have a large ammo count (allowing one to rack up significant score before having to rearm). Zuni and FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets can be used for great effect on vehicles and anti-aircraft sites, especially those which are clustered close together, however against heavy pillboxes and heavy tanks they might not do much. The final option is to outfit the AGM-12B or AGM-12C Bullpup rockets. These are this aircraft's best anti-tank ordnance in Ground Realistic battles and should be your first modification to unlock before usage in said battles. But know that while these missiles can be guided, this can only be done manually and, at this BR, puts the F-4C at significant risk due to the chances of radar guided AAA or a SAM shooting the F-4C down. During the guiding phase of the Bullpup, a Phantom II is vulnerable as the pilot cannot be looking around for incoming enemy fire and must keep a visual on the target if they intend to guide it. A common tactic with the bullpups is to simply utilize them as if they were high-yield unguided rockets (forgoing any guidance input to turn the bullpups into rocket powered bombs); since they fly in a straight line, the F-4C pilot can easily line the nose up to the targets, fire the bullpups, and then immediately pull away. This is even more lethal with the AGM-12Cs as they have a 1000 lb warhead compared to the 250 lb warhead on the AGM-12B. Dogfighting in Ground Realistic battles is somewhat rare and nearly always limited to low altitude visual range (where the radar of the F-4C has trouble locking any target), as a result the Sparrows can usually be omitted for a performance improvement. The Sidewinders on the other hand can be useful should enemy air be encountered and don't incur as much of a performance penalty, but do add extra SP cost to loadouts with them.

==== Bait attack ====
The {{PAGENAME}} is a phenomenal aircraft to use in a group manoeuvre known as a baiting attack. This fighter can play both roles as either the bait or an attacking aircraft. For this to work, the Phantom II can be used as the bait aircraft, which flies in a way to attract the attention of an enemy fighter (or two), after closing in, the Phantom II should use its speed and acceleration to go into a climb, almost like setting up for a rope-a-dope manoeuvre. While the enemy aircraft are attempting to chase the F-4 in the climb the group buddies can swoop in and take out the distracted enemy aircraft. Due to the fast speed and acceleration of the F-4, it can also be used as the support aircraft in the manoeuvre as with its cannons and missiles; it can lunge in to take out the baited enemy fighters.

==== Most dangerous enemies ====
MiG fighters, Mirages, and [[VTOL]] aircraft tend to be the most dangerous enemies, especially the MiG-21 and Harrier variants, which are quite agile and can easily outmanoeuvre the F-4. The max speed of the MiG-21 and the Mirages are comparable with the F-4, whereas aircraft such as the earlier MiG-17 and MiG-19 will get left in the dust as they are almost half as fast. The early MiG-21 variants like the [[MiG-21F-13]] and [[J-7II]] can carry the R-3S/PL-2, missiles similar to the AIM-9B but inferior to the AIM-9E. They can also be equipped with rockets, and the 30 mm cannons can rip through the {{PAGENAME}} with careful aiming. The best bet against a MiG-21 is to attempt to first cripple the aircraft either during a head-on approach or through a missile, rocket or gun attack, once it is operating at less than 100%, it will be easier to manoeuvre around it and set up for the finishing blow. When facing a Harrier, Hunter, Mirage, or other Phantom variant the same strategy applies as they can be difficult to outmanoeuvre when in pristine shape. Although with the Phantoms and Mirages, it is best to avoid a head on approach due to the potential danger of a wall of fire from triple SUU-23/A gunpods (from the Phantoms) or taking a radar guided missile to the face (from both the Phantoms and the Mirages). Be wary of aircraft like the [[Mirage IIIC]], [[Mirage IIIE]], [[MiG-21SMT]], [[MiG-21MF (Germany)|MiG-21MF]], [[Yak-38 (Family)|Yak-38]], [[Hunter F.6]], and [[Harrier GR.1]] as they can carry up to four (two in the case of the Yak-38s and Mirages) high-performance missiles such as the [[R-60]] for the MiG-21s and Yak-38s, the [[SRAAM]]s for the Hunter and Harrier, and the [[Matra R550 Magic 1]] missile for the Mirages respectively. These are air-to-air missiles with high agility and high-aspect capability that are extremely difficult to dodge without countermeasures (something the F-4C lacks). Furthermore, foreign variants of the Phantom can match the F-4C in performance and often come equipped with later (higher-performing) variants of the Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles.

In Ground realistic battles, the most dangerous ground enemies are all SAM vehicles, but especially the radar SAM vehicles such as the [[FlaRakPz 1|FlaRakPz 1 Roland 2]] and [[2S6|2S6 Tunguska]] as they outrange the F-4C's Bullpups and on some maps can even immediately fire at the plane seconds after spawning. Due to the lack of countermeasures the F-4C's only defense against any missile is maneuvering and/or the terrain; so if using this aircraft while such threats are active, dive to the ground to get below their radar horizon and spend as little time as possible over the battlefield (as loitering increases the chance someone will spot and engage you). Radar guided AAA is also prevalent at this rank, but can be much more easily worked around due to their limited range (especially when using Bullpups).

The most common missiles to face are the SRAAM, AIM-9J, -9G, -9E, -9B, -7E, the R-3S, R-60 and Magics. In order to dodge an SRAAM, do not turn, as the SRAAM, unlike most other missiles, uses thrust vectoring instead of control surfaces. This gives the SRAAM extreme agility, but at the cost of range, meaning pilots that can outrun the missile are far more likely to survive as the SRAAM self-destructs once it runs out of fuel. At the other end of the spectrum, AIM-9Gs have incredibly long ranges, so even if one is launched at the F-4C from 4 km the plane must manoeuvre in order to lose it. An F-4C pilot can either attempt to outturn it (they have worse agility than an AIM-9J, Magic or R-60), or attempt to outspeed it. By waiting for it to run out of fuel (this only works at long ranges), the plane can do big barrel rolls and large turns (not too sharp as to lose speed), and since missiles are incredibly light and will not be able to propel itself once it runs out of fuel, it will lose speed and the F-4C will outrun it. For an AIM-9E, -9E, or R-3S, the F-4C can simply turn a bit to the side and it will quickly lose track. Against an R-60, AIM-9J or Magic however, it is a bit more complex: the most effective way to outmanoeuvre one without countermeasures is to roll 90 degrees so the F-4C's wings are perpendicular to the ground, turn, wait a bit, then begin rolling towards the ground while pulling. This will usually outmanoeuvre most missiles launched at the F-4C. However, an F-4C pilot should not turn to the sky as the plane will quickly drop speed and make it easier for a missile to hit.

=== Pros and cons ===

[[File:F 4 phantom commander drew.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Artistic rendition of a {{PAGENAME}} in a power climb]]

'''Pros:'''

* Impressive variety and maximum payload of ordnance, including: 20 mm cannon gunpods, bombs, rockets, and air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles
** Can equip the AIM-7D Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles at the same time (with a maximum of four each) in addition to five pylons for ground attack ordnance
* Has BVR (Beyond Visual Range) engagement capability with the radar-guided AIM-7D Sparrow
* Has a ballistic computer, which allows for accurate usage of unguided air-to-ground weapons and cannon(s)
* Fantastic rate of climb
* Good top speed
* Great acceleration
* Good roll rate for a large aircraft
* M61 Vulcan has excellent fire rate, ballistics and damage, as well as a generous ammo pool

'''Cons:'''

* As it has no internal gun, some sort of weapon must be equipped on the pylons, meaning flight performance will always be lower than listed due to drag and/or G-limits
* Large target profile compared to other fighters it flies against
* Poor turning ability unless using minimum fuel
* Manoeuvrability suffers greatly with fully loaded pylons
* Using wing-mounted hardpoints will break wings at low altitudes while flying Mach 1.10+
* Has a low negative G limit, meaning wings can snap easily
* The gunpods are pointed slightly downwards (pilot must adjust aim to compensate)
* No countermeasures
** As a result has low battlefield endurance in ground RB battles, as SAM vehicles are quite prevalent at its BR
* Radar has difficulty finding and locking aircraft, even in ideal conditions
** Most enemies have an RWR at this BR, eliminating any surprise from semi-active radar guided missiles (such as the AIM-7D)
* AIM-7D Sparrow missiles are unreliable and easily dodged
** Unlike the Soviet R-3R or Matra R.530E, the AIM-7D has a 1 km warm up time where it flies completely straight, only after which it can begin tracking (but if the target is no longer within the missile's sights it will automatically self destruct, requiring the F-4C to lead the missile). This also makes it very unreliable in a short range engagement as the missile often cannot react in time
* AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles are notoriously poor performing, while the AIM-9Es are below average at this BR
* Has little utility in a full uptier, as it is heavily outclassed by nearly all other aircraft above 10.0

<br>
{{Notice|Fun Fact: The {{PAGENAME}}'s air-intake splitters each have 12,500 small holes drilled into them to reduce incoming turbulence and allow the maximum amount of ram air available into the air-intakes for the engines.}}

== History ==

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation began operations in 1939, though it didn't produce any fighter aircraft for the second great war, it did make a name for itself manufacturing aircraft parts for other aircraft. Though the company worked on a prototype twin-engine, single-seat interceptor aircraft, the XP-67 "Bat" (also known as "Moonbat"), the destruction of the prototype due to an engine fire caused the project to be cancelled. However, starting in 1943, McDonnell began developing jet aircraft and successfully produced the FH-1 Phantom during the post-war era.<ref name="Hachette" /> The success of the Phantom prompted other McDonnell aircraft to have similar features such as the dual engines placed forward under the fuselage and exiting just behind the wings, unlike many single-engine jet fighters which ran the rear length of the aircraft and exited out the rear. Follow on aircraft which shared the engine style of the Phantom was the F2H Banshee, F3H Demon and the F-101 Voodoo.<ref name="Hachette" />

Though McDonnell had initial success with the Phantom and Banshee, they started having problems with the Demon, though it was not because of the aircraft itself, however, it was because of the engines it was outfitted with. The aircraft was sound in its construction and aerodynamics. Later after the Westinghouse XJ40 turbojet was replaced with the Allison J71, the Demon saw greater success.<ref name="Hachette" /> The F-101 Voodoo was an excellent performing aircraft which fulfilled its multi-role capability as an interceptor, fighter/bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, however, when going up against Vought Aircraft Company for a contract with the Navy, McDonnell lost out with the F-8 Crusader being the winner<ref name="Joiner" />.

McDonnell's response to this failure was to task their design team to build a fighter aircraft that the Navy could not refuse, but they did not yet know they needed. Part of the time spent gathering information included interviews with pilots and their wives and one major find was that while the pilots loved to fly fast single-engine fighters, they felt safer in an aircraft which had two engines. With this and other information in hand, McDonnell knew that they needed a single-seat, long-range attack aircraft which manifested itself in a full-size mock-up as the F3H-H, looking noticeably like a combination of a shortened Demon with the swept wings of a Banshee, plus straight tailplanes and an aerodynamic fuselage. This fighter was outfitted with four internal 20 mm cannons plus numerous external payload pylons mounted under the wings and fuselage. The F3H-H was considered more than just an aircraft and was evolving into what would be known as a weapon system. The original engines specified for this aircraft were the Wright J65-W-2, but McDonnell was eyeballing the new General Electric J79 engines for this project.<ref name="Hachette" />

The F3H-H was soon changed to the AH-1 (later the F4H-1) when it went into prototype status, but the aircraft was still having difficulty trying to find a place in the Navy as existing aircraft were already fulfilling the same roles. To make a fit, it was understood to the McDonnell engineers that major changes and modifications were needed to be made, the biggest of which was adding a second crew member.<ref name="Hachette" /> Also, the Navy was willing to sit down and detail out all of the requirements they would need the aircraft to have before they would consider buying it.<ref name="Joiner" /> Three other major requirements were that the aircraft was to be outfitted with the GE J79 engines, the aircraft was to be capable of Mach 2 and the internal 20 mm cannons were removed from the design. Upon the Navy committing to two prototypes, McDonnell knew they needed to undergo a major redesign of the flight surfaces. Through extensive wind tunnel testing the rear tailplanes ended up needing to be bent downward at a 23° anhedral while remaining clear of the jet exhaust. The wings needed to go through a similar change of a 5° dihedral, however, to save time and engineering, it was settled on just adjusting the outer most section of the wings at 12° dihedral which averaged to 5° across the entire wing.<ref name="Hachette" />

Though the first two test flights of the F4H-1 ran into issues (after the first one, the right engine needed to be replaced due to foreign object damage to the compressor blades), flights three and four went smoothly including exceeding Mach 1. The F4H-1 was then shipped to Edwards Air Force Base where it was tested against the Crusader III where after being tested to its full capabilities showed that is undeniably beat the Vought aircraft across the board. Following this McDonnell followed up with breaking a height record where an F4H-1 successfully reached 98,500 ft in altitude and successfully returned. After this, the name of the jet was agreed to be the "Phantom II" which was a nod to the Navy's first jet fighter, the FH-1 Phantom.<ref name="Hachette" />

The United States Marine Corps had shown interest in the F-4 program since its inception as they were tired of the worn-out hand-me-downs that Navy tended to give them.<ref name="Roblin" /> Impressed with the payload and range of the aircraft, the Corps went all in with this fighter to augment and enhance their current aircraft inventory. The United States Air Force, on the other hand, balked at the F-4, believing it to be a second-rate fighter having to be constrained to be built for carrier operations. However, the Air Force could not turn down a request to pit the Phantom II against their finest fighter, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. During the endurance trials between the two aircraft, again it was shown that the F-4 excelled in just about every area tested (speed, payload, altitude, range and maintenance hours needed) over the F-106 and because of this, the Air Force requested two prototypes for further evaluation.<ref name="Hachette" /> At this point the Navy was receiving the F-4B fighters and ultimately after further testing, the Air Force put in an urgent request for a transfer of 29 Navy F-4Bs while the Air Forces F-4C models were being built.<ref name="Hachette" />

Air Force versions of the F-4C differed from the Navy's F-4B in that the C version had additional ground-attack capabilities along with a full set of controls for the rear seat.<ref name="Joiner" /> The rear-seater was typically a junior pilot nicknamed "Wizzo" or Weapons Systems Operator. Other changes included a reworking of the landing gear which led to lower pressure, but wider tires and an anti-skid assembly attached to the landing gear.<ref name="Hachette" /> The refuelling probe was replaced with a receptacle in the spine of the fighter (for boom refuelling operations) and the cockpit was reconfigured to improve visibility for the guy in back. Updated SST-181X Combat Skyspot radar bombing system allowed the F-4s to accomplish bombing missions under complete cloud cover. Though, not essential to the Air Force, their F-4s did retain the Navy's folding wings, catapult hooks and arrestor hook.<ref name="Hachette" />

Initial deliveries of the F-4C delivered them in the standard non-combat grey and white paintwork; however, upon arriving in Vietnam at Udon RTAFB in Thailand, the aircraft was painted to the more appropriate green and brown tactical camouflage.<ref name="Hachette" />

===[[wt:en/news/6352-development-f-4c-phantom-ii-the-record-breaker-en|Devblog]]===
In the early 1950s, McDonnell Aircraft began work on a revised design of their F3H Demon naval fighter, in an effort to expand upon its capabilities and improve performance in general. By September 1953, the design was submitted for Navy consideration. Showing interest in the project, the U.S. Navy ordered the construction of a mock-up and expressed interest in potentially procuring the type.

By 1955, however, the U.S. Navy changed the requirements for the aircraft substantially. Instead of a multipurpose aircraft, the new design was now supposed to act as a two-seat, long-range, all-weather fleet interceptor. Having revised the design, orders were issued for the construction of two XF4H-1 prototypes as well as an additional five pre-production F4H-1s. Following comparative testing against other machines in service with the Navy at the time, the F4H proved itself as highly capable aircraft and was thus ordered into full-scale production as the F-4. The name 'Phantom II' was given to the aircraft at McDonnell's 20th anniversary celebration in July 1959.

Some time after the Navy procured the F-4, other branches of the U.S. military also became interested in the aircraft. A result, the USAF also introduced a special "army" version of the F-4 into service during the mid 1960s under the designation F-4C.

The F-4 Phantom II would become one of the most produced and widely used American combat aircraft of the second half of the 20th century. With over 5,100 machines being built, the F-4 Phantom II saw service with several operators around the globe and remained in service until the 1990s, while some still serve to this day. Phantom II is widely known as a symbol of the US campaign in Vietnam, in particular.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f-4c Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:F 4 phantom news002.jpg
File:F 4 phantom news003.jpg
File:F 4 phantom news004.jpg
File:F 4 phantom news005.jpg
File:F 4 phantom news006.jpg
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|aFj2LOWdj5o|'''The Shooting Range #166''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|d5k2T9FP0bQ|'''Avoid them in frontal attack!''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

;Notable pilots

[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Olds,_Robin.|During the Vietnam war [[User:U64962917#Olds, Robin|Robin Olds]] flew the F-4C and F-4D fighters and failed to claim aircraft kills after #4 to prevent attaining ace status to remain flying in the war as long as possible]]

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-21 (Family)]]
* SAAB [[J35D]] Draken
* Dassault [[Mirage IIIC]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6352-development-f-4c-phantom-ii-the-record-breaker-en|[Development] F-4C Phantom II: The Record Breaker]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/462647-f-4c-phantom-ii/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/t.o.1f4c1flightmanualf4cf4df4e01101970/mode/2up/ Technical Order 1F-4C-1 - Flight Manual for F-4C/F-4D/F-4E Aircraft]

=== References ===

;Citations
<references>
<ref name="Hachette">Hachette Partworks LTD. (2019)</ref>
<ref name="Joiner">Joiner, S. (2015, March)</ref>
<ref name="Roblin">Roblin, S. (2019, April 17)</ref>
</references>

;Bibliography

* Hachette Partworks LTD. (2019). McDonnell F-4 Phantom II - The Greatest Warplane in the West. (5th ed.). London: Hachette Partworks LTD. ISSN:[https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/2517-259X# 2517-259X]
* Joiner, Stephen. [https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/what-couldnt-f-4-phantom-do-180953944/ "What Couldn't the F-4 Phantom Do?"], ''Air & Space Magazine'', On-line, March 2015. Retrieved on 27 September 2019.
* Roblin, Sebastien. [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-you-need-respect-mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-ii-fighter-52862 "Why You Need to Respect the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Fighter"] ''Nationalinterest.org website'', On-line 17 April 2019. Retrieved on 27 September 2019.

{{AirManufacturer McDonnell}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

P-38L-5-LO

2022-08-12T01:47:44Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-38 Pilots Training Manual

{{About
| about = American twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-38 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-38l
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-38l.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]].

The P-38 Lightning is to be played primarily as an Air Superiority fighter. Boom & Zoom tactics are one of your greatest assets in this aircraft. By using your powerful armament, high speed, good manoeuvrability and good climb rate, in the hands of a skilled pilot, a P-38L is one of the greatest threats to an entire team.

The P-38L is the last Lightning in the US Aviation tech tree that is able to be researched. This plane has some of the same defining factors of prior models of the Lightning, but with greater modifications to make this variant of the P-38 among the best planes in the game. The biggest upgrade over the P-38J-15 is the presence of air brakes on the P-38L, which means you can pull out of a dive much easier than in any other prior model. In addition, you also have the ability to research the "New Boosters" module, which greatly improves your roll-rate.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 8,534 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 665 || 647 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 23.1 || 23.9 || 15.6 || 15.6 || rowspan="2" | 332
|-
! Upgraded
| 717 || 690 || 21.0 || 22.0 || 24.0 || 19.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 565 || 495 || 250 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 460 || < 500 || > 420
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 5,100 m || 1,415 hp || 1,550 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Cockpit windscreen
* 6.5 mm Steel - Front cockpit armour plate
* 6.5 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
* 9.5 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|HVAR|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 10 x HVAR rockets
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns (340 rpg = 1,360 total)

== Usage in battles ==

There are a few tactics to take into consideration when using the P-38L Lightning. All of them are viable, but some of them require more attention to detail, or else you can guarantee yourself a one-way ticket back to your garage.

===Air Superiority Role (Air RB)===
The natural role for the P-38L is the Air Superiority role, as it is an interceptor. In air RB, it gets an interceptor airspawn, meaning you start in the air with a good amount of speed and won’t have to take off from the airfield like normal fighters. Once spawned in, start climbing with WEP at a speed around 250 km/h. The P-38L’s airspawn combined with its good climb rate means that even if you climb straight towards the enemy team, by the time you meet them, it’s highly likely you will be significantly higher than most of their fighters, both in altitude and speed. In full uptiers, this may not be the case, but you will likely still be at least at equal altitude and speed with the enemy fighters. However, you want to be higher, so in full uptiers side-climbing is recommended.

Having an altitude advantage is the ideal scenario for the P-38L, as without it, one cannot fully exploit its capabilities. Therefore, typically it doesn’t hurt to climb higher. However, one should be aware of when to keep climbing and when to engage; if your team has engaged and needs your support, you may need to choose to enter the battle without an altitude advantage or by diving far (and losing energy). Remember, altitude is not necessarily a substitute for your team.

Once you have followed the steps to climb to altitude, start scanning for priority targets to support your allies. Ideally, you will be the highest plane on the battlefield at the start of an air engagement, and your targets of priority will be enemy planes which can possibly threaten or get above you.

Because of this, energy fighting will be your main tactic. When you spot a target below you, enter a dive and make a firing pass on them. Even if you don’t manage to get a hit, this will push them down, and their dodge will have cost them energy. Keep in mind that if they are below you and have less energy than you, they probably won’t catch you if they pitch up for you as long as you go up as well (provided you are positioned correctly). Due to this, if they do choose to pitch up for you, don’t commit to the head on; at the very most, fire a short burst before quickly pulling off. At this point, start going up, making sure to dodge their bullets. They may notice you have higher energy and go back down, in which case you have another firing opportunity. If they keep going up, they will stall below you, and you will be able to pitch back down and destroy them. Be careful not to commit to a dive attack for too long, or else both you and the enemy will end up at the same dive speed, and when you pull up, the enemy (which, chances are, is a more capable dogfighted) will follow and be able to shoot you.

As for dogfighting, it isn’t the P-38L’s strongest point. The main reason for this is that its turn time is bad. This means that, when simply turning, most competing fighter aircraft will quickly get behind you. However, the P-38 does have a trick up its sleeve: combat flaps. When they are deployed, the P-38L’s bad turn rate becomes much better and competitive, and you will be able to keep up with the majority of enemy fighters. However, there is a downside: usage of these flaps also degrades the plane’s energy retention. This means that, in a prolonged turnfight, you will dump speed faster, and eventually will get out-rated (you will slow down and become a worse turner) by the opposition. It is for this reason that dogfights aren’t strongly recommended, but do know that with combat flaps, the P-38L can hold its own for a while when forced into one. This also highlights the importance of these flaps; try your best not to let speed or enemy fire blow them off, as without them, your dogfighting performance becomes very limited.

The P-38L’s roll rate is good, thanks to the new hydraulically-boosted ailerons the L model comes with. This is a departure from the below average roll rates of the previous P-38 variants. This roll rate can be used effectively to dodge bullets or defensive fly, as well as when you are on an enemy’s tail and trying to get a good shot.

The P-38L, like all P-38s, has a rather low maximum speed (around 800 Km/h), which, when in prolonged dives, can catch a pilot off-guard. In addition, P-38s compress significantly at high speed, so simply trying to pull up at these speeds may not be enough to save you. Luckily, specifically the P-38L variant is equipped with an airbrake. This is a rare feature amongst propeller-engined fighter aircraft. Upon deployment (you may need to set a keybind), it extends special flaps which are made to cause drag and slow down the plane. This airbrake is extremely helpful in a dangerously high speed dive. When you see the “Reduce speed” warning, immediately throttle down and deploy the air brakes while also pulling up hard. If you do this, you probably will come out of the dive safe and unharmed. These air brakes, used to quickly bleed speed, can also be handy during landing or to slow down and make a trailing enemy overshoot.

The P-38L’s rudder, as you probably will notice, is rather poor. Due to this, despite the great nose-mounted weaponry, actually getting guns on target may be tricky, especially when behind an enemy or in a high speed dive. Considering this, it is especially important that you don’t commit too long to trying to get a shot, as energy will be wasted and the rudder will continue to hamper you.

The P-38 is fragile, and you should do your best to make sure it doesn’t get damaged. It is a large target, so it is more easily hit than other fighters, and it has wing-mounted fuel tanks which are easy to set on fire. Speaking of fires, if your P-38L gets set on fire, there is a very high chance it isn’t going out. Diving to put it out isn’t an option, as the P-38L’s airframe won’t survive the high speed needed to put the fire out. It has a large and easily hit elevator and tail section, and the flaps are vital as well (as said earlier, they are a necessity if you want to dogfight). You get the idea. Of course, getting hit in any aircraft is less than ideal. However, the P-38 is a little more extra fragile than other aircraft, and more care must be taken to not get hit.

The P-38L has a great armament of 4x 12.7mm M2 Browning machine guns and 1x 20mm AN/M2 cannon. The cannon will be your main explosive firepower, and just a few hits with it will usually be enough to cripple most aircraft. The ideal belt for the AN/M2 is the “Air Targets” belt, as it has tracers and a favorable ratio of high explosive shells. The “Stealth” belt may also be chosen if you feel your aim is good enough. A small downside to it is that it only has 150 rounds of ammo, so if one isn’t ammo conservative, they will find the cannon ammo gone sooner than they think. The 4x 12.7mm M2 Brownings, while 2 less than the usual American WW2 six-pack, is still potent. Importantly, the Browning machine guns have a generous ammo pool, so they will be your backup weapons when the cannon ammo runs out. Most of the time, you won’t even run out of Browning ammo at all. The ideal ammo option is “Universal” as they have a good amount of incendiary and tracer rounds. The full “Tracer” belt may also be an option as well, as it is purely powerful API-T (armor piercing incendiary tracer) rounds and provides a laser-like effect, though this may actually hamper your ability to see if shots are lead too far/short.

===Ground Attack Role===
This is the role where paying attention to details is an absolute priority. This is given that the Anti-Aircraft fire is coming from actual players, and not artificial intelligence and one small mistake can send your plane down in a fireball. Nonetheless, the P-38L has all the tools necessary to be a ferocious Close Air Support aircraft. You have the option for two 500 lb bombs suspended underneath the fuselage of the plane or you can choose ten HVAR rockets. The distinguishing part of the Lightning, when used in ground attack, is that the bombs drop independently one-by-one, which allows for a second attack run if one needs to, allowing a chance for further kills. In addition to the options of bombs or rockets, the P-38's weaponry will punish any open-topped vehicles. The tactics for a ground attack are mainly brought out in making diving attacks in Ground RB. However, as mentioned earlier, you must pay attention to your surroundings- as you have no markers for enemy aircraft, and a loss of situational awareness will be your undoing. That being said, approach the battlefield from high altitude, or come in low and fast. When you spot an enemy vehicle, line up your attack run, then drop your bomb when you are close to the ground. Using the dive brakes is extremely recommended, as you can lose control quickly or need to pull up at a moment's notice. It is paramount you do not have "Assault Fuse" for your bombs, as you will be caught in the blast radius. When you have completed your attack runs using bombs or rockets, try and strafe enemy positions to spot for your allies and possibly eliminate enemy Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft vehicles as well. You can also act still as an Air Superiority fighter to keep your friendly ground forces in the game.

===Specific enemies worth noting===

====German Aircraft====
At your battle rating of 4.7, you can (and will) get dragged into some 5.7 BR games. That being said, your greatest threats come from the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8, given the speed and firepower it has. You also need to worry about late models of the Bf 109, such as the G-6, G-10, G-14 and the K-4 variants, which have the speed, firepower and even the manoeuvrability to tear the Lightning apart. It is plausible you will face the Fw 190 D variants, which will give you a serious run for your money, as will the Ta 152's. At 4.7, you also need to take into consideration that you will be facing Allied aircraft captured by the Germans- most notable among them are the Tempest V and the P-47 Thunderbolt. The vast majority of the German planes you will be facing have a high climb rate and are excellent energy fighters, which can leave you at a gaping deficit when facing Axis teams.

====Japanese Aircraft====
Japanese planes are notorious for their extreme turning abilities, which usually decimates Allied teams. This does not change in higher battle ratings. The most dangerous Japanese aircraft that the P-38L will face is the Mitsubishi J2M4 Raiden, which has a top speed to rival even the Mustang. In addition, the J2M4 Raiden carries an armament of four 20 mm cannons, which will tear the Lightning to bits. The A6M Zero and its derivatives are annoying enemies to face; while you are much faster than it and can easily energy trap it, they are just so manoeuvrable, and many times you will find yourself missing your shot on them despite them being energy trapped (the bad rudder doesn’t help with this). Additionally, the Zero keeps its speed rather well, so missing too many passes can put you at the same energy level as it, where it will catch and destroy you in a dogfight.

====Soviet Aircraft====
Any aircraft bearing the prefix "Yak" is going to give you issues. Most notable among all of these planes will be the Yak-3P, as the aircraft has very powerful nose-mounted weaponry and can turn exceptionally well. The Yak-9T will also give you some problems, as the Yak-9T's 37 mm cannon will turn your aircraft into pieces of flying debris with one well-placed hit. The La-7 will also be a viable threat, as it has powerful nose-mounted weaponry combined with amazing capabilities as an energy fighter. Do not head-on any variant of a Su-6 or IL-10, as their weaponry is mainly designed for busting open tanks and pillboxes. Do not tail either of those attackers for long either, due to their 20 mm defensive cannon.

====British Aircraft====
The British aircraft are notorious for their turning capabilities and heavy armament at this Battle-Rating. Any late variant of the Spitfire is going to give you problems, most notable among these variants are the Spitfire F. Mk.IX, the Spitfire Mk.Vc, and the Spitfire Mk.Vc/trop. Another notable adversary is the Typhoon Mk.Ib /Late, due to its heavy armament and good turning abilities.

====Counter-tactics====

With all the aspects mentioned above, the P-38L-5-LO is by no means an easy plane to kill. A P-38L pilot will play this aircraft more conservatively / reserved- mostly using it in a Boom-n'-Zoom fashion. However, a P-38L is a large target, thus making it highly exposed in a turn. That is the best way to secure a kill on a P-38L. Even if you only set the Lightning on fire, all the fuel tanks are either on the inside of the fuselage or in the wing-tips. That being said, a P-38L pilot will only be able to put out a fire if they exceed the structural integrity of the plane.

In addition, the P-38L has a bubble canopy, which offers minimal protection from incoming fire. Getting a pilot snipe on a P-38L is not totally uncommon.

If a P-38L is diving on you, try to force it to over-shoot by pulling either a Corkscrew or a Split-S. If you pull a Corkscrew and the Lightning overshoots, position yourself for a well-placed burst and try to knock-out the pilot. If you choose to pull a Split-S and the Lightning over-shoots, re-position yourself to energy-fight the P-38L.

The P-38L is also a very good energy fighter, thus rendering it able to make some very tight turns, but only for so long. If a Lightning manages to get behind you, try to out-manoeuvre it to then get behind or force it into a vertical scissors fight. In vertical scissors, a Lightning can only pull tight turns for so long before it bleeds too much energy- uses that to your advantage.

Heads-up for German, Soviet and Italian players: while you may have strong nose-mounted weaponry to attack the Lightning in a head-on engagement, the P-38L will make you pay dearly. The "Air Targets" ammunition for the AN/M2 20 mm cannons makes the Lightning an even deadlier foe- especially if you are flying a Yak. If you find yourself facing a Lightning in a head-on engagement, fire a quick burst, then quickly dive to avoid being hit from incoming enemy return-fire.

It is ill-advised to try and out-dive a P-38L. This is directly resulting from the P-38L having a set of dive-brakes that will easily allow the pilot to reduce their speed if they are approaching the speed that the plane disintegrates. Of all the defensive actions you take, do not try to out-dive this plane.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the few propeller fighters which have air brakes, which when deployed quickly bleeds speed by creating drag; additionally, this solves the P-38's high-speed dive recovery problem
* Great energy retention
* Hydraulically boosted ailerons result in a good roll rate, especially compared to previous P-38 variants
* Combat flaps boost turn rate drastically for short durations
* Very responsive controls, even at lower speeds
* Option for air spawn in RB or attackers' spawn point for AB, both giving you a significant energy advantage upon spawning
* Accurate and powerful armament of 4 x 12.7 mm Browning MGs and 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (great for long-range shooting as it is nose-mounted)
* Large amount of ammo for the 12.7mm guns and adequate amount of ammo for the 20mm cannon
* Can mount two gun pods each containing 2x 12.7mm MGs for increased firepower at a small performance hit
* Twin engines mean you can continue flying if one gets disabled
* Tricycle landing gear means you can’t flip over when landing
* Good all-around cockpit visibly
* Works well with MEC

'''Cons:'''

* High tendency to catch fire due to vulnerable fuel tanks inside wings. Additionally, fires cannot be put out, as the P-38’s airframe cannot survive the dive speed required to extinguish fires
* Poor rudder makes aiming the guns tricky
* Poor turn rate without the use of combat flaps (which bleed speed when used)
* Locks up at high speeds (above 700 km/h or 435 mph)
* Large target for a fighter
* Gun pods are mounted on the outboard wing sections, resulting in a significant convergence issue for them

== History ==


The concept of the plane was made in February 1937 when the US Army Air Corps made a requirement for a plane that had twin-engine and can act as a high-altitude interceptor that can hold a large amount of armament and ammunition. The term "interceptor" was used for the aircraft by the requirement authors, 1st Lt Benjamin S. Kelsey and Gordon P. Saville, to bypass the Air Corps' strict requirements on aircraft designs at the time. The specifications laid by this new requirements also called for a maximum speed of 360 mph (580 km/h) and able to climb to 20,000 ft altitude in six minutes, making it the toughest specifications at the time. Design proposals were made for the specifications, one of which would become the [[P-39N-0|Bell P-39 Airacobra]], but it was the Lockheed design team headed by Hall Hibbard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson that made the final product. They made many designs with a twin-engine configuration. The prototypes made for the design used a twin-boom design to hold all the components of the aircraft. Various armaments were tested on the aircraft, from different machine gun combinations and autocannons. It was finally settled to four M2 .50 cal machine guns and one Hispano 20 mm autocannon. The aircraft armament configurations, all at the nose of the aircraft, was very unusual for American aircraft design, as most of their designs and those of their foreign contemporaries had the armament mounted on the wings angled forward. Because of this mounting, the aircraft is able to fire at a longer distance accurately than wing-mounts.

===Combat usage===
The P-38 performed very well in the Pacific and European theatres during World War II. They were used in roles such as Bombers Escorts, Escort V.I.P's, Performing reconnaissance over enemy locations, Combat Air Patrols, Ground Attack, Search and Rescue and other important and critical roles.

=== Notable pilots ===
[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|250px|link=User:U64962917#Bong,_Richard_I.|Major [[User:U64962917#Bong, Richard I.|Richard Bong]] flew the P-38 fighter for the duration of his career of the war and was credited with 40 confirmed victories over Japanese aircraft.]]

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-38l Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Northrop [[P-61C-1]] Black Widow
* North American [[F-82E]]
* Savoia-Marchetti [[SM.92]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/272429-lockheed-p-38l-5-lo/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualP38/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-1 - Pilot Training Manual for the Lightening P-38]

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{USA twin-engine fighters}}

P-38L-1 (China)

2022-08-12T01:47:07Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-38 Pilots Training Manual

{{About
| about = Chinese fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = P-38 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-38l_1_china_rocaf
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 8,534 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 665 || 647 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 23.1 || 23.9 || 15.6 || 15.6 || rowspan="2" | 332
|-
! Upgraded
| 717 || 690 || 21.0 || 22.0 || 24.0 || 19.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 565 || 495 || 250 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 460 || < 500 || > 420
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 6.5 mm steel - in front of pilot
* 38 mm bulletproof glass - windscreen
* 6.5 mm steel - behind and below pilot
* 9.5 mm steel - behind pilot

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|HVAR|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 10 x HVAR rockets
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (gunpods) (340 rpg = 1,360 total)

== Usage in battles ==


There are a few tactics to take into consideration when using the P-38L Lightning. All of them are viable, but some of them require more attention to detail, or else you can guarantee yourself a one-way ticket back to your hangar.

=== Air Superiority ===
The natural role for the P-38 is the Air Superiority role. When playing in this role, it is important to note that because the P-38L is classified as a "heavy fighter" but not an "interceptor," you will often need to side-climb at the start of a match from the airfield. Once you get to an optimal altitude of roughly 4,500 metres (14,760 feet) it is paramount you keep your speed up to avoid getting jumped on by some of the better climbing aircraft. When climbing, it is best you keep your speed somewhere in the neighbourhood of roughly 330 km/h (210 mph), to keep your energy up as well. It doesn't hurt if you climb higher, ''just be sure to keep your energy and speed constant.'' Once you have followed the steps to climb to altitude, start scanning for easier targets to support your allies. When you spot an enemy lower in altitude than you, dive down on them and line up your shots carefully- the 20 mm cannon has a good quantity of ammo, but it goes quickly in higher BR battles. Once you have lined-up your shots (preferably around 700-600 metres away,) fire a quick burst, then climb away to avoid a counter-attack. This is where the dive-brakes come in great use, as they can keep your aircraft stable when in a dive and prevents the airframe from disintegrating in a dive. The P-38's nose-mounted weaponry will act as a buzz-saw on enemy planes, providing extremely accurate fire. Once you destroy your adversary, start scanning for new targets and eliminate those of the next highest value. ''Just remember to keep your speed, energy and altitude high enough.'' The recommended ammunition type for this role is the "Universal" ammunition for the .50 cals and the "Air targets" belt for the 20 mm cannon.

'''Note-''' It is ill-advised to attack your opponents head-on- especially if it is against an Fw 190, or any Yak aircraft. That being said, getting behind your opponents is the best course of action. '''This is not to say a successful head-on attack cannot be done.''' If you have no alternatives but to attack head-on, fire a quick burst, then quickly hit the deck. The nose-mounted weaponry in this scenario is your greatest asset, and the astonishingly good roll-rate of the P-38 can help avoid any incoming enemy fire.

It is not advised that you spend too much time in a turning engagement with this plane. While the P-38L has a phenomenal roll-rate and very powerful Allison engines, prolonged turning will bleed your energy and eliminate your greatest advantage- speed. In addition, you are a rather large target, and getting caught in a turning engagement will only render you a highly exposed target to other enemy planes.

=== Ground Attack ===
This is the role where paying attention to details is an absolute priority. This is given that the Anti-Aircraft fire is coming from actual players, and not artificial intelligence and one small mistake can send your plane down in a fireball. Nonetheless, the P-38L has all the tools necessary to be a ferocious Close Air Support aircraft. You have the option for two 500 lb bombs suspended underneath the fuselage of the plane or you can choose ten HVAR rockets. The distinguishing part of the Lightning, when used in ground attack, is that the bombs drop independently one-by-one, which allows for a second attack run if one needs to, allowing a chance for further kills. In addition to the options of bombs or rockets, the P-38's weaponry will punish any open-topped vehicles. The tactics for a ground attack are mainly brought out in making diving attacks in Ground RB. However, as mentioned earlier, you must pay attention to your surroundings- as you have no markers for enemy aircraft, and a loss of situational awareness will be your undoing. That being said, approach the battlefield from high altitude, or come in low and fast. When you spot an enemy vehicle, line up your attack run, then drop your bomb when you are close to the ground. Using the dive brakes is extremely recommended, as you can lose control quickly or need to pull up at a moment's notice. '''It is paramount you do not have "Assault Fuse" for your bombs, as you will be caught in the blast radius.''' When you have completed your attack runs using bombs or rockets, try and strafe enemy positions to spot for your allies and possibly eliminate enemy Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft vehicles as well. You can also act still as an Air Superiority fighter to keep your friendly ground forces in the game.

=== Specific enemies worth noting ===

;German aircraft

Your greatest threats come from the Focke-Wulf [[Fw 190 A-8]], given the speed and firepower it has. You also need to worry about late models of the Bf 109, such as the [[Bf 109 G-6|G-6]], [[Bf 109 G-10|G-10]], [[Bf 109 G-14|G-14]] and the [[Bf 109 K-4|K-4]] variants, which have the speed, firepower and even the manoeuvrability to tear the Lightning apart. It is plausible you will face the [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190 D]] variants, which will give you a serious run for your money, as will the [[Ta 152 C-3|Ta 152s]]. You also need to take into consideration that you will be facing Allied aircraft captured by the Germans- most notable among them are the [[Tempest Mk V (Germany)|Tempest Mk V]] and the [[P-47D (Germany)|P-47 Thunderbolt]]. The vast majority of the German planes you will be facing have a high climb rate and are excellent energy fighters, which can leave you at a gaping deficit when facing Axis teams.

;Japanese aircraft

Japanese planes are notorious for their extreme turning abilities, which usually decimates Allied teams. This does not change in the higher battle ratings. The most dangerous Japanese aircraft that the P-38L Lightning will face is the Mitsubishi [[J2M4 Kai|J2M4]] Raiden, which has a top speed to rival even the Mustang. In addition, the J2M4 Raiden carries an armament of four 20 mm cannons, which will tear the Lightning to bits. Another dangerous opponent for the P-38L is the [[A7M1 (NK9H)|A7M1]] and the [[A7M2]] Reppu, which also have powerful armaments and a tighter turn radius than a Zero.

;Russian aircraft

Any aircraft bearing the prefix "Yak" is going to give you issues. Most notable among all of these planes will be the [[Yak-3P]], as the aircraft has very powerful nose-mounted weaponry and can turn exceptionally well. The [[Yak-9T]] will also give you some problems, as the Yak-9T's 37 mm cannon will turn your aircraft into pieces of flying debris with one well-placed hit. The [[La-7]] will also be a viable threat, as it has powerful nose-mounted weaponry combined with amazing capabilities as an energy fighter. '''Do not head-on any variant of an [[Su-6]] or [[IL-10]]''', as their weaponry is mainly designed for busting open tanks and pillboxes. Do not tail either of those attackers for long either, due to their 20 mm defensive cannon.

;British aircraft

The British aircraft are notorious for their turning capabilities and heavy armament at this battle rating. Any late variant of the Spitfire is going to give you problems, most notable among these variants are the [[Spitfire F Mk IX]], the [[Spitfire Mk Vc]], and the [[Spitfire Mk Vc/trop]]. Another notable adversary is the [[Typhoon Mk Ib/L]], due to its heavy armament and good turning abilities.

==== Counter-tactics ====
With all the aspects mentioned above, the P-38L is by no means an easy plane to kill. A P-38L pilot will play this aircraft more conservatively/reserved - mostly using it in a Boom-n-Zoom fashion. However, a P-38L is a large target, thus making it highly exposed in a turn. That is the best way to secure a kill on a P-38L. Even if you only set the Lightning on fire, all the fuel tanks are either on the inside of the fuselage or in the wing-tips. That being said, a P-38L pilot will only be able to put out a fire if they exceed the structural integrity of the plane.

In addition, the P-38L has a bubble canopy, which offers minimal protection from incoming fire. Getting a pilot snipe on a P-38L is not totally uncommon.

If a P-38L is diving on you, try to force it to over-shoot by pulling either a Corkscrew or a Split-S. If you pull a Corkscrew and the Lightning overshoots, position yourself for a well-placed burst and try to knock-out the pilot. If you choose to pull a Split-S and the Lightning over-shoots, re-position yourself to energy-fight the P-38L.

The P-38L is also a very good energy fighter, thus rendering it able to make some very tight turns, but only for so long. If a Lightning manages to get behind you, try to out-manoeuvre it to then get behind or force it into a vertical scissors fight. In vertical scissors, a Lightning can only pull tight turns for so long before it bleeds too much energy- uses that to your advantage.

'''Heads-up for German, Russian and Italian players!''' While you may have strong nose-mounted weaponry to attack the Lightning in a head-on engagement, the P-38L will make you pay dearly. The "Air Targets" ammunition for the AN/M2 20 mm cannons makes the Lightning an even deadlier foe - especially if you are flying a Yak. If you find yourself facing a Lightning in a head-on engagement, fire a quick burst, then quickly dive to avoid being hit from incoming enemy return-fire.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent speed
* Incredible energy retention lets you have multiple approaches on a helpless target
* Excellent acceleration
* Excellent climb rate
* Very powerful armament, great for bomber hunting
* Nose mounted armament allows it to have fearsome head-on capability
* Multiple armament presets; allows it to function as a ground attack and/or air superiority fighter
* Good roll and turn time
* Good overall visibility, especially over the nose, in Simulator battles
* Counter-rotating propellers eliminates torque, making it easy to takeoff with in Simulator battles
* Tricycle landing gears allows it to brake continuously until full stop, without having to worry about flipping over
* Two sets of vertical stabiliser increases handling when damaged

'''Cons:'''

* Fuel tanks catch on fire easily
* Low initial roll rate
* Unable to dive to put fires out without breaking wings
* Easy to black-out if your crew's G-tolerance and Stamina are low
* Low cannon ammunition amount compared to other planes at the rank

== History ==


=== The Twin-Body Fighter at CBI and Pacific Theatre ===
The P-38 Lightning was already a rather successful fighter used by USAAF. After successfully shooting down dozens of German aircraft and participating in the hunt for Isoroku Yamamoto (山本五十六), some P-38s were then deployed in China operated by 449th Fighter Squadron and was used as escort fighters along with some P-51B for bombing missions over the Japanese-occupied Hsinchu; while some were used as escorts for F-4/5Es (reconnaissance variants of the P-38). The iconic twin-body design of the Lightning also gave impressions to Nationalist forces and the local Chinese dubbed the P-38 '''"Twin-Body plane" (雙身機)'''.

Thanks to the extended range of P-38, they could reach over the skies of the Korean Peninsula and even the outskirts of Japan at Kyushu, some records even suggest that these F-5Es, operated by 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, helped USAAF on delivering nukes to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.<ref>"21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S.A.A.F." Historical Photographs of China. University of Bristol. Accessed February 12, 2022. https://www.hpcbristol.net/photographer/21st-photographic-reconnaissance-squadron-usaaf.</ref>

=== Myth of P-38 Series in ROCAF ===
Due to the lack of information on the usage of P-38 interceptors by the ROCAF, there isn't too much information on whether they fought with the Japanese or later PLAAF during the Civil War; but the recon variant, F-5E, was used rather extensively by ROCAF before the end of WWII and some 43 of them were delivered to ROCAF after the war.<ref>jpfu0313(平心鏡氣軒主人). "國軍使用過P-38? 答案可能是這樣." 隨意窩 Xuite日誌. Xuite, May 27, 2017. https://blog.xuite.net/jpfu0313/blog/509109195.</ref>

Current historic research with the built number and accounting records from the USAAF shows that there isn't any direct evidence of P-38L interceptors being delivered to ROCAF, but instead P-38 based reconnaissance aircraft designated F-4 and F-5E. The only known loss of an F-5E over PLAAF (albeit piloted by Soviet pilots) was by '''Keleynikov Yuriy Yakovlevich (Келейников Юрий Яковлевич)''' of 29th GIAP, 106th IAD.<ref>Gkjlai. "蘇聯MiG-15擊落國軍P-38/F-5E偵察機" gkjlai的部落格, March 3, 2015. https://gkjlai.pixnet.net/blog/post/360266459.</ref><ref>"Келейников Юрий Яковлевич." Accessed February 12, 2022. http://soviet-aces-1936-53.ru/abc/k/keleinikov.htm.</ref> While F-5Es successfully hinted at the existence of PLAAF jet fighters from recon photos during a flight to Shanghai, forcing ROCA to retreat from Zhejiang costal islands, in just a few years (1953) at the advent of the jet age, F-5Es were first replaced by F-6s (F-51D or K Mustangs reconfigured for reconnaissance), then newer jets like RF-84F or RB-57D.<ref>rexkuang326. "洛克希德 F-5E-4 閃電式照相偵察機(1945.5.14-1953)," May 2, 2021. https://rexkuang326.pixnet.net/blog/post/65496076.</ref>

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Bristol [[Beaufighter Mk VIc|Beaufighter]]
* de Havilland [[Mosquito (Family)|Mosquito]]
* Kawasaki [[Ki-96]]
* Mitsubishi [[Ki-83]]
* Nakajima [[J5N1|J5N]]
* Northrop [[P-61C-1|P-61]] Black Widow
* Westland [[Whirlwind Mk I| Whirlwind]]
* Petlyakov [[Pe-3 (e)|Pe-3]]
* Savoia-Marchetti [[SM.92]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/272429-lockheed-p-38l-5-lo/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualP38/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-1 - Pilot Training Manual for the Lightening P-38]

=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{China twin-engine fighters and strike aircraft}}

P-38K

2022-08-12T01:46:28Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-38 Pilots Training Manual

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-38 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-38k
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-38k.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced as a premium pack during [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]] when it was made available for purchase during the 2015 Christmas Sale. It was later available for purchase in the store for the [[wt:en/news/3799-shop-independence-day-sale-en|2016 Independence Day Sale]], the [[wt:en/news/4608-news-a-revolt-in-war-thunder-discount-is-over-en|2017 A revolt in War Thunder]], the [[wt:en/news/4798-shop-summer-sale-ended-en|2017 Summer Sale]] and the [[wt:en/news/5976-special-shop-war-thunder-winter-sale-en|2018 Winter sale]] and has since been made available for various sales and allied themed events.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 6,401 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 693 || 673 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.2 || 22.0 || 18.6 || 18.6 || rowspan="2" | 332
|-
! Upgraded
| 761 || 724 || 19.5 || 20.0 || 31.9 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 565 || 495 || 250 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 460 || < 500 || > 420
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 6.5 mm steel behind guns
* 6.5 mm steel seat
* 9.5 mm steel behind pilot
* 38 mm bulletproof glass in front of the pilot
* Self-sealing fuel tanks (3 in each wing)

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

== Usage in battles ==

The main and only tactic of the P-38K is, solely an air superiority and it excels at that.

When playing the P-38K, climb to a high altitude, search for the enemy and locate an enemy you feel confident in engaging. Assuming you are above the enemy target, put the aircraft into a gradual descent, which allows you to maintain a speed advantage. As you are descending; make small corrections on your path so you don't give the element surprise away by overshooting the enemy. Now you are about one to two seconds away from your target. Here you will line your sights up, with your sights on the tail and fire a burst with your cannon and machine guns. While keeping the momentum, climb back up to the height you where before and repeat for the best results.

This plane does not carry any bombs or rockets, so using it in a ground strike role is not recommended.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent speed, acceleration and climb rate
* Very powerful armament, great for bomber hunting
* Armament being positioned in the nose allows it to have the great and fearsome head-on capability
* Adequate roll and turn time (You can actually out turn even Yaks and Spitfires with the landing flaps! Though use them on and off)
* Cockpit visibility, important in simulator matches, is mostly unobstructed
* Acceleration is great deference when escaping and/or evading enemy aircraft
* Excellent Silver Lion and Research Point earner
* Best Boom & Zoom P-38 in-game
* Great air superiority aircraft

'''Cons:'''

* Wing fuel tanks easily catch on fire when shot
* Unable to dive to put wing fires out without breaking wings
* Very delicate airframe, will not take much damage and it is easy to rip wings in dives, no air/drive brakes installed
* Easy to blackout if crew G-force and stamina are low
* Single armament preset: No external bombs or rockets
* When throttling up very fast to WEP, it can cause plane spin/unstable due to the engine torque
* Low cannon ammunition amount, compared to other planes in the rank

== History ==

The concept of the plane was made in February 1937 when the US Army Air Corps made a requirement for a plane that had twin-engine and can act as a high-altitude interceptor that can hold a large amount of armament and ammunition. The term "interceptor" was used for the aircraft by the requirement authors, 1st Lt Benjamin S. Kelsey and Gordon P. Saville, to bypass the Air Corps' strict requirements on aircraft designs at the time. The specifications laid by this new requirements also called for a maximum speed of 360 mph (580 km/h) and able to climb to 20,000 ft altitude in six minutes, making it the toughest specifications at the time. Design proposals were made for the specifications, one of which would become the [[P-39N-0|Bell P-39 Airacobra]], but it was the Lockheed design team headed by Hall Hibbard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson that made the final product. They made many designs with a twin-engine configuration. The prototypes made for the design used a twin-boom design to hold all the components of the aircraft. Various armaments were tested on the aircraft, from different machine gun combinations and autocannons. It was finally settled to four M2 .50 cal machine guns and one Hispano 20 mm autocannon. The aircraft armament configurations, all at the nose of the aircraft, was very unusual for American aircraft design, as most of their designs and those of their foreign contemporaries had the armament mounted on the wings angled forward. Because of this mounting, the aircraft is able to fire at a longer distance accurately than wing-mounts.

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-38k Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|zn2uhgI2PPg|'''Best twin-boom aircraft''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:39 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
* Northrop [[P-61C-1|P-61]] Black Widow
* Savoia-Marchetti [[SM.92]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/288271-lockheed-p-38k/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualP38/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-1 - Pilot Training Manual for the Lightening P-38]

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{USA twin-engine fighters}}
{{USA premium aircraft}}

Bong's P-38J-15

2022-08-12T01:45:52Z

U64962917: /* External links */ Added link to P-38 Pilots Training Manual

{{About
| about = American twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = P-38 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-38j_marge
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-38j_marge.jpg
|market=Richard Bong%27s P-38J-15 Lightning(USA)
}}

== Description ==

'''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was available in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]] as a reward vehicle for the [[wt:en/news/3681-special-event-series-chronicles-of-world-war-ii-day-28-faq-added-en|2016 "Chronicles of World War II"]]. The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of American pilot Richard Bong of the US Army Air Forces, who is the highest-scoring American pilot ace with 40 kill credited in a P-38.

The P-38J is a sleekly designed, twin-engine monoplane by Lockheed. This plane has a top speed of 431 mph (694 km/h) with an airspeed warning at 460 mph (740 km/h). The weaponry installed is 1 x [[AN/M2 (20 mm)|20 mm AN/M2 cannon]] with 4 x [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm Browning machine guns]]. Further expanding the role, with upgrades, it can be equipped with either rockets or bombs to further allow it to conquer and dominate the battlefield, whether that be air or ground.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 7,921 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 667 || 649 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 22.6 || 23.4 || 15.9 || 15.9 || rowspan="2" | 332
|-
! Upgraded
| 720 || 693 || 20.4 || 21.5 || 24.3 || 19.6
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 565 || 495 || 250 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 460 || < 500 || > 420
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 7,500 m || 2,540 hp || 2,845 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 6.5 mm Steel - Fore cockpit armour plating
* 6.5 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
* 9.5 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windscreen

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|M8}}

'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (1,000 lb total)
* 6 x M8 rockets

== Usage in battles ==

When playing the P-38J climb to a high altitude, search for the enemy, locate the enemy you feel confident in engaging.
Once these steps have been, ticked-off the check-list. Assuming you are above the enemy target: Put the plane into a gradual descent, which gives you and allows you to maintain the speed advantage. As you are descending; make small corrections on your path, so you don't give the element surprise away by overshooting the enemy.
Now you are about one to two seconds away, from your target. Line your sights up, with your sights on the tail and fire a burst with your cannon and machine guns. You have now shot down your target. Why keeping the momentum, climb back up to the height you where before and repeat for the best results.

'''Ground Battles'''
Using this plane in ground battles, is very effective once you have unlocked the appropriate modules. FMBC Mk.1 allows you to equip two x 500 lb bombs, these are mounted under the wings. To help get the bombs on target, use the machine guns to help predict where the bomb will fall. To do this, put the plane into a steep dive. As you near the ground and start getting closer, fire the machine guns. Using a short burst, if the burst hits the area or target you are aiming for; drop the bombs then pull up.

They are great for destroying, tanks, bunkers and ships. M10 Bazooka module allows you to equip your P-38J with two bazookas, each one has three rockets in total you get six rockets. These are attached to the lower nose panel, and are very accurate. These are ideal for destroying tanks and bunkers.

Once the ground units have been destroyed, you can use this to plane dominate the air and keep the enemy bomber and fighters away. This will help you secure that much wanted victory.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent speed, acceleration, and climb rate
* Very powerful armament, great for bomber hunting
* Armament being positioned in the nose allows it to have great and fearsome head on capability
* Multiple armament presets: Gives it a wider role it can have external Bombs or Rockets mounted
* Good roll and turn time
* Good overall visibility in simulator matches
* Great air superiority aircraft

'''Cons:'''

* Wing fuel tanks, prone to fuel tank fires when shot
* Unable to dive to put wing fires out, without breaking wings
* Easy to rip wings in dives, no air/drive breaks as installed on P-38L
* Easy to black out if crew vitality is low, i.e. G-force and stamina are low
* Low cannon ammunition amount, compared to other planes in the tier

== History ==

The concept of the plane was made in February 1937 when the US Army Air Corps made a requirement for a plane that had twin-engine and can act as a high-altitude interceptor that can hold a large amount of armament and ammunition. The term "interceptor" was used for the aircraft by the requirement authors, 1st Lt Benjamin S. Kelsey and Gordon P. Saville, to bypass the Air Corps' strict requirements on aircraft designs at the time. The specifications laid by this new requirements also called for a maximum speed of 360 mph (580 km/h) and able to climb to 20,000 ft altitude in six minutes, making it the toughest specifications at the time. Design proposals were made for the specifications, one of which would become the [[P-39 (Family)|Bell P-39 Airacobra]], but it was the Lockheed design team headed by Hall Hibbard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson that made the final product. They made many designs with a twin-engine configuration. The prototypes made for the design used a twin-boom design to hold all the components of the aircraft. Various armaments were tested on the aircraft, from different machine gun combinations and autocannons. It was finally settled to four M2 .50 cal machine guns and one Hispano 20 mm autocannon. The aircraft armament configurations, all at the nose of the aircraft, was very unusual for American aircraft design, as most of their designs and those of their foreign contemporaries had the armament mounted on the wings angled forward. Because of this mounting, the aircraft is able to fire at a longer distance accurately than wing-mounts.

===Combat Usage===
The P-38 performed very well in the Pacific and European theatres during World War II. They were used in roles such as bombers escorts, escort V.I.Ps, performing reconnaissance over enemy locations, combat air patrols, ground attack, search and rescue and other important and critical roles.

===Survivors===
Unfortunately, it is estimated that only five P-38Js survived to this day and of these, only two of them are still airworthy.

=== Richard I. Bong ===
Richard Ira Bong was born in Superior, Wisconsin, on 24 September 1920. He grew up on a farm in Poplar, WI, where he gained an interest in aviation while watching planes fly overhead. Bong enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) in 1938 while attending Superior State Teachers College (now University of Wisconsin-Superior). He also took private flight lessons, and on 29 May 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (USAAC) Aviation Cadet Program.

After training in California, Bong was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 19 January 1942, when he was awarded his pilot's wings. He was assigned to Luke Field, Arizona, as a gunnery instructor from January to May 1942. His next assignment was to the 49th Fighter Squadron (FS), 14th Fighter Group at Hamilton Field, California. He was assigned to the 49th Squadron on May 6, and with that squadron he was trained to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning; 49th Squadron was based at Hamilton Field, CA at the time.

On 12 June 1942, Bong buzzed (flew low) over a house in San Anselmo belonging to a pilot who had just been married. Bong was cited and grounded after the incident, along with three other pilots who had looped around the Golden Gate Bridge. General George C. Kenny, commander of the Fourth Air Force, reprimanded him. Bong always maintained that he had not done so, but was forced to stay behind when the squadron was sent to England in July of 1942. He was then transferred to 84th Fighter Squadron of the 78th Fighter Group which was also based at Hamilton Field.

Bong was then sent to the Southwest Pacific area, when he was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron on 10 September 1942. At the time, the squadron was flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from Darwin, Australia. While awaiting the delivery of P-38 Lightnings, the 9th FS was transferred temporarily to the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, based in Port Moresby, New Guinea. Bong scored his first aerial victories on 27 December when he shot down a Japanese A6M "Zero" and a Ki-43 "Oscar" over Buna. For his actions during the battle of Buna-Gona, Bong was awarded the Silver Star.

In January 1943, Bong was reassigned to the 9th FS, based out of Schwimmer Field (near Port Moresby), which had by then been equipped with P-38 Lightnings. On 26 July, Bong participated in an action in which he would down four enemy aircraft over Lae. For this action he earned the Distinguished Service Cross. He was promoted to Captain in August.

During November and December, Bong was on leave in the United States. During this time, Bong met Marjorie Vattendahl and began dating her. When he returned to the southwest Pacific in January 1944, he named his P-38 "Marge" and painted a picture of her on the nose. Bong shot down his 26th and 27th aircraft on April 12, and was later promoted to major by General Kenny. Afterwards, he was sent to see General Henry "Hap" Arnold in the United States, and he was given a leave. After Bong went on a war bond promotion tour through 15 states, he returned to New Guinea in September. His assignment was to the V Fighter Command as an advanced gunnery instructor. He was allowed to fly on missions, but not to seek out any sort of combat. He flew out of Leyte during the Philippines campaign, and by 17 December 1944, he had attained a total of 40 confirmed aerial victories.

Bong considered his gunnery skills as lacking, and as such decided to fly as close to the enemy as possible before shooting. In one case he even collided with an enemy aircraft, claiming it as a probable kill.

Commander of the Far East Air Force, General Kenny, recommended for Bong to receive the Medal of Honor; it was awarded to him by General MacArthur in December of 1944. Bong was sent home permanently in January of 1945 by General Kenny. He married Marjorie Vattendahl on 10 February 1945.

Bong became a test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation's Burbank plant in California. On 6 August 1945, Bong took off in a Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (44-85048), with a previous total of four hours and fifteen minutes - 12 flights - of flight experience in the F-80. During the takeoff, the main fuel pump failed, and Bong ejected. Unfortunately, he was too low for his parachute to deploy, and he died in the event. He was buried at Poplar Cemetery in Poplar, Wisconsin.

=== Notable pilots ===
[[File:Richard_Bong_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Bong,_Richard_I.|Major [[User:U64962917#Bong, Richard I.|Richard Bong]] had one of the most recognizable nose-art of the war, a photo of his future wife and her name ''Marge'' as seen in-game on {{PAGENAME}}.]]

== Media ==


;Skins
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-38j_marge Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|wPPrE_VduOI|'''The Shooting Range #263''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
* Northrop [[P-61C-1|P-61]] Black Widow
* Savoia-Marchetti [[SM.92]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/272428-lockheed-p-38j-15/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://archive.org/details/PilotTrainingManualP38/page/n1/mode/2up/ AAF Manual 51-127-1 - Pilot Training Manual for the Lightening P-38]

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{USA twin-engine fighters}}
{{USA premium aircraft}}