Quote:
Originally Posted by spidge  You are speaking of the CBI theatre distinctly aren't you and not the Pacific.
Equipment initially, except for the AVG were relics. The British were not prepared for war in the east and as such were supplied aircraft (The Buffalo etc) most of which were still in crates when Singapore fell.
IMO they were thrashed initially by superior aircraft and planning however after the first 6 months, (your mid 1942) they became the turkeys as organisational skills, planning and increased volumes of aircraft were made available. |
As I have read too. Many people underate the zero which I some military historians rate as one of the best fighters of the war. Not equalled in overall performance until much later and unsurpassed (they say) for cost value prodcution ratio whatever that means. According too a documentary on "weapons of war..the fighters" so far as the Americans were concerned in every war they took part in the intial loss to kill ratio was very very poor and was only later corrected by better training, experience, tactics and better aircraft. It would be impossible to believe or expect the Americans to have outclassed the Japanese in the wars opening years when thy started with a very small very under equipped and under trained inexperienced forced against seasoned pilots used to success. As to the dirth of pilots the Japanese experienced during the later lart of the war. Well from what I have read this was not just a problem the Japanese experienced. Apparently the allies were facing this problem as well and not just in pilots, but also in armor. The length of training for pilots and tanks or specialized forces is far longer than for the other branches. Allied pilots in the later part of the war experienced far lower losses, despite green crews because both in Europe and the Pacific they were facing far less opposition. In the last year in both theatres, bombers could hit targets without any of enemy fighters. Just flack. (okay bad enough, but you know what I mean.) The Japanese (criminally mind you) sacrificed the remains of their fleet (Yamato included) in a suicidal attack without any air cover or rational hope of success. Similarly the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) Allied planes in the last year of the war were operating with impunity.
or so I've read (chuckle)
"Always remeber that there is always something or someone out there more clever than you are." Merlin