Since the Japanese need someone to fight, this second article for Inside GMT will describe the planes with which the Allies oppose them in Imperial Eagles.
The US Army Air Force has aircraft in almost every campaign in the game, and more models than any other service. These are the planes which held the line in the Pacific for the first two years, showing incremental improvement through the end of 1943 while the more modern types went to Europe first.
Fighters are well-represented, starting with the P-35A, P-40B, and P-40E models that struggled in the Philippines and Java. As fighting shifts to New Guinea and Guadalcanal, P-39D and K Airacobras and P-400s (originally built for the British with a 20mm cannon) are prominent, gradually supplemented with P-38F and G Lightnings. When the Allies progress up the Solomons, improved P-38H and P-40F models join the fight. An F-4 (unarmed photo reconnaissance Lightning variant) is also included.
The USAAF was not keen on single-engine light bombers, so only the A-24 Banshee that fought in Java and New Guinea appears (it’s the SBD-3 Dauntless in Army livery for you aircraft porn lovers).
Instead, medium and heavy bombers predominate. Early models such as the B-17D and B-17E that flew in the Philippines, the East Indies, and beyond try and stem the Japanese advance, supplemented by early model B-25Bs that mounted the Doolittle Raid and B-26/26A Marauders that fought at Coral Sea and Midway. More advanced aircraft (B-24D Liberators, B-25D-5 Mitchells, and B-25C1 gunships) carry the load in the Solomons.
The US Navy and Marine Corps have fewer types because they have no large land-based bombers (yet). All of their aircraft in the game were designed for use at sea, either aboard aircraft carriers or as flying boats.
Half the USN and USMC aircraft are fighters. The F2A-3 and F4F-3 were the frontline planes when Pearl Harbor was attacked, still are in the Marshall Islands Raid and the battle of Coral Sea, and hang on as CAP at Midway. F4F-4 Wildcats take over at Midway, Guadalcanal, and the carrier battles during that campaign, and soldier on into the upper Solomons. By then the powerful F4U-1 and -1A Corsairs come to the fore, along with F6F-3 Hellcats when Bougainville is invaded.
Light bombers are prominent, both at sea and ashore. SBD-3 dive bombers fly from the outset, supplemented by a few earlier SBD-2 variants in the Marshalls, at Coral Sea, and with the Marines at Midway. The obsolescent SB2U-3 appears in the latter battle as well. TBD torpedo bombers see action in the Coral Sea and at Midway until they are effectively annihilated. The replacement TBF-1 Avengers already make their debut at Midway and fight in all the later campaigns.
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PBY-4 flying boats mount strikes in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, while improved PBY-5 models fly reconnaissance in most carrier battles and still conduct the occasional strike in the Guadalcanal campaign. Note: this paragraph (since deleted) somehow appeared in the last article, but captured Catalinas were not flown by the Japanese!
Though only featuring in one campaign, the Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force) is represented by no less than seven aircraft types. Brewster 339D, CW-21B, and Hawk 75A-7 fighters contest control of the air with the Japanese while CW-22 light bombers, Martin 139WH-1/2 and -3/3A medium bombers, and Catalina flying boats bomb land and naval targets.
The Royal Air Force (and its Australian and New Zealand brethren) appears in only two campaigns in limited numbers with aircraft Zero! players have seen before. Hurricane Mark IIb and Kittyhawk Mark III fighters fly as escorts and interceptors as well as in dogfights, while Blenheim Mark IV and Hudson twin-engine light bombers attack Japanese targets.
All told, the Allies will have 105 of the 180 aircraft cards in Imperial Eagles depicting 42 types. Of these, 15 are completely new to GMT Down in Flames while eight are unchanged from previously published models. The remaining 19 types have at least one rating changed.
Previous Article: Imperial Eagles: Air War in the Pacific 1941-43 — Japanese Aircraft
Author: Chris Janiec
why does this damned “subscribe” window keep popping up when I a already subscribed? and how do I get rid of it?
Does someone need to own ZERO! and C&H if the own IE? Or does IE have all those games aircraft plus new aircraft? I have the two squadron packs and Wild Blue Yonder but none of the pacific stuff.
As the game goes up to the end of 1943, I was hoping for RAAF Spitfire Mk Vc to game the defence of Darwin during 1943. This was a fairly major air campaign contested against mainly the IJN but also the IJA on occasions. Any chance this will be included in the game?
No mention of Chinese planes…or the CBI much at all.
First up, congratulations on the coverage of the KNIL air force. This is too often forgotten, despite the fact they fought hard.
Further to my comment below, any chance of seeing the Beaufighter included, it did a lot of strike work for the RAAF in the Timor/New Guinea area. Also, the RAAF used the PBY Catalina extensively, so be good to see them in RAAF colours.
I’ll echo the comments made below about the Chinese theatre. It would be great to see this covered as it was a long and fiercely contested air campaign with an interesting mix of aircraft. It would also enable ethe inclusion of the Flying Tigers.
Hopefully some expansions will cover this?
Keen to purchase this but would like to see more allied content.