In Part 1, we looked at the some of the new German and Japanese aircraft appearing in Wing Leader: Eagles. Some of these were second-stringers in the air war, but played a major part in some really interesting battles. The Allies also have a bunch of new aeroplanes ready for the fray, which we look at in the profiles below.

Soviet Union

The Soviets were underserved in Wing Leader: Supremacy, with a handful of representative aircraft that carried the bulk of the mid- and late-war fighting on the Eastern Front. What was missing were the aircraft used at the close of the war. In many cases these were the ultimate refinements of the main aircraft ‘bloodlines’.

The Yakovlev fighters divided early into two main ‘bloodlines’, which can seem confusing. The Yak-1 fighter spawned a two-seat trainer, which offered numerous minor improvements over the original and which then was converted to a single-seat fighter, the Yak-7. This evolved into the Yak-9, the ultimate version of which was the Yak-9U, which debuts in Eagles. The ‘U’ (Uluchshenny, which means ‘improved’) had numerous refinements in aerodynamics, structure, weight and engine. Even the gun battery was overhauled. The result was a major advance over the regular Yak-9, and the type trickled into combat as winter approached in 1944.

A separate ‘bloodline’ was represented by the Yak-3, which was a highly refined version of the original Yak-1. The long development time allowed it to incorporate all the lessons learned on the other Yakovlev fighters, and this manifested in improved aerodynamics, use of weight-saving materials and greater engine power. The lighter weight also permitted a heavier gun battery. Like the Yak-9U, the Yak-3 was a near-peer of its Luftwaffe opposition and significantly narrowed the gap between the air forces.

The Lavochkin bureau’s La-7 was, similarly, the pinnacle of the successful ‘bloodline’ that ran from the LaGG-3 through the La-5, La-5F and La-5FN. Poor quality control at the factories meant that the La-7 didn’t have a huge performance boost over the La-5FN, though it was more manoeuvrable, and the late models available in 1945 boasted truly ferocious firepower.

Finally, the Tupolev bureau’s Tu-2 was amongst the first rank of medium bombers in the war, thanks to its great speed. It had a strange career, being cancelled after the 80th aircraft so that the Soviets could focus on fighter production. However, glowing reports from frontline units eventually trickled through to Stalin, who reversed the cancellation and ordered production resumed. Though the Soviets never invested in heavy bombers to the same extent as the Western Allies, the Tu-2 force, despite comprising mediums rather than heavies, became a major strategic asset, often employed en masse against German strongholds and redoubts, such as Königsberg.

United States

The new American aircraft include a number of important types at the margins of the war.

The North American P-51A Mustang was the Allison-engined version of the famous fighter, built for the British as an alternative to Curtiss’s P-40 Warhawk line of fighters. Designed while the Battle of Britain was still being fought, it entered British service in 1942 as a low-level reconnaissance fighter and fighter-bomber. The P-51A also saw action with the United States, mostly in the China, Burma, India theatre. The aircraft’s lack of high-altitude performance limited its use, until the installation of a British Merlin engine transformed it into the superlative P-51B (as seen in Wing Leader: Supremacy).

The Republic P-47M and P-47N Thunderbolt were the ultimate versions of the famous ‘Jug’. The ‘M’ was a high-speed sprint interceptor, while the ‘N’ added fuel in a ‘wet’ wing to improve the aircraft’s range in Pacific operations. Both appeared in 1945 in time to see action before the war’s end.

The FM-2 Wildcat was a lightweight improvement on the early war F4F Wildcat (as seen in Wing Leader: Victories). With a more powerful engine, its speed was similar to the F4F but it had a far better climb rate. Built in large numbers, it mostly served aboard the small-deck escort carriers, supporting anti-submarine and amphibious operations until the end of the war. However, despite its age and lack of performance compared to the late war fighters, it was to see action, particularly at Leyte.

The final American aircraft is one of the all-time aviation classics, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport, known by the British as the Dakota. Based on the pre-war DC-3 airliner, the C-47 was so ubiquitous that the Soviets and even the Japanese had their own license-built copies, the Li-2 and the L2D (Tabby)!

In Part 3, we will look at the new British and Swedish aircraft.

Articles in this Series: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3

Order your copy of Wing Leader: Eagles here.

Author: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood