Captured Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
Daryl Hunt
During the first months of 1945 a number of P-80A prototypes were
tested by the USAAF in Italy. The idea was to gather information
on the behavior of the new fighter under combat conditions
without risking an exposure to the German Luftwaffe.
After the Allied invasion of Italy and the subsequent surrender
of Italy in 1943 the southern front had been relatively quiet
during 1944. In February 1945 however, the German army launched a
counter attack and quickly advanced south through Italy. In their
advance they overran the airbase near Rome where the P-80s were
stationed.
The US personal tried to evacuate all classified equipment and
documents, the P-80s taking of literally minutes before the
German army arrived. One of the P-80s suffered an engine failure
on takeoff and had to abort. The plane was captured before the
pilot could destroy it and was transferred to Rechlin where if
was tested by the famous "Beute Zirkus Rosarius".
It received the code T9+YK. It was painted Dark Green RLM 71 over
Yellow RLM 04. It was flown in mock combat against the Ta-152 and
Me-262. In these simulations it was found superior to the Ta-152
but, except for the engine, the Me-262 was to be preferred. The
Me-262 was faster and better maneuverable. After intensive
testing the aircraft was transferred to the Heinkel Werke in
July. There is was broken up and its construction studied.
Rob Arndt
Moron, your URL is from a What-If site.
No such history.
The YP-80As sent to Britain and Italy (2 + 2) were part of "Operation
Extraversion" for Allied morale boosting and to teach Allied fighter
and bomber crews how to deal with jet aircraft in mock-attacks.
They were sent in Dec 1944. On January 28, 1945 in a test flight over
England one of the YP-80As broke up in mid-flight, killing its pilot.
The cause of the accident was found to be the failure of the
attachment of the jet tail pipe to the tail cone.
The three remaing YP-80As would continue to fly demonstration flights
over England, France, and Italy until the end of the war.
(It should be noted that one of the Italian YP-80As almost crashed due
to problems with the jet engines, but was landed and repair work
finished in Europe).
The two Italian YP-80As were shipped back to the US after VE-Day but
the last one in Britain stayed there, given to Rolls-Royce to serve as
a testbed for the Nene engine.
In 1945 the YP-80s had killed several pilots including US top ace
Major Richard Bong and so the program was halted as "dangerous" in
August 1945. A Congression review of the aircraft's safety record was
in question.
General Hap Arnold took this personally since he strongly advocated
the US jet fighter and had the ban on flights lifted in Sept 1945
appealing to Congress for support. The emerging P-80 was thoroughy
modified to correct all of the aircraft's failings. Problems with the
engines, main fuel pump, and aux. fuel pump were corrected. By late
Sept 1945 the aircraft was shown to the public and promoted heavily.
However, the report from Wright Field on the P-80 vs Me-262 showed
that the Nazi machine was superior in many areas. As a result of the
classified report, Howard Hughes was not permitted to race his Me-262
T-2-4012 low-drag racer in the Bendix and Thompson Jet Trophy race as
it would have easily beaten the P-80 (Smithsonian Institute).
The Wright Report:
"Despite a difference in gross weight of nearly 2000 lb the Me-262 was
superior to the average P-80A in acceleration and speed, and
approximately the same in climb performance. the Me-262 apparently has
a higher critical Mach number, from a drag standpoint. than any
current A.A.F. fighters".
Rob
Bill Shatzer
> Moron, your URL is from a What-If site.
>
> No such history.
Whoosh!
Eunometic
This comes out of the "Best of Wings Book"
The early P-80A latter came with 3 different types of nose (narrower)
which progressively redcuced drag and increased speed and latter
aircraft had modified leading edges to the wings. The 600+ mph record
aircraft had significantly clipped wings to redcuce drag and very
sharp brass leading edges attached to the front of the wings. They
broke their records at low to medium altitudes.
Obviously the various modifications eventually dramatically improved
the P-80 and it became a fast, agile, mouverable fighter supeior to
the WW2 Me 262.
The 18.5 degree sweep (16 at 1/4 chord line) of the Me 262, often
labelled as ineffectual in theory raised mach limit by a usefull
4%-6%.
Hence it is easy to see that an Me 262 could plausibly outperform an
early P-80A, I recall an memo by Hap Armold himself stating that the
P-80 engine life was 50 hours and the MTBO was 25 hours. This was
actually the same as the Me 262 engines at the time.
There were modifications planned for the Me 262 as well, most farm
more radical and more extensive and therfore harder to 'tweek'. The
simpler ones would have been leading edge sweep on the inner wing,
possibly a reprofiled canopy, the radical ones were 37-45 degree sweep
with engine moved to the wing roots.
Most of the Me 262's functions would have been begun to be replaced by
the Emergency Lightweight fighter by end of 1945 (Ta 183 or BV.212.03
and possibly Messerschmitt P.1101 or latter Messerscmitt Me P.1112 or
Junkers EF.128.