Another freed Allied plane slot?

[m10bob]

For my money, the F5(F6?) Mustang PR plane can be scrapped, as other/better PR planes arrive about the same time (fulfilling that role), and the next series of Mustang PR has much better qualities.

[timtom]

Strictly speaking, the F-6 was a Tac Recon as distinct from a Photo Recon A/C. Thus it was basically a P-51 with camera's installed, as opposed the stripped-down, de-gunned F-4/F-5 version of the P-38. The TacRecon sqds flying the F-6 could and did undertake the mission types undertaken by "vanilla" P-51's. 118th TRS in China produced several aces, fx.

Arguably you could replace the F-6 with P-51's on the grounds that this would be no more a misrepresentation of the F-6 than making it a straight PR A/C.

[el cid again]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

For my money, the F5(F6?) Mustang PR plane can be scrapped, as other/better PR planes arrive about the same time (fulfilling that role), and the next series of Mustang PR has much better qualities.

There does seem to be some confusion here: the F-5 was a Lightning - not a Mustang.
It is the F-6 that was the Mustang.

These types were inherited by RHS but I have never seen any problem with them. Doing OB work I found a number of units assigned the type - and it permits them to upgrade properly (i.e. historically). I don't know what you want in a plane - but recon was relatively a poor thing for the Allies prior to the arrival of the ultra long range bomber conversions - which exist only in RHS as far as I know (we introduced them). SOME recon is better than no recon - right?

[m10bob]

ORIGINAL: el cid again

ORIGINAL: m10bob

For my money, the F5(F6?) Mustang PR plane can be scrapped, as other/better PR planes arrive about the same time (fulfilling that role), and the next series of Mustang PR has much better qualities.

There does seem to be some confusion here: the F-5 was a Lightning - not a Mustang.
It is the F-6 that was the Mustang.


These types were inherited by RHS but I have never seen any problem with them. Doing OB work I found a number of units assigned the type - and it permits them to upgrade properly (i.e. historically). I don't know what you want in a plane - but recon was relatively a poor thing for the Allies prior to the arrival of the ultra long range bomber conversions - which exist only in RHS as far as I know (we introduced them). SOME recon is better than no recon - right?

Absolutely agree on the need for recon, my point was that while we get the P 38 models, are the P 51 models ALSO needed..?
Of course they existed, but IF a slot were needed, THAT(the P51 PR would be my candidate.

On the subject of Allied recon, one of the better ones was the venerable Lockheed Hudson which excelled in that duty ever since the battle of Britain.
The recon models were painted light green all over which made them very hard to see at height...

[el cid again]

There is no great need for ALLIED plane slots. I did a comprehensive review of aircraft - prior to freezing RHS basic sets -
and found little to do of any significance. We in fact have a spare slot in all scenarios - if ever someone has a plane to add the place for it already exists. And we have some Axis planes using Allied slots too - obscure types that cannot replace at all. The Allies have more than they need - it is Axis slots we need.

Even with the Axis, I found we were moving planes over from Allied to Axis side of the tables, because freed slots we didn't have any pressing needs not being filled.

One thing we did that is working well is introduce combined types. Thus there is only one US C-47 - C-54 - C-46 - or light transport - regardless of branch. Same for the Ki-34 in Japan. When performance is nearly identical, this is very feasible and a good compromise. So we have more plane types in RHS than ever before in WITP - on the order of 100 Axis and more than 200 Allied - never mind there are not enough slots to do it!