[RC20]

nyone wonder why the USAAF didn’t just use a fixed wing F4U?
Should have been lighter, possibly could have added two extra guns.
Edit:
Instead of the P-47 (absolutely NO disrespect intended to the Jug).

Because no other airplane was as maneuverable and nimble at high altitude as the P-47. Not even a Spitfire.....

Two come to mind right away. The AAC realized fights were occurring up where the Bombers were (25,000 feet). Corsair was not optimized for those heights.

I would rank the Corsair and the Jug as equals. Towards the end of the Pacific campaign, it was more and more Corsair vs Hellcat. It was more versatile and air support became as big an aspect as anti air.

What the AAC did not need was the Mustang. Jug could do the escort, they deprived it of drop tanks. That was the AAC failure to adjust. Once doctrine does not work, adjust.

Post WWII and the Thunderbolt disappeared (and the N model was really spectacular). AAC did not want to ground support and they kept the pretty Mustang (its a beautiful aircraft but at the cost of a lot of lives).

The T Bolt was not nimble. It was better than most think but it was not Spitfire nimble, watch the one on one dogfights on the U Tube (Growling Sidewinder is good).

note on TD: That is a bit of a myth though it had some basis. In US doctrine, tanks were breakthrough, ergo the 75 mm gun adequate for German armor but a good HE load. But they did understand Germans would respond with tanks (and latter non turret TD) and they would take them on, it was not the main goal.

TD doctrine was flawed as it was rush them to a endangered point. Try to rush anything anywhere when a battle started, yeah, over hill, over dale we will hit the fast road trail that is full of troops, ammo, artillery all moving to the front.

So they just issued each division a battalion of TD and a Battalion of Sherman's.

Ok, back to Corsair. What was the most effective ground attack in Kore? Yep, Corsair and particularly Marine units that focused on ground support. It was the key factor that got them out of the Chosin Basin. Yes a lot of factors, discipline, teamwork, leadership but Corsair gets huge credits.

No, Super Chargers in aircraft are not belt driven (cars yes). they were all gear driven.