The United States Air Force Museum – Part II

…continuing with but nearing the end of our late summer road trip to Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  Here is a second brief look at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio.

I included this photo to try to convey the size and scope of the Air Force Museum.  The collection is housed in 4 huge buildings like this one plus there is a giant missile/rocket silo and there are aircraft parked outside on the tarmac.

I went through the museum’s listings for the different galleries and I counted 274 aircraft on exhibit.  In addition, I counted up the other historic exhibits in just the Early Years, WWII, Korea, SE Asia and Cold War Galleries…and there are 279 of them in just those 5 galleries that are available for visitors’ to view.  Add in the separate exhibits of engines, weapons and videos, not to mention the Missile/Rocket silo…which we skipped, and it was all a bit overwhelming.  To do the museum justice, it would take 2 full days to semi-thoroughly review everything available to the public.

What follows is a second (and last) random sampling of some of the aircraft and other exhibits we saw and photographed during our visit to the museum.

This odd looking mash-up of 2 P-51 Mustang’s conjoined into a single aircraft is a bit deceiving.  The North American F-82G Twin Mustang was a totally new design.  With a pilot and a co-pilot/navigator, it was conceived as a long-range bomber escort for the B-29 Superfortresses in World War II but the war ended before production deliveries began in 1946.  The F-82 was the last propeller-driven fighter aircraft that was purchased in quantity by the USAF.  In total, 273 of these planes were built.  Having 2 pilots on board helped reduce fatigue on long range bomber escort missions.

The F-82s were used by the Strategic Air Command as long range bomber escorts during the early days of the Cold War.  During the Korean War, F-82Gs based in Japan were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea…shooting down the first 3 North Korean aircraft that were destroyed by U.S. forces.

The F-82 fighters could reach speeds of 400 mph and they had a range of about 2,240 miles.  This particular aircraft is nicknamed “Betty Jo”.  In February 1947, equipped with an extra fuel tank, Betty Jo made a non-stop trip from Hawaii to New York without refueling.  That flight took 14 hours and 32 minutes and if covered 5,051 miles.  It is still the longest non-stop flight ever made by a piston/propeller driven fighter aircraft.

This is one of the many non-aircraft exhibits that are found everywhere in the Air Force Museum.

These walls came from the “Warrior’s Lounge” at the U.S. Air Force Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility at the Balad Iraq Air Force Theater Hospital.  Patients waiting for transport stayed there for as many as 3 days.  Patients and visitors were encouraged to sign the walls as an informal way to display unit pride, remember friends, or to just say ‘thank you’.  The messages pay tribute to patients and medical staff who served in Operation “Iraqi Freedom”.

Balad Air Base, aka Al-Bakir Air Base was the largest military base in Iraq.  The USAF maintained this medical staging facility at Balad from 2003 – 2011.  During that time, Air Force medical personnel treated more than 43,000 wounded or ill patients…and then moved them to destinations in Europe and the United States.  In 2010 plans to remove these walls led to efforts to save them.  The Air Force Medical Service and others worked to preserve them and by 2016, the exhibit was put on display in the museum.

…and this is another exhibit not involving an airplane.  This is the Vapor Special Operations Supercar.  It showcases U.S. Air Force ingenuity, state of the art technology and innovation.  It was one of two custom-built automobiles commissioned by the Air Force Recruiting Service in 2009 for its “Project Supercar” recruiting campaign.  This ‘supercar’ toured the USA for more than 7 years with the Air Force Recruiting Service, educating the public on opportunities for both officers and enlisted airmen.

This is a fully customized Dodge Challenger.  It is outfitted with special gull-wing doors, a carbon fiber body kit, and a ‘stealth’ exhaust system that, when activated, allows the Vapor to run almost silently.  This automobile features a Forward Looking Infrared system for night operation and a high-resolution 360-degree surveillance camera with a quarter mile range.  The interior, a blacked-out ‘command center’ is equipped with aircraft style controls, a passenger side steering wheel and a windshield heads-up display with both night and thermal vision capability.  The Vapor’s computer system allows remote operation of the vehicle from anywhere in the world with an internet connection

Visitors are permitted to walk through this cavernous Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.  The first flight of the C-124 took place in late 1949 with deliveries of these aircraft beginning in late spring 1950.  The U.S. Air Force bought 448 of these aircraft before production ended in 1955.  Most C-124s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard by 1970 and all were released from service in 1974. 

The C-124 features ‘clamshell’ loading doors and hydraulic ramps in the nose and an elevator under the aft fuselage.  It could handle tanks, field guns, bulldozers and trucks.  Converted into a troop carrier, it could carry 200 fully-equipped soldiers or 127 litter patients and their attendants in its double-decked cabin.  C-124s provided heavy airlift capabilities during the Korean War and the War in Southeast Asia.  These aircraft had top speed of 320 mph and a flight range of 2,175 miles.

This is a Douglas B-26C Invader.  During the Korean War these aircraft played an important part in the U.S. Air Force’s campaign against invading communist ground forces.  Most missions were flown at night as the Chinese/North Koreans had introduced MiG-15 jet fighters into the fray.  The top speed for the B-26 Invaders was 373 mph while the MiG-15s could reach speeds of 669 mph. 

Douglas B-26 aircraft were a WWII attack aircraft used for level bombing, ground strafing and rocket attacks.  It was first delivered to the Army Air Corp in August of 1943.  By the time production ended after the war, a total of 2,502 Invaders had been built.  Early in the Southeast Asia War, the Invader returned to action for the third time.  Forty of these aircraft were reconfigured with more powerful engines and increased structural strength.  These later updated Invaders were designated as B-26Ks and they undertook special air warfare missions.

The B-45C Tornado resulted from a wartime initiative that was launched by the U.S. War Department during WWII.  The goal was to develop a jet-propelled bombers equal to those being fielded by Nazi Germany.  North American Aviation received the contract to build its proposed bomber.  WWII ended and progress was stalled by post-war cutbacks.  However, tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union resulted in a production contract and the first prototype took flight in February of 1947.  Only 143 of these aircraft were built.

B-45s served in the Korean War performing both aerial reconnaissance and conventional bombing missions.   Forty of these aircraft were extensively upgraded so they could be equipped with nuclear weapons.  Upgrades also included their defensive systems and fuel tankage to increase both survivability and range.  The Tornado was important to the United States’ defense strategy…nuclear deterrence…for several years.  These aircraft were retired from the USAF’s Strategic Air Command until 1959.

The B-45 Tornado was the first operational jet bomber to enter service with the USAF and it was the first multiengine jet bomber to be refueled in midair.

The Douglas A-1E Skyraider is not a prepossessing aircraft and yet it entered service with the USAF/Army Air Corp in 1945 and it continued in service with the Air Force until the early 1970s and with other nation’s air forces until the early 1980s.  Originally designed as a U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft, the Skyraider first flew in 1945.  It turned out to be a very versatile and rugged airplane capable of carrying what was a record setting amount of fuel and weapons.  The Skyraiders were transferred to the USAF and modified to fill a counterinsurgency role. 

A total of 3,180 A-1 Skyraiders were built.  They served in both the Korean War and the War in Vietnam.  These aircraft were a true exception to the modernization of the USAF, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age.  Not only did they serve with the USN and the USAF, but they also served the US Marines, the British Royal Navy, the French Air Force, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force and others.

The A-1E Skyraider on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force was flown by Major Bernard Fisher.  During the Vietnam War he rescued a fellow pilot by landing in enemy territory while under heavy fire and then flying him to safety.  For his actions, Major Fisher was awarded the Medal of Honor.  This is believed to be the only surviving fixed-wing Medal of Honor aircraft...

In 1951, development of a supersonic tactical fighter-bomber was initiated by Republic Aviation.  The goal was to replace and improve upon the older aircraft then operating in the USAF.  The product of this new effort was the F-105 Thunderchief.  The first prototype flew in October of 1955 and production followed.  The first upgraded F-105D flew in June 1959.  In total, 833 Thunderchiefs were built, including 610 F-105Ds.

F-105s served in the Vietnam War beginning in the summer of 1964, shortly after the Tonkin Gulf incident. (An attack on US Navy vessels followed by another attack that really never happened) The USAF used the F-105Ds extensively in the “Rolling Thunder” air campaign against North Vietnam.  The Thunderchiefs could reach speeds of 1,390 mph and cruise at 778 mph.  They had a 2,200 mile range and they could carry 6 tons of ordinance.  Gradually replaced by the F-4 Phantom, the last F-105D was withdrawn from service in 1980

As I’d mentioned, my photos from the museum were randomly selected.  Leaving Vietnam, and moving back to WWII, the aircraft shown above is a Messerschmitt Bf-109G-10.  This aircraft was the result of a fighter competition by manufacturers on behalf of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) that was initiated in the early 1030s.  Messerschmitt’s creation included a truly advanced aerodynamic design for its time.  The aircraft had retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit, automatic slats, cantilever wings and stressed skin construction.  The first production version of the Messerschmitt, the Bf-109B came off the production line in 1936.

An early version of this aircraft first entered combat with the German-manned “Condor Legion” units during the Spanish Civil War.  Early in WWII, upgraded versions completely dominated and outfought allied air craft.  The Bf-109E was involved in the air battles over the English Channel and beyond…and its short range proved to be its Achilles heel.  For example, these fighters couldn’t escort Luftwaffe bombers all the way to London…which was a significant plus for Great Britain.

The last major upgrade/design change for the M-109s was the K series.  The rapidly deteriorating war situation for Germany aggravated by Allied bombing limited production of the “K” series to less than 2,000 aircraft.  There is no doubt that the Bf-109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force.  By the war’s end, Germany had built more than 30,000 of these aircraft.  Even after the war, production of the Bf-109 continued in Czechoslovakia until 1949 and in Spain until 1958.  It is the most produced fighter aircraft in history

While the German Nazi Air Force fielded the Messerschmitt B-109, Japan’s Imperial Navy used the Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero”, the example of which is tucked in under the wing of a larger aircraft.  It was the most famous symbol of Japanese air power during WWII.  The Zero flew for the first time in April of 1939 and Japan produced 10,815 Zeros from 1940 through the end of the war in 1945.  Mitsubishi designed the Zero based on Japanese Navy requirements that were established in 1937.  Designed as a carrier-based fighter, it was very light in comparison with its opposing aircraft.  In addition it was fast, very maneuverable and had great range.  Its maximum speed was 316 mph and they had a range of 1,916 miles.

The A6M Zero first saw combat in China in the late summer of 1940…and Japan dominated the air in Asia.  When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, 125 Zeros from 6 aircraft carriers participated.  In the early part of the war, due to its speed and turning ability, allied aircraft were at a disadvantage in a dogfight with a Zero that was flown by a skilled pilot.  The allies learned that the key to fighting the Zero was to stay out of dogfights, instead using superior armament with hit-and-run diving attacks against the relatively fragile Zeros.  In the battle for the Philippines in late 1944, more than any other aircraft, the Japanese used Zeros in kamikaze attacks on allied ships...

The Consolidated B-24D Liberator was used in bombing operations in every combat theater during WWII.  Its top speed was 303 mph and its cruising speed was 175 mph…but it had a range of 2,850 miles.  This heavy bomber was perfect for long-distance missions such as the famous raid from North Africa against the Axis oil industry at Ploesti, Romania.  That range also made it very suitable for long over-water missions in the Pacific.  More than 18,000 Liberators were built, 8,685 of them by the Ford Motor Company.

Early British Royal Air Force Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. The B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio wing.  That design gave the aircraft a high cruise speed, its long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load.  It should be noted that air crews didn’t love this plane as much as the General Staff did.  The plane was relatively difficult to fly, it had a lower ceiling, had poor low speed performance and it was less robust than other bombers…such as the B-17.  The Indian Air Force retired the last B-24 Liberators in 1968.

As a side-note, after the war Australia’s Qantas Airlines used Liberators as passenger aircraft…using them on the 3,077 mile air route from Perth Australia to Columbo Ceylon.  It was 17 hour flight…

Time for an allied aircraft…quite a few are on display in the Museum.  This is a British Bristol Beaufighter.  This fighter aircraft first entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940 as a day fighter.  When the USA entered the war, the Beaufighter filled the need for an effective night fighter for the Army Air Corp until an American aircraft could be produced.  The powerful and heavily armed night fighter version of this aircraft entered service just as the Luftwaffe began its “Blitz” night attacks on London in September of 1940.  Beaufighter crews accounted for more than half of all of the Luftwaffe bombers shot down during the Blitz.

American Night Fighter Squadrons received more than 100 ‘reverse Lend-Lease’ Beaufighters in the Mediterranean during the summer of 1943.  Purpose built American P-61 Black Widow night fighters began to replace the Beaufighters in late 1944 but the US Army Air Force Beaufighters continued to fly night cover for allied forces until the end of the war

The Junkers Ju 88D-1/Trop was one of the most versatile airplanes of World War II.  It served nearly every type of combat role, including dive bomber, level bomber, night fighter, daytime interceptor, photographic reconnaissance, tank destroyer and even as an unpiloted missile.  The Ju 88 made its first flight at the end of 1936 and hundreds were still in use when the war in Europe ended in 1945.  15,000 Junkers 88s were built…

This particular Ju 88D-1/Trop is a long-range photographic reconnaissance version that had been modified for tropical use.  Known as the “Baksheesh”, it was the best known Ju 88 of them all.  It was delivered to Romania…an Axis member and German ally…in June of 1943.  In July, a disillusioned Romanian pilot flew the aircraft to Cyprus to defect to the British forces there.  The “Baksheesh” was turned over to the US Army Air Forces and it was flown to the USA where test pilots flew the aircraft extensively.  This particular aircraft is fittingly painted in Romanian Air Force markings…the same ones it carried in July 1943.

This is one of my favorite aircraft from World War II.  It isn’t the best fighter of the war and others had a bit more style, but the Curtiss P-40E Warhawk has stories to tell.  The P-40 was the Unites States’ best fighter available in large number when WWII began.  P-40s actually engaged Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines in December of 1941.  But for me, the story of the P-40s with the famed Flying Tigers in China in 1942…is one of persistence, making do with what you had…and bravery.

The Flying Tigers, known officially as the 1^st American Volunteer Group, were a unit of the Chinese Air Force, recruited from U.S. Navy, Marines and Army Aviators.  They were highly successful against the Japanese forces in China and their feats were widely publicized by international reporters to help boost public morale at home.  In just a little over 6 months, the Flying Tigers destroyed 297 Japanese aircraft with a loss of just 4 of its own P-40s in air-to-air combat.  To learn more about the Flying Tigers, just go https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers.

The P-40 Warhawk was also the aircraft used by the 99^th Fighter Squadron in North Africa in 1943.  This was the first African American United States fighter unit.  These planes served just about everywhere during WWII, some were even sent to Russia.  Slower and less maneuverable than its opponents, the P-40 had a reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness…aka survivability.  These aircraft continued to serve throughout the war.  More than 14,000 P-40s were built and they served in the air forces of 28 nations.

…and that’s about it for my long posts resulting from our visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio.  Between my 2 posts, I used about 35 or 36 photos…but I took over 100.  If you love planes and you love history, this is a great museum to visit.  To learn more, go to https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/.  By the way, both parking and Admission to the museum are free!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave