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British Aircraft in US service in WWII

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  • British Aircraft in US service in WWII

    Reading through my very limited and basic collection of military equipment I have come across a few references to British aircraft in service with US forces. Which aircraft were used? Which service used them? What were they used for? I have seen photos of Spitfires and Mosquitos with USAAF markings, but I was wondering as to the reasoning of their purchase!

  • #2
    Originally posted by Rimsey View Post
    Reading through my very limited and basic collection of military equipment I have come across a few references to British aircraft in service with US forces. Which aircraft were used? Which service used them? What were they used for? I have seen photos of Spitfires and Mosquitos with USAAF markings, but I was wondering as to the reasoning of their purchase!
    Spitfire- USAAF, Canbera- USAF

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Rimsey View Post
      Reading through my very limited and basic collection of military equipment I have come across a few references to British aircraft in service with US forces. Which aircraft were used? Which service used them? What were they used for? I have seen photos of Spitfires and Mosquitos with USAAF markings, but I was wondering as to the reasoning of their purchase!
      Spitfire
      Beaufighter
      Mosquito
      Meteor
      Lysander
      "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Rimsey View Post
        Reading through my very limited and basic collection of military equipment I have come across a few references to British aircraft in service with US forces. Which aircraft were used? Which service used them? What were they used for? I have seen photos of Spitfires and Mosquitos with USAAF markings, but I was wondering as to the reasoning of their purchase!
        There were some specific stop-gap niches, like the photo reconnaissance Mosquitos and night operating Beaufighters, but the contribution was almost negligible compared to what the US eventually produced for itself, Rimsey.

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        • #5
          The USA and GB freely shared much technology, tending to limit the information exchange only when dealing with cryptology and a few other cases, like the Manhattan Project. Engines like the Merlin, and the early British jet engines, were shared by GB, and submarine warfare and radar technology went both ways. I'm suspecting British aircraft in USAAF markings were both technology demonstrators and also special purpose, mission-oriented aircraft like the Mosquito and the Lysander.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Chogy View Post
            The USA and GB freely shared much technology, tending to limit the information exchange only when dealing with cryptology and a few other cases, like the Manhattan Project. Engines like the Merlin, and the early British jet engines, were shared by GB, and submarine warfare and radar technology went both ways. I'm suspecting British aircraft in USAAF markings were both technology demonstrators and also special purpose, mission-oriented aircraft like the Mosquito and the Lysander.
            Uhm, The Manhattan Project was a joint venture between the US, Canada and the UK. Leslie Groves actually violated his orders by excluding British and Canadian scientists from the actual construction of the bombs.

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            • #7
              It may have been a "Joint Project" but the British had very limited access. And no access to actual weapon manufacturing work. They worked on enrichment and refinement

              The Canadian involvement was production of heavy water and ore.

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              • #8
                US Navy squadron VCS-7 flew out of RNAS Lee-on-Solent during the Normandy invasion. Technically assigned with Spitfire Vb's on loan from the RAF. The naval gunfire spotting squadron operated with 808, 885, 886 and 897 squadrons of the FAA; these were equipped with Seafire IIIs. The five squadrons pooled aircraft for maximum availability, so the USN flyers flew whatever was available at mission time, Spitfire or Seafire. The Vb's loaned to VCS-7 retained their RAF markings, they were not in USN livery.

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                • #9
                  I believe it was the 52th FG that used Spitfires when they deployed to Britain in 42 and were waiting for delivery of their P-39s. They realized that the P-39 was inadequate and stayed in Spitfires until 1944. Then they changed to Mustangs

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