APPENDIX A

AIRCRAFT

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe

Type: single-seat air superiority fighter

Powerplant: two Junkers Jumo 004B-1/2/3 axial-flow turbojet engines each providing 2,000-pound (907 kg) static thrust

Performance: maximum speed 521 miles per hour (838 km/h) at sea level; 530 miles per hour (852 km/h) at 9,845 feet (3,000 m); 532 miles per hour (856 km/h) at 26,246 feet (8,000 m); initial rate of climb 3,937 feet (1,200 m) per minute; service ceiling 38,000 feet (11,582 m); range 652 miles (1,050 km)

Weights: empty 8,500 pounds (3,855 kg); maximum takeoff weight 9,742 pounds (4,413 kg); gross weight 14,080 pounds (6,387 kg)

Dimensions: span 40 feet 11 1/2 inches (12.50 m); length 34 feet 9 1/2 inches (10.57 m); height 12 feet 7 inches (3.83 m); wing area 234 square feet (21.73 sq m)

Armament: four 30mm Rheinmetall-Borsig Mk 108A-3 cannons with 100 rounds per gun for the upper pair and 80 rounds per gun for the lower pair; ordnance station for 12 R4M air-to-air rocket projectiles

First flight: April 18, 1941 (Me 262V1); October 17, 1943 (Me 262V6); 1944 (Me 262A-1a)

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet

Type: Single-seat, single-engine rocket-powered fighter

Powerplant: One 3,800-pound thrust (17 kN) Walter HWK 109-509A-2 liquid-fuel rocket engine

Performance: maximum speed 596 miles per hour (1,060 km/h); Rate of climb 31,500 feet per minute; service ceiling 39,700 feet (12,100 m); range 25 miles (40 km)

Weights: empty 4,200 pounds (1,905 kg); maximum takeoff weight 9,500 pounds (4,310 kg)

Dimensions: wingspan 30 feet 7 inches (9.33 m); length 19 feet 7 inches (5.98 m); height 9 feet (2.75 m); wing area 200 square feet (18.50 sq m)

Armament: two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons (Me 163B-0); two 30mm (1.18-inch) Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannons with 60 rounds per gun (Me 163B-1)

First flight: (powered) August 1941

Bell P-39M Airacobra

Type: single-seat fighter

Powerplant: one 1,200-horsepower (895-kW) Allison V-1710 in-line engine driving a 10-foot 4-inch (3.14-m) Curtiss Electric propeller

Performance: maximum speed 386 miles per hour (621 km/h); cruising speed 378 miles per hour (608 km/h); climb to 16,400 feet (5,000 m) in 6.5 minutes; ceiling 36,000 feet (1,0970 m); range 650 miles (1,046 km)

Weights: 5,610 pounds (2,545 kg); normal gross weight 8,400 pounds (3,810 kg); maximum takeoff weight 10,500 lb (4,763 kg)

Armament: one American Armament Corporation T-9 37mm cannon in the propeller hub, plus four .30-calilber (7.62mm) machine guns.

Dimensions: included span 34 feet (10.36 m); length 30 feet 2 inches (9.19 m); height 11 feet 10 inches (3.61 m)

First flight: April 6, 1939 (XP-39); November 25, 1939 (XP-39B); September 13, 1940 (YP-39)

Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Adder)

Type: single-seat interceptor

Powerplant: one 4,400-pound thrust (30.15 kN) Walter 109-509 (A-2/C-1) liquid-fuel rocket motor and four 1,200 pounds thrust Schmidding 109-533 solid-fuel jettisonable rocket boosters

Performance: maximum speed 497 miles per hour (800 km/h) at sea level; initial rate of climb 36,415 feet per minute (11,100 m/m); service ceiling 45,920 feet (14,000 m); radius of action 25 miles (40 km)

Weight: maximum takeoff 4,850 pounds (2,200 kg)

Dimensions: wingspan 11 feet 9 1/2 in (3.60 m); length 20 feet (6.10 m); wing area 29.60 square feet (2.75 sq m)

Armament: 24 Henschel Hs 297 Föhn 73mm spin stabilized rockets or 33 R4M 55mm spin stabilized rockets, or (proposed) two MK 108 30mm cannon with 60 rounds total

Blohm und Voss P.170

Type: two- or three-seat bomber or fighter-bomber

Powerplant: three 1,600-horsepower (1176 kW) BMW 801D radial engines driving three-bladed 11-foot 5-inch propellers

Performance: maximum speed 510 miles per hour at 26,000 feet; ceiling, 38,299 feet; range 1,250 miles

Weight: loaded 13,250 pounds (6,000 kg)

Armament: four 20mm cannon; four 1,000-pound or two 2,000-pound bombs

Dimensions: wingspan 52 feet 6 inches (16.00 m); length 46 feet 11 inches (14.30 m); height 12 feet (3.65 m)

Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger

Type: single-engine, single-seat jet fighter

Powerplant: (typical) one 1,760-pound (800 kg) static thrust BMW 003A-1 Sturm (Storm) axial-flow turbojet engine

Performance: maximum speed 490 mph (790 km/h) at sea level or 520 mph (838 km/h) or 19,685 ft (6,000 m); range at full throttle 385 miles (620 km); range with six 30-second bursts 369 miles (595 km); initial rate of climb 3,780 feet per minute (1152 m/m); service ceiling 39,500 feet (12,040 m)

Weights: empty 4,520 pounds (2,050 kg); takeoff 5,941 pounds (2,695 kg)

Armament: two 30mm MK 108 cannon (He 162A-1); two 20mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannon (He 162A-2 variant)

Dimensions: wingspan 24 feet 7 inches (7.20 m); length 30 feet 8 inches (9.05 m); height 8 feet 4 inches (2.55 m); wing area 120.56 square feet (11.20 sq m)

Heinkel 280

Type: single-seat, twin-jet fighters

Powerplant: two 1,102-pound thrust (4.9 kN) Heinkel He S8s (He 280V3) or two 1,852-pound thrust Junkers Jumo 004 Orkans (He 280V6) or two 1,323-pound thrust (5.89 kN) BMW 109 003 turbojet engines

Performance: maximum speed 508 miles per hour (817 km/h) at 3,940 feet (1,200 m); rate of climb 3,756 feet per minute (1,145 m/min); service ceiling 32,000 feet (10,000 m); range 230 miles (370 km)

Weights: 3,666 pounds (1,663 kg); loaded 11,475 pounds (5,205 kg)

Dimensions: wingspan 40 feet (12.20 m); length 34 feet 1 inch (10.40 m); height 10 feet (3.06 m); wing area 233 square feet (21.50 sq m)

Armament: three MG 151 20mm cannons

First flight: Mach 30, 1941

Junkers Ju 290A-5

Type: long-range maritime surveillance aircraft/transport

Powerplant: four BMW 802D 14-cylinder radial engines rated at 1,700 horsepower (1,268 kW) on takeoff

Performance: maximum speed, 273 miles per hour (440 km/h) at 19,028 feet (5,800 meters); normal cruising speed 224 miles per hour (360 km/h); climb to 6,096 feet (1,850 meters) in 9.8 minutes; service ceiling (19,685 feet) 6,000 meters; range 3,821 miles (6,150 km)

Weights: normal loaded 9,032 pounds (4,097 kg); maximum overload 9,914 pounds (4,497 kg)

Dimensions: wingspan 137 feet 9 inches (42.00 m); length 93 feet 11 inches (28.64 m); height 22 feet 5 inches (6.83 m); wing area 2,192 square feet (203.60 sq m)

Armament: one 20mm MG 151 cannon in each of two dorsal turrets; one MG 151 in extreme tail; two MG 151s firing from aft waist positions; one MG 151 in front of ventral gondola and one 13mm MG 131 machine gun in rear of ventral gondola

Crew: nine

First flight: August 1942

Lockheed P-38L Lightning

Type: single-seat fighter

Powerplant: two 1,600-horsepower (1194-kW) Allison V-1710-111/113 inline piston engines driving three-bladed, 9-foot (2.74-m) Curtiss Electric propellers

Performance: maximum speed 414 miles per hour (666 km/h) at 25,000 feet (7,620 m); climb to 20,000 feet (6,095 m) in 7.0 minutes; service ceiling 44,000 feet (13,410 m); range 450 miles (724 km); maximum ferry range 2,600 miles (4,184 km)

Weights: empty 12,800 pounds (5,806 kg); maximum takeoff 21,600 pounds (9,798 kg)

Dimensions: span 52 feet (15.85 m); length 37 feet 10 inches (11.53 m); height 9 feet (2.74 m); wing area 327.5 square feet (30.42 sq m)

Armament: one 20mm cannon and four .50-cal (12.7mm) machine guns, plus up to two 2,000-pound (907-kg) bombs or two 1,600-lb (726-kg) bombs and ten 5-inch (127mm) rocket projectiles under wings

First flight: January 27, 1939 (XP-38)

Lockheed YP-80A Shooting Star

Type: single-seat fighter

Powerplant: one 3,850-pound thrust General Electric J33-GE-11 or Allison J33-A-9 turbojet (YP-80A); one 4,600-pound (2,087 kg) thrust Allison J33-A-23 axial-flow turbojet engine (early F-80C); 5,400-pound (2,450-kg) Allison J33-A-35 (later aircraft)

Performance: maximum speed 601 miles per hour (967 km/h) at sea level; service ceiling 46,800 feet (14,265m); range 825 miles (1,328 km)

Weights: empty 8,420 pounds (3,819 kg); maximum take off 16,856 pounds (7,646 kg)

Dimensions: span 38 feet 9 inches (11.81 m); length 34 feet 5 inches (10.49 m); height 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 m); wing area 237.6 square feet (22.07 sq m)

Armament: six .50-caliber (12.7mm) fixed forward-firing nose machine guns plus provision for two 1,000-pound (454-kg) bombs and eight under-wing rockets

North American P-51D Mustang

Type: single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber

Powerplant: one 1,590-horsepower (1,186-kW) Packard V-1650-7 (Rolls-Royce Merlin) liquid-cooled inline engine

Performance: maximum speed 437 miles per hour (703 km/h) at 20,000 feet (6,096 m); initial rate of climb 3,475 feet (1,060 m) per minute; operating radius with maximum fuel 1,300 miles (2,092 km)

Weights: empty 7,125 pounds (3,230 kg); loaded 11,600 pounds (5,262 kg)

Dimensions: span 37 feet 0–1/2 inches (11.29 m); length 32 feet 3 inches (9.84 m); height 13 feet 8 inches (4.10 m); wing area 235 square feet (21.83 sq m)

Armament: six .50-caliber (12.7mm) Browning M3 machine guns with 400 rounds for each inboard gun and 270 rounds for each outboard gun; provision for two 500-pound (227-kg) bombs, eight rockets, or other under-wing ordnance in place of drop tanks

First flight: October 26, 1940 (NA-73X); May 20, 1941 (XP-51); May 29, 1942 (P-51A); November 17, 1943 (XP-51D)