05-28-2018, 02:43 PM | #31 | |
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: near London, UK
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
Quote:
(It doesn't help that the only boat fast enough to tow the rotor kite is a Typ IX, which is not the fastest crash-diver.)
__________________
Podcast: Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice Gaming stuff here: Tekeli-li! Blog; Webcomic Laager and Limehouse Buy things by me on Warehouse 23 |
|
05-28-2018, 10:33 PM | #32 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
Just to reinforce something I think was mentioned up-thread: the PBY Catalina was excellent at long range patrol and light transport, OK at attacking lone surfaced submarines... and horrible at pretty much everything else.
The Black Cat tactic worked more because the enemy didn't come up with a counter for it. Had AA defenses like those in Europe been available the Black Cat raids would have been suicide. A Catalina that found itself in actual combat of any kind was almost certainly doomed. It had light armament and poor fields of fire, was slow and unmanuverable and had no armor or other protection. Catalinas on scouting missions as often reported the enemy location by failing to return as by radioing it in. |
05-30-2018, 03:48 AM | #33 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
Another use is a transport for OSS teams (or their 1937 equivalent) or Marine Raider squads, either dropping them off or picking them up (possibly both).
In my Weird WWII campaign, the preferred aircraft was the Grumman Goose, which was the right size for 4 PCs, a three-legged spider monkey and mission gear. It got a later tweak by the Atlanteans.
__________________
A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com Last edited by copeab; 05-30-2018 at 03:45 PM. |
05-30-2018, 08:19 PM | #34 | |
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: The Land of Enchantment
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
Quote:
Are you're characters US military? If not, how about a surplus P2Y or F5L, or one of the PN aircraft instead? I tend to favor a surplus F5L for "totally not Call of Cthulhu" campaigns. Chaosium's Secrets of the Congo includes some information on the license-built Curtiss models. And the Grumman Goose is, of course, awesome as well. But it was just in prototype in 1937.
__________________
I'd need to get a grant and go shoot a thousand goats to figure it out. Last edited by acrosome; 05-30-2018 at 08:49 PM. |
|
05-30-2018, 08:43 PM | #35 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Houston
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
Several commercial land-based planes were fitted with twin floats at some point: Beechcraft Model 18, Ford Tri-Motor, de Havilland Dragon Rapide and Lockheed Vega. All but the Beech 18 were flying before 1937.
__________________
A generous and sadistic GM, Brandon Cope GURPS 3e stuff: http://copeab.tripod.com Last edited by copeab; 05-31-2018 at 04:01 AM. |
08-12-2018, 05:38 PM | #36 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bristol
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
I always liked the look of the PBY. It was quirky and yet functional.
The Germans made an equivalent: Dornier_Do_24 The armament is a bit beefier. As for an aircraft for a group of PCs to use it is ideal (both of them). Other useful aircraft that could be met on patrols could be: Bristol Beaufighter de Havilland Mosquito Lockheed P-38 Lightning Petlyakov Pe-2 Creating a platform for too many guns could be: Lisunov Li-2 Douglas DC-3 Douglas C-47 Skytrain Of course these would be anachronistic versions of a Douglas AC-47 Spooky (aka Puff the Magic Dragon). Ideally you would want an aircraft which is simple like the PBY and or has many operators so that raiding for spares can be made easy. Main or front line aircraft would be required for duty and maybe these 'work horses' could be excused for other duties. |
08-13-2018, 03:50 AM | #37 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
You left out the Short Sunderland. Like a Catalina, but bigger.
__________________
Rupert Boleyn "A pessimist is an optimist with a sense of history." |
08-13-2018, 03:54 AM | #38 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bristol
|
Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples
|
Tags |
airplane, catalina, tl6, vehicle, wwii |
|
|