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Old 05-28-2018, 02:43 PM   #31
RogerBW
 
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Default Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples

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Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
To a truly dedicated naval officer, option 1 saves his boat and crew for further service. Option 2 probably loses them. It also means the fact that the enemy have figured out this operation goes unreported, which is likely to cost more boats and crews. This should be enough to avoid the captain being executed for taking option 1, although he'll probably be punished.
Indeed. But, a peek behind the curtain, by November 1944 most of the truly dedicated submarine commanders are dead. These chaps had a few seconds to make the right decision, with suitable penalties to their Tactics…

(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.)
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Old 05-28-2018, 10:33 PM   #32
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Default 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.
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Old 05-30-2018, 03:48 AM   #33
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Default 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.
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Old 05-30-2018, 08:19 PM   #34
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Default Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples

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Originally Posted by Engurrand View Post
Hmm... we're in 1937 so no radar yet. But could WWII era radar detect you at mast height? I was given to understand it would have some trouble, but maybe over the ocean? Not sure. Will research.
1937? It's probably a PBY-1, then, not a PBY-5. And there are only 60 in existence- all of them property of the United States Navy. I don't think the PBY-5 entered service until 1940.

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.

Last edited by acrosome; 05-30-2018 at 08:49 PM.
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Old 05-30-2018, 08:43 PM   #35
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Default Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples

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And the Grumman Goose is, of course, awesome as well. But it was just in prototype in 1937.
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.
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Last edited by copeab; 05-31-2018 at 04:01 AM.
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Old 08-12-2018, 05:38 PM   #36
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Default 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.
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Old 08-13-2018, 03:50 AM   #37
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Default Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples

You left out the Short Sunderland. Like a Catalina, but bigger.
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Old 08-13-2018, 03:54 AM   #38
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Default Re: PBY Catalina and Combat Examples

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You left out the Short Sunderland. Like a Catalina, but bigger.
That was the reason why.
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