[ARC5] Buffalo

[David Stinson]

>From Fiddersgreen.net

In 1935 U.S. Navy laid down specifications for a replacement for 
theGrumman F3F biplane equipping its four carriers. Brewster 
Aeronautical Corporation developed a design for a modern 
monoplane fighter with an enclosed cabin and retractable landing 
gear. The first flight of the XF2A-1prototype was on 2 December 
1937. The Navy accepted the XF2A-1during June of 1938 and ordered 
series production of the F2A-1 for its carriers.

The portly Buffalo has gained a reputation as the worst fighter 
of World War II. In service it was overweight and lightly armed, 
and often outmaneuvered, but in the right hands could be quite 
effective. US Marine Buffaloes played a brief part in the Battle 
of Midway.

RAF and Commonwealth Buffalo pilots scored quite well against the 
Japanese Nakajima fighters encountered over Singapore, but were 
greatly outnumbered. Poor organization and no early-warning 
system saw that theBuffaloes were never airborne before the enemy 
appeared and were always at a lower height when combat was 
joined. The Buffalo squadrons were cleared from the skies in 
short order. The Finns, using the lighter-weight F2A-1 and better 
tactics had great success against the early Soviet fighters they 
faced in their Continuation War with the USSR.

Finland's top-scoring fighter ace, Ilmari Juutilainen, scored 36 
victories while flying the Buffalo in the 'Continuation War'. He 
converted to the Buffalo in 1940 and flew it until 1943, when his 
squadron re-equipped with the Messerschmitt 109G. His eventual 
score rose to 94. The astonishing thing about Juutilainen's 
combat career was that never once was his aircraft hit by enemy 
fire.