Rhythm: Aye, the Kates and Zekes were meant to be quick-hitters but being quick means nothing when you it takes you 30 minutes to cut your enemy apart and it only takes them tapping you on the shoulder to tear you asunder. All that weight meant that the heavier American aircraft could dive far better, too; if a Jap plane (Yeah I'mma call 'em Japs; about as insulting as someone calling me a white-boy) got on their six, they could simply outdive their pursuer while another American plane would dive after the pursuer and take him out. Or, hell, they oftentimes just used it to get away, pure and simple.
Plus there was the whole matter of quality of materials available. You saw something similar with the infantry weapons the Japs had available to them. Recovered Type-99 Arisaka rifles and Nambu Type-100 submachine guns prior to and during the earlier stages of the war were of very fine craftsmanship and of high quality. Towards the last two years, however, recovered models were clearly made of inferior materials and of markedly poorer manufacture. Reasons for this are obvious, of course. Their tanks and aircraft weren't fairing any better [in some cases, much worse in fact], and with poorer materials and construction comes a cost in efficiency and performance. Not to mention the loss of so many of their pilots meant their experienced veterans were mostly dead, lost in conflicts where they were more pivotal and needed and ultimately lost, whereas the higher survivability of American aircraft meant we retained and gained better, more experienced pilots throughout the war.
I love WWII aviation.
Plus there was the whole matter of quality of materials available. You saw something similar with the infantry weapons the Japs had available to them. Recovered Type-99 Arisaka rifles and Nambu Type-100 submachine guns prior to and during the earlier stages of the war were of very fine craftsmanship and of high quality. Towards the last two years, however, recovered models were clearly made of inferior materials and of markedly poorer manufacture. Reasons for this are obvious, of course. Their tanks and aircraft weren't fairing any better [in some cases, much worse in fact], and with poorer materials and construction comes a cost in efficiency and performance. Not to mention the loss of so many of their pilots meant their experienced veterans were mostly dead, lost in conflicts where they were more pivotal and needed and ultimately lost, whereas the higher survivability of American aircraft meant we retained and gained better, more experienced pilots throughout the war.
I love WWII aviation.
