Ceci n'est pas une Mustang

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 02/03/2020 at 12:35 • Filed to: wingspan, Planelopnik

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A-36 of the 86th Bombardment Group (Dive), “284067" coded A, lost to flak, 14 January 1944

Nope, not a Mustang. It’s an A-36 Apache, though in practice, the name Apache was rarely used, and most just called it a Mustang. Apache crews wanted to call it Invader, but that name was never officially adopted. The A-36 was the ground attack version of the P-51, and actually saw combat before the high-flying Mustang. You can tell it’s an A-36 by the three-bladed propeller, the .50s poking out of the nose, and, if you could see them, the slotted dive brakes on the wings and Allison engine. While the Allison was unsuited to the rarified air where the Merlin-powered Mustangs tangled with the Lufwaffe, it was more than adequate for low level ground attack and dive bombing.

The A-36A (42-83665) on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Note the extended dive brakes, as well as the chin-mounted .50 caliber machine guns.

The A-36 joined the war in April 1943 and saw service in the Mediterranean and the CBI, and was particularly effective during the invasion of Sicily and in the push up the boot of Italy. Though designed to hit targets on the ground, Apache pilots also claimed 84 enemy aircraft, and one A-36 pilot became the only ace to fly an Allison-powered Mustang. Like the P-51, the A-36 was particularly susceptible to ground fire due to its ventral radiator, and they were withdrawn from combat at the end of 1944 due to high losses.

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Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 12:47

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In contrast, t he P-47 had a perfect record of never having its radiator shot. Not even once!

/s

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Ash78, voting early and often 02/03/2020 at 12:55

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*screams in exposed oil cooler*

Cé hé sin > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 13:00

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Non, ce n’est pas une Mustang. C’est un Mustang, parce que l’ avion es t un garcon....

ttyymmnn > Cé hé sin 02/03/2020 at 13:17

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I actually went back and forth on this one. I had originally written un Mustang because I figured the horse was male. Then I looked up “ mustang” and learned that it refers to any wild horse, not just male horses, and that (apparently) the French word for “mustang” is mustang . With that, I figured that most ships/airplanes are referred to as “she” or “her” and went with the feminine article. I did not check the gender of the French word mustang .

So, while I will accept that I made the mistake, I can assure that it was not out of ignorance!

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 02/03/2020 at 13:19

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Just don’t hit it in the oil tank. The P-47 had a 28-gallon oil tank. 

Nibby > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 13:20

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RacinBob > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 13:29

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Great article!

ttyymmnn > Nibby 02/03/2020 at 13:32

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ttyymmnn > RacinBob 02/03/2020 at 13:35

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Thanks! I enjoyed putting it together. That’s my photo from the USAF Museum. My son and I went there about three years ago. I thought it was a P-51 at first, then was very confused by the dive brakes. I stumbled across that top photo and really liked it. It’s a great shot.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 13:53

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That’s every DIY car guy saying “Yeah, $20 at Jiffy Lube but it’s about the EXPERIENCE!”

I learned about the P-47's oil problems the hard way, playing PC games about 20 years ago while strafing trains . “I am unstoppable! Wait, why is my oil pressure dropping to zero aaaaand, now the engine is stopped?”

Nibby > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 13:57

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you enjoyed it

ttyymmnn > Nibby 02/03/2020 at 14:02

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I’m still not entirely sure what “it” was.

RacinBob > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 14:06

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I saw it and thought “American Stuka”, not a bad idea. So the radiator was a problem, hmmmm.

Interesting - The Stuka seems to have a pretty exposed radiator too. Maybe Polish and early russian antiaircraft wasn’t as effective as German anti aircraft guns....

Nibby > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 14:56

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a new way of life

ttyymmnn > RacinBob 02/03/2020 at 15:48

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Germany AA defenses were arguably more effective, and having the radiator located at “center mass” probably helped too. 

Cé hé sin > ttyymmnn 02/03/2020 at 18:14

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Grammatical gender in languages thus equipped is a strange thing.

A car is une voiture in French, so the R enault Clio (Fiesta sized hatch) is la Clio. Its crossovery type variant is therefore la Captur, hein? M ais non. It’s a crossover. They’re boys. So le Captur. Not often you give a car a sex change when you make it a bit higher and boxier .

ttyymmnn > Cé hé sin 02/03/2020 at 18:49

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Gender-specific words have been the bane of English-speaking foreign language students forever.