Seen on an RAF-related Facebook page today, may be of interest to Danny:
80 years ago today, possibly the ugliest combat aircraft the RAF ever had in service, made its first flight.
The Brewster Buffalo was built by the American "Brewster Aeronautical Corporation" and operated by 5 RAF squadrons, 7 FAA squadrons, as well as 8 RAAF squadrons an 2 RNZAF squadrons. This was despite the original A&AEE assessment of the aircraft considering it to have inadequate armament and armour, poor high-altitude performance, engine overheating, maintenance issues, and poor cockpit controls, although it had good handling, cockpit space, and visibility; it was considered unfit for duty in western Europe. But we were desperate enough to buy them anyway and send them to the pacific, where they were provided to pilots who weren't properly trained to fly them either.
In Malaya, 60 were lost in combat, 40 on the ground, 20 more in accidents. Despite this however the Buffalo force did manage to shoot down about 80 enemy aircraft, mostly bombers.
In Burma 67sqn operating Buffalos shot down 27 Japanese aircraft for 8 losses.
The type has a reputation as being a poor aircraft, but in reality it did pretty well. Of 509 aircraft produced, 40 aces were born. In Finland, where they operated the type against Russian fighters, the Finns scored a kill:loss ratio of somewhere between 20 and 35:1. The US Marine Corps also operated them early in the war successfully, before mostly relegating them to advanced trainer duties.
The main reason for its poor reputation was probably because of its record in Allied hands against the Mitsubishi Zero, which was far better than anybody ever expected it to be. There are no RAF Buffalos left anywhere in the world, but a few foreign ones in museum.
