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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

Search our site for other combat planes. A- 1 Eaton A- 4 Skyhawk A- 6 & A- 7 Air Weapons AV- 8 to A- 10 A- 20 Havoc A- 22 Martin Maryland A- 23 Martin Baltimore A- 24 Douglas A- 26 Douglas Invader Attack Planes B- 2A, F-111, F-117 Stealth B- 17 Flying Fortress B- 24 Liberator B- 25 North American B- 26 Marauder B- 29 Superfortress B- 32 Dominator B- 35 Flying Wing B- 36 B- 47 Stratojet B- 50 Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress B- 57 Canberra B- 58 Hustler Biplanes Biplanes, Army Pursuits Bombers, B- 70 to Stealth Bombers, First Big Curtiss Falcon CO- 1 DH- 4 De Havilland F3D- Douglas Skyknight F3H- McDonnell Demon F4D- 1 Skyray F4F Grumman Wildcats F- 4U Corsair F6F Grumman F7F Grumman F7U Vought F9F G. Cougar F9F G. Panther F- 16 Fighting Falcon F- 84 F- 86 Sabre F- 89 to F-94 F- 100 to F-108 First Fighters Flying Boats GAX Iraq to Afghanistan Martin Bombers Missile Era Fighters Navy Fighers Navy Flying Boats O- 2 Douglas P- 35 Seversky P- 36 to 42 Curtiss P- 38 Lightning P- 39 Airacobra P- 40 Line P- 47 Thunderbolt P- 51 Mustang Fighter P- 61 Black Widow P- 63 Kingcobra P- 79 to P-81 P- 82 Twin Mustang SB2C Helldiver TBF-TBM Avenger Thomas-Morse Torpedo Planes V- 11 Vultee XB -28 XP -48 / 77

The Biplane Period, 1917 to 1932

Page 8

Early aircraft engines had their cylinders lined up behind one another in two rows, and were liquid cooled. (Water until the 1930s; with chemical additives since then.) The most widely used inline engines were the Liberty 12 (V-1650) of 1918, the Curtiss D-12 (V-1150) of 1922, the Curtiss Conqueror (V-1570) of 1926, the Allison V-1710 of 1935, and the Packard Merlin (V1650 ) of 1941. All had 12 cylinders. The reader is reminded that these military designations indicate the engine’s size in cubic inches, so the higher the number, the larger the power plant

The radiator and cooling systems required by liquid-cooled engines added weight, drag, and maintenance problems. Air cooling offered the obvious advantage of low weight and simplified servicing, if only the engine could be kept from overheating. The rotary engines used on the World War I Nieuports, with their circle of whirling cylinders, represented an effort in this direction, but could develop only limited power.

The radial engine first used on American combat planes was the 200-hp 9-cylinder Lawrance J-l of 1922, used in the Navy’s Curtiss TS fighter. Air cooling became so popular in the Navy, that after the more powerful 9-cylinder Pratt & Whitney Wasp (R-1340), Hornet ( R-1690 ), and the early Wright Cyclone ( R-1750 ) became avail- able in 1927, radial engines were standard on Navy combat planes.

Although the period after World War I had not changed the basic shape of combat aircraft, and open-cockpit biplanes remained the common style, still engineers and aviators had built a solid foundation of experience to prepare the way for the next generation of aircraft.#

A Guide to Designations of Combat Aircraft
During World War I, aircraft were known by the rather random names and numbers given by their own manufacturers. Most companies continued their own numbering series, but from 1919 to 1924 the Air Service used an adaptation of the French system. A more simplified classification was then used until 1948, with many modifications. Table 2 lists older designations used by Army combat planes, with the dates in use.

The basic mission symbol could also be preceded by status symbols such as “X” for experimental, or “Y” for service test aircraft procured in limited quantities.

In World War II, block designations were added to Army planes to denote minor modifications and factory of origin. Thus, the Douglas A-24A-DE was built at the El Segundo, California, plant; the A-20B-DL at the Long Beach, California, facility; the A-20C-DO at the main Santa Monica, California, shop, and the A-24B-DT at the firm’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, shop. The Boeing-designed B-17G-VE was built by Lockheed’s subsidiary, Vega. Block designations are used in this work only when needed to indicate which of several factories built the models described.

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