What if from the outbreak of World War II until the end if America had only its frontline fighters that existed in 1941? What if for some reason, America had not been able to have speedily designed and unleashed new combat aircraft? This would have limited the US Army Air Corps and the US Navy to only the following flying war machines: The Brewster Buffalo F-2A, the P-36 Hawk, the P-40 Warhawk, the P-38 Lightning, the US Navy F-4F Wildcat, and the Bell P-39 Air Cobra.

This does not include the US Bomber class that would see action through much of the war. Many of the US Navy bombers were so obsolete that they were decimated at the battle of Midway which were the old Vindicators and the TBD Devastators which were removed from service after suffering heavy losses. The B-25’s, B-17’s, B-24’s had all been developed as medium and heavy bombers and would serve throughout the war.

Brewster Buffalo- Was considered to be too un-maneuverable and no match for the Mitsubishi Zero by American pilots and ended up being shipped through the Lend Lease Act to Russia and Finland where it had the highest kill ratio of any Allied fighter plane and was feared by the Germans. Why? It was fitted with heaver armament and became a devastating ground attack platform.

Curtis P-36 Hawk-Famous test pilot and fighter pilot Chuck Yeager trained in one of these. Not used in frontline service by the US, the P-36 was sold to France where it developed an 8-1 kill ratio against the Nazis before France was overrun and the remaining P-36 Hawks were used by the Germans! Ironically, it was two P-36 Hawks that shot down 4 Japanese Zeroes as they withdrew from Pearl Harbor attack December 7, 1941.

Curtis P-40 Warhawk-The intended ground support aircraft that became the fighter of choice in every theater of combat in WWII with 1900 kills with the Flying Tigers achieving the highest kills in any US individual combat group in history over China and Burma with 298 kills in 6 months! It was faulted for under preforming above 15,000 feet due to its Allison built engine lacking a 2^nd stage turbo charger, however below that altitude the P-40 could out turn the German ME-109 over the skies of North Africa. Had the Rolls Royce Merlin engine not been relegated to the P-51 Mustang it would have gone to the Curtis P-40 Warhawk and made it a much better performer at higher altitudes!

Lockheed P-38 Lightning –Built as a long range escort fighter and attack craft, the P-38 had demonstrated dominance in the Pacific Theater of war having been flown by America’s two leading aces of WWII, Major Dick Bong with 40 kills and Captain Thomas McGuire with 38 kills. There were several variants that made the aircraft more formidable, higher altitude capable, and would have been the only US Fighter to be able to escort the Eighth Air Force B-17 bombing formations into the heart of Germany, an important strategic impact.

Grumman F-4F Wildcat –Having served as the US Navy’s and US Marine front line fighter from the very beginning of the war, the Wildcat, thought to be inferior to the Mitsubishi Zero, maintained a 6.9 to 1 kill ratio over Japanese fighters from the battles of Midway, Guadalcanal, and forward being the fighter that flew top cover for US dive bombers and torpedo bombers who decimated the Japanese carrier forces! Top speed 315 mph. compared to 330 mph. by the Japanese Zero, the Imperial intelligence staff acquired a Wildcat that had crashed on a coral reef and analyzed it, finding the Wildcat to be heavily armed, well armored to protect the pilot, Having self sealing fuel tanks, able to out dive the more fragile Zero and having a stable gunnery platform. It was also found to be rugged and reliable! Japanese high command warned their pilots not to get into head on firefights with the Wildcat! 

Bell P-39 Air Cobra- Intended to be a front line fighter bomber with a sleek mid-engine design, it turned out to be a disappointment and was designated as a light bomber “B-200” that required fighter escorts, but when given to Russia under the Lead Lease program the P-39 blossomed as a fighter and ground attack craft that devastated the Germans on the Eastern Front. Although there are no known figures on kill ratio or numbers of victories, the Russians were reportedly very happy with its performance.

The only thing lacking in this list of available US front line combat aircraft at the beginning of WWII was a long range bomber like the B-29 which was used to bomb the Japanese mainland and ended up delivering the two Atomic bombs “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” in 1945. Without the B-29 American forces would have had to get closer to the Japanese home island which might have extended the war, but even without the next generation fighters that would soon outclass the Germans and Japanese with such aircraft as the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-51 Mustang, and the F-6F Hellcat, sheer US manufacturing capacity would have produced the numbers needed to overwhelm the Axis powers with only the available inventory of 1941 but without as swift a victory perhaps.

The 2 top aces of all time for America Thomas McGuire and Richard Bong.

As for American pilots finding the Brewster Buffalo, the P-36 Hawk, and the P-39 Air Cobra undesirable, it’s ironic that other Allied air forces did so well with them against a very competent enemy!