Shipbucket

Here are some 1-144 scale pixel art I had drawn based around AU history and engineering I sometimes mess around with. For those who like their AU and alternate engineering.

Soaring Eagle: The RAAF that Williams Wanted

The following is first of many (I hope) chapters describing an alternate history based around a correction of the poor and often conspiring decisions made in Australia in the 1930s and 40s that significantly reduced the capability of military and civil aviation. While mostly focusing on alternate aviation decisions and effects I will also cover other areas and strategic effects that would be influenced by a change in events. My primary source for this endeavour is the book “Wounded Eagle” by Dr Peter Ewer which charts the history of Australian aviation policy history during this era. It’s an excellent book and based on historical research in Australian and British archives. The most shocking events in my exploration are likely to be those based on actual events. Hopefully I can dish out some fictional comeuppance to those people whose actions in the name of Imperial interests (ie British complacency) resulted in an Australia unable to defend itself in time of need.

Development of the Woomera Bomber



On 27 March 1939 the Lyons Government endorsed the submission by Defence Minister Charles Hawker to contract with CAC for development and eventual production of 180 CA-4 Wirraway Bombers. The new bomber was to provide the RAAF with a high performance anti-ship bomber capable of both torpedo attacks and dive bombing. The new bomber would use Australian built Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines that were common across the RAAF’s new force of American built Curtiss Hawk fighters, Lockheed Australis patrol bombers and Consolidated Condor amphibians. From the back bench of Parliament former minister Robert Menzies was highly critical insisting that production of the British Beaufort bomber would be better suited to Empire defence. With the scandal of his dismissal from Cabinet as part of the Bruce Papers Affair still fresh Menzies was unable to make much leeway with public opinion. His opposition to the Wirraway Bomber would be one of his final public acts before leading the short-lived Empire Party split from the governing United Australia Party.

In May 1939 CAC’s general manager and chief designer Lawrence Wackett presented his Wirraway Bomber design to the Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshall Richard Williams for approval. The new design reused much of the Wirraway (itself based on the North American NA-16) including the outer wings and tail. To meet the RAAF’s demanding long range requirement (over 2,000 miles or eight hours cruising at 250 mph) the bomber used a self sealing fuel tank integral with the central wing. Also heavy defensive armament was provided by four rear firing machineguns in two remote control barbettes in the engine pods. Williams having a long history of working with Wackett dating back to the desert campaign in WWI was able to ‘persuade’ Wackett to redesign the aircraft to remove the troublesome not so sealing fuel tank and the un-controllable barbettes. The bomber was to be redesigned and also benefit from feedback from CSIRO’s new wind tunnel which was operational from April 1939.

When re-presented to the RAAF in August the Wirraway Bomber had a longer and sleeker fuselage and several important changes. Without the need for an integral fuel tank the new wings were slimmer and now held the inwards folding main landing gear which was removed from the engine pods. The later were larger and more aerodynamic with each holding a large conventional self sealing fuel tank with oil coolers, exhausts and other engine auxiliary equipment above it. In the centre of the fuselage was the main fuel tank which divided the nose from the tail. The pilot was now seated forward of the wing above the four forward firing Browning .303 machineguns and radios. In front of the pilot was the navigator/bomb aimer who had originally been positioned in the rear fuselage. The navigator was able to carry out all his tasks form the seat as the bomb aiming role was only to support shallow angle dive bombing and his simple sight looked down and forward between his legs. He also had fold away, auxiliary controls to fly the aircraft if the pilot was incapacitated. The most significant change was the defensive armament which now consisted of a tail gunner and four rear firing Brownings in a pod beneath the tail. This configuration was provided by the RAAF’s Australian Technical Mission to America (ATMA) Los Angeles office who copied it from the new Douglas B-23 Dragon bomber.

When the prototype Wirraway Bomber, now christened the Woomera, was ready to fly in March 1940 the RAAF was at war and with a huge demand for bombers to equip the Australian Air Expeditionary Force (AAEF) being deployed to Europe. Flying trials revealed the Woomera was one of the fastest bombers in the world in 1940 being able to reach 330 mph without bombs or a torpedo while using the new high octane fuel. Since the CA-3 Wirraway Fighter project had been cancelled thanks to the ready supply of Curtiss Hawks CAC was able to progress the Woomera through development to production by 1941. Alongside the CA-1 Wirrway advanced trainer and army co-operation aircraft and CA-2 Warrigal basic trainer the CA-4 Woomera drive and torpedo bomber rolled out of the Fisherman’s Bend factory in Melbourne for RAAF service.

By December 1941 150 Woomeras had been delivered equipping the No. 4 Operational Training Unit (Woomera conversion and dive bombing), No. 6 Operational Training Unit (torpedo dropping at Jervis Bay) and No. 6 Squadron recently rushed to Malaya before being qualified on torpedo attacks. Two additional squadrons (Nos. 46 and 47) were forming with the Woomera but had not been brought to full strength or declared operational. The Woomera was soon to face its toughest test with the impending onslaught of the Japanese forces in the Pacific.

CAC CA-4/CA-11 Woomera

General Characteristics

Crew: 3 (pilot, bomb aimer/navigator, rear gunner)
Length: 49 ft 8 in (15.14 m)
Wingspan: 59 ft 2½ in (18.05 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 440 ft² (40.9 m²)
Empty weight: 12,952 lb (5,875 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 23,425 lb (10,647 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C3-G Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two-row radial engine, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 332 mph (531 km/h, 295 knots)
Range: 2,000 mi (3,200 km, 1,778 NM) (with 2,000 lb of bombs or torpedo)
Service ceiling: 23,500 ft (7,165 m)
Rate of climb: 2,090 ft/min (10.6 m/s)

Armament

4 × .303” (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in nose
4 × .303” (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in rear firing mount
4 × 500 lb (224 kg) bombs or 2 x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 1 x 1,548 lb (702 kg) Mk 12 18” (45 cm) torpedo under fuselage and 4 × 25 lb (13 kg) bombs under wings

Great Stuff Sport! I'm looking forward to more on this.

Very plausible looking designs TH,got any more?

Here is some more text from this AU timeline. Basically I just went through Dr Ewer's book changing events from all the stupid decisions to the better ones... The Woomera is really the only different aircraft until later in the war.

Timeline

23 Sep 1932: While disgusted by the Australian Parliament’s opposition to reducing their own salaries while the Great Depression gripped the country Charles Hawker MP decided not to quit his position as Minister for Commerce. (Point of Divergence: in the real world this young and popular minister quit and later died in a plane crash.)
Feb 1935: The Australian Government rejects the Empire Air Mail Scheme (EAMS) as being unworkable. (ITRW the Government accepted the scheme against advice from the civil service.)
July 1936: The RAAF’s Australian Technical Mission to America (ATMA) places its first orders for 200 patrol bombers (Lockheed Model 414), 200 fighters (Curtiss Model 75), 50 flying boats (Consolidated Model 28) and 50 air transports (Lockheed Model 14). These 500 aircraft were the biggest single order in American aviation history and were widely condemned in the UK. (ITRW RAAF attempts to buy American aircraft were frustrated despite the UK being unable to meet demand until the UK started to buy American a few years later.)
7 Apr 1939: Australian PM Joseph Lyons dies and is replaced by Richard Casey. (ITRW Robert Menzies becomes PM but in this timeline is disgraced by revelations of his passing on of Australian cabinet discussions to the British government over the Empire Air Mail Scheme.)
August 1940: RAAF’s Australian Air Expeditionary Force (AAEF) No. 1 Fighter Wing equipped with 75 Curtis Hawks is redirected to the UK rather than North Africa to take part in the Battle of Britain. (ITRW pre war RAAF aircrew were allocated to instructor roles in the EATS rather than a planned AAEF so were unable to serve early in the war.)
Sep 1940: RAF offers Boeing Model 299 (B-17C) on order to RAAF which accepts. (ITRW they were rejected because they were not British.)
18 Jun 1941: RAAF Curtiss Hawk fighter shoots down a Japanese bomber over Rabual, New Guinea. Japan protests that the aircraft was merely lost. Australia provides evidence of its fit out of cameras with exposed film of Australian basses and machineguns which were used to engage the Hawks during the interception. (ITRW the overflight was recorded but the RAAF HQ failed to notify the civil government leadership.)
28 Aug 1941: Charles Hawker becomes Prime Minister of an Australian national unity government with John Curtin as his deputy replacing Richard Casey’s minority government. (ITRW Curtin replaces Menzies as PM and no national unity government is formed.)
27 Oct 1941: RAF offers RAAF Lockheed Model 322 (P-38) order. (ITRW they were rejected because they were not British)
7 Dec 1941: Japan attacks in the Pacific and despite having two fighter and two bomber wings in action over North Africa the RAAF has an extensive force of combat aircraft, aircrew training, aircraft supply from America and domestic production in place.

RAAF Aircraft Strength and Orders December 7, 1941

700 Fighters: 0 + 500 Lockheed Model 322-60 Atlanta, 0 + 150 Lockheed Model 322-61 Atlanta, 0 + 200 CAC Model 5 Kangaroo, 0 + 200 Curtiss Model 87 Hawk, 100+100 Curtiss Model 81 Hawk, 600 Curtiss Model 75 Hawk (100 lost and written off, 200 supplied via French order post Armistice)

700 Bombers: 20 + 50 Boeing Model 299 Fortress, 0 + 200 Lockheed Model 418 Polaris, 150 + 200 CAC Model 4 Woomera, 500 Lockheed Model 414 Australis (100 lost and written off)

850 Support Aircraft: 0+ 100 Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar air transport, 100 + 100 Consolidated Model 28 Condor flying boat/amphibian, 100 Lockheed Model 14 Australia air transport, 200 + 200 Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior advanced trainer/liaison transport, 250 + 200 CAC Model 1 Wirraway advanced trainer/army co-operation aircraft, 200 + 200 CAC Model 2 Warrigal basic trainer

Notes on aircraft names: Many of the aircraft presented above have different names to those in the real world. This is because in many cases the names were given by the RAF to American products that would have been ordered previously by the RAAF in this timeline.

The Lockheed Model 414 is the militarized version of the Lockheed Model 14 “Super Electra” that was later known as the Hudson and A-28. In this case it was ordered by the RAAF from Lockheed’s drawing boards (based on the proven Model 10 Electra) 18 months before the RAF. In this timeline Lockheed to honour their new customer has named the Model 14 (and Model 414) the Australis in keeping with their use of star names. Later the RAAF became the launch customer for the militarized version of the Model 18 Lodestar which was named Polaris in keeping with the them. ITRW it was named Ventura by the RAF.

The Lockheed Model 322 or P-38 was originally called the Lightning by the RAF when they ordered it in mid 1940. They were later unhappy with their version because of changes they had mandated and passed on the order to the RAAF who were desperate for fighters to counter Japans growing belligerency. Lockheed had always referred to their twin engine fighter as the Atlanta and the USAAF cared little for colourful names at this point. The Model 322 was accepted into the RAAF order book under the original Lockheed name.

When Australia ordered an early batch of Consolidated Model 28 flying boats and development of an amphibian version a new popular name was needed. The US Navy called this aircraft the PBY and Consolidated of San Diego had never used a common name. The RAF would later name this aircraft in line with their use of regional and city names for bombers and coastal patrol aircraft after the popular Californian holiday island of Catalina. Without such a guideline it was left to Australian Technical Mission to America to determine a name. Because of the Californian origin and long wing span of the PBY the name Condor was selected.