World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
17 Apr 2014 04:07:21 AM

THE MECHANIC: KEEP'EM FLYING

No matter what designers and engineers create, its
the mechanic that keep the wheels turning. The ground crews were the unsung heroes during WWII.

PLUMBERS NIGHTMARE 101:

Photograph gives a good look at the underside of the engine, showing the bulkhead, engine mounts and flexible tubing the coolant radiators, oil cooler underneath. Hoses running in and out of them circulated coolant around the engine keeping it from over heating, separate lines circulated oil between the engine and its radiator and engine block.

The radiators were honeycombed allowing air to pass through it and cooled the fluids inside.
The amount of air that passed through the radiators were controlled by the four flaps aft of the lower cowling.
Later models of the P-40 had improved flatten
exhaust stubs that made the exhaust flame harder to see during night flying. Although the Allison in-line liquid cooled engine looks complicated it was still easier to work on than the Rolls-Royce Merlin, but tell that to the men who worked on them.

2.  Bill says:
21 Apr 2014 03:02:51 PM

MADE IN THE GOOD OLD U.S. OF A.:

The Allison liquid-cooled inline engine was the only indigenous US developed liquid-cooled engine to see service in WWII. Did you know that over 70,000 were produced, mass production brought the price down from $25,000 to $8,500 that's in 1940s dollars.

In the above photo, it looks like the mechanics have removed the two circular coolant radiators and the single central circular oil cooler, these were located in a large scoop beneath the nose cowling air flow dividers.

THERE'S TOUGH AND THERE'S ALLISON TOUGH:

Over 60% of US Army Fighters were powered by the Allison engines were improved in speed and horse power during the war, they were strong & reliable.

3.  Bill says:
22 Apr 2014 02:58:18 PM

The Curtiss P-40 was also powered by the British
Rolls-Royce Merlin Liquid-Cooled Inline Engine.

Above photograph looks like a Merlin powered P-40 this power plant changed the plumbing around the engine was different from the Allison, even the coolant radiators & oil radiators were different in design.

The "Made in the Good Old US of A", is really a British Merlin Engine that was built under license. I do my best and make any corrections to any photograph listed with ww2db...if anyone has more information post it here, because I'd like to read it.