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Dutch Curtiss-Wright CW-21B
The Curtiss-Wright CW-21B was an American interceptor that was purchased by the Netherlands in April 1940 and eventually shipped to the Dutch East Indies, where it resisted the Japanese invasion in December 1941. The Dutch purchased 24 CW-21B aircraft.
History
In April 1940, the Dutch Air Brigade (Luchtvaartbrigade) was desperately looking for modern fighter planes in case the worst-case scenario came true, i.e. a German invasion of the Netherlands. In order to acquire new fighters, 24 Curtiss Model 75 fighters and new Curtiss-Wright CW-21B fighters were purchased in the USA. However, before the Americans prepared the planes for shipment, on May 10, 1940, German troops attacked the Netherlands, which capitulated within 7 days. Therefore, the Dutch government ordered that the purchased aircraft be sent to the Dutch East Indies in case of a threat from Japan. A ready batch of 24 CW-21B aircraft was shipped between October and December 1940, and arrived early the following year. By February 1941, all CW-21B aircraft were transported and assembled at the Andir airfield in Bandung, Java, which then became the basic equipment for Vliegtuiggroep IV, Afdeling 2 (“Air Group IV, 2 Squadron”; 2-VLG IV). During pilot training, and later due to the delicate design, several CW-21B aircraft were grounded on the ground and awaiting repairs. On December 8, 1941, war broke out between the Netherlands and Japan, only 17 CW-21B interceptors were ready to fly. Although the Japanese air force had more planes, the Dutch decided to put up the fiercest resistance. The CW-21B fighters were better armed than the Ki-43 aircraft, but were inferior to the A6M zero aircraft in this respect. However, the CW-21B had a great rate of climb, which helped to attack Japanese aircraft by surprise from above. Dutch planes shot down 4 Japanese planes for sure, although it seems little, in the conditions of the Campaign in the Dutch East Indies, it is a huge success. However, the Japanese possessed more aircraft and easily eliminated the Dutch fighters. After the surrender of the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese captured at least 2 CW-21B aircraft, which served as liaison aircraft until the end of the war.
Construction description
The Dutch Curtiss-Wright CW-21B is similar to the Chinese Curtiss-Wright CW-21, but there are a few differences between them, which I will describe here.
- The plane has wings, main landing gear that retract completely inwards, and a semi-rear wheel
- Hydraulically operated flaps are used
- Moved M1919 7.62mm machine guns from nose to wings
- Fuel tanks slightly increased
Comparison of CW-21B and CW-21
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.293 m
- Wingspan: 10.67 m
- Height: 2.49 m
- Wing area: 16.19 m2
- Empty weight: 1,534 kg
- Gross weight: 2,041 kg
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-1820-G5 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 630 kW (850 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 507 km/h
- Cruise speed: 443 km/h
- Range: 1,010 km,
- Service ceiling: 10,500 m
- Time to Climb to: 4 min to 4000 m
- Rate of climb: 24,4 m/s
Armament
- 2 x Browning M2 fixed machine guns with caliber 12.7 mm in the nose (400 rounds)
- 2 x 7.62 mm Browning M1919 fixed machine guns in the flanks (960 rounds (?))
Summary
The Curtiss-Wright CW-21B is an interesting aircraft for the Netherlands in War Thunder. It is a great interceptor that has gone down in history as the defender of Dutch Java. It is a very maneuverable and fast low-level fighter that will be a great support for the Netherlands. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.
Internet sources
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 - Wikipedia
Curtiss-Wright Model 21 - Wikipedia
Curtiss CW-21 Demon | Secret Projects Forum
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon Interceptor
IPMS Nederland - INFO Curtiss CW-21/ CW-22
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Jachtvliegtuig van de ML-KNIL
Zapomniany Curtiss-Wright CW-21 - SmartAge.pl
Curtiss CW-21b | The Java Gold's Blog
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon - Pacific Eagles
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 - fighter
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon : Curtiss
Уголок неба ¦ Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon: Photos, History, Specification
CW-21 Fighter | World War II Database
www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org - USAAF Resource Center - Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon
Pacific Wrecks - Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon
Curtiss Wright CW 21 - Destination’s Journey
Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon