The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Maj. Gen. William "Wild Bill" Donovan - Jan 19th, 2004

http://www.angelfire.com/oz/1spy/Donovan.html#OSS ^

[Darksheare]

I have no idea myself.
The props would have to be contra-rotating, otherwise it'd fly crooked.
Beyond that my knowledge dwindles to zip.
Aeronaut has all kinds of info goodies, as does PHilDragoo and others.

[Professional Engineer]

I got to see a TR-1 shortly before I got out in 91. From a standing atart, it got off the runway in about 600 feet. The pilot kept it at 10ft AGL for a bit, dropped the pogo sticks, then went UP in about a 80 degree climb until the plane was out of sight. Very cool to see.

[SAMWolf]

Oops. Forgot about that, guess I'll have to move again.

[SAMWolf]

Ah yeas! Good old inter-service rivalry. unfortuantely in the case of the FBI/CIA it could only hurt

[SAMWolf]

Vought XF5U "Flying Pancake"

The brainchild of Charles H. Zimmerman, the F5U was intended to perform well as a fighter plane while being able to remain in flight at extremely low airspeed, making it easier to operate from carriers. The F5U's unusual appearance owed to a very low aspect ratio wing without a fuselage, which resulted in something looking like a flying saucer. This shape, combined with powerful engines driving large propellers, could plow through the air at low speed (40 mph!), since the whole airframe is immersed in the prop wash. As a result, short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance was possible. At the other end of the performance envelope, the low aspect ratio and lack of fuselage would decrease drag, maintaining a high maximum speed. Maneuverability at all speeds would be improved by a small reduction in wing loading compared to conventional fighters, combined with a more compact shape and prop wash going over all control surfaces.

In 1941, Vought began building a low-power, full-scale demonstrator of wood and fabric construction, the V-173 (Bu. No. 02987), first flown on November 23, 1942, by Vought test pilot Boone T. Guyton. Other than test pilots Guyton and Richard Burroughs, the V-173 was also flown by Charles Lindbergh. In some 200 test flights, the V-173 proved Zimmerman right, having a low stall speed, relatively high maximum speed considering the powerplants, and being impossible to stall or put into a spin.

Based on the success of the V-173, the Navy ordered two XF5U-1 prototypes (Bu. Nos. 33958/33959) in 1944. The airframes were completed in August, 1945. An interesting innovation as the use of "metalite" for the skin, a sandwich of balsa between two layers of aluminum. Unfortunately, it wasn't until 1947 that the special articulated propellers were delivered. Tethered tests were performed in Connecticut, but plans to flight test the F5U's at Edwards AFB (delivering them via the Panama Canal) were canceled in 1948, the Navy having lost interest in propeller-driven fighters.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Johnny. I'm old enough to remember Gary Powers, first I became aware of th U-2

[SAMWolf]

You're welcome Ex-snook. I forgot how long his one was. Very interesting man and some of the exploits of the OSS sound like a bad spy novel.

[Darksheare]

Always hurts when there's FBI/CIA (Feeber vs Snoop) rivalry.
Especially loved how said rivalry hampered catching several Soviet agents during the 50's and 60's.
It's bad enough that I wanted to tell them, "C'mon guys, you're an embarrassment. Besides, you're making the bad guys look well behaved."
That same rivalry still exists, and still hampers things.
*ugh*

It'd be the same if the Army didn't support the Marines during an op, and indeed pursued their own sometimes parrallel sometiems at odds objectives.

[ex-snook]

exploits of the OSS sound like a bad spy novel. "

How did OSS differ from CIC [counter intelligence corps]?? I remember a CIC guy doing interrogation of a German prisoner. No big deal if you don't have a lead. thanks.

[colorado tanker]

Well, Snippy, some of us around here appreciate you. :)

Nice thread. Wild Bill was an amazing man. He gave so much to his country; it's a shame he lost his daughter so early in life. Quite a compliment for Ike to call him a hero; high praise indeed.

[SAMWolf]

The OSS was into the spy gadets, helping the resistance, parachuting agents behind lines, some sabotage and things like that.

[SAMWolf]

Hi CT. We just like teasing what's her name. :-)

[SAMWolf]

The theory and practice of the Liberator pistol was this:

First, you approach a German sentry with your little pistol hidden in your coat pocket and, with Academy-award sincerity, ask him for a light for your cigarette (or the time the train leaves for Warsaw, or if he wants to buy some non-army-issue food or a half- hour with your "sister"). When he smiles and casts a nervous glance down the street to see where his Sergeant is at, you blow his brains out with your first and only shot, then take his rifle and ammunition. Your next few minutes are occupied with "getting out of Dodge," for such critters generally go around in packs. After that (assuming you evade your late benefactor's friends) you keep the rifle and hand your little pistol to a fellow Home Army fighter so they can go get their own rifle.

Or maybe you then use your rifle to get a submachine gun from the Sergeant when he comes running. Perhaps you get very lucky and pickup a light machine gun, two boxes of ammunition and a haversack of hand grenades. With two of the grenades and the expenditure of a half-a-box of ammunition at a hasty roadblock the next night, you and your friends get a truck full of arms and ammunition. (Some of the cargo is sticky with "Nazi" blood, but you don't mind terribly.)

Pretty soon you've got the best armed little Home Army unit in your part of Poland, all from that cheap little pistol and the guts to use it. (One wonders if the current political elite's opposition to so-called "Saturday Night Specials" doesn't come from some adopted racial memory of previous failed tyrants. Even cheap little pistols are a threat to oppressive regimes.)

[PAR35]

From 5 November 1944 to 17 February 1946, Washington, as a vital unit of the fast carrier striking forces, supported raids on Okinawa, in the Ryukyus; Formosa; Luzon; Camranh Bay, French Indochina; Saigon, French Indochina; Hong Kong; Canton; Hainan Island; Nansei Shoto; and the heart of the enemy homeland-Tokyo itself.

Being picky about a typo.

Lookouts in the destroyer Wilson (DD-408) spotted Wilcox' body in the water, face down, some distance away, but could not pick it up.

Interesting that they spotted the Admiral in the water, but "couldn't" pick him up.

[w_over_w]

Evening Grace Snip & Sam~

Excellent read . . . some real "cloak and dagger" stuff. Would stories like this be a precursor to why the respective intelligence agencies don't work together?

[SAMWolf]

Evening w_over_w

Can there be anything worse than competeing beauracracies?

[WaterDragon]

What a shame the flying pancake was never used. Its slow speed and reluctance to stall sounds just like the Cessna 150s I took flying lessons in. One of them, for some reason, could not be put into a stall.

[WaterDragon]

I love cloak and dagger stories. There's some great ones out there, the authors having done very good research for them.

[SAMWolf]

I can imagine everyone thinking flying saucers where invading.

[SAMWolf]

Sweet, sentimental, and sultry, their voices inspired the troops and kept the home fires burning in England, France, and America. We've combined the recordings of three sublime songbirds into a memorable collection. Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose features the title track "Mon Legionnaire" and 20 more. Vera Lynn's Sincerely Yours includes "We'll Meet Again," "The White Cliffs of Dover," and 20 more. Jo Stafford's G.I. Jo Sings the Hits includes "Embraceable You," "I'll Be Seeing You," and 21 more. 3 hours on 3 CDs. Simon says: On October 1, 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) sent Odette and Simone, two 29-year-old women, behind enemy lines, where they captured seven German soldiers. Odette and Simone couldn’t carry a tune, but the OSS didn’t mind.