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Man & Machine: A Narrative of the Relationship Between World War II Fighter Advancement and Pilot Skill

Burnett, Brian, II
http://orcid.org/0009-0004-3680-3232
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1682526982033721

Abstract Details

2023, Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, History.
From 1938 until the end of World War II, the Curtiss P-40 fighter participated in the European, North Africa, and Pacific theaters of war. An aircraft’s success depends primarily upon the pilot’s expertise. Without skilled pilots, technology alone cannot win a war. Technological innovation still plays a crucial role in the success of a nation’s air force. Relative to technological developments, how impactful is a pilot’s skill on a fighter plane’s performance? My thesis structure is a deep look into each pilot’s experience and how victory was achieved with a plane that most military writings say is inferior. I investigate the narrative of the aircraft from development based on a pre-war U.S. air doctrine, its exposure and adaptation against enemy aircraft, and the period when piston-driven aircraft performance reached the pinnacle of performance. My analysis shows that due to the adaptability of tactics by fighter pilots, the Curtiss P-40 met Allied needs and aided in the overall contribution to changes in aerial combat. This write-up goes on to show a pilot’s expertise plays a crucial role in an aircraft’s success, regardless of statistical data or the purpose for which the plane was intended. Technological innovation causes an impact on the success of a nation’s air force, but without skilled pilots, technology alone cannot win a war.
Jonathan Winkler, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Kathryn Meyer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Paul Lockhart, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
99 p.
African American Studies; American Studies; Armed Forces; Asian Studies; Black History; European History; European Studies; Higher Education; History; Military History; Modern History; Museum Studies; Russian History; Technology; World History
Curtiss; P-40; Warhawk; Tomahawk; Kittyhawk; pilot; training; fighter; plane; World War II; ww2; World War 2; tactics; strategy; messerschmitt; bf-109; fw-190; focke-wulf; Imperial Japanese; ki-43; ki-27; dogfights; maneuvers; aerial; development; military history; air force; army air force; United States; Russian; Luftwaffe; tuskegee airmen

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Burnett, II, B. (2023). Man & Machine: A Narrative of the Relationship Between World War II Fighter Advancement and Pilot Skill [Master's thesis, Wright State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1682526982033721

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Burnett, II, Brian. Man & Machine: A Narrative of the Relationship Between World War II Fighter Advancement and Pilot Skill . 2023. Wright State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1682526982033721.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Burnett, II, Brian. "Man & Machine: A Narrative of the Relationship Between World War II Fighter Advancement and Pilot Skill ." Master's thesis, Wright State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1682526982033721

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

wright1682526982033721
241
© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.