Probably one of my favorite non-fighter aircraft of the war is the PBY Catalina. It was a versatile aircraft that could be used in a variety of roles during the war. It also had considerable range. In a game that I used to play quite a bit, they had the ability to be spotters for other aircraft. This made them very valuable but a good target.
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The PBY came about because the Navy was starting to anticipate that it might need a long range aircraft to cover the Pacific. Consolidated started to work on the design in the early 30's and the first flight was in 1935.
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The Catalina was first introduced to the Navy squadrons in 1936 and over the years saw a number of improvements. The last active military aircraft wasn't retired until the 1980's which I imagine is almost a record (The B-52 may break that).
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The Catalinas were used in every major theater of the war. They were also used by the British, Canadians and Australians. They have also seen service with some other countries.
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There are still some in use today even.
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It may not be the prettiest bird but it got the job done.
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During wartime, it was equipped with 3 0.30 caliber machine guns and 2 0.50 caliber machine guns. It could carry 4,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges.
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A little over 4,000 of them were built of which a dozen or so are still being used. Many of these in aerial firefighting roles.
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Sadly, the flying boat went out of style after the war.
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