The much loved US Gruman Bearcat for instance was inspired and the P47 was
built specifically to deal with the 190.

I would say that the Bearcat was inspired by the Hellcat, which was
inspired by the Wildcat. As for the P-47, it was an outgrowth of the
P-43 which was an outgrowth of the P-35.

The XP-47 was ordered in 1939, and the XP-47B with a PW 2800 engine in
January 1940. Did the USAAC even know about the FW-190 in January
1940?

I would say that the two American fighters were sui generis: The
Bigger the Better.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Expedition sailboat charters www.expeditionsail.com