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Arval J Roberson No Photo Available
Victories : 6
Joining the Army Reserves in 1942, ‘Robby’ Roberson was commissioned and rated a pilot in May 1943. Transferring to the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group, he flew 76 combat missions on P51s, sharing his first victory against an Me110 over Berlin on 6th March 1944. He became an Ace on 19th September, and scored his 6th and final air victory at the same time. During the Korean War he flew an additional 100 combat hours with the 18th FBG, and in Vietnam managed to get in 26 support missions on C47s. He retired in 1973. |
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Arval J Roberson
Squadrons for : Arval J Roberson | ||
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Arval J Roberson. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
Squadron | Info | |
Country : US Yoxford Boys Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 357th Fighter Group | 357th Fighter Group Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : US Yoxford Boys Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 362nd Fighter Squadron | 362nd Fighter Squadron Full profile not yet available. |
Aircraft for : Arval J Roberson | |||
A list of all aircraft associated with Arval J Roberson. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. |
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