The Curtiss O-52 Owl was an observation

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used by the

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before and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design and development

Developed in 1939, the Curtiss O-52 was the last "heavy" observation aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps. The concept of the two-seat observation aircraft, classed as the "O" series aircraft, dated to World War I, and in 1940, the Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties. By 1941, the O-52 was no match for modern combat conditions.

Operational history

Upon delivery, the aircraft was used in military maneuvers with the USAAC, but following America's entry into World War II, the USAAF determined that the aircraft did not possess sufficient performance for "modern" combat operations in overseas areas. As a result, the O-52 was relegated to courier duties within the U.S. and short-range

submarine patrol ''Submarine Patrol'' is a 1938 film directed by John Ford and starring Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly and Preston Foster. The supporting cast features George Bancroft, Elisha Cook, Jr., John Carradine, Maxie Rosenbloom, Jack Pennick, Ward Bond an ...

over the

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and

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and

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Oceans. The O-52 was the last "O" type aircraft procured in quantity for the Air Corps. Following the

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, the "O" designation was discontinued and the "L" series for liaison-type aircraft was adopted instead. In November 1942, the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

ordered 30 O-52 Owls through the

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program. Twenty-six were shipped, with only 19 delivered as a number were lost on the North Arctic Route. Of these only ten were accepted into service. They were used operationally for artillery fire spotting and general photographic and observation platforms in north and central areas on the Russian Front during spring–summer 1943. One O-52 was shot down by ''Luftwaffe'' fighters. In the report on military tests, the Soviet pilots recognized that the American machine was superior to the outdated

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, and

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spotters used at the front. The aircraft was generally disliked in Soviet use although some were still flying into the 1950s.

Operators

; *

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Surviving aircraft

* 40-2746 – O-52 on static display at the

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. * 40-2763 – O-52 on static display at the

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. * 40-2769 – O-52 on display at the

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. * 40-2804 – O-52 under restoration in

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. It was previously part of the Walter Soplata collection.

Specifications (O-52)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Donald, David. ''American Warplanes of World War II''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1995. . * Hardesty, Von. ''Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945''. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1991. . * ''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.

External links

{{USAAF observation aircraft O-052 1940s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1940