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O-52 Owl
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Photo:
Robert Deering 10/18/2012 National Museum of the USAF Dayton, Ohio |
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In 1940 the U.S.
Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for
observation duties -- signified by the
designation "O" -- and used them for
military maneuvers within the continental
United States. Upon America's entry into
World War II, however, the U.S. Army Air
Forces realized that the airplane lacked the
performance necessary for combat operations
overseas. As a result, the Army relegated
the O-52 to stateside courier duties and
short-range submarine patrols off the coasts
of the United States.
The O-52 was the last "O" type airplane procured in quantity for the Army. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army Air Forces cancelled the "O" designation and adopted "L" for the liaison type airplanes that replaced it. |
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