Brewster 339E Buffalo Mk.

I
No V8138
488 Squardon RAF
Singapore, late 1941

03/2004

In early 1940, the British Purchasing Commission

ordered a total of 170 Model 339Es in two separate contracts
under the British designation Buffalo Mk. I. This was a major
turnaround, since as recently as October of 1939 the British Air
Ministry had declared the Brewster fighter as unsuitable for
RAF use. However, they were deemed suitable for use in the
Far East.
The 339E was basically a denavalized variant of the
F2A-2, powered by an export-approved Wright R-1820-G105
Cyclone engine of 1100 hp. A number of changes were made to
bring the aircraft up to current European combat standards: a
British-built Mark III reflector gunsight replaced the ring-andbead arrangement, armor plate was provided for the pilot, and
armored glass was added to the wind screen. The Curtiss
Electric cuffed propeller was replaced with a 10-foot one-inch
Hamilton Standard propeller. The 339E was the only Buffalo
variant to feature an internal gun camera. The small retractable
naval-type tail wheel was replaced by a larger fixed tail wheel.
These changes brought the gross weight to 6500
pounds, almost a thousand pounds heavier than the standard
F2A-2. The maximum speed was lowered to 330 mph and the
rate of climb was lowered to only 2600 feet per minute. In
addition, this increased weight raised the wing loading,
increased the landing speed, and adversely affected the
maneuverability. Another problem was that the Buffalo Mk. I did
not use the same fuel line pressurization system as the F2A-2,
and fuel starvation problems were often experienced above
18,000 feet.
The Wright Cyclone R-1820-G105 engine installed in
the Buffalo Mk. I had been selected in part because there were
sufficient numbers of this engine available at the time to meet
the first British contract. However, when the second contract
was issued, there were not enough new Cyclone engines
available, and Brewster was forced to purchase used Cyclone
engines from commercial airlines which had been using them to
power their Douglas DC-3 airliners. These used engines were
returned to Wright, which remanufactured them to -G105
standards.
The first three production Model 339Es were sent to
Great Britain in April of 1941 for trials. The remaining Buffalos of
the British order were shipped directly to the Far East to serve
with units in Malaya, Singapore and Burma. The first Buffalos
arrived in Singapore in the spring of 1941.
Five Commonwealth squadrons were formed around
the Buffalo -- Nos. 67 and 243 Squadrons, RAF; Nos. 21 and 43
Squadrons of the RAAF; and No. 488 Squadron of the RNZAF.
No. 67 Squadron was based in Burma and the other four were
stationed at bases near Singapore. Each squadron was issued
with 15 aircraft. A shortage of pilots prevented the formation of
additional squadrons, and many Buffalos were placed in
storage. Many of the pilots in the Commonwealth Buffalo
squadrons were relatively new and inexperienced, and some
20 Buffalos were lost in training accidents during the autumn of
1941.
War in the Burma/Malaya theater began on December
8, 1941 with a Japanese landing on the Malayan coast. The
Brewsters did experience some initial successes against
Japanese Army Air Force Ki-27s and Ki-43s, and there were at
least three Commonwealth pilots who became aces during this

period. However, when the Japanese Navy A6M Reisen (Zero

Fighter) appeared, the Buffalo was completely outclassed. The
Zero was faster, more maneuverable and had a heavier
armament. In an attempt to improve the Buffalo's performance,
ground crews removed all unnecessary equipment to lower the
weight, sometimes replacing the 0.50-inch machine guns with
lighter 0.303-inch guns and reducing the ammunition and fuel
load. However, these modifications did not even come close to
closing the performance gap between the Buffalo and the Zero.
The situation in Malaya rapidly deteriorated as the
Japanese advance gained momentum, and Commonwealth
squadrons were forced to withdraw to Singapore Island.
Attrition and combat losses took their toll, and by February of
1942 there were only a few airworthy Buffalos left. These were
withdrawn to the nearby islands of the Netherlands East Indies.
When the British evacuated the aircrews to Australis, at least
four Buffalos were turned over to Dutch squadrons.
In Burma, No. 67 Squadron flew alongside the 3rd
Squadron, American Volunteer Group (the famous 'Flying
Tigers') in the defense of Rangoon. No. 67 Squadron had some
initial successes against attacking Japanese bomber
formations. However, attrition and the lack of spare parts
steadily eroded the squadron's strength, and by the time that
Rangoon fell, only six Buffalos were still airworthy. The
surviving No. 67 Squadron Buffalos were evacuated to India,
along with a few Hawker Hurricanes that had been rushed to
Rangoon's defense. Some of the Buffalos that made it to India
were taken on strength by No. 146 Squadron, RAF. There are
even reports that at least one Buffalo was transferred to the
Indian Air Force.
Many official British historical sources blame the loss of
Malaya and Singapore largely on the Buffalo's poor
performance. However, the picture is not entirely that of an
unmitigated disaster, and many Buffalo-equipped units gave a
good account of themselves before they were overwhelmed by
superior Japanese numbers. Accurate figures on the combat
losses of British Buffalos are difficult to come by. Approximately
60 to 70 Buffalos were lost in air combat, 40 were destroyed on
the ground, twenty were lost in various non-combat related
accidents, four were transferred to the Dutch, and six were
evacuated to India. Commonwealth Buffalo squadrons claimed
at least 80 kills, and some units may have achieved a 2-to-1 kill
ratio.

Specification of Brewster Buffalo Mk. I (Model B 339E):

Powerplant: One Wright R-1820-G105A Cyclone ninecylinder, single-row air-cooled radial, rated at 1100 hp for
takeoff. Performance: Maximum speed of 324 mph at 21,000
feet, 313 mph at 13,000 feet. Cruising speed 256 mph. Initial
climb rate 2600 ft/min. An altitude of 15,000 feet could be
reached in 6.3 minutes. Service ceiling 30,675 feet. Weights:
4479 pounds empty, 6500 pounds gross, 6840 pounds
maximum takeoff. Dimensions: Wingspan 35 feet 0 inches,
length 26 feet 0 inches, height 12 feet 1 inches, wing area 209
square feet. Armament: Two 0.50 inch machine guns in the
wings, two 0.30-inch machine guns in the upper fuselage.

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