IL posted this in General Discussion: http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=39007.msg1662318#msg1662318
Roland Emmerich directing new film on the Battle of Midway.
was the helicopter in service during WW2,
if it was, what army employed the helicopter
Germans had them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrUyNG4fYA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF9R9Zq6P9M&feature=related
Bell is the other company to make them for US army, but Germany was first
i believe russia also had a prototype as well
it looks like there were lots of helicopters that were used by the armies, mostly for reconaissance and rescue,
i do not see any combat helicopter references, i.e. helicopter gunships, although the helicopter was employed at combat,
germany used a helicopter from 1941 for convoy protection and artillery spotting,
the u.s. developed anti-submarine helicopters,
wikipedia lists 40 -50 helicopters that were developed during WW2
Japan also had an American made helicopter. It wasn’t capable of lifting much, but the Japanese fixed that by putting in a better engine. Hurray for common sense!
Near the end of the War Japan Devoloped a Chopper to fill their Much Needed Anti Sub Warfare Gap. Too little too late though
I had thought Korea was the first war with helicopters. When I see the crude machines they used for medivac, I shudder to think what the WWII ones must have looked like.
Korea was indeed the first war to use helicopters on a significant scale. They were most experimental in WWII.