Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/08/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yes indeed Walker, The Merlin is unmistakeable - an interesting bit of useless information, the Messerschmitt 109 G was licence built in Spain after WWII and was, in the last version, powered by the Merlin engine. My Uncle did his service the other way round, got his wings in the UK and was transferred to Canada to test the US built planes before the RAF and RCAF got their hands on them. Apparently the Brewster Buffalo was prone to a lot of heavy landings (prangs) until they got it sorted out, it also had the pleasant nickname of "The pregnant peanut". One of the stranger aspects of testing was to find out which planes were capable of being operated from aircraft carriers, an excellent way of destroying your own planes At the time the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service)only had old biplanes a la Swordfish and were desperately in need of carrier based fighters,fighter bombers and torpedo bombers. So desperate that the protection of the distant shipping lanes in the North Sea was virtually all carried out by Coastal Command using long range flying boats and converted bombers (The Sunderland, a converted Empire Class flying boat, The Wellington bomber, in one version with a colossal de-gaussing ring run by a stinking diesel generator which nearly poisoned the aircrews, against magnetic mines and a series of pig-ugly torpedo bombers like the Beaufort) Luckily the US PBYs like the Catalina were supplied to Coastal Command in time to step up, and eventuallyhelp win, the battle against the U-boots . Douglas Walker Smith schrieb: > A fine shot with a great "feel" to it! Sometimes the best shots come > from less-than-the-best equipment. > > Almost 20 years ago I saw the "Battle of Britain" Memorial Flight put > on an air show with the Hurricane, Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster > Bomber. It was a fine demonstration and I especially liked it because > my uncle was detached from US forces early in the war to fly > recconisance missions for the Brits in the Mosquito and/or Spitfire. > (He was a P-38 pilot) He earned his RAF Wings as well as his US Wings > and was authorized to wear both simultaniously. One of very few so > honored with most having been members of the "Eagle Squadron", > American citizens who flew for the RAF and later transferred to US > forces when we got into the fight. > > True story: I was a member of a shooting club while stationed in > England back in the mid-1980's. One Sunday afternoon we were in the > clubhouse - the old WW2 RAF Nissan hut "Scramble Shack" used by the > RAF fighter pilots and moved from RAF Martlesham Heath to club > property - when a plane flew over. My friend, a WW2 British vet, > immediately said "If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a > Spitfire"! We rushed outside and it was indeed a Spitfire. 40 years > after the war and he still knew the sound it made instantly. > > Walker Smith > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Ihre bevorzugten Shops, hilfreiche Einkaufs-Hilfen und gro?artige Geschenk Ideen. Erleben Sie das Vergn?gen online einzukaufen mit Shop@Netscape! http://shopping.netscape.de/shopping/