Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/08/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Douglas, I thought that the last (Spanish) versions of the Me 109G were Hispano powered. I believe that to have been true of the one that the founder of the OFC (his name alludes me) crashed a few years back The Beaufort pig-ugly? I always thought it had a certain (very English) charm about it. Ditto the Beaufighter while we are the subject of much-ignored aircraft! Peter Dzwig Douglas M. Sharp wrote: > 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 >> >