Recent content by tomo pauk

  1. tomo pauk

    Curiosity question on WW2 piston engine designs

    Db 601 was at 33.9L, not 30L. More than 25% more than a Merlin or a V-1710. The DB 601s used on the racing/'rekord' aircraft were making more than 2600 HP - see here, for example. The best late-war DB 605s were supposed to make 2000 HP in actual, combat aircraft; see here, for example.
  2. tomo pauk

    Reduced German, Italian & Soviet Airpower involvement in Spanish Civil War?

    Italo-German support was IIRC more substantial that the Soviet support historically. Especially the Italians seem to be providing a lo, and on their own budget, while the Soviets were happy to get the Spanish gold in order for them to send the military stuff. So with 'foreigners' supporting the...
  3. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    (Un)ironically, the production of just the 'normal' 88mm AA guns was greater than the production of the 105 and 150mm howitzers combined. Ammo production went to 1.6 millions of shells of the 88mm and greater AA calibers. And the heavy AA ammo was not cheap, with clockwork fuses, the good/the...
  4. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    Seems like that the high-velocity Flak 41 was the one with low barrel life, 1000 rd. The 'normal' 8.8cm were with 5000 rd. barrel life; another data sheet says 7500 rd. barrel life. (second to last populated column; note the typo on the item 3, 1000 instead of, presumably, 10000 rd.) The...
  5. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    This, thousand times. From the era of Alexander, the better armies in the field employ the combined arms doctrine - be that cavalry + infantry + skirmishers, or cavalry + infantry + artillery. Thinking of oneself as the silver bullet that will just sweep the enemy from the battlefield, while...
  6. tomo pauk

    More fuel in Hurricane?

    Hopefully, people in the charge will be having these Hurricanes escorting something, not just idly sending them with no purpose. Leaving to the Axis commanders with a decision to make: should we attack the bombers, or the escorting Hurricanes? Not every Axis fighter was a Bf 109F or a MC.202...
  7. tomo pauk

    More fuel in Hurricane?

    This is where the increased internal fuel tankage is great - it does not add up the drag more than it is a rounding error. Picking up the worst case scenario here: demanding that P-40F cruise faster than P-47 or P-51B/D? C'mon. Again advantage of the increased internal fuel: return_to_base...
  8. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    50-100% better than the Taurus, Dagger, Tiger or Pelides - where do I sign?
  9. tomo pauk

    More fuel in Hurricane?

    I'm not sure what is the fuss. Everyone tried to add more fuel to their aircraft, be it via increase of internal fuel tankage or via installation of the drop tanks, or both. The only problem was that the epiphany of greater_range = better_fighter happened later for some people. The high rates...
  10. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    1600 HP version. I think that we have the better grip on that issue now, than it was the case 10-15 years ago :)
  11. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    A lot of that suff is fixed by defalut by installing a decent 75-76mm gun. Or even a good 57mm gun. Falling from 57mm tank gun to 47mm during the interwar period can be chalked as an honest mistake. Doubling down with that fashion - opting from 47mm to 40 mm - was a thing for the gallows.
  12. tomo pauk

    British 1936-42 purchase options, logistics and export/import of military hardware

    Hercules was a good engine. Preferably, we'd want to take out the trash 1st. Among the aero engines, trash are/were the engines that offered almost nothing while occupying/wasting the production lines, time, manpower, resources and money. Among such British engines, we can count a few: Dagger...
  13. tomo pauk

    More fuel in Hurricane?

    Hurricane, along with the next-gen piston-engined fighters from the Hawker stable, was with the stowed landing gear volume between the spars. That way, a good deal of the very suitable CoG-neutral volume was dedicated for a non-consumable thing, meaning that fuel tanks will be scattered all...
  14. tomo pauk

    Super Blenheim fighter

    Location of the oil tank made sure that such an air intake will stick out like a sore thumb, increasing the drag inordinately. Relocate the oil tank and the air intake can go lower, in the upper cowling, like what the P-51s or P-40s had.
  15. tomo pauk

    Super Blenheim fighter

    IIRC the two circular holes were there because the original idea was that two exhaust manifolds are to be routed aft the nacelle. Seems like the duct in deed goes through the triangle hole in the spar, with it finally ending in the item 51 ( that seems like if some German spy designed it...
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