Recent content by brickhistory

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    Bristol Beaufighter Lost Story

    Part 3 last one In one of the few outside activities he did participate, Bill and a few other guys flew to an abandoned Luftwaffe field near Pilsen, Czechlosvakia. There were a bunch of abandoned German aircraft there and the guys wanted to see them up close. I was too hung over and wanted to...
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    Bristol Beaufighter Lost Story

    Part 2 Anyway, we plugged along doing our small part in the big war. As the bigger picture around us unfolded, we’d move up as the good guys advanced. We moved to a base on Corsica and then Sicily as the Italian campaign progressed. The squadron flew regularly, occasionally scoring a kill on...
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    Bristol Beaufighter Lost Story

    I cannot find it online. Here it is from my files: Now or Later (Part 1 in this post due to size limitations) I’m dying. Not unexpectedly really, but still not the way I wanted to start my day. I guess at age 79 I shouldn’t be surprised however. The big ‘C’ is eating away my liver so I’ll...
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    Bristol Beaufighter Lost Story

    Hi. I'm the author of the story to which you referred. It is a work of fiction based upon real-life experiences of a USAAF Beaufighter crew - R/O McCullen and Pilot Campbell. All the wartime details described were true, only the philosophical wondering part was fiction (as well as changing...
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    RAF in the Burma theater

    Silently into the Midst of Things by A. Brown, DFC. Now Dr (geologist) Atholl Brown was Canadian, but flew in the RAF's 77 Squadron's Beaus over Burma and Inda. Excellent book and a very nice gentleman.
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    American nightfighters pre-Black Widow

    And none of them were conceived as night fighters. The P-61 was a purpose-designed and built idea. What is the deal with trying to prove who's is bigger? It would have taken longer and been more expensive to change from the P-61 to Mosquito production in any US factory. You don't just...
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    American nightfighters pre-Black Widow

    I would dispute the "inferior" comparison of the P-61 vs. Mosquito. Different, perhaps, but not inferior. Let us not forget the SCR-720/Mk VIII and Mk X AI radar carried by the P-61 and Mosquito. More and more standardization occuring even within the night fighters. But, that digression...
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    American nightfighters pre-Black Widow

    I believe NIH was a major factor in the mostly non-use of the Mossie by the USAAF. I also believe that introducing a "foreign" type into the mass production supply chain would have been operationally and economically prohibitive. Why to to the trouble of bringing in a wooden airplane with...
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    American nightfighters pre-Black Widow

    A. One USAAF squadron, the 416th NFS, did fly night fighter Mosquitos, Mk XXX, I believe. From summer 1944 until just before VE Day when they got P-61s. B. The Brits weren't all that excited about stretching their Mossie production to fill a US order since it would have slowed their...
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    Early RAF nightfighters

    I'd agree with that assessment. First effective one for the USAAF as well.
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    Early RAF nightfighters

    Erich, I enjoyed the book. It's a little dense as to writing style, but that's a minor quibble and a matter of taste. There are not a lot of photos, but there are a fair number of map illustrations showing the development in coverage of the Chain Home (CH) system, the squadrons, and their...
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    Early RAF nightfighters

    The book I listed "Pursuit Through Darkened Skies" has a section on the Turbinlite saga. This particular crew - the book was written by the RO - got off to a less than spectacular start in their first posting and were banished to a Turbinlite flight. Very interesting reading.
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    Early RAF nightfighters

    I third the motion regarding Rawnsley's "Night Fighter" memior. Other excellent references are: The History of Air Intercept Radar and the British Night Fighter 1935-1959" by Ian White "Night Fighters: Development and Combat History" by Bill Gunston "Nightfighter" by Ken Delve...
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    Weasels

    If anyone should read my "MAGNUM! The Wild Weasels in Desert Storm," I'd be grateful for feedback. For another good Wild Weasel book, take a look at "First In, Last Out." It's a collection of short memiors covering everything from the design/development of the Vietnam-era Weasel gear to...
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    Weasels

    "MAGNUM! The Wild Weasels in Desert Storm" has been published.
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