Recent content by Geoffrey Sinclair

Kittyhawk IIA = P-40F, Kittyhawk II = P-40L, 100 F (short tail), 56 L-5 and 44 L-10 (both long tail) models, delivered in US for RAF, F from April to July 1942, L January to March 1943, 2 F to UK, 21 F lost at sea leaving 227 for the Middle East. The P-40F long tail came with the -5 block, in...

9th Air Force, ETO combat operations, percentage rates of credit sorties, MIA plus write offs, all causes includes flak losses. 2,928 aircraft lost on operations and 19,600 damaged from 362,940 credit sorties for the main types. A-26 flew 75 credit sorties in September 1944 then from November...

The section of the book needs an update. It is likely the 4 Middle East issued RAF Mohawk serials HK823 to HK826 are for SAAF Mohawks, corresponding to the 4 Mohawks that have 2 SAAF serials. That is RAF serial issued in Britain, arrive South Africa, receive SAAF serial, arrive Middle East via...

Bearn and Jeanne d' Arc, stranded at Martinique June 1940 6 Brewster Buffalo for Belgium, nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, became derelict 23 Curtiss Hawk H75A-4, some reported to Free French later in war 33 Stinson 105, to Free French later in war 44 Curtiss SBC Helldivers, ex USN, became derelict...

Excerpts from The Name Above The Title by Frank Capra The day the White house showing of Prelude to War was scheduled General Marshall invited me to lunch alone with him in his office. He was most friendly and most pleased that his idea of troop information films had started so auspiciously...

P-51/Mustang Ia, 41-37320 to 37469/FD418 to 567 58 to USA: 41-37320 to 37339/FD418 to 437, 41-37352 to 37371/FD450 to 469, 41-37412 to 37429/FD510 to 527 41-41352 and 37421 became XP-51B, 41-37426 to USN 92 to Britain: 41-37340 to 37351/FD438 to 449, 41-37372 to 37411/FD470 to 509, 41-37430 to...

For those who want to skip the JD part search for ColFord. To answer your question requires a list of bomber mafia members and where they were in 1943, with particular reference to having influence over 8th Air Force target decisions. To turn it around how did the 8th Air Force command continue...

Yet AWPD-1 and -42 expected unescorted heavy bombers to fulfill the destruction of industry, therefore while the bomber would always get through was an overstatement the assumption was get through with on average acceptable casualties with good bombing results. As I read it, 300 strong to drive...

To answer your question requires a list of bomber mafia members and where they were in 1943, with particular reference to having influence over 8th Air Force target decisions. To turn it around how did the 8th Air Force command continue to justify the tactic and account for the problems so far...

AWPD-1 was drawn up in 1941 as the theoretical USAAF war plan, AWPD-42 about a year later more an actual plan but the latter ran into the reality it had to defer to a joint Army/Navy plan. Both assumed it would take at least 2 years from start of hostilities to being able to invade France...

Boilerplate or orthodox tend to form around the available evidence, deciding this is wrong requires evidence to the contrary. Sayings, "Maintenance of Objective", "No situation is as good or bad as it seems", history is full of operations that stopped just before they would have been very...

AVIA 6/10393 Effect of Equipment on Spitfire Top Speed, Calculated Corrections at 360 mph, difference between ideal and variation Equipment Ideal Condition Variation Correction mph Exhausts Multi Ejector Original Mk I 5.25 Exhausts Multi Ejector Triple Ejector+Fishtail 7.75 Exhausts...

In general terms when the number of sorties hits statistical significance, 1 out of 10 versus 100 out of 1,000. In the 8th Air Force case it is understanding not all targets were equal and noticing the reports of the big gap in losses between early escorted and unescorted raids to France...

As a thought, imagine limiting maritime patrol aircraft range to that of the current fighters because the enemy has aircraft carriers, similarly land bomber range to fighter. Throughout the 1930's there was a continual shift as the latest bomber/fighter exceeded the performance of the old...

Not sure about the F.VII was Merlin 64 the HF.VII was Merlin 71. Using the Spitfire Histories site, Spitfire VII 1 M45 (prototype, became M61), 21 M61 and 118 M64, total 140. The Ministry of Aircraft Production says 16 Merlin 71c built July and August 1944, mark VII production had ended in May...