Recent content by LisaM

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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    There was not a single; P-38 involved in the Torch landings...not one. It was all carrier planes. Sicily was carrier planes and cover from Malta (all Spits).Its contribution in NA was limited. P-40s, Spits and Hurricames were the main ones.
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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    Well Calos Kopp has a reputation for being brilliant at colecting data...then drawing totally the wrong conclusions...he liked the F-22 for example. To claim the P-38 was "strategically most important American fighter" is nonsense. the P-47, the P-51, Wildcat, Dakota, B-24, etc, etc, yes you...
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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    Ok lets get started on the P-38, bit by bit. First the astonishing inability of Lockheed to upgrade the cooling system (inc intercoolers) to deal wth the greater power developed by Allison. This meant the performance was officialy fixed across multiple models: "The maximum speed and climb...
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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    Hornet used 130/131 Merlins, a further development of the well used 113, hardly radical. The big changes were the single point fuel injection aliowing 20lb boost on 100/130 octane (better metering) whoch was downdraught allowing a closer fitting cowling) and a more radical cam (in fact the...
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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    I'll come back to the P38 later,but I always see the Do-335 as one of those ideas you have with workmates over too many drinks on a Friday...then you come back sober on Monday and then realise how stupid it was. The probem was to 'solve'a prpblem (drag) it made a whole new bunch of other...
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    MOST OVERRATED AIRCRAFT OF WWII

    Here is where I offend everyone ....the P-38 what a heap of badly built and expensive junk. Lockheed practicing for the F-35..... Poor quality control in manufacturing with leaks in the turbo piping being being common at manufacture, let alone after front line use, absurdities like ever more...
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    Better Analysis of German Claims

    On average, fighter to fighter claims to actually kills were about 3:1. US bomber claims/kills were at least 20:1. It varied though, night fighters (on both sides) were probably much more accurate (say 1.1 -1.2 to 1?). Some German 'experten' were notorious (throat ache) for over claiming...
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    How should the invasion of Crete been conducted?

    It was a tactical and strategic disaster, the British should have finished clearing North Africa...which was a 'must do' strategic issue. That was still in the early days before Allanbrooke got Churchill under control.... who was beyond hopeless at anything military. The British at the...
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    Improvements to the Spitfire

    I think you are greatly underestimating the Mustang's radiator which, using the Meridith Effect, had only 10% drag due to the offsetting thrust developed. As I said NA claimed that on their numbers it was worth 200bhp. The Spit probably had close to zero offsetting thrust. The position was...
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    Improvements to the Spitfire

    Yes it was aimed at 400mph and reached, with an early Merlin XX (and low boost), about 380MPH (roughly a MK V but with better mid/low altitude performance) . 400 would have been reached with the later 20 series Merlins and the higher boost levels.. The key thing was tidying the parasitic drag...
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    Are you a P-51 freak?

    I've flown in one, had hands on the controls (even did a dive and a roll under my control) and experienced aerobatocs... awesome plane.One of the greats.
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    Airwar over France with no Operation Torch, instead 1943 invasion of France

    The Germans were so good because of a different philosophy, that is 'mission command', delegatng tactical authority down the line and everyone was trained to take over and command. None of the British, Canadians (though they were better) or the US had it, or does today. It is an alien concept...
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    Improvements to the Spitfire

    Not disagreeing with the need for the Spit V to 'fill in', but it was shortsighted not to continue and then later introduce the III, if they had done that then it should have come on line about the same time as the 190, which it would have been a very close match to it with a Merlin XX series...
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    Improvements to the Spitfire

    Thanks for the compliment. But been here before under a dfferent name some years back.
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    Improvements to the Spitfire

    Can't access it for some reason.
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