Anti-Aircraft weapons

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Yes, quite
I think I can see where you're going with this, a direct hit to the infected tooth with a 40mm AA shell and the pilot is probably going to curse his double bad luck and call it a day. And require a seriously massive filling.
Eric
you can pull this post too if you like, I only responded because I had a little too much free time on my hands
 
Yes - 16 August - baled out over sea - drifted onto West Wittering by my Section Leader, Flight Sergeant Berry - savd my life. Killed before I could thank nim.

On a different tack - what did this??

Damn - too big - back later!!

= Tim
 

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Like what? I'm afraid of repeating myself.

BofB? Russia? MSFU? India? Christmas Island??

Photos rather than text.

= Tim
 
Timmo, both look like Cannon or shrapnel damage. First one looks like a big chunk of something came through the side. Something like the base of a shell. Second one looks like something around 40MM blew up next to the plane and sprayed hits on the fuselage.
 
Got it, #2 is the exit. 20MM went off inside the bird, I guess.

Is that second one a Typhoon? Looks like the tail has strengtheners around it.
 
Same a/c - Typhoon - the two sides.

Strengtheners? Indeed. Because the tails kept falling off!!

Everything? Starting with.............?? 1940? AFTER the incident!! 6'3".

= Tim
 

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Great shot Timmo, are you in that group? Is that a Mark 1 Hurricane? Very cool. Great shot.

Are the shots from the Typhoon, are they your aircraft?
 
Strengtheners? Indeed. Because the tails kept falling off!!

Everything? Starting with.............?? 1940? AFTER the incident!! 6'3"
How many tail problems did you encounter personally Tim?

...and how many Sabre problems?

lol everything, so start at the beginning :)

I'm guessing you're 6' 3" which would have made a Spitfire/Hurricane cockpit pretty cosy. Did you get more room in the Typhoon office?
 
Ok, if you're '6"3, that means you are probably the guy third from the right, leaning up against the Hurricane. Guess right?
 
as I said earlier there were captured examples used and then reformatted and built up in Germany and yes Norway also took part but it is still unclear as to how many made for the KM as many ships in the KM arsenal have found had 1-2 or up to 10-15 on each craft. example is the 2 Line ships used as Flak ships in 1945 in the Baltic

from another forum and one posters findings

The Germans considered the Bofors gun to be a superior weapon but the 40 mm calibre was odd for them. So the extant guns were sold to Sweden (together with two Bns of 150 mm howitzers).

But what to do with the 82 remaining guns not yet assembled? After thinking a while the Germans did on 1st May 1939 decide to add the 40 mm Bofors gun into their inventory as:

4 cm FlAK 28 (Bofors)

From where they got 28 is unknown. 38 should be more logical.

During the secret build up before "Barbarossa" Germany in Oct-Nov 1940 provided Finland with 92 guns ex-Austrian and ex-Dutch war booty.

By summer 1940 the Germans had laid hand on several factories producing Bofors guns.

1. Austria (Böhler) Sep 1938
2. Poland (Starakowice) Sep 1939
3. Denmark (Söartilleriet) Apr 1940
4. Norway (Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk) Apr 1940
5. Belgium (Fabrique Nationale) May 1940
6. Netherlands (Artillerie Inrichtingen Hembrug) May 1940

The production was however laid down.

The German Navy had captured several ships and craft equipped with Bofors guns and wanted more. Therefore the Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in Norway took up production as Waffenfabrik Kongsberg. 800 guns were ordered from Kongsberg in Dec 1942. By July 1944 the German Navy had 578 Bofors guns in service. ( this is an uncertain figure according to other German sources )

The extant Beutewaffen Army guns from the factories mentioned above were pressed into the Coast Artillery - some 247 guns.

However also the Luftwaffe became interested in the Bofors guns and bought these from MAVAG in Hungary. By 1st Oct 1942 the German Airforce AA had 240 Bofors guns in service. MAVAG produced some 1.300 Bofors guns during WW 2.
 
Typically, british 40mm HE- ammo self detonated 3- to 3500 yards away or alternatively on impact. It´s highly unlikely that a 40mm round would be there in 10000 ft altitude. That´s way outside the effective slant range for this weapon. In 1940 UK FLAK predictors hardly would engage fighters in this altitude. They were able to cope with targets flying straight and level, though.

The 40mm Bofors also had a comparably small bursting charge for a weapon of this size (0.15lbs TNT typically, the 37mm round in comparison had 0.8 lbs bursting charge) little more than one third of the bursting charge of the 20mm mine round with consequently little effects on target by blast effects. It offered kinetic energy on impact but little blast, the latter beeing more important against soft skinned aeroplanes.
 
Hello Timmo looks like i've used a picture of Hurricanes from one of your squadrons in my signature picture, i'm guessing that your avatar is your Hurricane ?
might make a good subject for the upcoming BoB group model build.
 
1. Typhoon belonged to Canadian, Sgt Earl Lavery. Hit over Fécamp.
2. Can't recall - one or two before they took action?
3. 6'3" - right! - but no problem - but not with Irvin Jacket. Seat had good adjustment - very strong spring - tried to alter the position on the approach one day - slipped off the catch I was bounced up down at an alarming rate. Not condusive to a 3-pointer!
4. My a/c? Yes, indeed! I had 9 'O's in my time. Here's a couple.
5. Great info on the Bofors?

= Tim
 

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Very cool stuff Timmo. Great info. Think the guys who do Group Builds will be all over the pics and whatnot.

Interesting that your height wasn't a problem in the Hurricane. How about the Spitfire and Typhoon? I had heard the Spitfire was a tight squeeze.

Great tidbit on the Hurricane seat. Spring loaded! Hope nobody saw you do your bouncer, that's the kind of thing that people get nicknames over.

Back to the Typhoon, my understanding is they were used only over France. Did you do ops over France in a Typhoon? If so, when? Were you around during the Normandy Campaign?
 
Height? No problem in any. Plenty of seat adjustment. But an Irvin Jacket on broad shoulders in the Spit was a bit tight!

How do you mean - only over France?

We shot down the first Me210 over northern WEngland. We did V1 stuff. And, of course, we were often over France.

No - missed Normandy - thank God. Only one of our squadron survived. Went to defend Calcutta instead!!

= Tim

Should I make these smaller??
 

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Great posts from you log Timmo. Seems you spent a goodly time in the Typhoon 1B. How long was your tour in those fighters? The posts you put up say they were bombing missions. Are they the most common you ever did in the Typhoon or were fighter sweeps as well. Were you bombed up most of the time or did you go out with rockets?

Typhoon had a rep of being a handful to fly, big engine tended to throw a lot of torque. What was it like, in your opinion, versus the MK V Spit? Or MK IX?

Really enjoy the info you are putting out. It is extremely interesting.
 

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