Butcher Bird article and thanks, guys...

[nuuumannn]

The issue was that the ships needed modification to incorporate the 38 cm turrets, although their trunking was the same diameter and during peace time this would have taken another two years, so Hitler intervened and decided that they were to be fitted with the 28 cm guns since they were a year behind schedule at any rate. By early 1942 the work could be done with the expediencies of war and so it was begun.

Yep, Evan, I think there was a Flightpath magazine in the UK in the 1970s and '80s, it became part of Wings; I can vaguely remember 'Wings incorporating Flightpath' at one time; I might have old copies somewhere. Flypast was set up in 1981 by notorious planespotter Ken Ellis, who used to be a school teacher with a passion for keeping lists of derelict airframes, which he published and named 'Wrecks and Relics' back in the '60s, although when he did it it was confined to the Liverpool area. W&R is still going and is published every couple of years now, but covers the whole UK. It's a useful resource for finding out what has moved where and what's in museums and if any new airframes have taken to the skies or come under new ownership. There's a European one too under the same publisher.

Ken's no longer Editor in charge at Flypast, although he still contributes the odd article every now and then.

 

[Airframes]

Ah - I remember that now Grant. Still got a couple of issues of 'Wings'. I have to say though, 'Flypast' isn't as good as it used to be - I got it every month from Issue 1, but now only buy it rarely, if their's a particularly interesting subject or photos.

 

[J.A.W.]

The FW 190s didn't just give Spitfires flying over France conniptions, they were used in the low level strike role too, giving the British south-east hell, up to including massed day-light raids on London.
They were so fast at low level - once they dropped their bombs - that Spits had trouble catching them.
486[NZ] Squadron had Typhoons though, could run the FW 190 down at sea-level... here's an excerpt from a 486 combat report : 14 October `42..

"The enemy aircraft [FW190 X2] then turned port due south out to sea where they split up, one flying south-east at sea-level the other continuing south at 20-30ft followed by Yellow Section flying at 345/350 at sea-level. Yellow 1 opened fire at long range with several bursts of cannon fire noticed splashes in the sea short of the e/a which immediately began to weave. Yellow section closed to witin 500 yards the e/a began a spiral weave... Yellow 2 fired 3 short bursts at 200-250 yards striking the fuselage engine. A jet of flames burst from the starboard side of the engine, the hood was jettisoned parts of the aircraft fell away it turned over fell into the sea disappearing immediately."

The Germans initially mis-identified the Typhoons as P-40s , ironic in that the RAF pilots had initially thought that FW 190s were P-36s, but both must`ve wondered how they`d got em moving so well...

 

[nuuumannn]

Thanks for that J.A.W, but the article I've written covers only the period between September 1941 when the '190 entered service and June 1942 when Arnim Faber landed at RAF Pembry, as I stated in the introduction. It's only 2,900 words long, so doesn't go into too much detail and even in that period I originally finished the article at 3,500 words and cut it back - it is for a general readership - aviation industry, but not necessarily WW2 enthusiasts. More words adds up to more column inches, which is good for the pay packet, but not good for inclusion in the magazine because of space constraints. Editor's advised me that the shorter the article, the more likely that it'll get in.

 

[J.A.W.]

He might like the Kiwi angle, though, could maybe be worth suggesting as a follow-up, "the Kiwi solution to the Focke scourge"...

The Chris Goss book - 'Luftwaffe fighter-bombers over Britain' is fairly comprehensive about it..

 

[J.A.W.]

Or perhaps a 485[NZ] vs 486[NZ] Squadron showdown - Spitfires vs Hawker fighters..[486 went Hurricane-Typhoon-Tempest].

 

[nuuumannn]

There's a Hawker Tempest (although a Centaurus engined Mk.II) being restored to flying condition at Ardmore, so maybe I might suggest it when it makes its flying debut.

 

[J.A.W.]

I read that when the Tempest Mk 6 tropical type-testing in Sudan was finished, they dumped several unused Napier Sabre H-24 mills [still grease-packed in crates] off a pier into the Nile, maybe Kermit Weeks could dredge em up...love to see/hear his ex-486[NZ] Tempest 5 go, maybe he should send it to the same mob at Ardmore to finish it too..