Greatest aviation myth this site “de-bunked”.

[Zipper730]

So even the Mk V could have caught most V-1 if they had any altitude to trade for speed (VNE was over 500 mph IAS at under 10,000 ft).

I though the Spitfire was limited to around 450? Was that the VNE or the placard limit?

 

[pbehn]

In theory neither could Mosquito fighters or fighter bombers, but they did. Sometimes by diving onto them, and some were fitted with nitrous oxide.

When the V-1s started coming over the main model Spitfire in the RAF was the IX and the XIV was in service.

They also used Spitfire XII (single stage Griffon 100 built)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk XII

quote "Only 100 were built, equipping two squadrons – No.41 received its Mk XIIs in February 1943, and No.91 in April 1943. The low level performance of the Mk XII was very useful when dealing with low level hit and run raids mounted by the Fw 190, and later helped against the V-1."

 

[ThomasP]

Hey Zipper730,

Oops. Thank you for pointing out my error. I should have said 500 mph TAS rather than IAS. The Pilot's Notes says 450 mph IAS which comes out to ~523 mph TAS at 10,000 ft. I have corrected my earlier post.

 

[wuzak]

Hey Zipper730,

Oops. Thank you for pointing out my error. I should have said 500 mph TAS rather than IAS. The Pilot's Notes says 450 mph IAS which comes out to ~523 mph TAS at 10,000 ft. I have corrected my earlier post.

Which is still quite a bit faster than the V-1.

 

[Zipper730]

T ThomasP

Turns out, the VMo is 450 mph IAS, the VNe is 470 mph IAS.

 

[ThomasP]

Hey Zipper730,

Thanks for the info.

 

[neilfergylee]

Where di they escort them to?

Calais?

 

[Zipper730]

Thanks for the info.

I thought you'd like that

 

[Zipper730]

Fortunately, I can get Pilsner Urquel locally.

I'm not a beer afficianado, but my mother's a huge fan of Pilsner Urquell (I gotta say the cans do have a cool texture to boot). How do Steinlager & Zagorka compare to Pilsner Urquell

 

[MikeMeech]

A number of MK Vs were left, perhaps not many. No 234 squadron was still using MK vs through the summer of 1944 for ground attack. But as fighter bombers they would not normally have been used against V-1s. They did try to find V-2 launch sites around the Hague but weren't successful.

Hi
Fighter and Fighter-Bomber Squadrons available on 1st July, 1944, with their equipment and bases, from 'Fighter Command War Diaries Part 5, July 1944 to May 1945' by John Foreman, are as follows:

Mike

 

[SaparotRob]

Another myth debunked: the FAA operated F4U's off of carriers before the USN... and a few other F4U myths as well. Thanks, Mr. Leonard.

 

[SaparotRob]

I don't know if it's a myth. The first book I ever read on the Battle of Midway stated that U.S.S. Yorktown was nicknamed "Waltzing Matilda". It also has the line "Kaga (which means increased joy) was burning furiously." So I kind of doubt some of the references. It had Fuchida's full flight decks.
This was almost 60 years ago.

 

[Clayton Magnet]

re "Spitfires were only capable of 369 mph, and thus completely incapable of intercepting V1's"

Perhaps he is thinking of the Spitfire Mk V. It was generally considered that the Vmax of the average Mk V - in operations - was around 360 mph for the Mk Vc to 370 mph for the Mk Vb.

I think the original post regarding the 369mph figure was in relation to some social media 'pages' using that figure to debunk the idea that a Spitfire could ever hope to intercept a V-1. If you simply type into Google, "Spitfire top speed", the 594km/h or 369mph figure is prominently displayed, and that is the total amount of research the individuals running the 'page' use. They also trot out an infographic occasionally, much to the apparent delight of the mostly American's in the comment section, comparing the "TOP SPEEDS OF WORLD WAR II FAMOUS FIGHTER PLANES". The problem with the graphic, which ill try to attach below, is that all the numbers they use, seem to have all been derived by the same brief Google search. The comparison is total nonsense, unless you are curious as to how much faster a 1945 era F4U-4 is than a 1941 era Spitfire Mk.V.

Infographic Shows Top Speeds Of WWII Planes

This Is Pretty Neat. So it's that time again. We've listened to you suggestions when we made one of our earlier infographics and came out with this one. After comparing the sizes of World War II bombers, some of you folks suggested we should make a chart about the top speeds of World War II figh

worldwarwings.com

 

[GrauGeist]

They also trot out an infographic occasionally, much to the apparent delight of the mostly American's in the comment section, comparing the "TOP SPEEDS OF WORLD WAR II FAMOUS FIGHTER PLANES".

However, accompanying the infographic, is this caveat:
"For the sake of clarity, we chose only the most known warbirds from all sides of the war. Also, as these planes had many variants, we picked the versions that were produced in the greatest numbers."

unfortunately, the demographic uses the generic designation for each type, so it can be a bit misleading to the layman.

 

[Clayton Magnet]

However, accompanying the infographic, is this caveat:
"For the sake of clarity, we chose only the most known warbirds from all sides of the war. Also, as these planes had many variants, we picked the versions that were produced in the greatest numbers."

unfortunately, the demographic uses the generic designation for each type, so it can be a bit misleading to the layman.

While that may serve as an explanation for the Spitfire Mk.V, it doesn't for the others. Was the F4U-4 (or whatever late-war variant they used to get 446mph) the most produced version?
Either way, it seems to be deliberately misleading.

 

[glennasher]

I think the original post regarding the 369mph figure was in relation to some social media 'pages' using that figure to debunk the idea that a Spitfire could ever hope to intercept a V-1. If you simply type into Google, "Spitfire top speed", the 594km/h or 369mph figure is prominently displayed, and that is the total amount of research the individuals running the 'page' use. They also trot out an infographic occasionally, much to the apparent delight of the mostly American's in the comment section, comparing the "TOP SPEEDS OF WORLD WAR II FAMOUS FIGHTER PLANES". The problem with the graphic, which ill try to attach below, is that all the numbers they use, seem to have all been derived by the same brief Google search. The comparison is total nonsense, unless you are curious as to how much faster a 1945 era F4U-4 is than a 1941 era Spitfire Mk.V.

Infographic Shows Top Speeds Of WWII Planes

This Is Pretty Neat. So it's that time again. We've listened to you suggestions when we made one of our earlier infographics and came out with this one. After comparing the sizes of World War II bombers, some of you folks suggested we should make a chart about the top speeds of World War II figh

worldwarwings.com

Doesn;t faze me a bit, I read (when I was a little kid, even) of Spitfires doing the "tip and run" on V-1s, probably the IX, but they DID get it done. And, I'm an American kid who was reading a lot more stuff from the RAF than anything from the USAAF, probably because the Brits were much better and more prolific writers.

 

[pinehilljoe]

"We are bombing Germany city by city and ever more terribly in order to make it impossible for them to go on with the war." Sir Arthur Harris's doctrine the War could be won by area bombing.

If more of Bomber Command's resources had been redirected to tactical aircraft the War may have been shortened

 

[buffnut453]

"We are bombing Germany city by city and ever more terribly in order to make it impossible for them to go on with the war." Sir Arthur Harris's doctrine the War could be won by area bombing.

If more of Bomber Command's resources had been redirected to tactical aircraft the War may have been shortened

By tactical aircraft, do you mean types that couldn't reach Germany so that the Nazi industrial production could continue without the disruption caused by round-the-clock bombing?
Or do you mean types that could face all the additional weapons produced by Nazi industry because the workers got lots of good sleep at night and factories could operate 24/7?

Just wondering....

For the record, I don't think the bombing campaign won the war....but it definitely contributed.

 

[33k in the air]

"We are bombing Germany city by city and ever more terribly in order to make it impossible for them to go on with the war." Sir Arthur Harris's doctrine the War could be won by area bombing.

If more of Bomber Command's resources had been redirected to tactical aircraft the War may have been shortened

If Bomber Command had continued its Ruhr campaign in 1943, it might have shortened the war. (See Adam Tooze's The Wages of Destruction which includes an examination of the effect on Germany war production.)

Also, the idea that all Bomber Command did was area bombing isn't accurate. Harris certainly preferred it over what he termed 'panacea' targets, but nevertheless plenty of more 'precision' targets were struck. (The peak year in terms of incendiary bombs dropped on urban areas by Bomber Command, in both actual tonnage and percentage of total tonnage dropped, was 1943.)

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don't know if it's a myth. The first book I ever read on the Battle of Midway stated that U.S.S. Yorktown was nicknamed "Waltzing Matilda". It also has the line "Kaga (which means increased joy) was burning furiously." So I kind of doubt some of the references. It had Fuchida's full flight decks.
This was almost 60 years ago.

Full flight decks were almost certainly a myth, but I think that was -- pardon the pun -- exploded long ago. Wasn't it Lt Best who reported that Akagi only had a few Zeros warming up, and one starting take-off run, when he was diving on it?

From what I understand, Tully and Parshall put paid to that with Shattered Sword, though I seem to remember Best's "three Zeroes" report elsewhere, perhaps ADWS?