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Would it have been feasible to just convert the MkI/II's in stock to MkV's while changing production over to the MkIII but fitting with with Merlin 45's until the 60 series come online?, if the RAF doesn't lean on France they won't lose hundreds of planes and pilots so a few months lost in production wouldn't bite as hard, once the "MkIV'', we can call the MkIII with the 45 series the MkIV gets online then lean of France until the MkVI then hits production, made easier as it's a re-engined MkIII and MkIV?, lets do away with the MkV and MkIX all together.The Spit III is a good idea but there is a problem with engines
Would it have been feasible to just convert the MkI/II's in stock to MkV's while changing production over to the MkIII but fitting with with Merlin 45's until the 60 series come online?, if the RAF doesn't lean on France they won't lose hundreds of planes and pilots so a few months lost in production wouldn't bite as hard, once the "MkIV'', we can call the MkIII with the 45 series the MkIV gets online then lean of France until the MkVI then hits production, made easier as it's a re-engined MkIII and MkIV?, lets do away with the MkV and MkIX all together.
The reason I would not lean into France so freeing up some production time. Making the interim models was needed and had to be done in reality but hurt the war effort overall IMHO.One of the reasons that the Mk III didn't go into production was the extensive changes to the airframe, some of which related to installing the longer 2 speed engine,, which was calculated to cost production when the British could least afford it. Hence they chose to go with the "interim" Mk.V.
The reason I would not lean into France so freeing up some production time. Making the interim models was needed and had to be done in reality but hurt the war effort overall IMHO.
If they didn't lose so many fighters over France they wouldn't have been under so much pressure to produce the interim models allowing the MkIII to be put into production, the MkIII with the Merlin 45 was an improvement over the MkV and only got better as the MkVI. Remember this is a ''what if'' thread.The decision to make the Mk.V instead of the Mk.III was made in late 1940, or early 1941.
When did the decision to "lean into France" happen?
A was the original which served for the marks I, II, IV. It was stretched to do the Va, Vb, VI, PR VII and XIII and the Seafire I.
B was the airframe developed from the abortive mark III fighter, it was used for the Vc, IX and XII, and presumably XVI. The main change appears to be the "universal" wing.
According to Tony Buttler "Tempest. Hawker's Outstanding Piston-Engined Fighter", Hawker wasn't able to start work on the wing until Sept 1941 "because of the demand for Hurricanes". It was at that point that they proposed the Typhoon II aka Tempest to MAP. There was then a general "lack of drive" which Sydney Camm admitted to, while at the same time overpromising what was possible. At that point the aircraft envisaged was the Sabre IV powered Tempest IPerhaps Hawker could have focused their efforts on the "Typhoon Mk.II" a little sooner. They were well aware of the NACA low drag wing, in March 1940, long before the Typhoon entered service. Take a delay on the Typhoon, and introduce the Tempest instead.
Maybe then the Fury and Sea Fury could have been in service by 1944
Thats true, the MkIII became the MkVIII and then re-engined to make the MkXIV, the best models of Spitfire.I would have thought the Mk.III was the basis of the VII, VIII and XIV.
The first prototype III had a different wing, and the second prototype had a standard wing, IIRC.
Well, after the BoB covers a lot of time.E.g. more of the long-range 4 engines planes dedicated to Coastal Command for use against u-boats. And more Mosquito production instead of the slow heavies.
Also note that the 4000lb bomb was an area weapon when dropped at high altitude. It did not have very good accuracy with that shape, not that the teardrop shape bombes were that good either
true but the main point is that the Mosquito only held 2000lbs of bombs inside (and a pair of 500lbs outside) until 1944, plans had started earlier.There was a 4000lb MC bomb as well as the HC.