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I thought that there was areasonable body of evidence already presented.
Does anyone know what these references to "other threads" is about. There is obviously a deeper argument going on here......
So, it was 16 Fighter Squadrons and 2 twin engined bomber Squadrons that were scheduled for conversion to 100 octane fuel. They aimed for 800 000 tons of reserve of 100 octane fuel... they had what - 220 000 tons in reserve by spring 1940?
Its at odds with your claim that all of Fighter Command's Squadrons converted, isn't it?
Do you have any evidence if this decision was later revised by a later decision and more Squadrons were to be involved?
Given that they had but 1/4 of the fuel reserves they aimed at, it appears to be unlikely.
It agrees well with the contents of the Australian paper though. Sixteen Squadrons would be about 1/4 of Fighter Command. Also the lack of what they considered sufficient reserves (800k tons) is also evidenced.
Pardon my ignorance in this, but isnt the difference between 87 and 100 Octane the difference between "standard" and "super" grade petrol. If so, it would simply be amatter of adjusting the ignition timing and possibly the intake and fuel mixture for the engines. Backyard mechanics were doing that to Morris, Zephyr, VW and all manner of car engines throughout the '50s and '60s
By the way the 800,000 tons reserve wasn't just for fighter command and was never met but I think that even would agree that it didn't stop us using it.
this piece that I typed word for word answers the date for start of use IMHOan article by Bill Gunston
"One vital factor often overlooked in accounts of the BoB was the power increase RAF aircraft obtained from using 100 octane fuel. To get an octane rating of 100 required a very complicated process which done on a commercial scale required a large and exspensive refinery plant. Though Dr. SF Birch of Anglo -Iranian's laboratory at Sunbury on Thames was the pioneer of this alkylation process it was the US Army Air Corp that pioneered 100 octane aviation fuel . Probably nothing would have happened in Britain had it not been for a great engine man Air Commodore Rod Banks who Jan 1937 urged that RAF engines should be able to use 100 octane " even if the supply of such fuel were limited, because the use of high -duty equipment might prove decisive in the air in the early stages of a war"
Accordingly , two British emgines one of them the Merlin ,were tested and developed to run on 100 octane which was available only from abroad . Eventually an outstanding fuel called BAM 100 ( British Air Ministry 100) was developed , and the first cargo was shipped to Britain from the ESSO refinery in Aruba in June 1939. The Air Ministry stockpile the valuable fuel which was dyed a distinctive green the fact remained unknown to german intelligence. This stockpiling went on throughout the war , but in may 1940 when the chips were down and everything counted the RAF began to use the special fuel in the Merlins of Fighter Command"