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Very correct , I'm aware of an attempt to save rubber was made by an RCAF unit during WW2 whereby they attached beercaps to the tires to save on wear and tear and prolong the life of the tires . They flew the Harvard with the caps and when they retracted the tires they failed to consider the Xtra diameter of the tires so the tire made a hell of a racket as they retracted the pilots applied the brakes to stop the wheels and hence the racket . Tho only problem was they failed to release the brakes which caused the Harvard to nose over on landing.Makes sense though. I would imagine with metal shavings, rivets and other pieces that may find their way to the floor, using a wooden tire would keep the rubber ones from getting punctured. Rubber was an essential war material in those days.
It is a good post, and an intersting shot of a A36/P51A , with cannon, in RAF colours - fairly rare.
As for other innovations, I vaguley recall my Dad telling me about the Italians using wooden bullets in North Africa. Now I'm sure this is throwing things wide open to such quips as 'splinter wounds', but apparently they were very effective, if not wholly accurate, and caused horrific wounds, due, no doubt, to their breakin-up partially on impact, a sort of 'frangible round'. I had read a little of these since being told, many, many years ago, and apparently they were 'ilegal' under the various International conventions of the time, being classed the same as the so called 'Dum Dum' rounds.
So, from wooden wheels to a 'plastic' Spitfire (yes, there was one!), are there any other interesting pics like this?