Glider
Captain
Only the Boeing website could make claims like that
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Only the Boeing website could make claims like thatI'll give the nod to the B-25 Mitchell, designed as a medium bomber, "It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photoreconnaissance, submarine patrol, and even as a fighter" - from the Boeing website.
.
I think you missed the point. Out of the two squadrons only one even existed in 1940 and it flew Gladiator until the squadron was effectively destroyed in the Norwegian campaign. More due to the Glorious being sunk than air-to air combat. One squadron more of pilots (most new) during the Battle of Britain? and plenty of other squadrons were working up with new pilots that didn't much action in 1940. 2nd squadron doesn't form up until the 2nd half of 1941 so they weren't around to fly anything in 1940 and over 1/2 of 1941 but somehow that is blamed on the Whirlwind?The Whirlwind should have been axed in 1939, decisively, and the pilots could then have flown other types. It wasn't completely axed because the Air Ministry was hedging its bets, as it often did, looking at a potential reconnaissance role for the type, presumably low level.
You can be picky about whether the Mk IV Hurricane was a true fighter bomber, it was certainly a fighter converted to a bombing role.
Cheers
Steve
By the time the first 1000 bomber Cologne raid only 199 Wellingtons were at front line units the raid also had 88 Stirlings 131 Halifaxes 73 Lancasters and 43 Manchesters. There were another 403 Wellingtons supplied from training units. I am not knocking the Wellington, until 1942 the RAF didnt have the numbers, navigational aids or tactics to do the task. Despite being slated for replacement by the Stirling Halifax and Lancaster from 1941 it still remained in service AND production until 1945.Hold on there, the Wellington was the mainstay of Bomber Command well into 1943. It was still making up the majority of aircraft on missions. It wasn't until May 1943 that it was consistently outnumbered by other types. It might be considered too small for a night bomber, but that's what it did, successfully for the first four years of the war. That's why so many were produced. One might compare it with its contemporary, also developed from Specification B.9/32, the Handley Page Hampden to realise just how good it was.
The Wellington was a successful night bomber and was indeed adapted to other roles following the large scale introduction of the second generation 'heavies', Halifax and of course Lancaster.
Cheers
Steve
By the time the first 1000 bomber Cologne raid only 199 Wellingtons were at front line units the raid also had 88 Stirlings 131 Halifaxes 73 Lancasters and 43 Manchesters. There were another 403 Wellingtons supplied from training units. I am not knocking the Wellington, until 1942 the RAF didnt have the numbers, navigational aids or tactics to do the task. Despite being slated for replacement by the Stirling Halifax and Lancaster from 1941 it still remained in service AND production until 1945.
The particular aircraft used to tow gliders had absolutely nothing to do with most of those questions.Nothing to do with the development of airborne operations.
In fact the nascent glider training courses had a great deal of trouble acquiring any aircraft from either the Army Cooperation squadrons or Bomber Command though the latter did provide some old bombers for parachute training.
They did get hold of the Hectors, without which none of the basic questions being asked in mid 1941 would have been answered.
What was the composition of a glider borne Air Landing Brigade to be?
What loads could the operationaI gliders carry, and how would they perform?
What tactics would be used?
Would the glider pilots be airmen or soldiers? Initially they were referred to as coxswains and not even afforded the title, pilot.
When they finished training as Hotspur pilots would Bomber Command be willing to convert them to the Horsa?
Would that Command allow operations to be mounted from its bases and if not, where would the tugs come from?
The first few were answered with the development of training at Thame, with the Hectors. The reason it was done with Hectors is precisely because the glider training school, described by one of its own senior officers as "an amusing side show" to the rest of the forces in 1941, couldn't get anything else. That's why they were so important.
Cheers
Steve
Fact is, the B-25H gunship was one of the heaviest armed warplanes in WWII.Only the Boeing website could make claims like that
From wiki so correct if it is wrong:
" On 21 June 1940 the Central Landing Establishment was formed at Ringway airfield near Manchester; although tasked primarily with training parachute troops, it was also directed to investigate using gliders to transport troops into battle.[8][9] It had been decided that the Royal Air Force and the Army would cooperate in forming the airborne establishment, and as such Squadron Leader L.A. Strange and Major J.F. Rock were tasked with gathering potential glider pilots and forming a glider unit; this was achieved by searching for members of the armed forces who had pre-war experience of flying gliders, or were interested in learning to do so.[9] The two officers and their newly formed unit were provided with four obsolete Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers and a small number of Tiger Moth and Avro 504 biplanes for towing purposes.[10]"
.
Follnd Gnat, designed as a fighter ended up a trainer but was most famous as the Red Arrows original mount.
A lot of the issues with Whirlwind were simply the lack of development, Dowding had a poor view of Petter and Westland and as is noted above simply shoved them off out of the way, it made sense really as the merlin had to take priority and they could not afford to divert resources to develop the Peregrine, there's no doubt the altitude performance could have been addressed but at what cost?
Whirlwinds flew out of RAF Angle in West Wales for a while, the two engines would have been very welcome to the pilots flying patrols over the Irish sea and Atlantic approaches, for that role they were probably ideal.
I do believe it was a testament to the basic concept that they kept going until 43, that extra engine must have been welcome over the flak batteries of France.
True without a doubt but against German defences they were basically dead weight as they were so infrequently used. Even this claim is a little doubtful as the 'fighter' version of the B17 carried a similar payload and I would back the Me262 as having more firepower. The Humble Beaufighter with 4 x 0.5 and the German nightfighters would also give this claim a run for its money.Fact is, the B-25H gunship was one of the heaviest armed warplanes in WWII.
Several examples had as many as 12 forward firing .50 cal. MGs, a few even had more - not including the 75mm armed version, too.
This B-25H had 12 forward firing .50 MGs
View attachment 348406
This B-25J had 14 forward .50 cal. MGs.
View attachment 348407
I agree with all of that, but it doesn't alter the fact that the Air Ministry chickened out of cancelling the type completely in late (November?) 1939.
Cheers
Steve
True without a doubt but against German defences they were basically dead weight as they were so infrequently used. Even this claim is a little doubtful as the 'fighter' version of the B17 carried a similar payload and I would back the Me262 as having more firepower. The Humble Beaufighter with 4 x 0.5 and the German nightfighters would also give this claim a run for its money.
Can we surmise that was due to the confusion in the requirements during that period, they knew they needed a cannon armed fighter, and as yet had not quantified the Whirlwind or the Beaufighter, so not placing the eggs in one basket may have been the sensible route, after all look how long it took to develop the Typhoon, the Whirlwinds successor?
The Merlin powered Mustang took the P-51 in a completely different direction
in which, during WW2 it was unequalled if all factors are considered.
The B-25 gunships were used heavily in the Italian campaign and throughout the south and eastern European theater especially against railroad, transportation and some light naval targets. Because of their range, they were used in favor of the A-20 and A-26 ground attack units until more airfields allowed better access.True without a doubt but against German defences they were basically dead weight as they were so infrequently used. Even this claim is a little doubtful as the 'fighter' version of the B17 carried a similar payload and I would back the Me262 as having more firepower. The Humble Beaufighter with 4 x 0.5 and the German nightfighters would also give this claim a run for its money.