You are in Charge of RAF Fighter Command - July 1940

merlin · Feb 9, 2013

Glider said:
.. the 100 octane fuel was in use by all fighter squadrons by May/June when the fighting started to ramp up. The first combat reports commenting on the use are in Feb 140

Not only then, but but 22nd April 263 Squadron boarded Gloroius for Norway -"Having got down on Lake Lesjaskog, the Squadron found there were no refuelling tankers, only 4-gallon fuel cans and these were full of 100 instead of 87 Octane spirit. This meant the engines would overheat and in due course aeize up."

Glider · Feb 9, 2013

merlin said:
Not only then, but but 22nd April 263 Squadron boarded Gloroius for Norway -"Having got down on Lake Lesjaskog, the Squadron found there were no refuelling tankers, only 4-gallon fuel cans and these were full of 100 instead of 87 Octane spirit. This meant the engines would overheat and in due course aeize up."

The tragic thing was that they were wrong. You wouldn't get any additional power by using 100 octane in an unmodifed engine, but it wouldn't cause your engine to overheat. There were all sorts of rumours about 100 octane at the time and this was one of them.

100 octane was also used in France.

fastmongrel · Feb 9, 2013

Glider said:
The tragic thing was that they were wrong. You wouldn't get any additional power by using 100 octane in an unmodifed engine, but it wouldn't cause your engine to overheat. There were all sorts of rumours about 100 octane at the time and this was one of them

I think the worse that would happen would be the plugs coking up and exhaust valves leading up but this wouldnt happen instantly.

Milosh · Feb 9, 2013

Glider said:
the 100 octane fuel was in use by all fighter squadrons by May/June when the fighting started to ramp up. The first combat reports commenting on the use are in Feb 140

There are those that say only 16 RAF fighter squadrons used 100 octane fuel during the BoB.

stona · Feb 9, 2013

Milosh said:
There are those that say only 16 RAF fighter squadrons used 100 octane fuel during the BoB.

I think that is a confusion with an earlier plan to convert sixteen fighter squadrons by September 1939.

The plan was made long before anyone knew that the war would start that month and September 1939 is a long time before the BoB in any case.

Cheers

Steve

Milosh · Feb 9, 2013

No confusion on my part as I am not one of those that think that. Glider knows who they are.

fastmongrel · Feb 9, 2013

I believe an average tanker load of avgas was 8,000 cubic tons and by taking my socks off and doing some very rough maths thats 1.7 million gallons of avgas. If a sqdn of 12 aircraft fly 3 times a day and use on average 80 gallons per flight then thats 2880 gallons a day. If that sqdn flew for 60 days non stop thats 172,800 gallons of avgas so very very roughly one tanker of 100 octane could fuel 10 sqdns for July, Aug and Sept. 10 tanker loads of 100 octane probably kept Fighter Command going well into 1941.

stona · Feb 9, 2013

In the plan for the initial conversion of sixteen fighter squadrons and two twin engined bomber squadrons it was estimated that 10,000 tons per annum of 100 octane fuel would be required. This is obviously a peacetime estimate.
There was also a plan to build up a reserve of 800,000 tons (that's 22.4 million gallons). Whether or when this was done I'd have to investigate.
Cheers
Steve

Glider · Feb 9, 2013

Milosh said:
No confusion on my part as I am not one of those that think that. Glider knows who they are.

Now let me think, its coming back to me, yep I will sleep on it

You are in Charge of RAF Fighter Command - July 1940

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merlin

Senior Airman

Glider

Captain

fastmongrel

1st Sergeant

Milosh

Senior Master Sergeant

stona

Major