pfft imagine where we'd be if your side had had a plane that could out turn, dive or climb a spitfire!
The planes where evenly matched: The Merlin engine of the British fighters had the drawback of being equipped with a float-type carburettor which cut out under negative "g" forces. The fuel injected Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine gave the 109 an advantage over the carburettor-equipped engine; when RAF fighter attempted to "bunt" and dive away from an opponent as the 109 could, their engines would temporarily cut out for the duration of the negative-g forces. This ability to perform negative-g manoeuvres without the engine cutting out gave a 109 pilot better ability to disengage at will On the question of comparative turning circles in combat, Spitfires and Hurricanes benefited from their lower wing loading compared with the Bf 109: Of all three fighters, the Bf 109E would possess the highest roll rate, with the aileron controls being brisk and responsive; the Spitfire had the highest aileron forces, but both the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt's rate of roll suffered at high speed. Overall the differences in performance between the Bf 109 and Spitfire were marginal and in combat they were surmounted by tactical considerations such as which side had seen the other first, which side had the advantage of altitude, numbers, pilot ability etc. with the main difference between the two aircraft being the Spitfire's tighter turning ability and the Bf 109's faster climb rate.
sounds like a Wikipedia entry. Changing subject slightly, my great uncle died in Foster NSW last week, 97 years old, one of the last of the Rats of Tobruk. Taken prisoner, sent to Italy, then force marched over the alps in winter, spent the rest of the war in a POW camp, nearly starved to death at the end. But he survived, had 3 great children and worked for Telecom/Telstra, always with a positive attitude.
On a similar note, my great uncle died in Greece earlier this year aged 103. He was a resistance fighter during WW2 in southern Greece with his younger brother (my grandfather). The Nazis chased the ANZAC troops through Greece and cornered them in the Southern Peloponnese. The ANZACs were ill equipped for the terrain and exhausted with little back up (thanks Winston). Most escaped on waiting ships in Kalamata and were evacuated to Crete only to face further intense fighting. Many were left behind, some were taken as POW, others joined the partisans. My grandfather and great uncle sheltered an aussie soldier for several months and then helped him escape to Egypt at great risk to their own and families lives. I might be wrong, but I think this was the last time the ANZAC troops fought together under one banner. For their heroic efforts, both brothers were then caught up in the civil war that followed (thanks again Winston) and my great uncle ended up being jailed for a period after being branded a "communist" by those that ended up running the country, most of whom were Nazi collaborators during WW2. So much for being a patriot eh? Anyway, different time and a very different world. Here's a pic of him in 2000 telling me some war stories. Sure don't make them like they used to..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
He's only a boy in that picture ...... sad when the oldies die, they have so much to tell us that we should learn from. All my uncles on my mum's side fought in WWII in France, all dead now but one of them was very lucky, his tin of tobacco to make cigarettes took a bullet when he had it in his shirt pocket ... said he'd never give up smoking after that, died of emphysema so it got him in the end.
None of my relatives that fought in WW2 are left alive, one great uncle was only 18 when he became a Russian POW in 1944, was only released in 1954, another one went MIA in 1943. Wife's grandfather was in the Maquis 1941-1944, sent his wife and son to the UK while he fought the Boche, migrated to Australia post war. Very interesting guy, told some amazing stories, the war really shaped their lives in ways we can't comprehend. M
Not correct. The ME109 could out dive a Spitfire (mainly because the early Spitfires would momentarily lose power during the negative G pitch down), but it could not out turn it. (The Hurricane could out-turn both of them, incidentally) The truth is that as each evolution of both of those aircraft (ME109 and Spitfire) came out, the advantage was temporarily with whatever was newer, although overall it is accepted that the Spitfire was a superior aircraft. This situation was turned on its head with the arrival of the FW-190, which was superior in every way to the MK V Spitfire which was the standard RAF fighter at the time. Hence the rushed introduction of the MK IX Spitfire, which was at least a match of the FW-190 and in fact was so good that it continued to be built virtually until the end of the war. That is not a Wikipedia entry.
The FW190 was without doubt the best German fighter of WW2. Fortunately, it arrived too late to change the outcome of the air war.
I had a close friend in Germany (now passed away) who's father was conscripted and fought at Stalingrad. Taken prisoner, paraded through Moscow so the population could throw **** at them (literally) then sent to slave labour camps. Not released until 1954 too. Have you read Antony Beevor's book on Berlin? When the red army arrived, the russian women prisoners escaped from their work camps and ran to welcome the soldiers, who promptly raped them. Harrowing stuff. His book on Stalingrad is great too.
About 40 years ago there was a stripped out old Vampire Jet at a small airfield in outer western Melbourne where my father took flying lessons. I used to play in it while he was up taking the lesson. There was also an old DC3 at one point. They sat out on the open for about 10 years and then one day they disappeared. No idea where they ended up.
No he didn't manage to find the time to see it through. This would have been before he bought the 308 in 1978. He was working flat out building his business back then so I'm not surprised the lessons fell by the wayside.
I can't imagine how cool it must be to "have" a Vampire as a kid - they look exactly like something that came out of a child's imagination already! I hope you were old enough not to be too disappointed by the time they took it away... although if it were me, I still am not at that age
As I get older it saddens me how completely awful most girls/women lives are and how girls/women really have it bad. The list is almost endless but here are but a few: 1. From the day they are born they are visual objects to everybody else 2. When they hit puberty their life changes forever and unlike us guys their changes are very obvious. Size, as us guys know, does matter and there is little hiding of the truth 3. They also have to face the fact that during their breeding age almost half their life is affected by the period. We men do not understand the impact but having a daughter it has been very sad watching the impact to her life. We went on holiday and she was in tears when she realised that she could not go swimming in the pool. Thankfully Mum was able to sort something out. And of course there are the headaches and so on ... 4. Once they become sexual they are completely unfairly judged by EVERYBODY and unlike us men, there is a way of telling if they are sexual ... fncken how unfair is that 5. If a mistake happens during sex they are the ones left holding the baby 6. Almost every man that talks to them is only doing so because he wants to have sex with them 7. Every religion puts unbelievable pressure and control on them 8. If born into a Muslim family, depending on the level of religion in the family, they are to spend the rest of the lives partial hidden 9. Sharia law is pretty much another way of controling them 10. Close to every extreme religion or way of life refuses to educate them 11. ISIL now want to either kill them or rape them 12. While I have no objection to arranged marriages I am sure there are some cases where the man pretty much rapes them as soon as he can 13. Some countries like Kazahstan have forced marriages where I believe either the girl is sold or kidnapped into marriage with a stranger to be raped. And heck we now appear to have forced marriages here in Australia too involving certain races ... 14. Every war or conflict involves rape for women 15. Aging. 16. Some tribes if short of food eat the old(er) women because once past their breeding age they are consider expendible 17. They often are unable to defend themselves because usually they are physically weaker than their attacker 18. Because of their forced upon them visual view of themselves they are pretty much forced it to long and tedious personal hygiene routines. Again it has been sad to watch my daughter learn how to look after herself and keep herself presentable 19. By in large they have to feel good to want to have sex. Us mere males want sex because it us feel good. It is close to the opposite with women because once we have had our way we immediately loose interest in them (temporarily) ... yes come on married and ummarried men, be honest 20. Child birth hurts big time and the whole process changes their bodies 21. They do look after any children 22. ... My daughter is now 14 and she is absolutely beautiful, intelligent, artistic and clever. What world out there is she facing ... and she is one of the lucky ones because she is naturally slim. Why do so many not want to protect, support and love women? Pete
On the planet where I live the girls turn in to tall, slim mothers with tasteful clothing who drive BMW X5's RRovers & Q7's. Days are spent hanging out with their friends, going to the gym, doing pilates, shopping and playing tennis. They live in large houses in quiet, leafy suburbs and someone comes around and does the garden, cleans the pool and the house. The typically take 2 -3 overseas holidays per year and trips to the apartment at Thredbo and Noosa. All paid for by the ex husband or the soon to be ex husband who works 60 + hours per week and looks 10 years older than he really is. M
When I did my aircraft training at Wagga Wagga there was a Vampire opposite the electrical squadron which they use to start every now and then by chucking a bucket of fuel up the exhaust and lighting it !!! All good fun until you get knocked over from the whoosh I partially flew a DC3 from Amberley to Adelaide when the DC3 pilot (Rocky) needed a rest .... I got the job due to being instrument/radio trained, given very brief instruction and laughed my head off when reporting in as I crossed controlled air space. I found flying Iriquois choppers much harder than I thought, everytime the pilot handed control over to me it would start heading for the ground Oh, thought I might add, some of the above will probably be received with the same derision as the Wesley nurse and the showering
