On 29 Jun 2003 15:59:14 GMT, nt (Gordon) wrote:

They were so confident
in the Meteor that they wouldn't put it in combat against the 262.
I have read that the British were afraid the Germans might gain the
advanced technology if one was shot down. I've alway wonder what
advanced technology was being referred to.

Agree, Walt! The Me 262 A-1a with 24 R4Ms and an EZ42 revi installed was a
monster in comparison to the Mk 1 Meteors. No RAF pilot I have spoken with has
expressed doubts in this regard, including men who flew both.

Did the Mk III's with 616 Squadron in Belgium in 1945 have Wellands or
Derwents? (I know the first few Mk IIIs had Wellands, but some of them
were re-engined later). It's not really a fair comparison to use the
Mk 1 (20 produced, only ever used for anti-V1 patrols operationally)
against the 262. The RAF were prepared to use the Mk III over German
territory in April 1945, so there was a point at which they were
prepared to risk contact with the 262. It might, just, possibly have
been an engine issue (why give the Germans engines with the compressor
blades and rare alloys they needed when the inevitable losses took
place?), but that's speculation on my part.

The war was almost over whatever happened with one or at most two
squadrons of Meteors amongst the hundreds of allied piston-engined
fighters roaming over German territory. In that respect, I personally
believe blue-on-blue was a bigger risk than the 262 or anything else.
The one time 616 Squadron did move into position to attack some 190's,
they attracted unwelcome attention from some Spitfires doing the the
same thing.

Nobody could guarantee meeting the 262 in combat: the RAF didn't see
much of them in general, so the real risks to the Meteor were from
German piston-engined fighters and most of all, flak. It certainly
didn't have the range to go beyond the normal Spitfire operational
radius, so I don't think it would have met anything other than what
the other conventional fighters of 2 TAF encountered. On those
grounds, I doubt the British restricted it's use on the grounds of
prestige, but it's a possibility.

On another subject, you couldn't give me a realistic cruising speed
for B.IX/B.XVI mossies in '44'45, could you? I mean a real one,
including bombload, etc? Many thanks if you can, if not don't worry
about it.

Gavin Bailey
--

"...this level of misinformation suggests some Americans may be
avoiding having an experience of cognitive dissonance."
- 'Poll shows errors in beliefs on Iraq, 9/11'
The Charlotte Observer, 20th June 2003