In article , WaltBJ
writes
Slightly off track - the Germans did not seem to place the same level
of importance on recce that the Brits and USAF did. Me109s could (some
did) carry a camera in the aft fuselage like the recce P51s (F6?). A
lightened waxed Me109F or G would have a very good chance of
completing a recce pass on an in-and-out basis flown at max speed on a
curving descent or in-and-out at naught feet (prop tips above the wave
tips). It appears to me that the 86R was declared a 'clay pigeon' when
the LW found out Spits and Mosquitoes, appropriately modifed, could
get up that high. Why the LW didn't use 'hot-rodded' photofighters is
beyond me. Maybe they swallowed the 'XX' turned spies' reports as
gospel.
Walt BJ

Yes, the success of agents like 'Garbo' in feeding duff stuff to the
German High Command was remarkable.

Without wanting to go wildly off-topic, there was a programme on UK TV a
few nights ago ('Spitfire Ace') that had some very useful stuff on the
mentality of the RAF versus the that of Luftwaffe in 1940. The RAF
(through the vision and efforts of Dowding) had created a parless air
defence system, while the Luftwaffe had concentrated overmuch on the
lionisation of its individual pilots. I think that by 1944 the Allies
had developed a war machine that was thorough enough to filter out most
flakey thinking and to concentrate on the real issues. If the Luftwaffe
in 1944 was still relying on the whims of 'gifted individuals' (Hitler,
Goering), who would have prided their own (uncriticised) judgement then
a lot of bad ideas would have good through and a lot of good ideas would
have been turned away.

Cheers,

Dave

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Dave Eadsforth