If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
V-1 "aces"
For all the talk about Meteors shooting down V-1s, I was amused to see that there was no Meteor V-1 "ace". (One pilot did manage to account for four.) Most of the V-1 aces flew Griffon-engined Spitfire XIIs, Spitfire XIVs, and Tempest Vs. The other successful aircraft were Mosquitoes (at night) and specially-boosted Mustang IIIs. There appear to have been about 135 such 5-vic pilots in British service--though, as was typical of the RAF, the pilots' nationalities ran the gamut from Poles to Americans. What a wonderful air force it must have been, where close to half the pilots were foreigners. all the best -- Dan Ford (email: www.danford.net/letters.htm) see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 12:01:36 -0400, Cub Driver
wrote: For all the talk about Meteors shooting down V-1s, I was amused to see that there was no Meteor V-1 "ace". (One pilot did manage to account for four.) There was no Spitfire F.21 ace either. What conclusions would you like to draw about it's relative effectiveness as a type from that? Most of the V-1 aces flew Griffon-engined Spitfire XIIs, Spitfire XIVs, and Tempest Vs. The other successful aircraft were Mosquitoes (at night) and specially-boosted Mustang IIIs. Spitfire Vs actually claimed more than the Meteors, IIRC. So what does that prove, if anything? I hope you don't believe that this illustrates any kind of relative performance superiority of the Spitfire V over the Meteor in the summer of 1944. There appear to have been about 135 such 5-vic pilots in British service--though, as was typical of the RAF, the pilots' nationalities ran the gamut from Poles to Americans. What a wonderful air force it must have been, where close to half the pilots were foreigners. Why should anyone have a problem with that? Or are you just seeking to stir up some defensive national prejudices? 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 |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Cub Driver wrote in message . ..
For all the talk about Meteors shooting down V-1s, I was amused to see that there was no Meteor V-1 "ace". (One pilot did manage to account for four.) Most of the V-1 aces flew Griffon-engined Spitfire XIIs, Spitfire XIVs, and Tempest Vs. The other successful aircraft were Mosquitoes (at night) and specially-boosted Mustang IIIs. There appear to have been about 135 such 5-vic pilots in British service--though, as was typical of the RAF, the pilots' nationalities ran the gamut from Poles to Americans. What a wonderful air force it must have been, where close to half the pilots were foreigners. all the best -- Dan Ford (email: www.danford.net/letters.htm) see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub The Meteor was a new jet just becoming operational and had a flight endurance of under one hour making standing patrols against the V-1 nearly impossible. That's probably why there were no Meteor V-1 aces... Rob |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
OK, can anyone direct me to any accounts of a Mosquito victory over a V-1?
Martin Bowman includes an account of one by 418 RCAF sqn in the Osprey book "Mosquito Fighter/Figher-Bomber Units of World War Two". Lewis Brandon describes his experiences of intercepting them in his memoir "Night Flyer", and Jimmy (C. F.) Rawnsley in "Night Fighter". With the exception of the Error-Spray title you mention, these are good first person sources. Brandon told me that he didn't realize Rawnsley was writing a book when he shared experiences with him in the immediate postwar period, so "Night Fighter" has some great insights that were gathered when the iron was still hot. To the original poster: I have access to none of my references (Hint: never move from a 3,000 square foot home into a 900...) but any book on the fighter variants of the Mosquito will have info on their service as V-1 chasers. They experimented with all sorts of speed-related upgrades to get the Mossie in amongst the V-1s over the channel. It was such an all-out race for Divers that frequently, RAF nightfighters fired on each other or nearly collided. Any suggestion that V-1 chasing was not aerial combat simply didn't have the experience to draw from to make an accurate judgement. German fighters, a robotic target of great speed and loaded with enough explosive to take down a good sized building, trigger-happy defenses on both sides of the channel, and flying souped-up fighters in the pitch darkness may not sound like combat to some, but it does to me. v/r Gordon |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Destroying 'Buzz' bombs was a deadly business. Anyone who says this was not aerial combat needs to give their a real good shake. Deactivating unexploded bombs was also dangerous, but it wasn't aerial combat. NOTE: If a V-1 was destroyed over England, it only counted for 1/2 a victory. The RAF didn't count it at all, only as a V-1 vic. As previously posted, there were approximately 135 "V-1 aces". all the best -- Dan Ford email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9 see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
"Cub Driver" wrote in message ... Deactivating unexploded bombs was also dangerous, but it wasn't aerial combat. That's because it wasn't done in the air. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Destroying 'Buzz' bombs was a deadly business. Anyone who says this was not aerial combat needs to give their a real good shake. agree, and thanks for speaking up, Chris! Hope all is well on your end. v/r Gordon |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I'll try and give you a call sometime tonight. not in Kansas......errrr Austin anymore yfG |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
FS: 1984 "Aces And Aircraft Of World War I" Hardcover Edition Book | J.R. Sinclair | Aviation Marketplace | 0 | November 1st 04 05:52 AM |
FS: 1988 "Aces High" (Military Airplanes) Hardcover Edition Book | J.R. Sinclair | Aviation Marketplace | 0 | August 23rd 04 05:18 AM |
FS: 1984 "Aces And Aircraft Of World War I" Harcover Edition Book | J.R. Sinclair | Aviation Marketplace | 0 | July 16th 04 05:27 AM |
FS: 1984 "Aces And Aircraft Of World War I" Harcover Edition Book | J.R. Sinclair | Aviation Marketplace | 0 | January 26th 04 05:33 AM |
FS: 1984 "Aces And Aircraft Of World War I" Harcover Edition Book | J.R. Sinclair | Aviation Marketplace | 0 | December 4th 03 05:40 AM |