Actually having multiple groups competing was official Nazi Ideology not Goring's whim. Simply put they believed in Darwinism in all fields, that competition would always give a better result than cooperation.
AHC: Peerless Air Ministry
- Thread starter perfectgeneral
- Start date
That causes massive problems though especially since if the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing then it means any benefits from on project or developments may not necessarily be transferred to others.
I can nether ever imagine the Nazi's indulging in anything like the 'Sunday Soviets' that had started at Bawdsey Manor and then continued at T.R.E. throughout the war!
The free exchange of information, ideas and intellectual argument encouraged and fostered by the original group of academics doing research into radar at Bawdsey Manor was probably one of the most important and unassuming and unremarked hall marks of the British style of research and provided a indeterminant number of bright ideas and solutions that otherwise might not have seen the light of day.
Unfortunately as no official records were kept of these informal discussions know one can now really investigate their real importance or impact on the war effort, such a pity in my personal view
The free exchange of information, ideas and intellectual argument encouraged and fostered by the original group of academics doing research into radar at Bawdsey Manor was probably one of the most important and unassuming and unremarked hall marks of the British style of research and provided a indeterminant number of bright ideas and solutions that otherwise might not have seen the light of day.
Unfortunately as no official records were kept of these informal discussions know one can now really investigate their real importance or impact on the war effort, such a pity in my personal view
I have to admit informal talks tend to he the best times when good ideas get bounced around. Since the sre off the record and no one ever feels stressed by them to bull stuff out for the bloody civil service mandarins.
It's also a shame that no records as you said were kept.
Huh on the subject of the Soviets I have to wonder if Sir Philip met that unmitigated bastard Kim Phelby if he would pick him up as a Soviet Spy.
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If James Bond were set in WWII, these mysterious radio beams would make a great plot device for a book or film.
So would 'Operation Mincemeat' and the Telemark raid amongst many others.
As to catching Soviet Spies, there was a short window of opportunity from the signing of the Molotov -Ribbentrop pact and the start of Operation Barbarossa where there was sufficient anti-Soviet feeling in the UK to make nabbing them viable. Once the Soviets are fighting the Nazis and are our Allies that gets very problematical.
As to catching Soviet Spies, there was a short window of opportunity from the signing of the Molotov -Ribbentrop pact and the start of Operation Barbarossa where there was sufficient anti-Soviet feeling in the UK to make nabbing them viable. Once the Soviets are fighting the Nazis and are our Allies that gets very problematical.
Politics can be cruel, In my personal opinion Trenchard, Salmon and several other senior RAF officers wielded far to much influence after their official retirement much to the detriment of the officers trying to prepare the RAF for the next war,
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12.45 Malta receives reinforcements.
12.45, Malta receives reinforcements.
To say that the RAF pilot was tired was in his view a typical British understatement, they had been flying for four hours at an altitude of ten thousand feet with an indicated airspeed of two hundred miles an hour which by his calculation gave them two hundred and twenty five miles an hour actual speed so by his dead reckoning they had just past the one thousand mile mark on their flight to Malta.
Now the pilot the adjusted his throttle and eased the stick back to gain height as they entered what was to them hostile airspace as they came within fighter range of the Sicilian airfields. As he climbed he was aware that Malta would soon start to see the approaching aircraft on their RDF/DF screens. Looking briefly at his watch he noted that they were bang on time. The navigators had done a very god job and as he craned slightly forward in his seat he was sure he could see the loom of Sicily to the north east and Tunisia to the south but the speck of rock in the Mediterranean that was Malta was not yet visible. Suddenly the leading Blackburn B20 ‘Buccaneer’ seaplane wagged its wings and his radio crackled with a brief call advising them of the arrival of their escort from Malta. Straining his neck as he searched all around the pilot could not see the approaching aircraft.
Another burst of static and a disembodied voice cried “There they are, Spitfires, bloody marvellous” the voice then continued “ Welcome to Malta boys”
With a Squadron of Spitfires flying top covered the remaining twenty two Spitfire Mark III.LR. that had set out earlier that day from Gibraltar headed towards the airfield at Hal Far as the two escorting Blackburn ‘Buccaneers’ peeled off to land at the seaplane base at RAF Kakafrana.
As each Spitfire landed it was met by a ground crew member who directed the pilot to taxi directly to the aircrafts assigned protective dispersal point. It was evident from the smooth running of this system that the rehearsals held for the pilots in England had been effective. The escorting squadron of Malta based Spitfires provided a standing air patrol in case the Luftwaffe or the Regia Aeronautica tried to intervene. Since the arrival of the first spitfire mark III’s on Malta the enemy had found carrying out bombing attacks to be a very costly process and now had to escort their bombers with virtually every available fighter that they had in Sicily. Once the Spitfire was safely parked in its revetment a swarm of erks descended on it to strip it of any non combat equipment fitted for the long over water flights and to refit any combat gear that had been removed. It was mid July and the late afternoon heat was rippling the air as the newly arrived pilots headed for the shade.
That evening the pilots who had made the epic first flight from Gibraltar directly to Malta as a squadron of spitfires were celebrating their achievement. Only eight of the pilots comprising two flights were actually operational pilots of the new squadron, the rest of the aircraft had been flown by a combination of ferry pilot, replacements and a couple of non operational but spitfire qualified administration officers from the new squadron. The ferry pilots would return to Malta with the escorting seaplanes after a days rest. The balance of the squadron were due to fly out the following day, they would be joined by the spitfire that had had to abort when the aft fuel tank would not feed fuel correctly. The other Spitfire had ditched due to engine problems and its pilot had been picked up by one of the “Buccaneers” which showed the prudence of using seaplanes for the escort. The ‘Buccaneers had also been chosen for their high cruising speed which could match that of the spitfires.
Keith Park had been there on the airfield to greet the first pilots he was well aware of the significance of the success of this first ferry flight and how dramatically it could alter the balance of air power in the Mediterranean and perhaps more importantly the Middle East. Mark III spitfires had been stationed on Malta for several months already but they had all required the use of at least one RN carrier to get them there. This operation had now proved that Spitfires could be flown from the UK to Malta via Gibraltar and by extension they could then go on to Libya, Egypt and importantly Crete. Whilst for most of the time the new Spitfires would not be need to use their long range capability having that available was in many ways a force multiplier for air operations from Malta. Once sufficient Mark III LR spitfires had arrived maritime strike aircraft could be given fighter escort permitting offensive patrols and attack on axis shipping in areas where previously the potential losses of unescorted aircraft would have been prohibitive. Similarly inbound and out bound convoys would now be less reliant on the FAA for fighter defence as they approached the island.
Keith Parks had held discussions with Tedder about the future more aggressive use of Malta as a forward base for offensive operations and it had been agreed that the flow of long range Spitfires was crucial to this and the British Government needed to insure that the long range spitfires continued to arrive in sufficient numbers. The AM had been quick to point out to the Cabinet that with the standard Mark III being built in numbers at Castle Bromwich and the increasing flow of the New Tornado from Hawker Aircraft and their satellites companies that Fighter Command was getting sufficient new aircraft to maintain the defence of the ‘Home Base’ as Sir Hugh Dowding called the UK from the current level of German air attack and threat. Sir Hugh was pushing for an even greater commitment of long range Spitfires to the Middle East as he considered that the air superiority that they could give the RAF over Libya could be crucial to the final success of both the land campaign and the maritime interdiction of the Axis supply lines.
Air Marshal Tedder had indicated that he considered it vital that Park remain on Malta until that air campaign was won and the axis in North Africa finally defeated. Only then would Tedder countenance having Park moved to another Theatre of Operation.
The arrival of the Spitfire Mark III.LR. was really far more important than most of those actually flying the aircraft were aware. At this time all the production from Eastleigh of the LR spitfires was being allocated to Malta and the Middle East simply because it could fly there from the UK without tying down Naval and other assets. The actual exploitation of its long range was a completely separate issue. One that Park on Malta was very keen to both explore and exploit.
General O’Connor was more concerned with finally investing Tripoli whilst at the same time keeping the Axis forces out of Vichy Tunisia. There were factions especially in the free French who wanted the Axis to break the supposed Neutral status of Tunisia so as to provide a Cause Bellue to allow the Allies to legitimately enter the country as liberators.
With the advent of the arrival of the Spitfire Mark III.LR. on Malta the British now had an added dimension to this problem of Vichy Neutrality. Whilst radar and other means were showing that Axis supply and combat aircraft were over flying Tunisia up until this time the Allies had no real counter to such flights. Now with the long range spitfires arriving on Malta the whole of Tunisian airspace was within range of Park’s fighters. For the flight over the Mediterranean the Axis aircraft were already being forced to fly much further east than the direct Scilly to Tripoli route to try and evade interception. However any incursion into Tunisian airspace, especially the crash landing of a Spitfire on Vichy Tunisian soil would be both a propaganda and intelligence gift for the Axis. Both Tedder and Park were advocating that once there were sufficient long range spitfires on Malta then a highly visible campaign of patrols off Tunisia should commence but with a strict rule of engagement that Vichy aircraft and particularly fighters were not to be engaged at this juncture. This was a policy decision that had to be taken in London and as yet no such instruction had been forthcoming from Downing Street despite persistent requests By Sir Hugh Dowding and the AM.
One thing was now certain and that was that Malta was now far more secure and would proof an even bigger thorn in the hide of the Axis forces in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre.
To say that the RAF pilot was tired was in his view a typical British understatement, they had been flying for four hours at an altitude of ten thousand feet with an indicated airspeed of two hundred miles an hour which by his calculation gave them two hundred and twenty five miles an hour actual speed so by his dead reckoning they had just past the one thousand mile mark on their flight to Malta.
Now the pilot the adjusted his throttle and eased the stick back to gain height as they entered what was to them hostile airspace as they came within fighter range of the Sicilian airfields. As he climbed he was aware that Malta would soon start to see the approaching aircraft on their RDF/DF screens. Looking briefly at his watch he noted that they were bang on time. The navigators had done a very god job and as he craned slightly forward in his seat he was sure he could see the loom of Sicily to the north east and Tunisia to the south but the speck of rock in the Mediterranean that was Malta was not yet visible. Suddenly the leading Blackburn B20 ‘Buccaneer’ seaplane wagged its wings and his radio crackled with a brief call advising them of the arrival of their escort from Malta. Straining his neck as he searched all around the pilot could not see the approaching aircraft.
Another burst of static and a disembodied voice cried “There they are, Spitfires, bloody marvellous” the voice then continued “ Welcome to Malta boys”
With a Squadron of Spitfires flying top covered the remaining twenty two Spitfire Mark III.LR. that had set out earlier that day from Gibraltar headed towards the airfield at Hal Far as the two escorting Blackburn ‘Buccaneers’ peeled off to land at the seaplane base at RAF Kakafrana.
As each Spitfire landed it was met by a ground crew member who directed the pilot to taxi directly to the aircrafts assigned protective dispersal point. It was evident from the smooth running of this system that the rehearsals held for the pilots in England had been effective. The escorting squadron of Malta based Spitfires provided a standing air patrol in case the Luftwaffe or the Regia Aeronautica tried to intervene. Since the arrival of the first spitfire mark III’s on Malta the enemy had found carrying out bombing attacks to be a very costly process and now had to escort their bombers with virtually every available fighter that they had in Sicily. Once the Spitfire was safely parked in its revetment a swarm of erks descended on it to strip it of any non combat equipment fitted for the long over water flights and to refit any combat gear that had been removed. It was mid July and the late afternoon heat was rippling the air as the newly arrived pilots headed for the shade.
That evening the pilots who had made the epic first flight from Gibraltar directly to Malta as a squadron of spitfires were celebrating their achievement. Only eight of the pilots comprising two flights were actually operational pilots of the new squadron, the rest of the aircraft had been flown by a combination of ferry pilot, replacements and a couple of non operational but spitfire qualified administration officers from the new squadron. The ferry pilots would return to Malta with the escorting seaplanes after a days rest. The balance of the squadron were due to fly out the following day, they would be joined by the spitfire that had had to abort when the aft fuel tank would not feed fuel correctly. The other Spitfire had ditched due to engine problems and its pilot had been picked up by one of the “Buccaneers” which showed the prudence of using seaplanes for the escort. The ‘Buccaneers had also been chosen for their high cruising speed which could match that of the spitfires.
Keith Park had been there on the airfield to greet the first pilots he was well aware of the significance of the success of this first ferry flight and how dramatically it could alter the balance of air power in the Mediterranean and perhaps more importantly the Middle East. Mark III spitfires had been stationed on Malta for several months already but they had all required the use of at least one RN carrier to get them there. This operation had now proved that Spitfires could be flown from the UK to Malta via Gibraltar and by extension they could then go on to Libya, Egypt and importantly Crete. Whilst for most of the time the new Spitfires would not be need to use their long range capability having that available was in many ways a force multiplier for air operations from Malta. Once sufficient Mark III LR spitfires had arrived maritime strike aircraft could be given fighter escort permitting offensive patrols and attack on axis shipping in areas where previously the potential losses of unescorted aircraft would have been prohibitive. Similarly inbound and out bound convoys would now be less reliant on the FAA for fighter defence as they approached the island.
Keith Parks had held discussions with Tedder about the future more aggressive use of Malta as a forward base for offensive operations and it had been agreed that the flow of long range Spitfires was crucial to this and the British Government needed to insure that the long range spitfires continued to arrive in sufficient numbers. The AM had been quick to point out to the Cabinet that with the standard Mark III being built in numbers at Castle Bromwich and the increasing flow of the New Tornado from Hawker Aircraft and their satellites companies that Fighter Command was getting sufficient new aircraft to maintain the defence of the ‘Home Base’ as Sir Hugh Dowding called the UK from the current level of German air attack and threat. Sir Hugh was pushing for an even greater commitment of long range Spitfires to the Middle East as he considered that the air superiority that they could give the RAF over Libya could be crucial to the final success of both the land campaign and the maritime interdiction of the Axis supply lines.
Air Marshal Tedder had indicated that he considered it vital that Park remain on Malta until that air campaign was won and the axis in North Africa finally defeated. Only then would Tedder countenance having Park moved to another Theatre of Operation.
The arrival of the Spitfire Mark III.LR. was really far more important than most of those actually flying the aircraft were aware. At this time all the production from Eastleigh of the LR spitfires was being allocated to Malta and the Middle East simply because it could fly there from the UK without tying down Naval and other assets. The actual exploitation of its long range was a completely separate issue. One that Park on Malta was very keen to both explore and exploit.
General O’Connor was more concerned with finally investing Tripoli whilst at the same time keeping the Axis forces out of Vichy Tunisia. There were factions especially in the free French who wanted the Axis to break the supposed Neutral status of Tunisia so as to provide a Cause Bellue to allow the Allies to legitimately enter the country as liberators.
With the advent of the arrival of the Spitfire Mark III.LR. on Malta the British now had an added dimension to this problem of Vichy Neutrality. Whilst radar and other means were showing that Axis supply and combat aircraft were over flying Tunisia up until this time the Allies had no real counter to such flights. Now with the long range spitfires arriving on Malta the whole of Tunisian airspace was within range of Park’s fighters. For the flight over the Mediterranean the Axis aircraft were already being forced to fly much further east than the direct Scilly to Tripoli route to try and evade interception. However any incursion into Tunisian airspace, especially the crash landing of a Spitfire on Vichy Tunisian soil would be both a propaganda and intelligence gift for the Axis. Both Tedder and Park were advocating that once there were sufficient long range spitfires on Malta then a highly visible campaign of patrols off Tunisia should commence but with a strict rule of engagement that Vichy aircraft and particularly fighters were not to be engaged at this juncture. This was a policy decision that had to be taken in London and as yet no such instruction had been forthcoming from Downing Street despite persistent requests By Sir Hugh Dowding and the AM.
One thing was now certain and that was that Malta was now far more secure and would proof an even bigger thorn in the hide of the Axis forces in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre.
Sorry for such a long silence but I hope that today’s post will see a return to a steady patterns of additional instalments.
This instalment has had a long gestation and I thought it appropriate to post it now in light of discussions ongoing in other threads on this forum.
I hope that you like this post and find it worthy of discussion.
This instalment has had a long gestation and I thought it appropriate to post it now in light of discussions ongoing in other threads on this forum.
I hope that you like this post and find it worthy of discussion.
Really pushing up against Vichy Tunisia's neutrality and making things harder for the Luftwaffe. They either have to get intercepted or undermine Tunisian neutrality. To the extent that at least "hot pursuit" would be justified.