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Ditto, although sending Sholto-Douglass to the USA as part of the purchasing commission, with (as you say so I believe!) an antipathy towards Americans seems like risking the wreck of an important appointment.
AHC: Peerless Air Ministry
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Ditto, although sending Sholto-Douglass to the USA as part of the purchasing commission, with (as you say so I believe!) an antipathy towards Americans seems like risking the wreck of an important appointment.
Salmon and Trenchard have ITTL already been sidelined as much as sir Phillip can maneuver them. The problem faced by Sir Phillip is that the Trenchardian doctrine of the absolute superiority of the offensive bomber as war winning weapon is till an inviolate sacred cow amongst many of the senior officers within the RAF.
With Beaverbrook riding herd on him Sir Phillip is basically hoping that Sholto Douglas will preverbally shoot himself in the foot. A risky strategy maybe but some times you have to take a risk.
Good old Sholto is also much less likely to swoon over American toys and promises before giving away all the best British tech for free. Or more likely could be a voice counselling restraint if for no other reason than his dislike of the Darned Yanks.
Just because you want him out of the way doesn't mean you haven't selected the right person for the job!
Definitely keep going with it. It's one of the few threads that I regularly check.
It's the first one I check as I do the thread marks
I'm thrilled that the peerless air ministry are doing so much better. The issue of Bomber Command ramping up in numbers two years before they could target effectively must offer some scope for strategic improvement. The key weak point in the BoB was replacement/extra pilots.
I like how the politics of the top ranks in the RAF steer strategy more than the needs of the war effort (not).
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Here in the PAM Fighter Command has slightly better survivability in it's aircraft, armor plate is factory fitted as are self sealing fuel tanks. That saves pilots lives and lessens the injuries of more. There is a proper air sea rescue system that not only saves RAF aircrew but will capture some Luftwaffe aircrew who were otherwise rescued by their own people. Aircrew training is better, there are four fighter OTU instead of the two in OTL and the finger four formation is becoming standard. All RAF fighters have at least two 20mm cannons so that when they hit they hit harder. finally there is the POC, a blooded, organised, coherent fighter unit who having fought in France, are revelling in the performance and fire power of their new fighters but are currently in Scotland training and getting impatient. All these small changes allied to better radar cover add up to cumulative effect. How big that effect is now really resolves down to the human factor, chance and the gods.
Spitfires started being modded around April 1940 but only good for rifle caliber holes not cannon. Hawker sold the Hurricanes tanks as crash proof which Dowding took to mean self sealing when they were not. Result a lot of Hurricane pilots dead or crippled.
Given the main fuel tank was in front of the pilot if it caught fire the flames would be pushed into the cockpit, getting out unharmed was then difficult to say the least.
It's always surprising how a few seemingly-innocuous and easy to justify changes in the timeline can snowball.
Especially for the Allies where so many things werent done or wereput off.
BTW, if you want more comments we can always start on food?
Especially for the Allies where so many things werent done or wereput off.
BTW, if you want more comments we can always start on food?
My Dad lives in Ramsgate and I'm going down to visit him next week. I'm stopping in a hotel a stones throw away from Manston airport. My wife sold the hotel to me with mention of a Battle of Britain meat pie made with Spirfire Ale. I'll let you know if it's any good.
Remember it was Astro who mentioned food first!
Remember it was Astro who mentioned food first!
OK back to business as normal.
I can't remember if Merlin development has been accelerated ITTL. If memory serves (no books due to being really busy at work) the Merlin 8 entered service about half way through the BOB this engine gave more power and used substantially less glycol in the forward tank than the earlier merlins so caused less pilot burns. If this engine is in service it would also help the virtuous circle if more RAF pilots remain combat effective than OTL.
I can't remember if Merlin development has been accelerated ITTL. If memory serves (no books due to being really busy at work) the Merlin 8 entered service about half way through the BOB this engine gave more power and used substantially less glycol in the forward tank than the earlier merlins so caused less pilot burns. If this engine is in service it would also help the virtuous circle if more RAF pilots remain combat effective than OTL.
I will have to dive into the books for an accurate source but I believe that the story of Hawkers fitting 'Crash Proof' tanks is erroneous. I only have a few books with me at the moment but I will see what I can find. IIRC, the RAE. gave Hawkers the weight for crash proof tanks not self sealing tanks. This weight was at the time considered to heavy for the aircraft and therefore the tanks were not fitted. Only later did the error in information come to light and Dowding took action imiadetely as OC Fighter Command to correct the situation but by that time a lot of hurricanes had been built with simple tanks.
It's been a while, but didnt the Merlin ramp-head fiasco get avoided?
In which case development of the engine should be at least a year advanced.
Yes, Ramp headed was thrown out early. Basically Hives has the New factory at Crew building what OTL would have been Merlin XX. Glasgow is starting production on the same line and Derby is doing everything else, especially the special bits with Hooker!
If the ramp-head was avoided, the XX line wouldn't actually exist.
What would likely be in production is the Mk32 line - the XX derived from the 'super-kestral' version needed due to the failure of the ramp-head design.
Useful article here : http://www.enginehistory.org/Piston/Rolls-Royce/RHM/RHM.shtml
Most likely at this point they'd have the Mk 22 on Spitfire/Hurricane, with a corresponding performance boost
What would likely be in production is the Mk32 line - the XX derived from the 'super-kestral' version needed due to the failure of the ramp-head design.
Useful article here : http://www.enginehistory.org/Piston/Rolls-Royce/RHM/RHM.shtml
Most likely at this point they'd have the Mk 22 on Spitfire/Hurricane, with a corresponding performance boost
Thanks for the correction, what I should have said was equivalent to Merlin XX performance. The engines being built by RR at this time are 'true flathead' built starting from the 1938 flat head Merlin design. They are the same design line as the Merlin 22-27 and the Packard Merlin. My copy of Hives biography was only returned today so I wrote the previous response from faulty memory, oops! I hope that clears it up and gives clarity.
Merlin VIII (8) was a low-level engine - 'moderately supercharged' in UK terminology of the time. Very useful to push the big & heavy Fulmar from the deck, but a poor subsitute for even the Merlin III, that was 'fully supercharged'. Eg. at 16250 ft, the Merlin III was making 1030 HP, the Mk.VIII some 770 HP.
On 100 oct fuel, Merlin III was certified by manufacturer to make +12 psi boost = 1300 HP at 9000 ft; already before the ww2.
An useful chart: link
Table on 'moderately supercharged' Merlins: link
Care to elaborate a bit on the quoted part?
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