perfectgeneral

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@sonofpegasus
You have two 11.18 so the second should be 11.19.
The development of a plexiglass teardrop canopy might be delayed, but the drivers still exist to encourage such a development sooner or later. It improves streamlining, smoothing and visibility from the cockpit, no matter which aircraft/mark first tries it out.

If Crete is to become the outer defence of the Eastern Med Basin,
(which lies to the south of the island with no other land between it and the Libya/Egypt coast)
there has to be a suitable port created on the SOUTH coast
and to make that unloading point effective the whole road network of the island needs to be upgraded.
I agree. Once you commit to holding Crete you need the infrastructure to supply it as well as or better than your opponent (likely to be using airfields on the Greek mainland).
 
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Errolwi

Monthly Donor
Here's a thought, I wonder if the Brigade plus from each of Australia and NZ that was diverted to the UK in June 1940 OTL (and presumably ITTL) got to the ME sooner due to butterflies around available shipping? OTL the Kiwis were landed at Port Said, immediately moved to Alex, and shipped to Greece. Freyberg wouldn't let 2NZ Div deploy without the missing Brigade (barring emergencies).
 
@sonofpegasus
You have two 11.18 so the second should be 11.19.
The development of a plexiglass teardrop canopy might be delayed, but the drivers still exist to encourage such a development sooner or later. It improves streamlining, smoothing and visibility from the cockpit, no matter which aircraft/mark first tries it out.


I agree. Once you commit to holding Crete you need the infrastructure to supply it as well as or better than your opponent (likely to be using airfields on the Greek mainland).
The westland whirlwind had a bubble canopy IOTL, design1936, prototype 1938, designed by Teddy Petter.
Apparently the idea wasn't new, being trialled in the first world war.
So even if, ITTL, the whirlwind is never developed in prototype, the idea was out there.
 
Damm! someone is reading my notes again, Also the Gloster F4/34 had a tear drop style canopy. so yes the bubble canopy spitfire and MB 4 will be coming along.
 
Here's a thought, I wonder if the Brigade plus from each of Australia and NZ that was diverted to the UK in June 1940 OTL (and presumably ITTL) got to the ME sooner due to butterflies around available shipping? OTL the Kiwis were landed at Port Said, immediately moved to Alex, and shipped to Greece. Freyberg wouldn't let 2NZ Div deploy without the missing Brigade (barring emergencies).
You won't get an Australian brigade, it will be a division or nothing. Both the Australian government and the AIF commanders will ensure this. See Leslie Moreshead's rebuttal to Auchinleck after the 1st Alamein when he was told the 9th Division would be broken up into brigade sized battle groups. The New Zealand position will probably be similar.
 
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I could do with some help from someone who is better at aeronautics than I am. ITTL we have they Hawker Tornado being built with the 2,200 hp Monarch engine, This could I think be termed as an over engined aircraft but how well would it fly when one half of the engine was shut down, how hard would the single 1,100 hp unit have to work? This is very relevant to the TL and if the Tornado can cruise at a reasonable speed with one half of the engine shut down then it could well usefully extend the range, especially for ferry runs. Any suggestions, ideas and opinions would be appreciated.
 

Errolwi

Monthly Donor
You won't get an Australian brigade, it will be a division or nothing. Both the Australian government and the AIF commanders will ensure this. See Leslie Moreshead's rebuttal to Auchinleck after the 1st Alamein when he was told the 9th Division would be broken up into brigade sized battle groups. The New Zealand position will probably similar.

Yes, which is why 2NZ Div was available to be sent to Greece OTL - the third of the Division that was diverted to the UK in mid 1940 didn't get to Egypt until just before Greece. I'm not sure when the Australian troops from the same diverted convoy (the Red Sea was untenable for a large troop convoy in May 1940, until Italian East Africa was neutralised) got to Egypt?
Auchinleck tried the same fragmentation with the Kiwis, got the same answer - Freyberg was British Army, seconded to NZ (at their request), but made it very clear that he was acting on behalf of the NZ Government.
 
Un Armed prototype of the Monarch engined Hawker Tornado Photographed for the PAM in autumn 1940.
Notable are the two rows of exhausts for the H configuration Monarch engine and the counter rotating three bladed propellers.

1602500960138.png
 

perfectgeneral

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The balloon tyres and leading edge give you some idea of the "bomber" thickness of the wings. I can see how poking your head out the side would help with steering while the tail wheel is down. Not much of a view otherwise. Is this the carrier capable torpedo bomber that the RN needs?

This is very relevant to the TL and if the Tornado can cruise at a reasonable speed with one half of the engine shut down then it could well usefully extend the range, especially for ferry runs. Any suggestions, ideas and opinions would be appreciated.
Compare to the Merlin powered Hawker Henley. I think 300 mph is believable as a top speed with 1,100hp and a three blade prop. Cruising speed of a Henley?
 
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Again PLP, you are reading my notes, I am working on the introduction of the Tornado to squadron service and yes the tails do keep dropping off! even in the PAM there are some OTL errors that just have to live on.
 
One small problem with the tornado as a torpedo is the cooling flap on the aft end of the chin radiator. Any torpedo attachment will have to clear that appendage.
 
11.20 MAP report for last quarter 1940
11.20 MAP report for last quarter 1940.

Part 1. Fighter Production.


The high production figure achieved in the 3rd quarter have fallen slightly primarily due to recovery from bomb damage and the introduction of new types

Hurricane production at Langley will cease by first January 1941. The final aircraft will be built using existing parts stock.

Serial Tornado production at Langley is commencing as part production is increased. Both production lines will be open by end of second week January 1941. Full production potential should be achieved by end of first quarter 1941. Currently planned capacity is fifty aircraft a month. This is mainly constrained by production limits on the Fairy Monarch engine.

Gloster are ceasing production of Hurricane by end first quarter 1941. They were scheduled to take over the Avro contact for Tornadoes but that has now been assigned to Langley. Gloster will build the MB4 fighter. Due to the similarities in the basic hollow steel tube fuselage construction of the MB4 to that employed on the Hurricane the MAP had decided that Glosters were better suited to take on the serial production of that aircraft under licence form Martin Baker. Gloster will also be working on the first clean sheet jet fighter who’s detailed design is nearing completion.

Hawker Kingston will continue to produce the universal winged Hurricane Mark III using the Merlin XX engine.

Spitfire Production. Supermarine Southern Grouping will achieve full production of the Mark III by end of fourth quarter 1940. As will Castle Bromwich. Due to constraints on Merlin XX production the early Mark III Spitfires will continue with the mixed cannon and machine gun armament. Production should exceed two hundred aircraft per month on a sustainable basis.

Defiant Production will continue till the end of the second quarter 1941 when Bolton and Paul will commence MB 4 production. Defiant production in the first half of 1941 projected at three hundred aircraft.

Gloster Reaper production at Westlands will continue into 1941 at a planned production of ten night fighters a month. Work on the Jet engine Whirlwind is proceeding but production of a service fighter is still some way off.

Bristol Beaufighter production now at full scale, the cancelling of the Beaufort torpedo bomber had permitted additional resources for Beaufighter production. Current production is running at eighty aircraft a month split between night and day fighter variants at the ratio of three to five. Production is planned to increase to a target of at least one thousand aircraft per anum in 1942.

Mosquito production by De Haviland, Production lines are currently being set up and preproduction works and trials are now complete. Fighter version production is planned for fourth quarter 1941.



Part 2. Bomber Production

Light Bombers.

Light bombers as a district entity are being discontinued for RAF Bomber Command. Their role is being taken by Fighter Bombers under the operational control of other RAF Commands.

Fairy Battle construction will cease end 1940 and existing airframes to be assigned to Training Command or overseas commands.

Blenheim construction will continue through 1941 for overseas operational commands. Construction capacity will be diverted to other types as required.

De Haviland Mosquito. Production of the bomber version of this aircraft is planned to commence third quarter 1941 to replace the Blenheim.

Medium Bombers

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, initial production to commence first quarter 1941, Training and transport version to take priority.

Hadley Page Hampden. Current production level to be maintained at least until mid 1941. Production to be concentrated on the maritime attack version. Production will tail of as resources are redirected to Halifax production.

Vickers Wellington production at Brooklands is currently running at forty aircraft a month, Broughton shadow factory is already achieving eighty aircraft a month. The second shadow factory at Blackpool is now entering full production and is currently achieving forty five aircraft a month. Monthly output from all three factories is scheduled to rise to a monthly peak total of three hundred aircraft by the fourth quarter of 1941. Maritime Patrol variants are being produced at Brooklands.

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, current production running at more than thirty a month and are scheduled to reach forty five a month by end of second quarter 1941. Future production subject to review of operation requirements by end first quarter 1941.



Heavy Bombers,

Short Stirling,

Full scale production resumed after damage to both factories in Rochester and Belfast in the previous quarter. Rochester is producing solely LRMPA. Whilst Belfast is producing the standard bomber.

Expansion of dispersed sub contracts is continuing in both Northern Ireland and mainland Britain with a target production rate of an aircraft a day by year end 1941.

Avro Manchester

A.V. Rowe newton Heath,
200 aircraft ordered in December 1937 to order No B648770/37 second quarter 1941.
Current production is running at Twelve aircraft a week and is schedule to treble by end of the second quarter of 1942.

Hadley Page Halifax.

Current production running at twelve aircraft a week and should treble by end third quarter 1941, Further dispersed production is planned with a target of one hundred and fifty aircraft a month by end of third quarter 1942

Vickers Warwick.
Aircraft development on going , production capacity not yet allocated.



Part 3, Training and communications aircraft.

Avro Anson.
Production of training versions to continue, production levels to double in 1941 to over twelve hundred aircraft.

Fairy Battle, production ceasing end 1940.

De Havlland Dominie.
Production of both communication and radio training version to continue and expand to two units a week by end 1941.

De Haviland Tiger Moth.
Production third quarter 1940 running at one hundred and twenty aircraft a month. Sustained production level planned for 1941 to be one hundred aircraft a month.

Miles Kestrel.
Production to cease end 1940, in favour of increased numbers of Miles Master aircraft.

Miles Master.
Master MkII production , currently running at one hundred and sixty aircraft a quarter to rise to two hundred a quarter by mid 1941.

Mile Magister, production to cease first quarter 1941 and production transferred to other Miles aircraft.

AirSpeed
Oxford, Production being expanded current production averaging one hundred aircraft a month. Target production through 1941 is two hundred aircraft a month.

Percival aircraft
Proctor. Training and communication aircraft. Production to continue on an order by order basis as the demand requires. Current orders for three hundred aircraft have been placed for 1941.

The above covers production of major types, variants, porotypes and development aircraft are not included.



Part 4. Engine production.

Matching engine production capacity to that of airframes is a fundamental part of the MAP.s task.
For the current engines in serial production there are limits on the number of companies and factories that can be mobilised for their production, It has since the war commenced been the policy of MAP to reinforce successful engine marks by increasing capacity and to terminate production of any engine that is not sustainable.

RR, Have using this criteria abandoned the EXE, the Vulture and the Kestrel, to concentrate on the production of two engines, primarily the Merlin and the Griffon. Whilst the Griffon is still in development the Merlin is in service in more than half a dozen different front line aircraft. Production of the Merlin has been expanded by the building of two new RR factories and a third by the Ford Motor Company.

Bristol are currently building two marks of poppet valved engines and two of the sleeve valved type, a third and larger sleeve valve engine is in development. Planed production of the two conventual valved engines the Pegasus and the Mercury will remain in production at their current levels. Similarly the Perseus sleeve valved engine production will be maintained at its current level. Hercules engine production is still being expanded with Valve making facilities at Napiers being fully committed to Hercules production.

Alvis, are producing the Pelides in volume production as are Armstrong Siddley, The development of the larger Alcades is proceeding well towards the possibility of entering series production in late 1941.

De Havliand are producing Gypsey engines principally for their own for training aircraft, as are Pobjoy.

Fairey Aviation. Monarch engine production is becoming a bottle neck. Fairey production capability is being expanded. With the cancellation of the Sabre and Dagger engines Napier, due to their familiarity with the H twenty four engine configuration have under the direction of the MAP commenced production of the Monarch engine. Problems with Napier,s casting the alloy block have now be resolved and both production volume and reliability are increasing..



It is MAP policy that all aircraft designs should be capable of being built with an alternate engine in case supplies of the primary power plant are disrupted. Currently there is no other engine in the 2200hp class that can replace the Fairy Monarch. Therefore development of both the Bristol Centaurus and the Alvis Alcades is being continued to series production standard.

RR are developing more powerful versions of the Griffon which they project to produce 2000hp plus, both the Bristol Centaurus and the Alvis Alcades are Being developed in the same power class are judged to have the capacity to be developed to larger power levels.
 
The above is the first of two posts this weekend updating the state of play with aircraft production, allocation and the changes that are continuing from OTL. I have tried to keep these changes plausible. as an example without the Vulture blighting the Manchester not only have Avro got production up to the OTL planned levels but also the other two plants are proceeding as planned OTL. The same can be said for the Tornado, without the Napier Sabre the Typhoon id still born and the Tornado enters volume production as planned.
If anyone spies a glaring inconsistency of other problem please flag it up.
 
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