WI Whirlwind sent to Mid East?

WI the RAF sent their troublesome bastard-child to the Mid East as soon as sqns were formed? Would being virtually the only high performance fighter give the Whirlind the opportunity to make a big name for itself? Did it have the range to provide fighter cover for Crete in April?
 
I don't know about Crete, but I doubt the Whirlwind could have handled the rugged climate of the Middle East. Sandstorms would have played hell with its engines.
 
Would a Perigrine be any worse than other engines in this regard? Also, with the Whirlwind's long airfield requirements I'd imagine it would be based more to the rear rather than in bare, forward strips.
 
Range? 800 miles+, better than most single engined fighters. It could have made an impact. Vokes sand filters could have been fitted just as easily as they were on Merlins.
 
263 sqn converted in Dec 1940, if FC wanted to be rid of them they could possibly arrive in Takodiri to transit Africa in Jan or Feb 1941. 137 sqn converted in Sept 1941 so could be in Egypt before the end of 1941.

I think there would be plenty of opportunities for long range Whirlwinds to contest airspace that IOTL were left to the Germans. They would have a field day against the Ju52s that dropped paras on Crete.

Just as a bit of thread drift, WI Whirlwinds were sent to Singapore?
 
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