Military Hardware Thread [Split]

**Jun aka Pekto** · June 19th, 2006 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by StraightSix

[size=1]Supermarine Spitfire[/size]

That's a weird-looking Spitfire.

I mean it's got at least a Merlin 61 exhaust which was used starting with the Mark VII and later while the airframe looks like a Mk II-Mk Va (no 20mm cannon yet).

Edit. The Spitfire is a close 3rd behind the Hellcat and Mustang (and ahead of the P-38) as my all -time favorite Allied WW2 aircraft. My favorite ETO Axis aircraft is the Ju-88 because of its adaptability to be just about anything from fighter to dive bomber.

OT: History International is currently showing "The Los Banos Raid" which I'm recording on the pc.

**StraightSix** · June 19th, 2006 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jun aka Pekto

That's a weird-looking Spitfire.

I mean it's got at least a Merlin 61 exhaust which was used starting with the Mark VII and later while the airframe looks like a Mk II-Mk Va (no 20mm cannon yet).

It could've been from another plane ... not an unusual practice just to get a flying sample, as the pic is from a Hungarian site

The most probable explanation would be that the Spitfire came in different wing packages (A to E) with the A-wing being guns-only, while the D-wing didn't had guns nor cannons. So the first to be armed with cannons is the Mk.Ib, with 19 Squadron the first to use them during the Battle ... although jamming was a serious problem.

*badkuk - It was intended as a long-range day fighter, although the Beaufighter gained prominence as a night fighter and naval strike aircraft.

**badkuk** · June 19th, 2006 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by straightsix

*badkuk - It was intended as a long-range day fighter, although the Beaufighter gained prominence as a night fighter and naval strike aircraft.

ic. quite a nice looking plane though. come to think of it, i have seen beaufighters firing rockets at ships

di ba medyo huli na nadevelop ung spitfires? afaik, the RAF already had a few spitfires during the Battle of Britain, pero mas marami silang hurricanes. discovery channel had a documentary on the hurricane; apparently, the body/shell wasn't made out of metal, or even wood. they just draped irish linen over the tailend section of the plane 'coz they were in a rush to build as many as they can.

another amazing story, dunno if you WWII buffs already know about it: apparently one German bomber managed to slip past the RAF defenses, and was on its way to bomb London. one pilot on a hurricane gave chase, but either the guns jammed or ran out of ammo. frustrated, he rammed the tailend of the German bomber with the "shoulder" of the hurricane( i could only assume he was on a perpendicular trajectory to do so), slicing off it's tail. the German bomber of course crashed, but the hurricane remained flying. in fact ung mismong pilot ang nag narrate nung encounter. amazing B)

**StraightSix** · June 19th, 2006 09:10 PM

The Spitfire's 1st flight (1936) was about 5 months after the Hurricane's ... hindi naman ganuon ka-late. And it was already operational at the start of the War in 1939. In fact, during the 1st week of the war, the first victims of the Spitfire were 2 Hurricanes from a different squadron

The Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter. Made of tubular metal and fabric covering, it equipped more squadrons than the Spitfire at the start of BoB. And as one result of the directive that Hurricanes should deal with the German bombers while Spitfires tangle with the escorts, Hurricanes shot down more enemy planes than the Spitfires. They were also faster and cheaper to manufacture.

The Hurricane pilot you mentioned was Sgt. Ray "Arty" Holmes but unfortunately, he lost half his wing and his plane also crashed after ramming that Do-17. There's this show called Time Team (archeology) that dug up the remains of his Hurricane live on UK-Ch5 TV about 2 years ago, with good ol' Ray present at the dig site near Buckingham Palace ... though he showed more interest on the female presenter rather than the dig. Sadly, Arty died last year after a 2-yr battle with cancer.