Very interesting – but the comment on aircraft bombing capability from a submarine being ahead of its time is misplaced.

The Germans did it in 1915 (FF-29s on the U-12). They had 12 kg bombs.
The British and Italians also looked at it. In all these cases the aircraft were carried as deck cargo on submarines

The British M2 was also a plane carrying sub with a hangar until she was lost in 1932

And several others..

Someone earlier mentioned Clancy’s Red Storm Rising.

I would prefer (Larry Bond the unnamed co-author of Red Storm Rising) who has several books – the best ( IMHO) being CAULDRON – very American – but with surprising political overtones of today and some good flying scenes. Or Red Phoenix which also has good flying scenes.

If you want something a bit more subtle, wartime and axis oriented and still in development:

http://www.theicecreammanmovie.com

A one of visit to Barrowlands in Glasgow and spending my pocket money on an early 1950’s British Annual of Aviation (or similar title) – large and blue hard back bound. Inside were lots of pictures of experimental aircraft – the flying wing etc.

From there to Commando books and WARLORD magazine ( including subscription secret agent code book) and Airfix. Not forgetting Captain WE Johns finest…

Sound travels faster than Light

Very enjoyable!

Apart from the portrayal of nuclear explosions -with the superimposed sound -so that the sound arrived before the light. I know I am a chemist not a physicist – but light I recall is just a tad faster !

My grandparents were from Ardrossan which is near.

Every time we passed one of the reservoirs to the east of the town – my grandfather told us there was a crashed German aircraft in the reservoir ( possibly Busby). This was stated to be at the time of the Clydeside Blitz

His family was in Ardrossan during the war – but he was in the RAF and was courting my grandmother in Glasgow – so not a first hand eyewitness account.

Just delved and saw that there was likely an Abbotsinch Swordfish downed there in wartime.

Stories seem to grow and warp.

My other grandfather claimed he was descended from French aristocracy. I just finished the family history and have the descendants just off the boat from Ireland – living in the Gorbals at the height of the potato famine. Within two generations history had been rewritten and the truth forgotten.

OLD RUBBER PRODUCTS

Intersting comment on old rubber products.

I recall my two years of study into polymer chemistry:

Rubber is a lightly crosslinked ( or vulcanised) polymer – which is usually heavily filled with a diluent product such as talc, carbon black or silica etc..

Rubbers are then rated by durometer (hardness), tear resistance and elongation.

There are a lot of synthetic rubbers now – but the mainstay 60 years ago was natural latex – which was synthesised by the Germans as polybutadiene. The natural material was prone to a lot if impurities. It is highly unstable as a latex and only becomes usable when it is crosslinked by sulphur.

I have been playing with rubber matting recently – to try and recreate this approach to painting roundels – the more heavily filled and hard rubbers do not drape and you do not get crisp lines. hence I needed a low durometer more elastomeric rubber.

The more lightly filled and low duro rubbers – which have a higher natural rubber content are going to be more fragile. Especially if they have not been stored under inert atmospheres and non UV

I for one am not surprised that these low duro elastomers are not around after 60 years.