… and the tops of the motors do look a bit like  cushions!

As quoted above, Gunston isn’t claiming anything other than that a work published at the time (title cited) included a reference to a Japanese version of the He111, and that the compiler of what sounds like the definitive work on Japanese aircraft (author and title cited) refers to sightings identified as German aircraft in Japanese service. The page numbers covering the number of types suggest they get very short thrift. 

I suspect that the original reports were at least in part disbelief that the (insert period racial stereotypes here) Japanese simply couldn’t be outfighting the great British Tommy without German assistance. Plus, let’s face it,  not many of us here have tried to identify an aircraft while it is trying to kill us, which isn’t going to improve the chances of correct ID.

Fundamentally, the allies  were extrapolating from incomplete data and biased reports, and we all know what that does to the conclusions. 

It would seem my wild guess was wrong this time! Surprised that he was still pootling about the skies at 34, when presumably he joined up very close to the end of WW1.

Of the men in the list above,  a B P A Boitel-Gill* was with 152 sqn in 1940, Donaldson was a Sqn Ldr with 151 sqn, according to After The Battle’s listing. 

One wonders what the others were doing – instructors? Reservists? Flying a desk? 6 short years later.

*FreeBMD might help ascertain if this is Derek  but is horribly phone unfriendly, and I should br doing other things!

Not bad for a guess! So that will be K2486 in a heap at the front. 

I did ponder mentioning the narrow rudder meaning that the letter in the serial was above the number looked like Bulldog too, but I realised that I had no idea about other types, and was really meant to be doing other things than looking it up…7

I would take a potshot at Bulldog, but based only on that they equipped a fair few squadrons.

I know that scenarios were set up at these displays for various aircraft to take part in. I’ve seen photos of giant skittles being knocked over by “bombing” by…. well, biplanes, which helps not at all. I’ve also read… oh where the hell was it? an account of one such display where a “native village” was set up – but someone pressed the wrong button and the whole lot blew up as one before  the bombers arrived. TBH that sounds suspiciously apocryphal to me!

However, based on those,  the flying monsters are obviously balloons  so presumably hydrogen filled. Either collapse them with a rip cord as the Pterodactyl passes, or ignite them remotely so they collapse in flames. I believe the Pterodactyl had two machine guns so you could even go to the trouble of having gun noise if you so wished. 

Yes, it’s on the Grace Spitfire Facebook page. Very sorry to hear that, especially as I thought I’d seen ML407 this morning.

What can you say?