What one has to realise is that Senior Commanders (SC) are two-a-penny. Successful Senior Commanders (SSC) are rather like hen’s teeth – and they do tend, at times, to be a bit unpopular (you can’t please all of the people all of the time). Harris was, for me an SSC – but I started my career under commanders who had known and worked with him.
Was Montgomery an SSC? – I doubt it. Was Patton? – ditto. Dudley Pound in the Navy came near – as did Cunningham. Leigh-Mallory and “Boy” Browning were Commanders who promised much but failed to come up with the goods when ‘push’ came to ‘shove’.
I had only seen Harris once, but one look at that face told me (and a lot of others!!) “Don’t mess with me”. SSCs don’t appear all that often. But I am glad (and I’m now 73) that there was one around when, as a 6-yr old I was crouched in the Morrison Shelter listening to the crump of exploding Luftwaffe bombs in my town. Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a Tooth!
The lady has her viewpoint and MUST be allowed the priviledge of expressing it. But it is a priviledge and NOT a right.
Yrs
Resmoroh

Lindoug, Hi,
Most of the Airbridges Ascension to Stanley in the early days of Op CORPORATE exceeded 10 hrs and used AAR.
During the Unpleasantness the Hercs would do the round trip ASI>S Atlantic>ASI to drop spares/supplies/mail, etc, to the Task Force.
After the Unpleasantness one trip got as far as Falkland, couldn’t land, and had to turn round and go back to Ascension – flight time getting on for 24 hrs!!! Don’t know date/Sqn/airframe number but one of the Lyneham Truckie boys will know – or know who does know!
HTH
Resmoroh

What on earth is the Medium Stressed Platform doing in the Belfast? The Belfast was never an airdropper (I have a vauge recollection of reading a report that said it went into a dive if the ramp was lowered) and where is the roller floor and side guidance needed for airdrop? Also how can you get it out without a primary extractor parachute and its bombslip (which is present in the Argosy at Cosford. The Argosy could drop MSPs).
If the museum wanted to plug the void of the Belfast’s cargo hold why on earth didn’t they use a representative vehicle load and chain them down properly.

And yes I do realise I’m probably the one who cares or has even noticed.

In response to Aeronut 2008, a representative load for a Belfast during Op CORPORATE would be a stack of crates of tomatoes!!! The Belfasts flew all sorts of stuff out from UK to Ascension under MoD arrangements. On the way back to UK (almost completely empty) they said – with a straight face – “We’ll not uplift our total fuel requirements back to UK here but drop in to the Cape Verde Islands, or the Canaries, and fill up there.”. They also ‘accidentally’ uplifted a good few tonnes of tomatoes for sale on the UK markets!!!!
HTH
Resmoroh

All airforces – regardless of race, creed, or colour – fly through The Weather. Your task is to condense into 28 mins all the problems that afflicted the major WW2 raids/difficulties.
Do not interview the Fighter Pilots – they try to ignore The Weather and blame their failures on it. (Funny how most CAS’s are ex-Fighter Pilots. Got to be a 10-part documentary on that!!!!)
Do not interview the Truckie Pilots – they try to blame all their aborted missions on The Weather (whether for real, or only in their mind’s eye)!
I would suggest that The Major Bomber Command losses in WW2 are capable of being examined, dispassionatley, either from a technical – or weather – point of view to determine where the blame (if any needs to be cast) was. Either incorrect Orders, or incorrect Weather.
20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing. But unless we use it to try to distil some tiny element of truth from the vast amount of heresay, then we are doing the future generations of aviation historians a grave disservice.
HTH
Resmoroh

And don’t forget the ornately carved Vomitorium in the Mess bog at Gutersloh!!
HTH
Resmoroh
NB – It didn’t help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elliott, Hi,
Wartime Death Certificates will not – except in some circumstances – give you much information about the precise circumstances of the death. The precise medical causes may be given.
Post-War DCs of WW2 personalities (at least in England/Wales) show the details, and address, of the person informing the Registrar of the death. We have found, on a significant number of occasions, that these are often close relatives, and have (if you’re lucky!!) the deceased’s papers, log-book, medals, etc, etc.
War time archives are very variable. Some organisations or Local Authorities kept meticulous records and retained them in their archives. Others did not.
What is absolutely VITAL is that you come up against an Organisation, or Local Authority, Archivist or Historian who is interested! If you can get that then you are halfway there!
Some y’win – some y’lose!!!!
Good luck
Resmoroh