What gives with the almost-but-not-quite WW2 camouflage on the Hawk – or have I missed something?

Pre 1939 Fighter Cammouflage as painted on the Spitfires issued to 19 Sqn in 1938, Worn on a 19(R) Sqn Hawk to mark the 70th Anniversary of the entry of the Spitfire into RAF Service, with of course 19 Sqn being the first Sqn to get the type.

If anybody wants to know the story of the Conqueror in the Falklands, read the book ‘Sink the Belgrano’ by Mike Rossiter, Sandy Woodward ordered the Conqueror to attack the ship, when it was not under his tactical control (Subs were under the control of the Flag HQ Submarines at Northwood, not the Carrier Battle Group). Flag HQ Submarines got permission from Maggie, after a number of requests from Woodward. British ships had already been attacked by Argentine aircraft (HMS Glamorgan, HMS Arrow and HMS Yarmouth off port Stanley on the May 1st with damage being done to Glamorgan and Arrow) and the Argies had already attempted a SuE/Exocet attack which had failed due to the AAR Tanker going U/S. The Commander of the Carrier Battle Group knew that his forces were threatened by a pincer attack, and he wanted it stopped (The Belgrano’s two escorts did carry Exocet, and the Belgrano’s guns out ranged the 4.5 inch mounts on the RN ships. His fear was the escorts would let fly with the Exocets followed by the Belgrano closing up and engaging with its primary turrets). The only reason the Belgrano was steaming away from the TEZ was because the Argies had lost contact with the Task Force, had they relocated the British fleet, it would have been easy to turn around and steam in at full speed, right over a shallow area of sea (Burwood bank), which would have most likely caused Conqueror to break contact as that area of sea would have stopped her from doing max speed (Water wasn’t deep enough to stop prop cavitation, and thus noise). The request to sink the Belgrano as based on a military requirement not a political one.

For the 1950’s try this….

XF-91, The wing shape for starters.

I enjoyed the programme very much. It was nice that so much of it was given over to the views of those who were there but I was a little saddened how the views of George Johnson were changed by his meetings with former enemies and his visits to the various sites.

The documentary had the modern ‘light’ feel about it but that is the reality of time and money pressures I’m sure. If those are the conditions under which these documentaries get made it, is better that they are made than way than not made at all.

The attitude of the German contributors was most interesting also, particularly the German couple who tended the memorial at the crash site of that Lancaster (Astell’s aircraft?) lost on the Dams Raid.

The ‘recently discovered’ photo of damage to the Sorpe Dam was a bit strange as it looked like a huge crater in the earth at the back of the dam and the only other post-raid photo I’ve seen just showed evidence of water being ‘washed’ over the dam by the mine exploding in the water.

As for attacking the Sorpe later in the war with a Tallboy wasn’t this done by number 9 Squadron on 15th October 1944?

Possibly the ‘recently discovered’ photo shows damage from this raid?

In a book called ‘Bombs Away’ there is an aerial photo of the damage done to the Sorpe by 9 Sqn, at least 5 Tallboy’s of the 12 dropped hit the dam, 3 on the airside earth bank, and two hits on the crest, one of them a direct hit on the roadway slap bang in the middle of the dam’s length. (there also looks like the edge of a crater on the waterline of the water face of the dam) You’re most likely correct in your guess that the photo shown of the damaged Sorpe is from the second raid. At least one of the Tallboys didn’t go off and was found at the foot of the dam and defused in 1959. A good program, enjoyed it.

Hello

Not sure if it is the done thing (allowed), but does anyone have any current front line RAF station badges, as produced by Joe Bridge (RAF Marham), that they could post in reply to this message? For reasons for which it would be inappropriate to go into, these badges are no longer available from the RAF Marham website.

RAF Stations include:

Ahhhh…. Brain Dead. I can’t think of the main RAF bases, and this machine is about to shut down – my hour in the internet is all but up…

All I remember is that these badges were 600 or 900 pixels high…

…hope you can help!!!

Best Wishes

Phil Rhodes

600 pixels. MoD IPR had them removed when they found out about the pages in the middle of last year (they are copyrighted images). Hence they cannot be posted here.

I recall reading that they even recreated Boeing logo’s on the control column and while the engine cowlings were too large for the Russian powerplants they were the same size as the B-29, BUT – Stalin said the same and so this was taken on a quite literal basis what with him being who he was…..?

Read about it years ago in a book called ‘Inside The Soviet Army’ by Viktor Suvorov….

the hole in the wing that served no function (mistake made during that airframe’s manufacture)….

….half the bomb bay crew access tunnel one colour, the other half another (plant ran out of the correct paint)

and do we paint it in US markings and get shot as imperialists, or paint on Red Stars and get shot for not obeying Stalin’s orders in making the copy identical to the original B-29.

I’d just like to say thanks to the Vulcan guys for giving me the chance to see this on Friday, first time since Finningly in 92. Who was flying her at the time by the way???