Did you get my PM, Andy?

Fascinating stuff, Bill.

More please!:)

This part of your story:

…As they were burning the bomb aimer was having difficulty getting the front hatch open and lost his parachute under a pile of windows that had fallen down. He finally found the chute and pulled off the hatch and dove out head first.
…

Do you mean “windows” or “window”, i.e the radar countermeasure?

If purchasing is an option, then you can get both histories here:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=The+history+of+XV+Squadron&x=0&y=0

Alternatively, I have a copy of the fabulous “Oxford’s Own: The Men and Machines of No.15/XV Squadron Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force” by Martyn Ford-Jones. If there is anything in particular you would like me to look for then please let me know and I could have a look through the book for you.

Best regards,
Graham Herbertson

It’s obviously clear to those in the “know” but not to others on here who have also asked why .
Hindenburg ask why, Skipper says Uh ho with a wink and apparently there are 2 theories on where the poor chap is,and something to do with the hosts on here ,who flypast ???
Clear as mud to me I’m afraid.
Sorry for asking ,may he rest in peace wherever he is and whatever the politics behind it are.

Sorry. Just thought a can of worms was about to explode. No code.
No disrespect to Sgt Williams either. May he RIP, wherever he is.

No I was just under a misaprehension that pulse jets needed forward speed to operate. I am fully aware of the difference between a pulse jet and a ramjet and the ramjet does need forward speed.

Mike, I used to have the same thoughts, which I guess were as a result of seeing period footage of the V-1 being launched up their ramps by rockets and being launched by aircraft which were already moving.

The V-1 simply just didn’t have the “oomph” for take-off and required assistance. You can see the valve bank (“klappenregister”) opening and closing is the following footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgpnKARvd24

Note, you can also see the cardboard/paper seal being blown away into pieces when the pulsejet starts up. This was used to contain the aceteline atmosphere which was used to pre-warm the combustion chamber prior to switching over to the 80 octane petrol which was used for flight.

I would absolutely love to see one running, however this is a close as you can get to the real thing running today!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTsQxwWcqJI&feature=related

Not quite true, THIS is the closest;):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCsKs2NhdWg

Albeit it is one of the US Loon copies but it’s far more authentic than the SRL version, more of which can be seen here:
http://srl.org/machines/v1/

More on the Headcorn Reichenberg rebuild can be found here:
http://lashendenairwarfremuseum.giving.officelive.com/66.aspx

I beleive that rebuild is with Alexander Kuncze in Geisenhausen who did Paul Allen’s Recheinberg and V-1:
http://www.warbirds.de/content/Reichenberg/
http://www.warbirds.de/content/V1/

I would also LOVE to see an As 109-014 running again here in Europe.
If I get my act together that will hopefully be sooner rather than later…:D

Totally off the top of my head but might this not have been (a Dornier I think) the one which was found near a railway line when they were laying a new one?

Seem to recall a newspaper article running the story that some young boy who died near there crash site, just before it was rediscovered, could recall details of the plane, its mission and its crew! His parents believed that he had flewn this very plane in a previous life :eek::D