super siouxCWGC
.
Polish Air Force members are not included in CWGC listings, because (contrary to a popular misunderstanding) PAF was not part of the RAF, but a separate air force, affiliated to RAF for operational purposes only.[/QUOTE]
I only mentioned CWGC as in the photo the headstones seemed to be of a common design. Ray
super siouxWe are talking about the same chap, Sergeant Pretkiewick was oridginally an aircraft mechanic, he must have liked the idea of being a pilot as he did elementary pilots training in 1933, subsequently he was judged suitable for fighter operations.
Sergeant Pretkiewick was posted to the Polish 6th Air force Regiment / 161st Fighter Squadron. While flying with the aforementioned unit he was credited with shooting down a [B]Heinkel He-45 on the 3rd of September[/B], three days later he was credited with a half-share in shooting down a Heinkel 111.
On the 19th September he was evacuated to Romania, then to France and eventually to England. (Not all on the same day of course)
Regards
Eric
Not to split hairs but the book I quote from in in my previous posting only mentions the half kill. No He 45 of the 4 used by the Luftwaffe is recorded as being shot down by any unit on any day of the fighting. But I know how awkward it must have been for the Polish Airforce to confirm kills at that time.
Maybe German Quartermaster returns can put a clearer picture on this affair
regards Ray
super siouxI have tried to establish any known facts about Sergeant F. Pretkiewicz ex Polish Air Force. There is a mention of Plutonovy (Corporal) Franciszek Predkiewicz of the 161 Eskadra Mysliwska ( Squadron Fighter) having a 1/2 share in the downing of a Heinkel 111 of KG4 on 6 Sept. 1939 near Grojec. On 17 Sept. the squadron left Polish terrority!
The only difference in spelling a ‘t’ in Wessex Fan’s thread and a ‘d’ in the book ‘WHITE EAGLES’ by Bartlomiej Belcarz and Robert Peczkowki published by HIKOKI, could be put down to a typographical error or translation problem. I dont think the CWGC could have got it wrong,
super siouxThe French between the wars seemed to have a fetish for odd aircraft. But my choice at the moment is a product of Westlands, the Westland – Hill ‘Pterodactyl’ a tail less aircraft developed between 1925-34. The Mk V being a turret fighter!
super sioux[QUOTE=Scouse]zishelix and WP840, you’ve made me come over all nostalgic at the sight of a Breguet Deux Ponts. OK, then, Duck Pond with apologies to our French friends.
And that after having seen one just once, hauling itself out of Heathrow at the crack of dawn one summer morning on a late 1960s planespotting marathon. A sight never forgotten.(QUOTE)
I didn’t know any Marathons were still flying by the late sixties?
super siouxHaving spent 5 years as a “liney” on JPH at Cranwell I cannot remember a time when Mk 3 tip tanks were not filled to the top! Once slipped of the stool whilst refuelling one and put some fuel in cockpit – damned good shot!
Glad to see the refueling stool mentioned, in 64 at Syerston I fell off the wing whilst refueling! With a badly sprained ankle I was sent off home to Newark by motor bike and sidecar(me in the sidecar) to my new wifes loving attention. When I returned I was not popular on the line! Steps had been made in station workshops and were to be used without any excuse. The fuel bowser’s in use had hoses that had to be manhandled to and from the bowser every time you moved down the line of 16 aircraft plus the ones on the ‘pans’. The steps were a flipping nuisance!
super siouxAt RAF Nicosia in 1961 I had the pleasure to share an 8 man ALTENT with only a companion. The Altent, made from aluminium was supposed to be one step up from a canvas tent but not as quick to erect being 8 sided if my memory serves me right with door and window, roof of 8 pieces with vent on apex and a wooden floor. Cold in the winter and flaming hot in the summer. I shared it with ‘Daisy’ Mays who liked the extra space to develop and print films. The print dryer came in useful for warming the bed after a trip to the NAAFI on a cold Cyprus night.
super siouxNice !
The JP shown is actually a Mk4, the pitot tube mast being longer than on a Mk3, but i don’t have any other photo’s of one coded 43, anyone else cast any light on it’s identity ?
At Syerston Mk 4’s had the tail number surrounded by yellow paint, it was much easier to spot than the pitot difference when marshalling them in.
The only photo I have (circa 1964)from Syerston shows two mates and me in front of a JP, the mark not known.
super siouxSadly I have no colour ones – I did see a photograph, in a German magazine, almost identical to the one posted by “Old Eagle” but cannot locate that. What I do have are lots of Station Photographer photos of 2FTS a/c in various states of disrepair which I found in a box in either the SHQ or AMWD before the JCBs set-to work.
XM384 (I think) in the undershoot of 25
another one at the threshold of 07 – sans undercarriage – dangling from the ubiquitous Coles!
XM406? without it’s rudder after spinning in
A copuple of nose-wheel failures at WymeswoldIf you’re interested, let me know and I’ll upload them.
I dont remember any nose wheel failures whilst at Syerston 63-67 but I do remember doing crash guard at Wymeswold in 64′ on a ‘JP’ that had its ‘genne’ drive shear and doing a wheels up just in front of the tower. According to two engineering officers checking it, this at the time was a common fault.
super siouxInfo. extracted from “ILYUSHIN Il-28” by Yefim Gordon and Dmitry Komissarov, published by Airlife.
Il-28LL was a conversion from the standard light bomber Il-28 and used for testing the Vostok re-entry vehicle ejection seat from a position in the faired over bomb bay immediately ahead of the wing torsion box. It protuded above the upper fuselage hence the need for a large teardrop fairing with flattened sides had to be installed aft of the pilot’s cockpit to protect the test pilot seating in the seat from the slipstream. The future Cosmonaut Gherman Titov tested this seat. Additionally, the tail gunner’s compartment was replaced by a large slab-sided fairing extending much further aft, from which another ejection seat could be fired both upward and downward (not at the same time!). Cine cameras were mounted above and below the wingtips in fairdrop fairings to capture the ejection sequence.
The authors call the aircraft 10 Blue in the book but as the film sequence shows along with photos in the book its number ONE !
super siouxGerman Claims that Night
Source: Tony Woods Luftwaffe Claims Lists..
Night: 29-30. May 1943
R.A.F. Bomber Command: WUPPERTAL
30.05.43 Oblt. Ludwig Meister 1./NJG 4 Stirling 3 km. S.W. Castelnau: 3.100 m. 02.07 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.20
30.05.43 Oblt. Rudolf Altendorf 2./NJG 4 Wellington 8 km. südl. Namur: 3.400 m. 02.20 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.31
30.05.43 Ltn. Rolf Bussmann 1./NJG 1 Halifax 3157: 3.700 m. 02.50 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.61
30.05.43 Oblt. Rudolf Altendorf 2./NJG 4 Halifax Ressaix: 4.300 m. 02.57 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.32
30.05.43 Ltn. Schmidt 2./NJG 1 Halifax 4265: 5.200 m. 00.07 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.32
30.05.43 Ltn. Beier 3./NJG 1 Halifax 5288: 5.000 m. 00.24 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.161
30.05.43 Oblt. Wilhelm Telge Stab II./NJG 1 Halifax 52/7/5: 5.700 m. Fld.Nr. 200 00.28 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.76
30.05.43 Fw. Oloff 2./NJG 1 Wellington 4218: 2.000 m. 00.29 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.133
30.05.43 Oblt. Manfred Meurer 3./NJG 1 Halifax 6271: 6.200 m. 00.33 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.162
30.05.43 Maj. Walter Ehle Stab II./NJG 1 Halifax 6132: 5.600 m. 00.37 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.77
30.05.43 Oblt. Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin 6./NJG 1 Wellington 5125: 5.400 m. 00.43 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.79
30.05.43 Ltn. Heinz Schnaufer Stab II./NJG 1 Stirling 6134: 3.500 m. 00.48 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.78
30.05.43 Oblt. Manfred Meurer 3./NJG 1 Wellington 6207: 5.400 m. 00.50 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.163
30.05.43 Maj. Walter Ehle Stab II./NJG 1 Halifax 6113: 4.200 m. 01.05 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.79
30.05.43 Oblt. Manfred Meurer 3./NJG 1 Stirling 5283: 2.500 m. 01.09 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.164
30.05.43 Hptm. Hoffmann 5./NJG 1 Halifax 6134: 4.500 m. 01.40 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.40
30.05.43 Ltn. Heinz Schnaufer Stab II./NJG 1 Halifax 5114: 6.500 m. 01.43 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.80
30.05.43 Oblt. Manfred Meurer 3./NJG 1 Lancaster 6 km. S.E. Venray: 4.300 m. 01.44 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.165
30.05.43 Ofw. Fritz Schellwat 5./NJG 1 Lancaster 5276: 2 km. N.E. Hachtal: 4.280 m. 02.18 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.41
30.05.43 Ltn. Heinz Schnaufer Stab II./NJG 1 Stirling ½ km. E. Fl.Pl. Diest-Schaffen: 4.500 m. 02.22 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.81
30.05.43 Ltn. Johannes Hager 4./NJG 1 Stirling 6117 2 km. N.E. Braud: 4.400 m. 02.28 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.22
30.05.43 Ofw. Fritz Schellwat 5./NJG 1 Lancaster 5276 500 m. südl. Peer: 5.100 m. 02.37 Film C. 2031/II Anerk: Nr.42
Supplemental Claims from Sources:
30.05.43 Oblt. Heinz Wurm Jagdkdo West Liberator 15 West/9076 20.54 Reference: AA MSS f. 4
30.05.43 Ofw. Vincenz Giessuebel 14./KG 40 Liberator 120 km. N.W. Brest – Reference: CG MSS f. 209
Why did Ofw. Fritz Schellwat shoot down the same Lancaster at two different locations? I thought the Luftwaffe were very through in confirming a kill.
super siouxThe Beverley “skate” also jacked the nose up in order to bring the tail down to enable the fins to fit under the lintel of hangar doors!
Except at RAF Akrotiri where the hangar had a cutout for the tail!
super sioux‘The Turret Fighters’ Defiant and Roc by Alec Brew. Published by Crowood. Mentions the four Egyptian Defiants as u/s in 1947. I quote the authors words on the IAF Defiants. ( Other Defiant target tugs were still in use when the Indian Air Force was formed, and may well have been the last Defiants to fly.) I know this has been mentioned before in the interesting contributions made to the thread. But this book is an informative and well illustrated work covering all aspects of the Defiant and Roc.
super siouxWhen the Brabazon was being designed, were any noises coming out from anywhere about the lack of airline intrest in the Lockheed R6V?
Unable to find Lockheed R6V, Was it a typing error? I have the Lockheed Constellation R70-1 which the US Navy bought in 1945 from the US Army line.
This was the civilian Model 749. In the early fifties the US Navy requested Lockheed to fit the complex new Wright Turbo-Compound engine in to the L-1049B which became the R7V-1 and ordered 57. Four Model 1249 , US Navy R7V-2 were fitted with P&W turboprops driving broad paddle- blade propellors to evalulate turboprop propulsion, the airframe was restressed for high speeds(437 mph) this in the mid fifties.
I dont think the Brabazon commitee would have had any knowledge of the later devlopment of the basic Constellation and as been pointed out Dollars were hard to come by at the time.
super siouxNot having been familiar with the Jetranger and any quirks in its operation, it may very well may have been on an Hanger!
Ray
Sign In
