All you airplane experts

Now then boys, behave.
May i just make a few pointers here, which from my dodgy memory are right, but please don't check up on me.
After D-Day most of the British long range fighters and fighter-bombers were listed to protect the bombers that were begining to move deeper into germany, as this was where the Geshwader were being pulled back to.
I recall reading in one book (Luck and a Lancaster) that the bomber crews used to feel so much safer in the air with the fighters around them (all conceivable long range planes were used). and as a reward for staying with the donkeys up high, once the bombing was over the fighters were allowed to dive and shoot anything that moved on the ground. As the bomber pilot put it "even the butterflies were in danger for the next five minutes!".
I can see both sides of this argument, and i believe the armies could have won it without full air support in the end, but it made it so much easier with the bombers and fighters overhead. and as to the navy being no real use, that is true, inland, but the Normandy beaches were protected from aircraft by naval ships, as well as fighters. Everything has it's place somewhere.
Just my opinion, so please don't hang me for it.

 

I think there is something called rereading.

I think there is something called annoying...M is next to G on the keyboard Napolean...Time for another good joke from you

 

I think there is something called annoying...M is next to G on the keyboard Napolean...Time for another good joke from you

Another useful post from the spelling expert.

 

Another useful post from the spelling expert.

You must know that I spell it Napolean instead of Napoleon on purpose every time

 

You must know that I spell it Napolean instead of Napoleon on purpose every time

I did know that poor Oberst has reading and spelling problem yes.

 

the main reason the Germans lost the battle of britain was because of radar, which was top secret during the war, the distance between the two countries was small enough for them to travel there and still have ample fuel for maneuvering during battle

 

the main reason the Germans lost the battle of britain was because of radar, which was top secret during the war, the distance between the two countries was small enough for them to travel there and still have ample fuel for maneuvering during battle

The BF109E-4 was shown, not to have the range to cover anything more than the north of London, this gave them a very little amount of fuel with which to use in combat.

 

the main reason the Germans lost the battle of britain was because of radar, which was top secret during the war, the distance between the two countries was small enough for them to travel there and still have ample fuel for maneuvering during battle

I think you need to read more on this thread.

 

That's because location and biography are not required.

I'm a little stiff from sawing those trees. The Stihl Farm Boss makes short work of those 6-8" diameter 40'ers but I'm not the weekend warrior I used to be. So I'm in a smart ass mood.

 

The BF109E-4 was shown, not to have the range to cover anything more than the north of London, this gave them a very little amount of fuel with which to use in combat.

It's a fact that the 109's only had fuel for ten or so minutes over London/ England. I know it has been brought up before but why did the Luftwaffe high command not think of drop tanks. It would have seemed the logical solution, but perhaps the reason for this was that their strategy was based on Blitzkrieg and not a prolonged fight over enemy airspace.

Perhaps also they probably didn't thought that it didn't warrant drop tanks as the air battle would be brief as it had been in the Battle of France - used as they were at the time to steamrolling over the opposition.

If the fighter cover had had the extra fuel and thus remove the ten minute limit at the back of their mind, I believe that the air battle would have been even more closer run than it was.

Would drop tanks have been feasible. or were not available or not allowed for. Maybe logistics of supplying tanks that were one use only, were thought of as an indulgence than a necessity. It might have been the case that the senior Luftwaffe realised the problem but in light of Goering wanting the RAF smashed, decided to soldier one with what they had and resolve the issue after the battle came to it's conclusion.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

To me its one of the mysteries of the war why they didn't develop and use drop tanks to extend the range of their fighters. It clearly was possible as later on the Germans used drop tanks on their 109's.
Also during the Spanish Civil War the Germans used drop tanks on their He51 fighters so they were used to the concept of using drop tanks on fighters.