Post amazingly cool pictures of aircraft (Volume 2)
Discussion
Trevatanus said:
I'm a member of a Facebook Group, (Planes, Cameras, Banter as you can see) and the chap that some patches made up, pic below.
Due there being a few people in the community who knew aircrew, a little game started, to see who could get the best "selfie" taken with a patch.
There have been pics in the back of a Herc, next to a runway etc..
Then someone posted this
Is it a U2?Due there being a few people in the community who knew aircrew, a little game started, to see who could get the best "selfie" taken with a patch.
There have been pics in the back of a Herc, next to a runway etc..
Then someone posted this
hidetheelephants said:
Trevatanus said:
I'm a member of a Facebook Group, (Planes, Cameras, Banter as you can see) and the chap that some patches made up, pic below.
Due there being a few people in the community who knew aircrew, a little game started, to see who could get the best "selfie" taken with a patch.
There have been pics in the back of a Herc, next to a runway etc..
Then someone posted this
Is it a U2?Due there being a few people in the community who knew aircrew, a little game started, to see who could get the best "selfie" taken with a patch.
There have been pics in the back of a Herc, next to a runway etc..
Then someone posted this
Ayahuasca said:
The Germans seemed to have gone to great lengths to make up for their lack of a heavy bomber; maybe they should have just developed a heavy bomber.
That is one of the main debate about WWII: why was strategic bombing capabilities never developed in Germany? -Some will argue the general incompetence of the big heads of the LW: Goering and Ernst Udet. The latter was in charge of development and new weapons and did not think much of Strategic bombing ... or too late (then he committed suicide).
-Some will argue that Hitler also did not have much understanding of this... But most writings of pilots who met him counter that he was extremely knowledgeable on weapons of any kind.
Would a strategic bombing capacity - if the Germans had had the heavy bombers available - have made a difference?
It would have been a 3,000 round trip from say Romania to the Soviet tank factories at Chelyabinsk east of the Urals.
A 1,500 round trip from Stalingrad.
Much further than from East Anglia to the Ruhr.
Over enemy territory all the way.
No air to air refueling.
More challenging, in its time, than the Black Buck operations to the Falklands.
And if they cannot bomb Soviet factories, what is the point?
It would have been a 3,000 round trip from say Romania to the Soviet tank factories at Chelyabinsk east of the Urals.
A 1,500 round trip from Stalingrad.
Much further than from East Anglia to the Ruhr.
Over enemy territory all the way.
No air to air refueling.
More challenging, in its time, than the Black Buck operations to the Falklands.
And if they cannot bomb Soviet factories, what is the point?
Hitler thought in terms of a continental war so long range for his bombers was not a priority. Support of advancing armies was his priority.
Udet was of the same mind.
Hitler was keen to build up the Luftwaffe rapidly. Don't forget it started more or less from a zero base in 1935 to become the largest air force in the world by 1939. That's only four years.
Building lots of smaller tactical bombers got you bigger production numbers faster than trying to develop large bombers. Large aircraft take longer to develop (in theory) and use up more materials and manpower to build.
As an example, the RAF's three main heavy bombers (the Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling) all evolved out of a 1936 Air Ministry requirement. They were not really ready for operational service until mid 1941 in the case of the Stirling and early 1942 for the Lancaster.
That would have been way too long to fit into Hitler's plans. In the mid 1930s, Hitler and his generals expected any war they started would be over by 1942, so what was the point of expending resources on aircraft that wouldn't be available until the war had ended?
Udet was of the same mind.
Hitler was keen to build up the Luftwaffe rapidly. Don't forget it started more or less from a zero base in 1935 to become the largest air force in the world by 1939. That's only four years.
Building lots of smaller tactical bombers got you bigger production numbers faster than trying to develop large bombers. Large aircraft take longer to develop (in theory) and use up more materials and manpower to build.
As an example, the RAF's three main heavy bombers (the Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling) all evolved out of a 1936 Air Ministry requirement. They were not really ready for operational service until mid 1941 in the case of the Stirling and early 1942 for the Lancaster.
That would have been way too long to fit into Hitler's plans. In the mid 1930s, Hitler and his generals expected any war they started would be over by 1942, so what was the point of expending resources on aircraft that wouldn't be available until the war had ended?
There are some good wiki pages which details the failings of the Lufftwaffe before and during the war:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe#Omissions_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_of_the_Reich...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe#Omissions_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_of_the_Reich...
Eric Mc said:
That would have been way too long to fit into Hitler's plans. In the mid 1930s, Hitler and his generals expected any war they started would be over by 1942, so what was the point of expending resources on aircraft that wouldn't be available until the war had ended?
I thought I read somewhere that the war really started about 4 years too early to the German armed forces?
irocfan said:
I thought I read somewhere that the war really started about 4 years too early to the German armed forces?
More like it went on four years too long for them. They expected a short, sharp victory close to home and couldn't see beyond mainland Europe. Thankfully they ignored Doenitz's pleas to build more U-boats before the war, because they just didn't see the need for them. Same with long range bombers.
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