Fascinating book, recommended.
Discussion
Piginapoke said:
Am I right in thinking the later FW190 was the fastest piston engined plane to see active service in the war?
The TA152, perhaps - but only under very specific circumstances and for short durations, using nitrous oxide injection.It was optimised for high altitude. It's top speed at sea level was unexceptional (360mph, vs. 390 for a Tempest V, for example).
The fastest variant of the FW190 D9 was fast (up to 440mph, depending on who you believe), but some Allied piston-engined planes, including Griffon-engined variants of the Spitfire, were faster.
It certainly is an excellent book but I think, in concentrating on piston engines, it somewhat neglected to consider how much effort was obviously going into jet engine development at that time. The use of axial turbo chargers and radial superchargers had obvious links to jet engines I would think.
Simpo Two said:
Flying Phil said:
It certainly is an excellent book but I think, in concentrating on piston engines, it somewhat neglected to consider how much effort was obviously going into jet engine development at that time.
A different subject worth a book in its own right I'd say.
I bought a copy of this as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine who was involved in the early jet and (more specifically, in his case) rocket design and development work for DeHavilland. I am certain that he would love a companion volume on the WWII jet and rocket race.Equus said:
Simpo Two said:
Flying Phil said:
It certainly is an excellent book but I think, in concentrating on piston engines, it somewhat neglected to consider how much effort was obviously going into jet engine development at that time.
A different subject worth a book in its own right I'd say. I bought a copy of this as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine who was involved in the early jet and (more specifically, in his case) rocket design and development work for DeHavilland. I am certain that he would love a companion volume on the WWII jet and rocket race.Eric Mc said:
Because they stupidly insisted that their heavy bomber designs had a dive bombing capability. This brought about the Heinkel He177 Greif which took too long to develop and which they consequently never really got sorted.
It still doesn't answer why they had such problems upsizing their aero engines.Of course they could have done what the Brits did : slap an extra two engines on an average bomber to end up with a world-beater.;)
AW111 said:
It still doesn't answer why they had such problems upsizing their aero engines.
What do you mean they had problems upsizing their aero engines?Do you mean larger capacity engines?
If so, then you need to actually look at the data, as even back in 1940 during the BofB, the Db601 in the Bf109 was the same capacity as the end of the war RR Griffon at 37 litres (when the RR Merlin was only 27 litres)
If you mean upsizing capacity to produce more, then well, by the middle of the war, lack of materials and skilled labour (and luckily for us, their political system and stupidity) was already taking its toll on their war production.
aeropilot said:
What do you mean they had problems upsizing their aero engines?
Do you mean larger capacity engines?
If so, then you need to actually look at the data, as even back in 1940 during the BofB, the Db601 in the Bf109 was the same capacity as the end of the war RR Griffon at 37 litres (when the RR Merlin was only 27 litres)
If you mean upsizing capacity to produce more, then well, by the middle of the war, lack of materials and skilled labour (and luckily for us, their political system and stupidity) was already taking its toll on their war production.
I was thinking of the various 24 cyl engines, extra row radials, etc.Do you mean larger capacity engines?
If so, then you need to actually look at the data, as even back in 1940 during the BofB, the Db601 in the Bf109 was the same capacity as the end of the war RR Griffon at 37 litres (when the RR Merlin was only 27 litres)
If you mean upsizing capacity to produce more, then well, by the middle of the war, lack of materials and skilled labour (and luckily for us, their political system and stupidity) was already taking its toll on their war production.
As far as I am aware all of these "next generation" engines were basically failures, and they ended up pairing DB 601's etc to swing a single propeller instead.
Like I said, I'd like to read more.
AW111 said:
aeropilot said:
What do you mean they had problems upsizing their aero engines?
Do you mean larger capacity engines?
If so, then you need to actually look at the data, as even back in 1940 during the BofB, the Db601 in the Bf109 was the same capacity as the end of the war RR Griffon at 37 litres (when the RR Merlin was only 27 litres)
If you mean upsizing capacity to produce more, then well, by the middle of the war, lack of materials and skilled labour (and luckily for us, their political system and stupidity) was already taking its toll on their war production.
I was thinking of the various 24 cyl engines, extra row radials, etc.Do you mean larger capacity engines?
If so, then you need to actually look at the data, as even back in 1940 during the BofB, the Db601 in the Bf109 was the same capacity as the end of the war RR Griffon at 37 litres (when the RR Merlin was only 27 litres)
If you mean upsizing capacity to produce more, then well, by the middle of the war, lack of materials and skilled labour (and luckily for us, their political system and stupidity) was already taking its toll on their war production.
As far as I am aware all of these "next generation" engines were basically failures, and they ended up pairing DB 601's etc to swing a single propeller instead.
The double 801 to produce a 4 row 28 cyl radial, again, too late in the war.
The joined DB's in the He177 was a politically led decision, not a technically led decision.
Also, by mid-war you have to remember the politics of the German system, and the pressures the Allied war effort was taking on their ability to develop new stuff with ever decreasing materials, especially the more exotic ones required for the newer tech. At the same time they were also heading down the jet engine, and rocket programmes as well, all of which were competing for ever decreasing resources........often the one that got the resources was which ever mad scheme was flavour of the month with the mad dictator.
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