----- Original Message -----
From: "J. Forster" <jfor@onemain.com>
To: "Richard Notton" <Richard@fv623.demon.co.uk>; "(Military Vehicles
Mailing List)" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 2:48 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Merlin Engine
> > Richard wrote:
> >
> > The first jet/jet combat occurred on 4 August 1944 against a V1 flying
bomb.
>
> I don't think ths was really "jet/jet combat", since it was not a
dogfight.
>
Well, I see where you're coming from and fully understand the point,
however, The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines combat as:
Engage in battle or contest; oppose, strive against.
>The V-1 could not fight back and harm the attacker.The V-1 flew a straight
and >level course, until it's clockwork "mouse" shut off the engine and put
the rudder >over to cause the vehicle to crash and explode in the terminal
phase of the >mission.
>
In actuality the guns of this particular Meteor jammed as was a common
occurrence until the full effects of fast and high altitude jet powered
flight were fully understood, it overcame the V-1 by the wing tipping
procedure. If anyone doesn't know this, it never involved actual contact
but used the airflow as a buffer and forced the V-1 to be tilted beyond gyro
control.
> PLEASE NOTE, I am not saying that these missions were risk free, since the
> attacking plane could well be damaged by the explosion and/or debris from
a
> successful attack.
>
Indeed so, the FZG 76 (V-1) carried a warhead of 1874lbs of Amatol and was
such a small target that an attacking fighter had to be very, very close
indeed and had to necessarily fly through the debris and burning fuel since
this would be happening at c.400mph or thereabouts leaving no room for any
avoidance.
> The jet's speed would certainly have been a help, since the V-1 was
> comparatively fast compared to the prop planes of the era.
>
Indeed so, and invariably the missile had to be caught up with to engage it,
this would have to happen in one of the fighter belts since the defences of
London were arranged into strict areas of aircraft and guns, anything that
flew in a gun belt would be shot at.
Richard
Southampton - England
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:31 PDT