----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay" <dagobertii@home.com>
To: "Richard Notton" <Richard@fv623.demon.co.uk>
Cc: " (Military Vehicles Mailing List)" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 6:33 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Merlin Engine
> I stand corrected. What type was it? I don't recall ever hearing
> anything about one, although I do know the English were working on a
> prototype.
>
The prototype Gloster E28/39 first flew on 15 May 1941. The first
production Meteor flew on 5 March 1943.
>But if you'll reread my post, I was referring to operational units rather
than >prototypes.
>
Quite so, 616 Squadron converted to Meteors from Spitfires on 21 July 1944
and were operational on the 27th. Being issued to an operational unit these
would be design frozen aircraft with their attendant panoply of
documentation, spares holdings and trained maintenance staff.
>The US was testing a couple of ideas then
> as well, but neither side were using them in regular combat like the
> Germans were with the Me-262s.
>
The Meteors were barred from entering enemy territory until 17 April 1945
and were promptly mistaken for ME262's and engaged by Allied aircraft, do
remember all the research data, drawings and production design for the
turbo-jet at the time were free-issued to the US.
> Of course, they were desperate and were
> down to using whatever they could get their hands on, much like the
> japanese got to the point of.
>
When engagements with the 262 occurred it was a rather one-sided affair
although these were very few and often the sheer disparity of speed made gun
aiming almost impossible.
> I don't know if I would count shooting
> down V-1s as "jet-to-jet COMBAT"- after all, it's not like the V-1s were
> shooting back at them.
>
See my previous post on this.
>That didn't occur until the American F-80s first
> faced off with the Mig-15s over Korea a few years later. They
> DEFINITELY were shooting back!
>
Meteors were there too flown by the Australians but as prophesied were by
then out-classed as fighters and took on the ground attack role that had
been suggested by many experts.
Richard
Southampton - England
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:31 PDT