Spitfire Quotes

[Furball]

Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
Dont worry Furball.  You had us at hello.

i didnt say hello!


and i think slash needs a cold shower!

[StarOfAfrica2]

If you like reading little anecdotes like that Furball, I can recommend a book I just finished a couple weeks ago.  It's called "Fighter Boys  The Battle of Britain, 1940", by Patrick Bishop.  The first 1/3 of the book or so is mostly setup and goes back to WWI to talk about the evolution of Fighter Command.  But once you get up to the days right before the start of action, it gets very up close and personal, relying heavily on diary entries, notes, letters, and interviews with surviving pilots and family members of men who fought in the BoB that summer.  Its not the best book I have ever read, but it is very good at giving you a view of the war through eyes that saw events then as they unfolded.

[Furball]

Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
If you like reading little anecdotes like that Furball, I can recommend a book I just finished a couple weeks ago.  It's called "Fighter Boys  The Battle of Britain, 1940", by Patrick Bishop.  The first 1/3 of the book or so is mostly setup and goes back to WWI to talk about the evolution of Fighter Command.  But once you get up to the days right before the start of action, it gets very up close and personal, relying heavily on diary entries, notes, letters, and interviews with surviving pilots and family members of men who fought in the BoB that summer.  Its not the best book I have ever read, but it is very good at giving you a view of the war through eyes that saw events then as they unfolded.

cool, will look out for it - thank you.

and in return i will recommend a book called "battles with the luftwaffe" by janes, absolutely packed with pilot quotes

[StarOfAfrica2]

Here's a little bit from it to give you an idea of the type of writing he uses.

The defenders fought the battles of high summer in view of the people they were defending.  Often the pilots were diving and shooting over their childhood homes.  Roland Beamont could see his family house in Chichester every time he took off from Tangmere.  John Greenwod, a pilot officer with 253 squadron, flew head-on into a formation of Ju 88s over Surrey and was horrified when 'they jettisoned their loads which fell between Epsom and Tolworth.  My family lived in Tolworth and seeing the bombs exploding I went down to ground level to have a look.'  The nearest bomb had been several hundred yards from his home.  When he got back to Kenley he telephoned his mother, who told him she had been sheltering in the cupboard under the stairs during the raid.  Peter Devitt of 152 Squadron was flying near Sevenoaks one Sunday evening when eh saw Dorniers fleeing from a raid dropping their last bombs on Young's depository, where all his furniture was stored.

In some extraordinary cases, parents watched their sons fighting.  On 16 August an intense engagement broke out between a large German formation and Hurricanes from 1 Squadron.  One of the British fighters was hit in the fuel tank by a cannon shell and burst into flames.  The pilot, Pilot Officer Tim Elkington, managed to bale out and was drifting down into the sea when Sergeant Frederick Berry swooped past him and used the aircraft's slipstream to blow the parachute over land.  Elkington landed safely at West Wittering and was whisked away to hospital.  The whole event was witnessed by his mother watching from the balcony of her flat..........

[Slash27]

Im all better now:aok

[Morpheus]

lol 30 yards... Jesus.

[Stang]

Originally posted by Morpheus
lol 30 yards... Jesus.

Just a flip-wedge away  

[JB42]

Furbby, check out a book called: Air Command, Fighters and bombers of World War II, by Jeffery L. Ethell, published by Lowe & B. Hould.

Has great stuff from pilots, ground crews, gunners and even civilians.

[WilldCrd]

  The Messerschmidt was now just ahead of me. I came up behind him and gave him a terrific burst of fire at very close range. The effect of a Spitfire's eight guns has to be seen to be believed. Hundreds of bullets poured into him and he rocked violently, then turned over on his back, burst into flames and dived straight down into the sea a few miles off Swanage.

hmmm wonder what model spit this is that he is flying to have 8 GUNS? i thought they only had 4 2 .303's and 2 hispanoes

[StarOfAfrica2]

Ummm..........the Spitfire Mk I?  lol

[Karnak]

Originally posted by WilldCrd
hmmm wonder what model spit this is that he is flying to have 8 GUNS? i thought they only had 4 2 .303's and 2 hispanoes

Erm, even the Spitfires without the eight .303s had a different package than that.  They could be found with two 20mm Hispano and four .303s or two 20mm and two .50 cals.  Occassionally with four 20mm.

Nearly all Mk Is and Mk IIs were armed with eight .303s.  Some early Mk Vs as well.

[dedalos]

Obviusly you made a mistake.  Instead of 30yards, it should read D800

[JB73]

Originally posted by dedalos
Obviusly you made a mistake.  Instead of 30yards, it should read D800

naw, it didn't say slapshot was flying it, though he is old enough heheheeeh