Oh, thx Dan
It's getting tough if every step of the way has to be backed up with documents topping documents. Such as if rhubarbs ever existed, if Spitfires could enter the lowlands without dt's etc.
I do remember a LW claim over a Spit II, well into Belgium it was.
Still, not out of range, - but on those missions navigation had to be pretty good, and there was not much time for extended combat.
Same with the 109's operating from the Calais area, - they were over London allright, but not for long.
Over Birmingham.....not really.
So, that's what struck me. Barbi claims that the DB was about,,,what,,,,30% more fuel saving (?), so on the equal fuel load, the 109 should have ventured further than it did, - or the Spitfires should have ventured much shorter than they did.
Well, they still went where they went.
Then to the secon phase.
I have over and over seen Barbi's statements off how quickly the Merlins got thirstier, and hence the Spitfires running on their normal 85 gallons, should have been getting shorter and shorter legs. So, time for RL stats
Well, on double fuel (roughly160 gals total), an overseas crossing of up to 600 Nm was possible on a Mk V, also 4 hours on an unfavourable setting (escort), - with that ugly trop filter might I add.
The answer to the riddle promoted earlier is this:
Spitfire Mk IX, low flight up & down through clouds and fronts, 200 gallons max used, flight time 5 hrs, distance equal to east-Anglia to Berlin and back, Pilot Jeffrey Quill.
I my have some PR data to come, but, well, this is a 109 thread
