Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Bullethead on November 13, 2005, 11:45:43 PM
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I've always been under the impression that the slipper tanks under spit bellies were non-droppable things bolted on solely for long-range ferry flights. As soon as a plane landed at its destination, part of the turn-around servicing was ripping the slipper tank off ASAP, before sending the bird into battle. Yet now we have droppable slipper tanks in AH2. Is that really correct?
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Originally posted by Bullethead
I've always been under the impression that the slipper tanks under spit bellies were non-droppable things bolted on solely for long-range ferry flights. As soon as a plane landed at its destination, part of the turn-around servicing was ripping the slipper tank off ASAP, before sending the bird into battle. Yet now we have droppable slipper tanks in AH2. Is that really correct?
Good question. I remember reading something to the effect that they had an emergency release but the tanks themselves weren't considered disposable (i.e. you were expected to bring them back unless you had a good excuse). I'm not sure how accurate that was though.
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According to the stuff Dan has posted about the Mk XIIs in action, the slipper tanks were intended to be disposable.
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Originally posted by Karnak
According to the stuff Dan has posted about the Mk XIIs in action, the slipper tanks were intended to be disposable.
Well, maybe that came later. I know, for instance, that when they ferried Mk.Vs to Malta off CVs, they had to use slipper tanks just to reach the island, and they ripped these off as soon as the planes touched the ground and never used them again. This despite later on when the Brits went on the offensive and were sweeping Sicily regularly, and had the same sort of fuel constraints they faced crossing the Channel. They must have had a large pile of slipper tanks lying around after all the ferry flights to Malta, but they sure didn't use them in combat situations. I guess they either sent them back on freighters or cut them up to patch bullet holes on planes.
I think Mk.IXs and later had regular-looking belly tanks hanging on a bomb-rack type thing, and this was definitely droppable. However, that sure wasn't a slipper tank.
Anyway, that's about all I know about spit tanks. My impression is still that the slippers weren't intended for combat due to their high drag and inability to drop. But of course I could easily be wrong.
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Bullethead,
The slippers were low drag. It sounds to me like you may be confusing the 30 gallon slipper tanks with the bigger ferry tanks.
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The slipper tanks were definately used in combat and were droppable. The most common was the 30 gallon slipper. Here are two images of Spit XIIs with the 30 gallon slipper, which was standard for them. It made up for the higher fuel consumption of the Griffon III/IV as the XII had the same 85 gallons internal fuel as the Spit V.
First image shows the tank in place underneath.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/EBB1.jpg)
Second image shows the belly of the same XII without the tank in place. If you look towards the rear of the wing under the belly you can see the two stops in place for the drop tank. When the tank was released it slid back along the belly and the rear edge caught on the stops. The airflow did the rest, tipping the front of the tank down and away from the bottom of the Spit.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/MB882.jpg)
Next is an example of a 30 gallon slipper tank on a RAAF 79 Squadron Spitfire VIII. Kind of small but definately visible. Again, it was a standard loadout which is why I think it's great AH included it.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/NewmanVIII.jpg)
There was a 45 gallon slipper tank, but that one doesn't show up much as I think it was replaced by the 50 gallon torpedo tank seen on the Spit IX below. This is the bird the AH Spit IX is skinned as. I've only ever seen these tanks on Spit IXs. Not sure why.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/9-mh434-06-001.jpg)
And of course the 90 gallon slipper tank first used on the Malta Spit Vc's that went off the carriers. They weren't used as a combat load out at that point but were used late in 44 when Spit IXs and even the XIIs escorted RAF bombers on daylight raids. Image shows Jimmy Ware of 41 Squadron on the wing of his XII with the 90 gallon tank visible behind him as well as stacks of them in the background.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/JimmyWare.jpg)
This image shows an August 44 91 Squadron Spitfire FIX with a 90 gallon tank in place for an escort mission.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/91SpitIX.jpg)
I hope that clarifies things on Spit drop tanks. I'm glad HTC included the 30 gallon tank. And I don't think they needed to add the others as it would be overkill for the MA and not really needed for ToD as the 30 gallon would have been the standard tank anyway.
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Just for fun.
An early 1942-43 Spit IX with a 30 gallon slipper tank underneath.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/IX30.jpg)
A Spitfire LFXVIe with a 45 gallon slipper tank on towards the end of the war in 1945.
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/XVISlipper.jpg)
A 1944 Spitfire LFIX with a 50 gallon torpedo tank
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/IXtorp.jpg)
And a 1945 RAAF Spitfire VIII of 457 squadron with a 90 gallon slipper tank
(http://www.furballunderground.com/freehost/files/27/VIII90.jpg)
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great pics! thanks Dan.
VIII's always look so d@mn dirty in pics... maybe because they mostly flew in desrts or in tropical mud and from forward fields ?
Bozon
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Great post, guppy!
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Top notch info from Dan .... once again !!! ... you never cease to amaze.
The knowledgeable info between Dan and WideWing is incredible ... we are lucky to have such great resources.
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yeah no kidding slappy. That's incredible.
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Go offline and drop your slipper tank from the external view, it spins nicely as it falls away.
Yeah its only eye candy but its a nice touch