Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Stoney74 on February 19, 2007, 10:42:45 PM

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: Stoney74 on February 19, 2007, 10:42:45 PM

Just curious, but what types of missions did the RAF Spitfires fly as the war moved across the Channel.  Specifically, since they weren't normally escorting British bombers, and the USAAF was doing the daylight stuff, what was the RAF Fighter role in say mid-'44 to the end of the war?  Additionally, why didn't the RAF start to acquire fighters with longer legs as did the USAAF?

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: 1K3 on February 19, 2007, 11:03:54 PM

Umm I think later spits and other types of daylight RAF planes participated in tactical missions.

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: Krusty on February 19, 2007, 11:34:36 PM

Typhoons were heavily into ground attack, as were tempests. Some spits carried bombs and rockets as well. They kept busy.

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: Stoney74 on February 19, 2007, 11:58:40 PM

Quote

Originally posted by 1K3
Umm I think later spits and other types of daylight RAF planes participated in tactical missions.

Didn't mean to imply that they "took holiday".  I was just interested in learning what they were doing.  I knew the Typh's and Tempest did a lot of air-to-ground.  I was just curious about the Spitfire units, and specifically why the RAF didn't develop a fighter with longer range.

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: ramzey on February 20, 2007, 01:39:29 AM

CAP,  armed reco, air to ground  using mostly  bombs, hunting trains, hunting ships, ammo-fuel-food depots, all kind of traffic
Don't forget they had external fuel tank mounted under fuselage and 2 racks for bombs on wings

http://www.geocities.com/skrzydla1/308/308_part6.html
http://www.geocities.com/skrzydla1/308/308_part7.html

just a example of one

Title: RAF Role Later in ETO
Post by: Stoney74 on February 20, 2007, 01:57:36 AM

Thanks Ramzey, just what I was looking for.