Battle Of Britain 75

[Red XXX]

Largest gathering of Spitfires and Hurricanes for BoB75.

https://www.rafbf.org/

 

[sean miguel]

suh WEET.

 

[Supafly]

Last time WE saw so many was over Dresden

 

[assari]

What you would have done if Hitler's troops would have landed in 1940?

 

[Jagger69]

That is awesome. As an aviation enthusiast, WWII-era aircraft represent the golden age of flying. There's one of only eleven B-17s still flying left in the world that's based at an airport near where I live (the Texas Raiders of the Commemorative Air Force) and I can always tell when it's up and about the local area whenever I hear that unmistakable drone of those big radial engines.

The actions of those brave pilots of the RAF were a serious reason that the tide of war began to shift against Hitler. Their "finest hour" indeed.

What you would have done if Hitler's troops would have landed in 1940?

It would have been an unparalleled disaster....for Germany.

....during wartime analyses, it became obvious to both sides that the Kriegsmarine never commanded sufficient numbers of surface ships nor U-boats to clear the Home Fleet from the English Channel. Worse, the LST hadn’t been invented yet, so the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (general staff) faced the dilemma of how to transport their 9th and 16th Armies across the Channel from occupied France. Sure, they could airlift infantry, but what about tanks and artillery? It was the Panzer Corps that made the Wehrmacht so mighty, and any attempt to conquer Britain without them was practical idiocy.

The attempted solution? Rhine river barges, flat-bottomed and clumsy. Of the 1,200 barges assembled for training exercises, only a quarter were self-powered. The rest had to be towed. None carried serious weaponry. All of them floundered in any sea rougher than State 2. Note that a destroyer’s wake qualified as State 4, meaning all the Home Fleet had to do was drive past the German invasion flotilla to swamp or sink a hefty percentage. And how many of the soldiers who survived to reach the shore wouldn’t be seasick?

These barges weren’t equipped with cranes. So when (if) a barge reached the English shoreline, how were the soldiers supposed to unload the tanks? The serious suggestion was, fire the cannon and blow out the end of the barge. So, um, how was the second wave supposed to cross?

The invasion plan, Operation Sealion, stank. No other word for it. When reality sank in, OKW shuffled it off into a file cabinet and pretended it didn’t exist. Hitler turned his gunsights on Russia, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Just think, if Allied engineers hadn’t invented the LST and the artificial harbor, D-Day might have ended differently. But that’s another plotline.

http://benjaminwallacebooks.com/why-didnt-the-german-army-invade-england-during-world-war-ii/

 

[Rey C.]

Very cool. Did you go, Red?

 

[Red XXX]

Jagger69 America does have FB.26 KA114/N114KA



I was actually at the Goodwood Revivalas the airfield is in the middle of the race track it was rather hard to miss 40 odd aircraft, fabulous to see so many in one place including 4 Hurricanes and a P45 Mustang!

It's nice they're pointing out that the few did include people from all over the world not just the British Commonwealth, Free Europeans and even 7 guys from the USA who ignored US government comments not to get involved in another European war!

I think it might have been nice to give a mention to the young Luftwaffe crews that lost their lives as well - after 75 years it's probably time to bury the hatchet - after all we couldn't have had our finest hour with out them

 

[Red XXX]

I couldn't go today - but most of the aircraft were at the Goodwood Revival event at the weekend - it's sad to think there are now more war time aircraft flying than there are pilots who originally flew them!

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

What you would have done if Hitler's troops would have landed in 1940?

Why, nothing. I hadn't been born yet.

 

[Red XXX]

To be honest looking at the German plans for operation Sea Lion they might have been better waiting for the channel tunnel to be built!

Compare Sea Lion to Overlord - that's how to cross the channel ;-)

 

[Mr. Daystar]

That is awesome. As an aviation enthusiast, WWII-era aircraft represent the golden age of flying. There's one of only eleven B-17s still flying left in the world that's based at an airport near where I live (the Texas Raiders of the Commemorative Air Force) and I can always tell when it's up and about the local area whenever I hear that unmistakable drone of those big radial engines.

The actions of those brave pilots of the RAF were a serious reason that the tide of war began to shift against Hitler. Their "finest hour" indeed.

I was up at the Lake Erie Islands (google it) on my wedding anniversary last month, and as we approached I looked in the sky, and was like WTF!!!! That's a B17!! When we got off at our exit, there was a small to medium sized airport with a big sign that read something to the effect of, "Ride in an authentic WWII B17 Flying Fortress. Today only!". We went on to our ferry, and went to Put In Bay, and saw it cruise around a couple of times. I think the ride was a short circle of Sandusky Bay (google it) I wanted SO BADLY to saddle up, but it just isn't something my wife is into, and it was our anniversary....I even kept it to 3 beers for the whole day! I love that shit too, and can honestly say, if the lotto win was big enough....I might think about a single set fighter. But that's a LOT of cabbage...A LOT of cabbage. This years Cleveland Airshow had a P51, and a B25. Last year was a B17, a Zero, and a Grumman 2 seat aircraft based torpedo bomber, of which I am not sure of the numeral, and named designation. My favorite of all time though, is the P38 Lightning. That one was a few years back, at the show, which I did not attend, but it flew with an A10 Warthog. I caught a glimpse of the practice flight, but it was a short one. Still cool though.

 

[assari]

It would have been an unparalleled disaster....for Germany.

German defeated English, Belgium,Dutch and French armies in a few weeks in 1940.

To be honest looking at the German plans for operation Sea Lion they might have been better waiting for the channel tunnel to be built!

Compare Sea Lion to Overlord - that's how to cross the channel ;-)

Yes the side who has more power is usually a winner.

- - - Updated - - -

Why, nothing. I hadn't been born yet.

Very true.

 

[FreeOnes_Adam]

In the Doctor Who version, they blew up the Daleks in space too in those gorgeous planes. Which I believe actually happened. It's gotta be true, right?

 

[Red XXX]

German defeated English, Belgium,Dutch and French armies in a few weeks in 1940.








Yes the side who has more power is usually a winner.

- - - Updated - - -



Very true.

No ... the bulk of the BEF over 300.000 men as well as 100,000 French troops were evacuated, the French rear guard stopped the German advance outside Dunkirk for long enough and the Luffwaffe failed to gain full air superiority of either the beach nor the channel - Hurricanes found shooting down Stuka dive bombers so easy they were ordered to stop! J ust incase the Luffwaffe twigged as to how vulnerable it was to fighter attack, from the 8 to 18 of August the Stuka losses were so bad it was withdrawn from the Battle of Britain.

And as for power - really how can a country really win a war when it's leader would rather consult his friends than his senior military staff?

 

[Red XXX]

In the Doctor Who version, they blew up the Daleks in space too in those gorgeous planes. Which I believe actually happened. It's gotta be true, right?

As it was on the BBC it must be true

 

[FreeOnes_Adam]

Red XXX[/URL][/B], post: 9135709, member: 55251"]As it was on the BBC it must be true

 

[Red XXX]

Actually Daleks come from Horsham!

 

[FreeOnes_Adam]

Red XXX[/URL][/B], post: 9135723, member: 55251"]Actually Daleks come from Horsham!

Neat. Now that I think about it, they do look like pepper shakers.

 

[assari]

No ... the bulk of the BEF over 300.000 men as well as 100,000 French troops were evacuated, the French rear guard stopped the German advance outside Dunkirk for long enough and the Luffwaffe failed to gain full air superiority of either the beach nor the channel - Hurricanes found shooting down Stuka dive bombers so easy they were ordered to stop! J ust incase the Luffwaffe twigged as to how vulnerable it was to fighter attack, from the 8 to 18 of August the Stuka losses were so bad it was withdrawn from the Battle of Britain.

And as for power - really how can a country really win a war when it's leader would rather consult his friends than his senior military staff?

Airplanes are not able to defeat a large country such as the United Kingdom.

But the fact is that the English land army was always forced to retreat when it encountered the German army in Europe 1940-1941

-The Battle of Norway 1940

-The Battle of France 1940

-The Battle of Greece 1941


Stuka was a bomber not a fighter so it was an easy target.


The (Air) Battle of Britain:

England won

 

[Red XXX]

Airplanes are not able to defeat a large country such as the United Kingdom.

But the fact is that the English land army was always forced to retreat when it encountered the German army in Europe 1940-1941

-The Battle of Norway 1940

-The Battle of France 1940

-The Battle of Greece 1941


Stuka was a bomber not a fighter so it was an easy target.


The (Air) Battle of Britain:

England won

I never said you could defeat any country large or small with air power - but as in the fall of Poland and ever since, not to have air superiority in a major land battle is fighting win one hand tied behind your back.

The Battle of Norway was badly and hurriedly thought out, but whilst the land battles became increasingly bizarre, the damage done to the Kriegsmarine destroyers affected the German navy for the rest of the war.

Don't for god's sake tell the French - but I don't think we ever had any intention of holding France, just look at the 1st World War for the reasons for letting France fall!

As for Greece I don't think Germany was to keen on this - after all it was an Italian invasion firstly and tactically a back water of the war. Even Von Rintelen pointed out Germany should have taken Malta and only Malta to control the Med!

We won one "The Battle of Britain" just - but look at the tactics, highly organized aircraft control by the Chain Home network, a very efficient aircraft repair programme organised and controlled by Rolls Royce and other plane manufactures plus a 24 hour round the clock effort from ground crews. Plus we used a far more accurate method of counting kills, on more than one occassion the Luffwaffe claimed on kills alone they had finished the RAF only to find the following day the RAF still there ... just!