RAF 19 Obtaining Perspective

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WHEN I visited, in 2018, the Yorkshire Air Museum (formerly RAF Elvington, and the operational base of the Handley Page Halifaxes flown by the Free French Air Force during the Second World War), specifically to undertake the paid tour of the Handley Page Halifax on display, I had learned much about battle tactics.

Free French Air Forces

Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres

The image is by courtesy of Wikipedia, to which the author is a paid monthly supporter.

One such, was the tactic favoured by the Luftwaffe whereby, with forward mounting vertical up-firing cannon, they could fly up beneath their target and thereby find the aircraft’s most vulnerable and unguarded part.

I took this photograph to give myself a wider perspective when reading and researching. Initially, I recall my reaction. Goodness, how dastardly. There would be no way of detecting an aircraft flying just a couple of meters below.

The image I captured of a Messerschmitt BF 109 beneath the starboard wing outer engine of the Halifax, brought the crew’s vulnerability to this method of attack. It also emphasised still more why ‘tail-end Charlie’, the rear-gunner, was every aircraft’s eyes sweeping radar-like, and warning of impending attack.

Since 2018, I have concentrated on reading and learning about the Royal Flying Corps. Dastardly? Well, in a nutshell, this was one of the favoured angles of attack by Captain Albert Ball VC DSO (1896-1917)and Major James McCudden VC MC (1895-1918) during their service as fighter pilots in the Royal Flying Corps between 1916-1918.

These depict Captain Albert Ball VC DSO MC and Major James McCudden VC

At this point, I must express my thanks and admiration for the work and the blog that the URL takes us to, maintained Mr. Alan Malcher, Military Historian and Freelance Defence Journalist. It is more than a Blog. It is a historical record, and I encourage all who have an interest in the history of the Royal Flying Corps to follow this blog. It is from Alan Macher’s blog that I was delighted to find this studio portrait:

I have deliberately left in place Mr Malcher’s own penmanship, vital to understanding this remarkable pilot. Reading his autobiography, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps, I warmed to his account immediately, for he was an air mechanic and rose through the ranks as a highly skilled aircraft engineer, a man very much in touch with his roots, and whose skill was recognised by all.

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The Messerschmitt ME 109B was the favoured fighter both by day and night of General Adolf Galland throughout the Second World War. His biography is essential reading, especially when we wish to learn more about jet propulsion and the deployment of the Messerschmitt ME262 Jet fighter by the Luftwaffe.

This image also provides me a glimpse of the size of the allied four engine heavy bombers deployed from late 1941 onwards. It is interesting to note the wing spans:

1 Short Sunderland Flying Boat (114 ft | 35m)
2 B24 Liberator (110 ft | 33.5m)
3 Catalina Flying Boat (104 ft | 32m)
4 Handley Page Halifax (103.8 ft | 31.63m)
5 B17 Flying Fortress (103.7 ft | 31.62m)
6 Avro Lancaster (102 ft | 31.08m)
7 Short Stirling 98 ft | 30m)

The Short Stirling was, however, colossal! One of its inherent weaknesses lay at the hands of the Air Ministry. When informed that this mighty aircraft’s wingspan was wider than RAF heavy bomber hangars, then one merely had to shorten the wingspan.

As Aviators, designers and engineers know only too well, when admin boffins play around without any thought about the complicated and delicate balance of aeronautics, they, in effect, cause a beautiful design to become an unwieldy death-trap.

A superb illustration that firm;y underlines the comparative airframe sizes. This image is by courtesy of Emoscopes dated 7 April 2008. I have not been able to ascertain the draughtsman’s name, and should anyone know who this is, I would welcome a message via my website. Thank you. Kenneth Thomas Webb, 30 July 2024

The Short Stirling Heavy Bomber in service with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force during the second World War. This famous photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum emphasises the size of the aircraft’s undercarriage alone, when one compares it to the undercarriages of the Handley Page Halifax and the Avro Lancaster and the B17 Flying Fortress (USAAF Eight Group United Kingdom 1942-1945)

31 July 2024
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