Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (3 Viewers)

rollingthunder · Jul 18, 2019

Wow - that’s some job in charge of the PR footage.

There seems to be a few of these Blue-liveried Spits around or whether they are just painted for effect?

I have just returned from Stettin as part of a birding holiday which was spent at Swinoujsie for Aquatic Warbler etc. There is an old U-boat training pen still with concrete structures. Presumably the PR planes would have been photgraphing shipyards like Gdansk and Kiel?

Laurie -

MJB · Jul 18, 2019

rollingthunder said:
Wow - that’s some job in charge of the PR footage.

There seems to be a few of these Blue-liveried Spits around or whether they are just painted for effect?

I have just returned from Stettin as part of a birding holiday which was spent at Swinoujsie for Aquatic Warbler etc. There is an old U-boat training pen still with concrete structures. Presumably the PR planes would have been photgraphing shipyards like Gdansk and Kiel?

Laurie -

Indeed. One of the most valuable parts of the wartime archive was the Luftwaffe material that was obtained in the immediate aftermath of the war. Their coverage of Russia all the way to Moscow and beyond was close on 100% and of stunning quality. Their coverage of the Nazi-occupied countries was also good, but the coverage of the German secret facilities was a goldmine of confirmatory data. You see, the Nazi regime were worried about how well their concealed and camouflaged installations had been disguised, and so with Teutonic attention to detail, they constantly photographed them until they were satisfied and cross-referenced the lot, rather like the way they meticulously recorded their atrocity programmes from 1933 onward...

I expect the Russians obtained much similar imagery...
MJB

Farnboro John · Jul 18, 2019

Its worth emphasising also that the PR Spitfires and Mosquitos did not just visit targets after bombing raids, or for that matter to obtain material to enable briefing of bomber crews. All ports of any size, plus areas of interest inland, had to be visited more or less regularly to provide a baseline of coverage against which substantial changes in use, in deployment of ships and U-boats, of massing for particular operations, could be observed, interpreted and if necessary plans laid to confound the enemy.

So PR crews undertook many flights without an obvious immediate purpose, providing the enemy with practice in detecting, locating, intercepting and killing them: using and reusing the variations and feints in routeing until the Germans, were they observing, noting and learning the tactics, could get better and better at stopping each aircraft.

These Spitfires and Mosquitos were unarmed, protected by their camouflage paint (is there a finer shade of blue than RAF PRU blue?) and altitude and speed and hopefully tactics. Faith in their aircraft was the very least these men required as they headed out over the North Sea.

John

Spitfire PR XIX of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, decked out in PRU Blue with D-Day Allied recognition stripes X 3

rollingthunder · Jul 19, 2019

It is indeed a lovely livery - my second fave is the Desert or ‘titty’ Pink used during the first Gulf War on Buccaneers iirc and Land Rovers although the paint scheme could have LRDG origins...

Whilst on the subject of paint schemes - the amazing disruptive pattern on some of the Allied WW2 ships are eye-catching likewise the almost cartoonish schemes on the B24 Liberator ‘assembly ships’ that deliberately stood out for miles so that heavy bomber groups could form up for the dreaded 1000 bomber raids:eek!:

Laurie -

Hauksen · Jul 19, 2019

Hi Laurie,

rollingthunder said:
Whilst on the subject of paint schemes - the amazing disruptive pattern on some of the Allied WW2 ships are eye-catching

A similar principle was actually applied to aircraft ... I've seen pictures of a P-51 experimentally painted in "dazzle" camouflage. Really left an impression, but I'm not all that sure it made the aircraft any harder to spot

Regards,

Henning

rollingthunder · Jul 19, 2019

These days everything military i see in the UK is generally ‘Gunship Grey’ which apparantly blends in well with the dreary overcast conditions:-C

Even ‘nose art’ has been PC’d certainly for the Yanks...

I used to love the ‘Tiger’ meets at the Fairford Air Tattoo where lots of aircraft types from Nato would sport a Big Cat livery - the most impressive, for me, was generally the Germans and usually on a Tornado c/w tons of smoke residue on the tail fin from the action of the reverse thrusters aka ‘thrust buckets’:eek!::t:

Laurie -

Euan Buchan · Jul 19, 2019

Looking forward going to Scotland's National Airshow next Saturday.

rollingthunder · Jul 19, 2019

I didn’t know Scotland had an Air Force?

Laurie -

PYRTLE · Jul 19, 2019

Who mentioned an Air Force?

Farnboro John · Jul 19, 2019

My first visit to The Bwlch in LFA7, what fun, will be doing that again!

Well worth the drive and wait on the hillside.

John

The Bwlch from the top shelf

C-130J Hercules C4 of 47 Sqn RAF

F15C Eagle: heritage jet from the 493rd FS, 48th (Statue of Liberty) Wing at RAF Lakenheath

MC-130J Hercules of the USAF from RAF Mildenhall

BAe Hawk T2 of IV (AC) Sqn RAF based at RAF Valley

dragnil · Jul 19, 2019

My first post on this long thread so apologies if this has been seen before. Note the altimeter c 5000ft amsl - in the Drakensberg range I think. Not as low as 15 Sqn but pretty good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex4pyyjav2o

dragnil · Jul 19, 2019

And as I seem to have mentioned low flying, the rules were a little different in Oman a few years ago...

rollingthunder · Jul 19, 2019

Sorry - the word ‘National’ confused me.....

Bird_Bill · Jul 20, 2019

This is an old pic taken on Portra 400 color film several years ago.

Lockheed Electra L-12, the sound of its radials preceding its appearance by at least a full one minute.

Taken at my favorite former patch at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Bounded by the terminal control areas of three airports, I've seen an amazing number and variety of aircraft there. Never to be forgotten, an RAF VC-10 making an appearance there one day. Posted the VC-10 a few years ago in this thread.

March of time being what it is, still amazing and wonderfully shot pics of classic aircraft being contributed to this thread.

Cheers! everyone

Mike Crawley · Jul 20, 2019

dragnil said:
And as I seem to have mentioned low flying, the rules were a little different in Oman a few years ago...

took me a while to work that out !!! |8.|

dragnil · Jul 20, 2019

Mike C said:
took me a while to work that out !!! |8.|

Yes, the wheels belong to the refuelling bowser(s) not the Jag!

PYRTLE · Jul 20, 2019

dragnil said:
And as I seem to have mentioned low flying, the rules were a little different in Oman a few years ago...

Are those Hawker Hunters in the background?

dragnil · Jul 20, 2019

PYRTLE said:
Are those Hawker Hunters in the background?

Yes, 2 seaters and singles and always competing ...

PYRTLE · Jul 20, 2019

Thanks, looks about 12 feet off the ground, fast and straight. Still one of my favourites.

rollingthunder · Jul 21, 2019

There is some nice footage on Youtube of those Jags:eek!:

Laurie -

Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (3 Viewers)

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