The combination aircraft was decent, but was eventually outclassed by Allied warplanes.
Key point: This heavy fighter-bomber was made to solve a certain problem. However, it would not be able to hold its own throughout the entire war.
In the mid-1930s, Nazi Germany had a problem. Its twin-engined medium bombers, such as the Heinkel 111, had a range of perhaps 1,500 miles. However, the Luftwaffe s single-engined fighter plane, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, had a range of only 400 miles (it wasn t until mid-World War II that fighters carried drop tanks). Before 1939, airpower enthusiasts believed the bomber will always get through enemy air defenses, but the Germans also realized they needed a fighter capable of escorting bombers all the way to the target and back.
Published:
February 24, 2021 at 7:03 am
At the height of the battle of Dunkirk in May 1940, the brilliant New Zealander Al Deere was on patrol in his RAF Spitfire over the French coast. Suddenly, through the haze of smoke drifting upwards from the raging combat on the ground, he spotted a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter below him. He instantly gave chase. Soon, both planes were descending earthwards at high speed. “Down we went, throttles fully open, engines roaring and each determined to get the last ounce out of his straining aircraft. From 17,000 feet down to ground level I hung to his tail,” recalled Deere.
Richard Foster
, February 15th, 2021 09:42
In our monthly subscribers only feature, Richard Foster looks under that milk advert to a Lancastrian football club with an occult history
Walking down Whalley Road in Accrington, towards the Crown public house, the parish of Altham and the old industrial village of Clayton-le-Moors, the pedestrian will pass under a brown sign adorned with a football, stating “Accrington Stanley FC”. Following the sign’s arrow down Livingstone Road and taking a sharp left will lead the curious to the Crown Ground, now known as the Wham Stadium. This is the home of Accrington Stanley (1968) FC, a small football club close to the heart of the town, previously a “housewives’ favourite”, then “the club that wouldn’t die”. And now a club in the heart of the community, which is quite possibly the most rock & roll in the land.
Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe Heads to Auction, and It s Even Left-Hand Drive
It’s rare to spot a Bristol outside the U.K., but this one wasn’t even sold there new. Artcurial Auctions
Even among collectors of rare British classics, Bristol occupies a different category. While you won t have trouble finding a Bentley, Jaguar, or a Rolls-Royce from really any decade after the 1950s, chances are you ll never spot a Bristol, even if you live in the U.K. where the majority of them still reside or follow the classic car auction circuit closely. Bristols tend to trade hands quietly among owners and collectors. Their scarcity also make other rare British cars like Lagondas feel almost mass-produced.