Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

[regle]

Blenheims

The Blenheim was a pre war private venture from Bristols,known as "Britain First" and the prototype had a much better performance than the production version after the various departments had added turret, guns, higher bomb loads etc.
The understanding for the need of standardisation of the placing of instruments had not yet arisen as the demands for skill in night flying were virtually non existent and it would be a long time before it came into being. The idea of the daylight flying ,medium bomber was still that formation and gun turrets would be the answer to the fighter menace and it took disatrous casualties before the higher ups reacted to the practical advice that was coming from the people that were actually trying to do the job and paying dearly for the mistakes made in strategy. The Mosquito was a revelation and must be one of the top contestants for one of the finest and most versatile aircraft of the war. Once again it was the designers and makers of this aircraft that took all the risks and went ahead against the refusals of Government to back the project...just as it had taken the backing of a Lady to enable Britain to go ahead and win the Schneider Trophy and pave the way for the Spitfire to play such a part in the destiny of this country. Note that I say "play a part " as the Hurricane shot down more enemy fighters than the Spitfire and was the preferred mount of the majority of it's pilots just as the Halifax was the workhorse of Bomber Command and the Lancaster had to have a terrible start as an underpowered Manchester before emerging as the aircraft that it became. Those pilots who flew both, knew which one gave the crew the best chance of survival and it wasn't the Lancaster.

I think that it is our destiny to have the finest men doing the fighting despite the terrible mistakes of the ones sitting at the top.... The First World War criticism of the British by one of their powerful enemies ( I can't remember who but it might have been Bismarck ) "Lions led by Donkeys". It was ever thus. Regle,..... but I don't mind Reg !