Chugalug,
Not so much of the "truckie", if you please, Chug. I've spent many a happy hour curled up on the mailbags at the back of a "Dak". God bless Transport Command and all of you who flew in her, say I - and many a weary squaddie would say "amen" to that.
As nobody else seems to want to come in, let's continue with this absorbing (?) topic.
Capt. Brown had an A-35 to test and not an A-31? Very possibly, (why didn't that occur to me ?) This could explain it, Now I come to think of it, the only VVs which AFAIK got to the UK in any number were the Mk IVs which came on the scene very late and became target tugs. There must have been one or two of the early Mks which were brought over for test, but the testers only considered them as flying machines, concluded that they were useless as such (which they were), and didn't even try any dives.
But in those early days Capt. Brown was flying off escort carriers, in mortal combat with FW Condors and U-boats in the Bay of Biscay. His days as the premier test pilot of the age were in the future. He may never have flown, much less dived, a VV Mks I - III (the A-31).
Yes, I read that the "automatic" bit related only to the pull-out. Vielen Dank, Herr Junkers , but I'd rather decide for myself when to pull out ! (Old adage: A black box has no fear of Death. !)
A picture is worth a thousand words. I was fascinated by the air shots of the Stukas on the clips, pausing many of them for close study. Among the points which struck me: the 500kg fuselage bomb in position would certainly have made any floor "window" useless; the wing bombs are carried rather far out (why ?); their "crutch" (to throw the fuselage bomb clear of the prop) is hinged from the rear (our twin"forks" pivoted from the front - is there an advantage ?); their bomb smoke does look white - maybe the VV clip (YouTube) you sent me shows real bursts, in which case where's the target: it doesn't seem to be the (obvious) bridge ?
The questions go on and on. But it's clear that the Stuka was a very efficient weapon for the Germans.
The next instalment of my story is on the stocks,
Goodnight,
Danny.
I've been puzzling for a long time, what does "IIRC" mean ? (Somebody should produce a Glossary of these abbreviations)
Fareastdriver,
(Your Post just popped up)
So was the Vengeance (of a sort!). You could loop it and barrel-roll it, but it would be a brave man, with a good 10,000 ft of clear air underneath him, who tried to slow roll the thing ! (I never heard of anyone trying).
Danny (Paragraph spacing gone ape; I've no idea - sorry !)