Battle of Midway/Korean War. BBC Dan and Peter Snow
 

Anyone else see the programme on the Battle of the Midway, BBC2 on Monday Night. Clearly showed the value of maritime based air power and the mistakes made by the Japanese Commanders.
I remember someone writing about the British Carriers during WWII with their armoured flight decks, when the Japanese aircraft crashed onto the decks or dropped bombs, they just swept them off and carried on. The US carriers though had un-armoured decks and suffered greatly.
Any news on CVF??

I thoroughly enjoyed last nights programme. A good insight into the whole Midway saga. Well presented with enough "simple" language to keep "average Joe" amused and enough depth to keep keen military historians interested. Hats off to the Beeb for producing something worthwile for a change.

Indeed- The British carriers were the first one to have 'armoured' flight decks.

Infact- steam catapults, angled flight decks- British design I believe?

It was good, I quite enjoy their programmes, the way, they also covered Pearl Harbour and also the Battle of Coral Sea, set up some background to the story.

Good interview in the 'listen again' section of the Radio 5 website if you want to hear Dan and pater Peter set up the series.

Rob

Can anyone navigate the BBCi site to see if it's to be repeated? Sometimes this type of programme gets aired again on BBC4.

I cannot believe that anyone is actively encouraging WEBF...:ugh:

Passpartout
 

The RN came up with the ski-ramp too, not to mention the best interceptor / radar the UK fielded, possibly to date & certainly able to project power further - does that have you chewing the carpet yet ???!

All the best,

DZ

The RN also came up with ....
 

..... the Mirror Landing Sight, which entered service in 1954, having been developed by Commander (later Rear Admiral) H C N Goodhart, who coincidentally also featured in the thread about test pilots ("Aviators Extraordinary") in February.

Jack.

Seem to recall that the 'ski-ramp' was the idea of a lowly matelot who copped 20-odd grand for it from a grateful and generous MoD.

Was Midway the first time that a battle had occurred at sea without the two fleets ever seeing each other?

It was obviously a very close run thing. I noticed that the Snows talked about the US breaking the Japanese codes, didn't they get assistance from Bletchley Park in this matter?

Did the fleets see each other in the Coral Sea?

The fleets were outside of gunfire range - the entire battle was fought between/by the embarked aircraft.

This was the first time this had happened - until then aircraft had been incidental or at best partial contributors to a battle between two opposing fleets, but at the BoM they were the only weapons platforms to strike the opposing side in the battle. Naval aviation had come of age.

Ski Ramp
 

I think it was the idea of a Lt.Cdr Doug Taylor ? Though that's just by the grey cells, depleting like dilithium crystals.

No doubt someone can put me right - my book referring to it was lent & not returned, as so many go.

The £20,000 sounds right though.

A thoroughly well done programme, no doubt it will be required watching at BRNC shortly!

Interesting that with what was learned at Midway the Armed Forces Minister can say this: (as quoted in Preview, June 2007 page 14)

I guess Adam Ingram isn't a student of Strategic Studies?!

SL aircrew studied the Battle of Midway in the 70s. I remember tutor sessions with Chris Wreford-Brown's dad.

Everbody studied it in Term 1 whilst I was there, suspect they still do. Helps remind young dabbers why we have a FAA!

The RN Carrier that served with the US Pacific was HMS Victorious. She had the bump in her flight deck until she was eventually scrapped in 1969.

<<First Pacific Service
After a refit in the United States at the Norfolk Navy Yard during the winter of 1942-43, Victorious sailed through the Panama Canal to operate with the United States forces in the Pacific. During this time, the code name for the carrier was USS Robin, from the character "Robin Hood," as the US Navy was temporarily "poor" in carriers. In April 1943, Victorious sailed for Pearl Harbor to join Saratoga's Battle Group, at that time the only operational American carrier in the Pacific. Her operations in the South Pacific area were conducted in the Solomon Islands. During this time Victorious was home to US Navy fighter squadron VF-6, flying F4F Wildcats, as well as its own Wildcats of No. 832 Squadron (832 Squadron's Avengers were at this time detached to Saratoga). Between May and July, 1943, Victorious and Saratoga provided air support for Allied forces, including the invasion of New Georgia. In late 1943, Victorious returned to the UK, to the naval base at Scapa Flow. The refit had included the addition of such typically American appliances such as soda machines and ice cream freezers which were ridiculed by the sailors of the Royal Navy upon its return to them.>>

Fire Drills
 

I have got to say, that having been through the modern, gas fired trainer at Pheonix and the old oil fired ones at Horsea, there is no comparison. The heat from the oil fired units was intense and the fire walk quite a scary, but confidence building event. The whole experience of breaking apart wood fires and watching the oil/water "fireball" go above my head was quite incredible. Health and safety and all that, with a lower carbon footprint, but at least you knew waht a real fire was like.


A decent analogy would be, I suppose training with blanks as opposed to live ammo. Listening to those whistles above your head would concentrate the mind. Havinig towed a target in the past and watched the tracers go by...............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those interested in the testing of a lot of the FAA/RN developments (such as a rubber flexible carpet flight deck, for a/c equipped with no u/c!), I'd recommend "Wings on my sleeve", the autobiography of Captiain Eric "Winkle" Brown, RN Just finishing it, and it's a good read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_%22Winkle%22_Brown

He also tested a lot of captured German kit including the ME262 and 163, so there are loads of good tales in there.