WesWorld

June 6
After exactly twenty-four hours in harbour and after refuelling from Port Stanley’s ample oil bunkers at 11:16am the Folkunga Lion weighed anchor and began carefully steaming out into the chilly Southern Atlantic followed by her squadron.

The British engineering firms of Napier, Napier-Paxman and Paxman today signed a merger deal with English Electric to form a conglomerate engineering firm, NEE, with a wide range of electrical and mechanical products from refrigerators to aero-engines, racing cars to marine diesels. The four firms will retain their trading names and trademarks.

June 9
The Bombing Accuracy Committee chaired by Sir Henry Tizard today submitted its report to the Air Ministry with several recommendations to improve Bomber Command’s efficiency. They estimate a £95 million investment programme should be complete by 1943.

Britannia’s Shield: Government and Armaments, A Political History by Prof. E. Giddings, 1964, Macmillan Press
The Bombing Accuracy Committee chaired by Sir Henry Tizard had sifted through forty assorted technical reports and notes and had undertaken a great deal of research work perhaps without fully realising the task ahead of them. The last meeting of June 4th to discuss the final report prepared for the Committee on Imperial Defence had also decided on some appointments to be made immediately, with Air Ministry approval. Dr Pye was appointed to lead a technical committee which would meet fortnightly to discuss any developments and plan any implementation required to overcome problems and to review progress with fortnightly reports to the Secretary for War and the Prime Minister with copies being issued to the Air Ministry. Dr Barnes-Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong Aircraft had bombarded Whitehall with his ideas on bombing methods and equipment, his last ‘Note’ was fifty pages long and entitled “Methods of Attack on Enemy Powers.” This brought him to attention within the Bombing Accuracy Committee and although some of his ideas were labelled as “tosh” it was realised that he had studied bomb design more thoroughly than any other engineer in the country and he was awarded a £1000 pounds research loan to begin design work. Meanwhile Dr R.V. Jones who was still heading the Infra-Red Detection team at Farnborough was appointed to head the Air Ministry’s Foreign Technical Intelligence Research Unit. His talents in this area had already been appreciated from some freelance work he had undertaken and it was deemed essential to keep abreast of other nations developments. Dr Jones himself sacrificed the chance of an astronomy research tour in America and his academic career seemed to be slipping away but he was of solid patriotic mind and realised what his work might achieve for the nation.

June 10
The Admiralty today confirms that the light cruiser HMS Formidable has been transferred to the Royal Iraqi Navy.

June 20
A secret Admiralty report outlines the latest radio-location sets and electronic reconnaissance equipment now entering production for various RN ships either in refit or currently under construction.
Gunnery Director Type 285
Destroyer Set Type 286; developed from the ASV Mk II with two fixed antennas
Passive Radar Intercept Type 294
VHF Direction Finder Type 295
Surface Search Type 272
Surface Search Type 274; a ‘high definition’ type

This is the BBC Home Service and this is the one o'clock news…

July 11
Today George Miles made the first flight of the new Miles M.28 Messenger. It flew well and Mr Miles is sure that the firm has another winning design. The M.28 Messenger is a replacement for the M.11 and M.17 and has been designed by Ray Bournon under the supervision of George Miles. It is of the usual Miles wooden construction but with new features such as retractable undercarriage, trailing-edge flaps and a constant-speed propeller. Twin fins are carried in a departure from the normal Miles conventional fin design. It can seat two side-by-side and two smaller seats can be installed in the rear of the cockpit. Range with four seats is 500 miles at 160mph and covering 20 miles per Imperial gallon of fuel. Engine choices are; a 130hp DH Gipsy Major I or 140hp DH Gipsy Major II, 145hp Gipsy Major IIA or the 150hp Blackburn Cirrus Major III. Maximum speed is 159mph; cruising speed 152mph and range 408 miles.

A team of Blackburn and Heinkel engineers assembled at the Blackburn works to prepare the radical new Blackburn B.44 seaplane fighter for its first flight. A delegation of Admiralty and KM officers were also present for the first flight.
The Blackburn B.44 has been developed to meet Spec N.2/39 for a floatplane fighter and was designed by Major J.D. Rennie. The B.44 in novel in that it has a retractable planing bottom system with retractable wing floats rather than a conventional single or twin float layout. Armament will comprise four 20mm cannon and two 500lb bombs or 90gal drop tanks. Service entry with the FAA is planned for 1942. The FAA hopes to use the type for local fighter protection of smaller harbours and islands where no airfields exist while the German Navy wants to use the type a ship-borne catapult launched high-speed reconnaissance type. Heinkel has provided funds and technical support for the project. The 2,340hp Napier Sabre V should provide a maximum speed of 360mph at 25,000 feet; 1,000 miles range and a service ceiling of 38,000ft.
The take-off was spectacular with clouds of spray but the take-off run was quite long before the large fighter got airborne. Five circuits were made with the planing bottom down before the B.44 came in to a successful, but rough, landing.

I would have thought that the drivers behind the B.44 floatplane fighter design were even less in WW than they were historically. Given that the UK is already building Colossus-Type light carriers I'm surprised there's much reason to produce this.

I'm also surprised that Germany wants a version to catapult launch as a reconnaissance aircraft. Surely all the baltic coast is within range of land based air from Germany? Similarly with the Netherlands, Belgium, France etc.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral

I'm also surprised that Germany wants a version to catapult launch as a reconnaissance aircraft. Surely all the baltic coast is within range of land based air from Germany? Similarly with the Netherlands, Belgium, France etc.

Your view is predicated on the assumption that Germany's interests are bounded by the Baltic and the North Sea. Assumptions can be most dangerous, and it would be unwise to rely upon them.

As to the Blackburn B.44, Germany is certainly interested in its development; whether this interest turns into actual procurement is a very separate issue. The initial tests results suggest a number of issues that need to be overcome.

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan
Your view is predicated on the assumption that Germany's interests are bounded by the Baltic and the North Sea. Assumptions can be most dangerous, and it would be unwise to rely upon them.

So the Colonial envy is back again in Germany? I suppose it's got to be really to justify the massive battlefleet when you're surrounded by Allies and friendly nations and Poland.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral

So the Colonial envy is back again in Germany? I suppose it's got to be really to justify the massive battlefleet when you're surrounded by Allies and friendly nations and Poland.

"Colonial envy?" That certainly is an interesting concept.

Considering that in WW terms, it is an open question what colonies, if any, Germany had. I recall asking that question and found little response; no one, it seems, had much to say definitively on that score. However, it is of little matter at the moment.

But rushing to conclusions is also a dangerous habit.

Germany - the world's policeman - ensuring that humour around the globe is wiped out.

Germany has already developed quite a number of excellent flying boats and seaplanes, a list of which would take quite some time to recount. What is so unbelievable about them casting an eye at an interesting allied development in a similar vein?

Guys, play nice.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
Germany - the world's policeman - ensuring that humour around the globe is wiped out.

Coming from a nation which seems to have a far larger battlefleet - no less than seven battleships with two building, and some ten aircraft carriers, I find the characterization of the German battle fleet as "massive" to be quite humorous.

Germany is all in favor of humor. It seems, however, that Italy fails to comprehend German humor. Germany will have to try harder in the future.

Blimey, two nations divided by a common language. You guys just don't understand humour.

Quoted

Germany has already developed quite a number of excellent flying boats and seaplanes, a list of which would take quite some time to recount. What is so unbelievable about them casting an eye at an interesting allied development in a similar vein?

I didn't say unbelieveable, I said surprised. Does no one else find it surprising that Germany wants a long range seaplane fighter-reconnaissance aircraft? Have we really got to the point where people can't query anything?

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
Blimey, two nations divided by a common language. You guys just don't understand humour.

I read your statement as something of a disdainful insult towards Bruce - and no, I don't find that at all humorous.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
I read your statement as something of a disdainful insult towards Bruce - and no, I don't find that at all humorous.

You're reading what you want to read, not what's actually there.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
I read your statement as something of a disdainful insult towards Bruce - and no, I don't find that at all humorous.

You're reading what you want to read, not what's actually there.

*Raises eyebrow* Is that more "humour", or another disdainful insult?

If you believe that, well. Sorry to hear it, and I apologize if I've given you that impression. I doubt there's anything I can say to convince you otherwise, so perhaps we should drop this silly little sniping and return this thread to its original topic.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
Blimey, two nations divided by a common language. You guys just don't understand humour.

We do understand Humor!

(and I said...Play Nice)

Nobody ever said that Latvia didn't have ..... *Smrph, smrph, smmmmrph!!!*

Oh for crying out loud! Lets lighten up guys, can we?

Hrolf showed a strong interest in the type, he encourged me to continue work on it, to replace the current Aradao Ar196 fleet. His intention, as far as I know still the view of the KM, is to operate the type not as a fighter but as a fast single-seat scout. He was concerned that the Ar-196 was too slow and vulnerable, especially in the Blatic with so many land-based fighters around. The B.44 will be faster than any other seaplane and has the speed and punch to give enemy fighters a dose of thier own medicine.

I did offer a two-seat version but he felt that the pilot along could handle to workload, probably no more than a Spitfire PR pilot's workload anyway. I assumed Heinkel in Germany would undertake manufactre of German B.44s and that another engine, possibly the DB603, would be fitted.

The FAA sees the type purely as a shore-based fighter for protecting the Empire's further-flung island bases out East.

Indeed, these all remain valid points, and the Kriegsmarine is following development of the B.44 with keen interest. There are differences of opinion in the KM staff however; how these are resolved remains to be seen. The design has great potential even if the KM chooses a different path.

July 20
Today the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has entered hospital for surgery on his bowels following severe pain beginning earlier this month. Doctors later confirmed that the operation went well and that the Prime Minister was recovering well. [Actually they discovered he had terminal bowel cancer but they hid that from Chamberlain telling him he would not require further surgery.]

Tuesday 23 July
Today amid much celebration and an official ceremony to welcome them, the Nordish Squadron arrived at Kingston, Jamaica. Masses of fireworks lit up the night sky as the Nordish Squadron sailed into harbour. The officers of several ships were invited to an official dinner at the Governor’s House. The Squadron will stay until next Monday.

Sunday 28 July
At Kingston the Nordish Squadron hosts a splendid dinner aboard the Folkunga Lion and many of the staff officers of the North Americas Station and officials of the Jamaican Office attend.

Monday 29 July
At 08:00 hours the Nordish carrier HNMS Orn was the first to leave Kingston harbour as the Nordish fleet continues its homeward leg.