Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!bu.edu!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: bxr307@csc.anu.oz.au Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Fighters & gas (was Air-to-air refueling) Message-ID: <1990Dec6.022552.19918@cbnews.att.com> Date: 6 Dec 90 02:25:52 GMT References: <1990Nov16.054115.23709@cbnews.att.com> <1990Nov27.044525.3091@cbnews.att.com> <1990Dec5.030253.6044@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University Lines: 48 Approved: military@att.att.com From: bxr307@csc.anu.oz.au In article <1990Dec5.030253.6044@cbnews.att.com>, fiddler@Eng.Sun.COM (Steve Hix) writes: >> From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) >> >> The British decided, at one time, to teach the >> Zero pilots a lesson by sending over, from Eu- >> rope, a crack Spitfire squadron to Northern >> Australia. The Spitfire pilots decided to use >> turning tactics against the Zeroes and ended >> up losing 17 pilots out of 27 in two raids. > > This may have been during the defense of Singapore. > Sorry, no. It was at Darwin. The British in Singapore were flying Hurricanes, Buffalos and Blenheim night fighters. The original poster was correct that the British sent home a Spitfire Mk.VIII squadron from England, plus another English one. Unfortunately I don't know which ones, however when I get home tonight I will find out. Their value was limited due to the short range of the aircraft, particularly in 1943 when they arrived as the pace of operations against the Japanese was chaning over to the offensive. They were kept in Darwin for use as that cities main defences along with a squadron of P.40 Kittyhawks (if my memory serves me correctly). > After being battered pretty badly, the RAF pulled > everyone out who could move and relocated (mostly) > to Australia. > No British squadrons made it intact to Australia. From Singapore most pulled back to Sumatra. When that island was attacked they either then went to Java and then finally to Australia, if they were lucky, or most ended up in Burma and participated in the long retreat from Rangoon to India. > If you think the Spits got it bad, consider the poor > Aussies who were flying Brewster Buffalos at the same > time in Malaya. They lost 154 out of 154 within three > months. Whilst the Japanese got a surprise the first time they took their Zeros and Zeke's up against the Hurricanes. A Hurricane Mk.II which normally carried 12 .303 machine guns could outturn a Zero if the outer 4 MG were removed and full flap applied. Brian Ross Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com