Tempest Mark V research

[MiloMorai]

5 hours ago, Quinte said:

Gee, I don't know, people playing the campaign? Missions with restricted boost?

 

I was referring to 9lb and 11lb not 11lb and 13lb and you already stated that continental Tempests were 11lb.

[MiloMorai]

Tempest squadrons to the continent.

 

3 - B.60 29.9.44

486 - B.60 29.9.44

501 - stayed with ADGB

274 - B.70 29.9.44

80 - B.70 29.9.44

33 - B.77 21.2.45

222 - B77 21.2.45

[PainGod85]

23 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

Napier Sabre Heritage Trust goes no later than 1945 in listing all variants. They state that this injector system was developed in summer 1945, raising permissible boost to +17.5 psi with a combat rating of 3‘055 hp at 2‘240 ft. altitude.

 

I‘m really unsure about is wether the methanol injection was really deployed or not. The problem with this is that Clostermann wrote specs in his diary at a time where there the type ratings were not written up formally. It is also not clear what exactly happens when he used „surpression“ in his last batch Tempest V, a thing he wouldn‘t mention in his first ride.

 

What we do know is that at +11 psi boost and 3‘850 rpm most likely was rated maximum for „all things Napier“ in Tempests once they got reequiped in Volkel by beginning of 1945.

 

Thus I would expect the throttle and rpm just moving to this max ratings. But then, the first thing Clostermann mentioned (and he does so a couple of times) is the +13 psi boost. Now I would expect running the engine at 3‘850 rpm and +11 lbs boost, upping revs to 4‘000 would give +13 psi boost. Butthat is not how he put it. He stated +13 psi boost at the same 3‘850 rpm, *and then you could additionally up rpm to 4000*, indicating that Napier in fact did play with the gearing of the supercharger during spring 1945 already.

 

Napier goes no higher than +15 psi boost without the injector system, producing 2‘600 hp at 3‘850 rpm. In this sense, it is deabatable what „surpression“ could have meant. Clostermann described it as a „sudden, dramatic surge in power“ once you are breaking the wire. I doesn‘t sound like just being able to walk boost past +13 psi. He also doen‘t mention a boost rating in this state.

 

 

 

4000 revs? Well, if it's documented...I wouldn't mind the increase in critical altitude.

Edited August 20, 2018 by PainGod85

[303_Bies]

15 hours ago, VO101Kurfurst said:

(...) spring tab ailerons would be nice ideas for mods as well but we might be asking for too much.

 

From "Tempest Squadrons of the RAF" by Chris Thomas

Looks like all serie 2 (and even some serie 1) Tempests received spring-tab ailerons.

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by bies

[NZTyphoon]

1 hour ago, PainGod85 said:

 

4000 revs? Well, if it's documented...I wouldn't mind the increase in critical altitude.

AFAIK, the only Sabres rated to use 3,850 rpm(or 4,050 rpm in a dive) and +15 or +17.25 lbs boost were the post-war Sabre V & VA, used in the Tempest VI, and the ultimate Sabre variant, the VII (see page 3 of the Flight article posted below). When writing about boost pressures of +13 lbs Clostermann was either conflating post-war developments with WW 2 events, or he was flying experimental Tempest Vs, using Sabres that were in no way representative of he majority of wartime engines.

35 minutes ago, bies said:

 

From "Tempest Squadrons of the RAF" by Chris Thomas

 

 

Er, cant read your link, but spring tab ailerons were fitted to all but the first 50 or so Tempest Vs (attachment 2 is that page from Chris Thomas' book).

[Kurfurst]

1 hour ago, bies said:

 

From "Tempest Squadrons of the RAF" by Chris Thomas

Looks like all serie 2 (and even some serie 1) Tempests received spring-tab ailerons.

 

 

What I meant that the purpose of ‘mods’ is to have a wide variety of airframe configurations available to try. With a STA, you could simulate all Tempests in Series 2 and above config, and without, the early examples.

 

However this would mean modifications to both the FM (different aileron power characteristics) and the 3D model, so it would probably not worth the time of the developers, just to have a representative of the early model (I.e. Sabre IIA, no STA, long Hispanos); its probably better to just to skip it and model the more common later models from October which concerns the scenario.

[ZachariasX]

2 hours ago, PainGod85 said:

4000 revs? Well, if it's documented...I wouldn't mind the increase in critical altitude.

This is another problem of Clostermanns account. basically it is not officially cleared with the notable exception of the Sabre IV:

Here, this is what the Napier Heritage Trust has to say about those engines.

 

There must have been a difference of what was specified in general and what you *could do* with certain verly late expamples of aircraft. It is of note that the +13 psi boost rating is not stated here, although it was used. This is why I think there was a rather fluid development in thse engines. Espacially since in the field, they swapped parts seemingly at leisure.

 

All we really know is that on the continent they ran +11 psi boost. later in winter 45, that got upped, but not too systematically it appears.

[Talisman]

16 hours ago, Quinte said:

Hispanos V and spring tab ailerons would have been standard on all machines or close, for all our campaign.

 

 

September itself is pretty much irrelevant since you don't have any Tempests on the continent before the 29th. Now the uprating was for 150 octane fuel use, and was at 3700 rpm, but they didn't get that fuel in Grimbergen.

Also NVXXX aircrafts don't appear much until way later. Deliveries started in september to the RAF (GSUs), sure, but not to frontline units.

 

Edit: all in all, a late october mod for 11lbs, 3700rpm would make sense. But that's three different settings, having just two would be fine to me. Then again, in that case it is just a case of reducing power from an other setting, so why not.

 

 

Might be worth remembering that between anti-diver (V1) rostering duties, Tempest V using 150 Octane fuel were over the battle space on the continent, sometimes at Wing strength, but they were launched from England (including covering the period September 1944).  Nonetheless, Tempest V at higher rating boost were actually operational in the battle space over the continent of Europe in the time frame concerned.  As were Spitfires and Mustangs.

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman

[Quinte]

Turns out I was wrong about the spring-tab ailerons.

[Talon_]

@Quinte and I have done some digging and together found this info.

 

September 1944: the V-1 threat ends

 

In response to the above, 2TAF Tempests are withdrawn from service until very late November, are re-engined or refitted (surely the Sabre IIBs or Sabre IIA modifications to IIBs, serialised into production by September, by this point) and then fly back to form No. 122 Wing at Volkel in time for December 1944.

 

 

With this in mind I imagine our ingame Tempests should probably not even appear until December. Simply start off your career in a Spitfire and transfer.

[Quinte]

Tempests were definitely flying during those two months, though. And getting quite a few victories at that, including a bunch of 262s.

[MiloMorai]

Claims

Nov. 3 - Me262 damaged 122W

Nov 19 - Me262 #486

Nov 26 - Ju188 #486

Nov 26 - Ju188 #486

Nov 28 - He219 #56

Nov 28 - He219 damaged #56

 

So it looks like Tempest Squadrons were withdrawn for 2-3 weeks as #486 ddn't score till late Dec, and squadrons that didn't score in Nov scored  in Dec

Edited August 21, 2018 by MiloMorai

[NZTyphoon]

5 hours ago, Talon_ said:

@Quinte and I have done some digging and together found this info.

 

September 1944: the V-1 threat ends

 

In response to the above, 2TAF Tempests are withdrawn from service until very late November, are re-engined or refitted (surely the Sabre IIBs or Sabre IIA modifications to IIBs, serialised into production by September, by this point) and then fly back to form No. 122 Wing at Volkel in time for December 1944.

 

 

With this in mind I imagine our ingame Tempests should probably not even appear until December. Simply start off your career in a Spitfire and transfer.

Not sure where Steve Zagola got his information, but that is most definitely wrong: the Tempests were not "...virtually withdrawn from service for two months...", and continued active operations over Europe right through from September to December and beyond. The first Tempest squadrons to deploy to the continent were 3 & 56 Sqns on 28 September, followed by 80 & 274 Sqns on the 29th and 486 Sqn a few days later (attachment from Chris Thomas' The Typhoon & Tempest Story page 120). All five squadrons moved to Dutch airfields in early October. As has already been mentioned, spring-tab ailerons were fitted to all but the first 50 or so Tempests.

Edited August 21, 2018 by NZTyphoon
close bracket

[Talon_]

6 hours ago, NZTyphoon said:

Steve Zagola

 

This is Francis Mason's book The Hawker Typhoon and Tempest

6 hours ago, NZTyphoon said:

spring-tab ailerons were fitted to all but the first 50 or so Tempests.

 

Mason writes above that they were removed.

[Talon_]

Interesting point. Spring tabs supposedly withdrawn in October but according to Mike's site deliveries continued with spring tabs regardless - so did later planes have them removed at the front? Could Mason mean they were modified rather than removed?

Edited August 21, 2018 by Talon_

[NZTyphoon]

3 hours ago, No.41_Glen said:

Third production batch of 199 aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Langley, Buckinghamshire. NV639-NV682, NV695-NV735, NV749-NV793, NV917-NV948, NV960-NV996. Sabre IIB engines and spring tab ailerons. Deliveries commenced 9-44, completed 2-45; average rate of production approximately 12 aircraft per week.

 

early 44: 9lbs 

late 44: 11lbs

early 1945: 13lbs

 

 

Second production batch of 300 Tempest Vs built by Hawker at Langley: EJ504; EJ518-EJ560; EJ577-EJ611; EJ616-EJ-672; EJ685-EJ723; EJ739-EJ788; EJ-800-EJ846; EJ859-EJ896 Sabre IIA or IIB, Hispano V cannon, spring-tab ailerons Deliveries commenced 5-44; completed 9-44 18 aircraft per week. (From Francis K Mason Hawker Aircraft Since 1960, 1991 page 567

 

3 hours ago, Talon_ said:

Interesting point. Spring tabs supposedly withdrawn in October but according to Mike's site deliveries continued with spring tabs regardless - so did later planes have them removed at the front? Could Mason mean they were modified rather than removed?

Mason's assertion that the spring-tab ailerons were "withdrawn" makes no sense: for one, they improved aileron feel and increased the rate of roll: for two, there's no evidence anywhere that the ailerons were causing problems, such that they needed to be removed or modified.

Right now, this goes in the same basket as Zaloga's claims that the Tempest Vs were withdrawn from operations for two months...

Edited August 21, 2018 by NZTyphoon

[unreasonable]

4 minutes ago, No.41_Glen said:

 

 

Do you mean July & Aug 1944? Tempests were busy shooting down V1 in 1944 Summer, that's my memory. 

 

 

No he is talking about the Zaloga book "Operation Crossfire" which apparently says they were out of action from September to early December, which is absolute rubbish. The Tempests moved to 2TAF in late September and were in action all through the autumn. Plenty of details of sorties in "Tempest Squadrons of the RAF" by Chris Thomas.

[Talisman]

 

Some more 56 squadron (150 Octane fuel anti-diver rostered unit) Tempest V operations over the European continent.  I see they destroyed a staff car and FW 190's.

Last 2 missions from base on the continent at Grimbergen.  Note that all activity recorded on this sheet covers to the end of September 1944, starting in England and then moving to Europe.

 

Also, check out Tempest V shooting down a Me 262 in October 1944.  Details at the bottom of the page. 

12 Oct 1944 Robert Cole of No. 3 Squadron RAF, flying a Tempest V fighter, shot down a Me 262 jet fighter which was escorting bombers of German Kampfgeschwader 51. This was the first victory of a jet aircraft by a Tempest fighter. The German pilot, Unteroffizier Edmond Delatowski, bailed out and survived.   https://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=53

Edited August 21, 2018 by 56RAF_Talisman

[Talisman]

Tempest V pilot shoots down Me 262 in October 1944 and destroys a Bf 109 on the ground in November 1944.

 

http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.php/10-pilots/54-cole

 

Note the link below provides records of Tempest V victories over Europe from June 1944 onwards:

 

http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.php/piloter/victories

 

The Tempest V was operating over Europe from June 1944 onwards and shooting down Bf109, FW 190 and Me 262, etc.  Mixing it up with enemy aircraft on plenty of occasions through Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec 44, and on into 1945 and the end of the war.  I hope the dev's will recognise this for BP and that map makers and MP server providers will reflect this fact.

 

It is worth noting that when Tempest units were on anti-diver operations (V1 flying bomb), they were 'rostered' for such duties and rotated with other anti-diver units.  When not on anti-diver duty they were available for operations over the continent of Europe.  This means that they were flying over Europe with 150 Octane fuel and using its performance benefits over Europe in between anti-diver duties, as were other anti-diver units operating Spitfires and Mustangs.

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman

Edited August 21, 2018 by 56RAF_Talisman

[Talon_]

 

This is not from Zaloga's book, this is Mason's 1967 book - right @Quinte ?

[Quinte]

 

4 hours ago, No.41_Glen said:

In 1944 late, totally 21 Fw190A/G? shot down by Tempest, none of them was Dora. In the whole January 1945, the bodenplatte operation, no Dora lost due to Tempest. Dora did get involved in Bodenplatte, but I guess Dora and Tempest did not meet each other before Feb 1945.

 That's wrong. Doras were encountered as early as the 7th of November, as they shot down two tempests on this day.

 

2 minutes ago, Talon_ said:

This is not from Zaloga's book, this is Mason's 1967 book - right

It is. Yet the source for the 3 last batches having spring-tabs is also... Mason. In a later book, too. I'd tend to believe the latest book to be the most likely to be right about this.

[Talon_]

Need to get my hands on these books, along with the 2TAF volumes.

One thing I will say (as much as I would prefer spring tabs) is that it seems like Zaloga + Mason's 1967 book quality as two sources matching up on something.

 

Is it possible that regarding "the Tempests were removed from service" he's talking about a specific wing or squadron? Or that individual Tempests were removed from the front for overhaul but not all at once?

 

Edit: anyone have Zaloga's page? I now feel I misread and he only talks about withdrawals and not Spring tabs.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Talon_

[Quinte]

"Virtually removed from service" could simply be a rather big exaggeration. October to december were known to have a particularly bad weather going on, the allied were bogged down a bit and had supply issues with Antwerp unuseable, and overall the flying from 2ndTAF was reduced.

I gues if you were to only look at Tempests combat records, you'd end up seeing less of them.

[Talon_]

Sounds like a fair point. Plus if let's say 15 of your 60 operational birds per week go home for a week of maintenance in November you're gonna feel pretty light on aircraft

[MiloMorai]

486 scored on 26 Nov but didn't score again til 25 Dec.

 

80, 3, 274 scored in Dec but not in Nov.

 

56 scored in Nov and Dec

 

They all scored in Jan.

 

Weather doesn't play into this, me thinks so why.

[Talon_]

30 minutes ago, MiloMorai said:

486 scored on 26 Nov but didn't score again til 25 Dec.

 

80, 3, 274 scored in Dec but not in Nov.

 

56 scored in Nov and Dec

 

They all scored in Jan.

 

Weather doesn't play into this, me thinks so why.

 

Good analysis. Looks like certain squadrons were basically rotated out of action while their planes got sorted out then?

 

56 no kills between 6th October and 28th November

 

3 no kills between 13th October and 17th December

 

80 first kill in December

 

274 no kill until 17th December

 

486 are a bit different, scoring on 30th September, but then not again until 19th November and then again over a month until Christmas day.

 

Only three days with kills for Tempests in October in total, 2 in the first week, 1 in the 2nd and then nothing for two weeks.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Talon_

[unreasonable]

40 minutes ago, Talon_ said:

 

This is not from Zaloga's book, this is Mason's 1967 book - right @Quinte ?

 

Sorry, I misidentified the source - but on this page alone there are discrepancies with Thomas's book, according to which 122 Wing was not formed in December - it was already with 2TAF and equipped with Mustangs. They swapped with  3, 56 and 486 UK Tempest squadrons so that the Mustangs could escort daylight bomber raids from the UK, the Tempests went out on Sept 28 and three days later the Wing moved to Volkel.  80 and 274 moved over on 1st Oct and joined 125 Wing (Spitfires) and then 122 Wing on 7th Oct.  His book does not mention any withdrawals and gives details of plenty of sorties, up to 150 a day. Although the weather started to get worse in November there were still plenty of sorties right through to end of the year. 

 

So one or the other of them has some basic facts badly wrong: given the detail in Thomas' book I am not inclined to believe it is him.

 

3 minutes ago, Talon_ said:

 

Good analysis. Looks like certain squadrons were basically rotated out of action while their planes got sorted out then?

 

While that is possible that is not direct evidence: the number of claims and losses is just not high enough to make that inference given that there were five squadrons of Tempests.  You would need to see  a specific reference to squadrons being rotated back to the UK for a while. Given that they had only just got to Europe I find that highly unlikely, but not impossible. 

[Talon_]

8 minutes ago, unreasonable said:

While that is possible that is not direct evidence: the number of claims and losses is just not high enough to make that inference given that there were five squadrons of Tempests.  You would need to see  a specific reference to squadrons being rotated back to the UK for a while. Given that they had only just got to Europe I find that highly unlikely, but not impossible. 

1

 

Sorry I used the wrong terms. Rather than rotating to the UK, maybe just mostly non-flying or on minimal flying while a lot of a squadron's planes were under maintenance is what I meant.

 

EDIT: Mapping out victories does put a big hole in the named squadrons, though this is by no means conclusive. Hopefully 2TAF Vol. 1 or other sources can help explain what's going on in the hole...

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Talon_

[Quinte]

Nothing's going on in the hole. All 122 wing squadrons are still there, flying, just not that much. 3 squadron is only withdrawn to Warmwell between the 1st and 17h april 45, 80 squadron is withdrawn from the 19th of april to may 7th(!). Those are the only occurences of Tempest squadrons being actually withdrawn from the frontlines.

 

135 wing squadrons are not equipped with Tempests yet.

[Talisman]

2 hours ago, Talon_ said:

 

Sorry I used the wrong terms. Rather than rotating to the UK, maybe just mostly non-flying or on minimal flying while a lot of a squadron's planes were under maintenance is what I meant.

 

EDIT: Mapping out victories does put a big hole in the named squadrons, though this is by no means conclusive. Hopefully 2TAF Vol. 1 or other sources can help explain what's going on in the hole...

 

This is confusing me as the list below (also included in other posts above) says that 56 Sqn did score kills in October and Nov.

http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.php/piloter/victories

Am I missing something? 

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman

[Talon_]

2 minutes ago, 56RAF_Talisman said:

This is confusing me as the list below (also included in other posts above) says that 56 Sqn did score kills in October and Nov.

 

 

Yup they're on the graph, first and last week of each!

[MiloMorai]

There is also the term 'stood down'.

 

3, 56, 80, 274 and 486 were all based at B.80 (Volkel) from the first week of Oct. They did move to other bases til 11-18 of April '45.

[Talisman]

4 hours ago, Quinte said:

"Virtually removed from service" could simply be a rather big exaggeration. October to december were known to have a particularly bad weather going on, the allied were bogged down a bit and had supply issues with Antwerp unuseable, and overall the flying from 2ndTAF was reduced.

I gues if you were to only look at Tempests combat records, you'd end up seeing less of them.

This sort of thing tends to get mentioned in the squadron operations record book, but I can't find any mention of it.  Something seems very wrong, or misleading, regarding the 'virtually removed from service' remark.  There needs to be evidence to back this up and so far there is no evidence to support this.  Correct me if I am wrong.

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman

[Quinte]

There is plenty evidence that the weather was particularly bad, and that quite a few days went without sorties being flown/with very few sorties being flown.

Other than that, 122 wing was, as said before, flying a very decent number of sorties on the good days (up to about 150 sorties per day).

 

There was definitely, amongst other things, a strike at the Langley Facility, which in turns meant that 2nd TAF failed to build up its Tempest strength as expected initially.

 

So yeah, Tempests were probably not flying as much as they could have, but "removed from service" is at least vastly exaggerated, .

 

Now to the spring tabs issue, though, as that was definitely the point here.

Checking other sources I can't see any mention of removing the spring-tabs. In fact, some later tempests (some Mk.VI) and Fury/Sea Fury had them.

But then:

- First production aircraft with spring tabs seems to have been EJ592, which first flew sometime during the summer of 44 (so btw, not all early series II get the spring tabs).

- Photographic evidence shows an absence of visible spring tabs on pretty much every aircraft, even though the much smaller fixed tabs are sometimes visible (in fact, I can't find any, but I can't look at every photo of a Tempest V right now)

- MW409 (a Tempest Mk.II) underwent some trials for modified ailerons at Langley sometime during 1945, so months after it was installed on a production Mk.V

- NX124 (a Tempest Mk.VI), build in 1946, underwent spring tabs trials sometime in 1946

 

As a result, while I don't believe that claim to be definitely proved true, I don't feel it's as far-fetched as it seems.

 

And this exists, but I can't access that myself.

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Quinte

[Talon_]

27 minutes ago, Quinte said:

And this exists, but I can't access that myself.

 

 

My theory so far is that the spring tab design was modified between the 2nd and 3rd production batches rather than being simply removed. Perhaps travel was limited somehow. This document could be in reference to that modification... need access!

Edited August 21, 2018 by Talon_

[Talon_]

On the topic of conditions... Volkel was no holiday camp!

 

[Kurfurst]

14 hours ago, 56RAF_Talisman said:

Tempest V pilot shoots down Me 262 in October 1944 and destroys a Bf 109 on the ground in November 1944.

 

http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.php/10-pilots/54-cole

 

Note the link below provides records of Tempest V victories over Europe from June 1944 onwards:

 

http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.php/piloter/victories

 

The Tempest V was operating over Europe from June 1944 onwards and shooting down Bf109, FW 190 and Me 262, etc.  Mixing it up with enemy aircraft on plenty of occasions through Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec 44, and on into 1945 and the end of the war.  I hope the dev's will recognise this for BP and that map makers and MP server providers will reflect this fact.

 

That's a nice collection of victory claims, thank you. It looks like the first claim was made in June 1944 (3 claims made), then its nothing until the end of September 1944 (5 claims made 29-30 September). 4 claims in October, 6 in November. Then action begins in earnest from December.

 

Thing is, in June 1944 they did not yet run on 150 grade (first trials in connection for the V-1 menace were done in August, all 3 Tempest engines failed btw), and by the end of September, they were no longer running on 150 grade and +11 (save for perhaps Sabre IIBs).

 

 

14 hours ago, 56RAF_Talisman said:

It is worth noting that when Tempest units were on anti-diver operations (V1 flying bomb), they were 'rostered' for such duties and rotated with other anti-diver units.  When not on anti-diver duty they were available for operations over the continent of Europe.  This means that they were flying over Europe with 150 Octane fuel and using its performance benefits over Europe in between anti-diver duties, as were other anti-diver units operating Spitfires and Mustangs.

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman

 

No.

 

 

HEADQUARTERS:
	AIR DEFENCE GREAT BRITAIN.
	ROYAL AIR FORCE
	BENTLEY PRIORY
	STANMORE
	MIDDLESEX
	18th September 1944.

 

 

Use of 150 Grade Fuel

Sir,

        I have the honor to refer to the above subject, and state that during the last 6 months a considerable amount of experience has been gained in A.D.G.B. with the use of 150 Grade Fuel in operational aircraft. The use of this fuel allowed higher boost pressures, which gave substantial increases in aircraft performance, and these increases were of great value when Squadrons of A.D.G.B. were employed against the flying bomb. Attached at Appendix “A” is a summary of the experience gained.

2.        Because the flying bomb menace no longer exists, and because under existing operational commitments, aircraft of A.D.G.B. will have to refuel at landing grounds in Belgium or Holland, it has been decided to revert to the use of 130 Grade Fuel and to adjust engines to their previous maximum boost pressure. To continue to use 150 Grade Fuel in operational Squadrons is undesirable for the following reasons:-

(i)	The free interchange of Squadrons with T.A.F would be complicated in that aircraft would have to be modified for the lower boost pressure on transfer.
(ii)	To use 150 Grade Fuel when operating from U.K and to use 130 Grade Fuel when refueling on the Continent, would call for repeated adjustments of the maximum boost pressure obtainable.
(iii)	The increased performance obtainable by the use of 150 Grade Fuel is not an essential operational requirement for the role, which A.D.G.B. Squadrons will be called to undertake in the near future.
(iv)	The supply of 150 Grade Fuel is such that stocks can only be laid down a certain airfields. This imposes a degree of inflexibility, which is undesirable.
(v)	The use of high boost pressures in Mosquito aircraft calls for the fitting of open exhausts as the night flying exhausts will not withstand the temperatures associated with the higher boost pressures. Therefore, to continue to use the higher boost pressures in Mosquito aircraft makes the aircraft unsuitable for normal Night Fighter operation.

The Air Officer Commanding-in – Chief,
Headquarters
Allied Expeditionary Air Force.

 

[Talisman]

I have dug out a book by Arthur Reed and Roland Beamont  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Beamont) named 'Typhoon and Tempest at War', published in 1974, IBSN 0 7110 0542 7.

 

At the top of page 148 it says the following:

 

"At the end of their participation in the flying-bomb battle, many Tempests were withdrawn from service temporarily for major work to be carried out on their engines.  By that time, the aircraft was being adjudged by many as the best low/medium altitude fighter to reach squadron service during the war, and most RAF officers remained of this opinion when victory in Europe came in 1945."

 

This statement seems a far more sober assessment and less dramatic than has been posted above.

 

No where can I see a statement that any Tempest squadron was declared non operational due to the engine works programme or that the works programme adversely effected Tempest operations.  Nor can I see anything that indicates that the engine works programme was a problem in terms of logistics or engineering.  Tempest operations were maintained throughout and did not stop.  To keep squadrons operational it is likely that a reserves were used and squadron's were maintained at operational strength during the works programme.  Poor weather conditions for flying for both sides may have assisted this.

 

Happy landings,

 

Talisman 

[Talon_]

11 minutes ago, VO101Kurfurst said:

 

 

 

This document is a statement of intent only. You have previously dismissed the following document (a statement of clearance) based on the fact that there's supposedly no evidence of the works being carried out.

 

You cannot have it both ways - either these documents are both acceptable, or neither are. 

 

[Kurfurst]

Well Talisman already provided you with the evidence of carrying out this 'intent'.

 

"At the end of their participation in the flying-bomb battle, many Tempests were withdrawn from service temporarily for major work to be carried out on their engines.'