Go Back  RCU Forums > RC Airplanes > RC Warbirds and Warplanes
Reload this Page >

Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Community
Search
Notices
RC Warbirds and Warplanes Discuss rc warbirds and warplanes in this forum.

Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 02-19-2013, 05:04 AM
  #8001  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Goodyear Inflato Plane - made with ribber.
Old 02-19-2013, 05:05 AM
  #8002  
zippome
Senior Member
 
zippome's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Akron, OH
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

The Lockheed A-12 ?
Old 02-19-2013, 05:35 AM
  #8003  
pilotal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: North Eastham, MA
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

allans has it !!
Old 02-19-2013, 05:36 AM
  #8004  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Thank you. Pls give me a moment to research a really good , interesting , but challenging question.
Old 02-19-2013, 05:36 AM
  #8005  
pilotal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: North Eastham, MA
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Inflatoplane

A rather fascinating look into the always tough task of aircrew rescue.
Old 02-19-2013, 11:21 AM
  #8006  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Here is my Mystery Plane Hints

1) Plane used Three Types of Propulsion Systems ( JATO not included)
Old 02-20-2013, 05:10 AM
  #8007  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Here is my Mystery Plane Hints

1) Plane used Three Types of Propulsion Systems ( JATO not included)

2) 2 planes were planes - one was completed and flew.
Old 02-20-2013, 07:23 AM
  #8008  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

ORIGINAL: allans

Here is my Mystery Plane Hints

1) Plane used Three Types of Propulsion Systems ( JATO not included)

2) 2 planes were planes - one was completed and flew.

Just to get it out of the way, both the U.S. and Russia experimented with nuclear powerplants for aircraft in the 1960's. Only the U.S. effort, the NB-36, would qualify (jet, turboprop and nuclear systems), but the nuclear powerplant was never actually used as a propulsion system; therefore it wouldn't truly qualify. But, it was an interesting concept. Thanks; Ernie P.


The Convair NB-36H was a bomber that carried a nuclear reactor. It was also known as the 'Crusader', or the NB-36H. It was built from a B-36 that had been damaged by a tornado. It was created for the Nuclear Powered Aircraft program, or the NPA, to show the feasibility of a nuclear powered bomber. It ended with the cancellation of the NPA program, because eventually jet engines began to have longer ranges and be more reliable, eliminating the need for a nuclear powered bomber.

The 'Crusader', or NB-36, was built for the NPA, or Nuclear Powered Aircraft program. It was made from parts from a B-36 damaged by a tornado. The original crew and avionics cabin was replaced by a massive lead-lined 11 ton crew section for a pilot, copilot, flight engineer and two nuclear engineers. As the rear section was unmanned, the engines and reactor were monitored via a television camera system. Power was supplied by six Pratt & Whitney propeller and four GE J47 jet engines. The reactor did not power any of the plane's systems, nor did it provide propulsion, but was placed on the NB-36 to verify that the plane could actually carry and run it in the air.

The NB-36 completed 47 test flights and 215 hours of flight time (during 89 of which the reactor was operated) between September 17, 1955, and March 1957 over New Mexico and Texas. The plane was also followed by several support planes. There was a hotline connected to the president's office. Once, the hotline and the support planes were nearly used when a smoke marker went off in the reactor compartment.



The Convair X-6 was a proposed experimental aircraft project to develop and evaluate a nuclear-powered jet aircraft. The project was to use a Convair B-36 bomber as a testbed aircraft, and though one NB-36H was modified during the early stages of the project, the program was cancelled before the actual X-6 and its nuclear reactor engines were completed. The X-6 was part of a larger series of programs, costing US$7 billion in all, that ran from 1946 through 1961. Because such an aircraft's range would not have been limited by liquid jet fuel, it was theorized that nuclear-powered strategic bombers would be able to stay airborne for weeks at a time.

In May, 1946, the Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft (NEPA) project was started by the Air Force. Studies under this program were done until May, 1951 when NEPA was replaced by the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion (ANP) program. The ANP program contained plans for two B-36s to be modified by Convair under the MX-1589 project. One of the B-36s was to be used to study shielding requirements for an airborne reactor while the other was to be the X-6.

The first modified B-36 was called the Nuclear Test Aircraft (NTA), a B-36H-20-CF (Serial Number 51-5712) that had been damaged in a tornado at Carswell AFB on September 1, 1952. This plane was redesignated the XB-36H, then the NB-36H and was modified to carry a 3 megawatt, air-cooled nuclear reactor in its bomb bay. The reactor, named the Aircraft Shield Test Reactor (ASTR), was operational but did not power the plane. Water, acting as both moderator and coolant, was pumped through the reactor core and then to water-to-air heat exchangers to dissipate the heat to the atmosphere. Its sole purpose was to investigate the effect of radiation on aircraft systems.

To shield the flight crew, the nose section of the aircraft was modified to include a 12-ton lead and rubber shield. The standard windshield was replaced with one made of 6-inch-thick (15 cm) acrylic glass. The amount of lead and water shielding was variable. Measurements of the resulting radiation levels were then compared with calculated levels to enhance the ability to design optimal shielding with minimum weight for nuclear-powered bombers.

The NTA completed 47 test flights and 215 hours of flight time (during 89 of which the reactor was operated) between September 17, 1955, and March 1957 over New Mexico and Texas. This was the only known airborne reactor experiment by the U.S. with an operational nuclear reactor on board. The NB-36H was scrapped at Fort Worth in 1958 when the Nuclear Aircraft Program was abandoned. After the ASTR was removed from the NB-36H, it was moved to the National Aircraft Research Facility.

Based on the results of the NTA, the X-6 and the entire nuclear aircraft program was abandoned in 1961.

During the cold war the USSR had an experimental nuclear aircraft program, like the USA. Without the need to refuel a nuclear powered aircraft would have greatly extended range compared to conventional designs.

On 12 August 1955 the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued a directive ordering bomber-related design bureaus to join forces in researching nuclear aircraft. The design bureaus of Andrei Tupolev and Vladimir Myasishchev became the chief design teams, while N.D. Kuznetsov and A.M. Lyulka, were assigned to develop the engines. They chose to focus on the direct cycle system from the start, testing ramjets, jet engines and even turboprops.

The Tupolev bureau, knowing the complexity of the task assigned to them, estimated that it would be two decades before the program could produce a working prototype. They assumed that the first operational nuclear-assisted airplane could take to the air in the late 1970s or early 1980s. In order to gain experience with the operational problems, they proposed building a flying testbed as soon as possible, mounting a small reactor in a Tupolev Tu-95M to create the Tu-95LAL.

The VVRL-lOO reactor was fitted in the bomb bay of the aircraft, requiring an aerodynamic fairing over the top. From 1961 to 1969, the Tu-95LAL completed over 40 research flights. Most of these were made with the reactor shut down. The main purpose of the flight phase was examining the effectiveness of the radiation shielding which was one of the main concerns for the engineers. Liquid sodium, beryllium oxide, cadmium, paraffin wax and steel plates were used for protection. The shielding efficiency is disputed. Most sources say that it was at least efficient enough to warrant the further work, and indeed, the design of the follow-up prototype, Tu-119, was duly started.

As in the US, development was curtailed on grounds of cost and environmental concerns. The emerging potential of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile made the expensive nuclear aircraft program superfluous, and it was scaled back.

Old 02-20-2013, 08:51 AM
  #8009  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz


ORIGINAL: allans

Here is my Mystery Plane Hints

1) Plane used Three Types of Propulsion Systems ( JATO not included)

2) 2 planes were planes - one was completed and flew.

Assuming we weren't talking about nuclear propulsion, how about the X-51A, which used jet power (on the B-52 which launched it), rocket power (to accelerate the X-51A to mach 4+ speeds, and the scramjet which was used to accelerate it to around mach 20. Thanks; Ernie P.


Due to the nature of their design, scramjet operation is limited to near-hypersonic velocities. As they lack mechanical compressors, scramjets require the high kinetic energy of a hypersonic flow to compress the incoming air to operational conditions. Thus, a scramjet-powered vehicle must be accelerated to the required velocity by some other means of propulsion, such as turbojet, railgun, or rocket engines. In the flight of the experimental scramjet-powered Boeing X-51A, the test craft was lifted to flight altitude by a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress before being released and accelerated by a detachable rocket to near Mach 4.5.

While scramjets are conceptually simple, actual implementation is limited by extreme technical challenges. Hypersonic flight within the atmosphere generates immense drag, and temperatures found on the aircraft and within the engine can be much greater than that of the surrounding air. Maintaining combustion in the supersonic flow presents additional challenges, as the fuel must be injected, mixed, ignited, and burned within milliseconds. While scramjet technology has been under development since the 1950s, only very recently have scramjets successfully achieved powered flight.

Old 02-20-2013, 09:07 AM
  #8010  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Sorry... got my "x's" mixed up. The X-43 is the current speed record holder, not the X-51. Thanks; Ernie P.

The X-43 is an unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft with multiple planned scale variations meant to test various aspects of hypersonic flight. It was part of NASA's Hyper-X program and has set several airspeed records for jet-propelled aircraft. The X-43 is the fastest aircraft on record at over 6,500 miles per hour (10,461 km/h).[1]

A winged booster rocket with the X-43 placed on top, called a "stack", is launched at speed from a larger carrier plane. After the booster rocket (a modified first stage of the Pegasus rocket) brings the stack to the target speed and altitude, it is discarded, and the X-43 flies free using its own engine, a scramjet.

The initial version, the X-43A, was designed to operate at speeds greater than Mach 9.8 (6,600 mph; 11,000 km/h) at altitudes of 30,000 m or more. The X-43A is a single-use vehicle and is designed to crash into the ocean without recovery. Three of them have been built: the first was destroyed; the other two have successfully flown, with the scramjet operating for approximately 10 seconds, followed by a 10 minute glide and intentional crash.

The first flight in June 2001 failed when the stack spun out of control about 11 seconds after the drop from the B-52 carrier plane. It was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. NASA attributed the crash to several inaccuracies in data modeling for this test, which led to an inadequate control system for the particular Pegasus rocket used.

The X-43A's second flight was successful when it became the fastest free flying air-breathing aircraft in the world.

The third flight of the X-43A set a new speed record of 10,617 km/h (6,598 mph), or Mach 9.65[2] at 33,528 meters (110,000 ft), on November 16, 2004.[3] It was boosted by a modified Pegasus rocket which was launched from a B-52 mother ship at an altitude of 13,157 meters (43,166 ft). After 10 seconds of free flight, the spacecraft made a planned crash into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
Old 02-20-2013, 12:09 PM
  #8011  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Ernie. P . is the correct . And gets an "A" for the quality and the depth of his response.

Very well done.

It is now your turn to pose the question.
Old 02-20-2013, 01:49 PM
  #8012  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz


ORIGINAL: allans

Ernie. P . is the correct . And gets an ''A'' for the quality and the depth of his response.

Very well done.

It is now your turn to pose the question.

Thank you for the compliment, Sir. The "oddball" questions occasionally intrigue me. But was the correct answer the nuclear aircraft or the scramjets? I'm guessing the scramjets, but just want to be sure. Thanks; Ernie P.


As for my question; this ace is an almost unknown... but he was probably the most lethal aerial fighter in history.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

(1) He probably caused more casualties among enemy aviators than any other pilot in history.
Old 02-20-2013, 02:13 PM
  #8013  
pilotal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: North Eastham, MA
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Erich Hartmann ?
Old 02-20-2013, 03:21 PM
  #8014  
allans
My Feedback: (11)
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Yorktown Hgts, NY
Posts: 267
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Nuclear .

My guess Werner Molders or Ernst Udet.
Old 02-20-2013, 05:09 PM
  #8015  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

No correct answers thus far, but an evening clue may help. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

(1) He probably caused more casualties among enemy aviators than any other pilot in history.

(2) He fought throughout almost the entire duration of “his war”.
Old 02-21-2013, 01:34 AM
  #8016  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

A morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

(1) He probably caused more casualties among enemy aviators than any other pilot in history.

(2) He fought throughout almost the entire duration of “his war”.

(3) His first victory was followed by an attack upon a second enemy aircraft. He was wounded in that attack, but managed to land his damaged aircraft.
Old 02-21-2013, 02:07 AM
  #8017  
The Raven
Senior Member
 
The Raven's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Posts: 962
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Biggles!
Old 02-21-2013, 06:39 AM
  #8018  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz


ORIGINAL: The Raven

Biggles!

No, not James Biglesworth. Despite his long career, even Bigglesworth couldn't keep pace with this intrepid ace. But I'll post another clue to reward your ingenuity. Thanks; Ernie P.


"Biggles" (nickname for James Bigglesworth), a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns.
He first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue of Popular Flying magazine, in 1932. The first collection of Biggles stories, The Camels are Coming, was published that same year. The series was continued until the author's death in 1968, eventually spanning nearly a hundred volumes – including novels and short story collections – most, but not all, of the latter with a common setting and time frame.

Biggles first appears as a teenaged "scout" (fighter) pilot in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during World War I. He has joined the RFC in 1916 at the young age of 17, having conveniently "lost" his birth certificate. Biggles represents a particularly "British" hero, combining professionalism with a gentlemanly air. Under the stress of combat he develops from a slightly hysterical youth prone to practical jokes to a calm, confident, competent leader. He is occasionally given "special" (secret) missions by the shadowy figure of Colonel (initially "Major") Raymond (Wing Commander or Air Commodore in later books), who is already involved with the intelligence side of operations. Biggles is accompanied by his cousin Algernon ('Algy') Lacey and his mechanic Flight Sergeant Smyth, who are to accompany Biggles on his adventures after the war; added to the team in 1935 is the teenager Ginger Hebblethwaite.

W.E. Johns was himself a First World War pilot, although his own career did not parallel that of Biggles particularly closely. The author's initial war service was with the infantry – fighting at Gallipoli and on the Macedonian front. He was commissioned, and seconded into the RFC in September 1917 and posted back to England for flight training, serving in England as a flying instructor until August 1918 when he transferred to the Western Front. On 16 September 1918 his De Havilland DH4 was shot down on a bombing raid. His observer, Lieutenant Amey, was killed (in two of the stories in Biggles Learns to Fly observers flying with Biggles are killed or badly wounded) but Johns survived to be taken prisoner of war. Johns remained with the RAF until 1927, although his final rank was only Flying Officer (equivalent to Lieutenant in the RFC) rather than the "Captain" of his pen name.

While the purpose of the Biggles stories was to entertain adolescent boys, in the First World War Biggles stories Johns paid attention to historical detail and helped recreate the primitive days of early air combat — when pilots often died in their first combat and before devices such as respirators and parachutes had become practical. Various models on which the Biggles character might have been based have been suggested – including rugby player and WWI flying ace Cyril Lowe, fighter pilot Albert Ball, and air commodore Arthur Bigsworth[2] – in fact Johns himself stated that the character was a composite of many individuals in the RFC (including himself) but does not represent a single person.

The bulk of the Biggles books, however, are set post-World War I and after Johns' own flying career was over. Biggles has an unusually lengthy career, flying a number of aircraft representative of the history of British military aviation, from Sopwith Camels during World War I, Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires in World War II, right up to the Hawker Hunter jet fighter in a postwar adventure (Biggles in the Terai). In these later books geographic and historical accuracy is rather less evident, and the sometimes rather grim detail of the first stories is moderated, in deference to the increasing popularity of the Biggles books with a younger audience than the older adolescents at which they were initially targeted.

The books were highly successful, and were eventually translated into Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Flemish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.

Old 02-21-2013, 06:41 AM
  #8019  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

As promised, here is the next clue. Remember, I stated he was a relative unknown despite having an unsurpassed record; one that will probably stand for all time. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

(1) He probably caused more casualties among enemy aviators than any other pilot in history.

(2) He fought throughout almost the entire duration of “his war”.

(3) His first victory was followed by an attack upon a second enemy aircraft. He was wounded in that attack, but managed to land his damaged aircraft.

(4) Despite that rocky start, he proved to be very efficient at destroying enemy aircraft. He didn’t score on every mission, but his average didn’t miss it by much.
Old 02-21-2013, 07:29 AM
  #8020  
SimonCraig1
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Hilo, HI
Posts: 534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

I should have got this with you first clue....

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer leading Night fighter Ace.
Old 02-21-2013, 08:11 AM
  #8021  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz


ORIGINAL: SimonCraig1

I should have got this with you first clue....

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer leading Night fighter Ace.

Indeed, Sir! You are correct and you are up. Please post your question. Schnaufer shot down at least 114 British four-engine bombers. The total casualties to the RAF must have been at least several hundred aviators. He is also third on the list of pilots scoring against allied aircraft in the west. Thanks; Ernie P.



Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

(1) He probably caused more casualties among enemy aviators than any other pilot in history.

(2) He fought throughout almost the entire duration of “his war”.

(3) His first victory was followed by an attack upon a second enemy aircraft. He was wounded in that attack, but managed to land his damaged aircraft.

(4) Despite that rocky start, he proved to be very efficient at destroying enemy aircraft. He didn’t score on every mission, but his average didn’t miss it by much.

(5) He flew variants of the same fighter for all his victories.

(6) On one occasion he scored five enemy kills in one 24 hour day. On another, seven. On another, nine.

(7) He took part in one of the most memorable events of the war.

(8) Parts of two of his aircraft are on display in museums… in two different countries.

(9) He survived the war, only to die in a rather strange traffic accident.

(10) At the ripe old age of 22, he became a wing commander.

(11) His fame was such that his enemies posed for photographs with his captured aircraft.

(12) When he was awarded his highest decoration, he stood alongside some of the most famous aces of all time.

(13) He was called a spook.

Answer: Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer


Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the top-scoring Nachtjäger of World War II. He was credited with 121 victories recorded in just 164 combat missions. His victory total includes 114 RAF four-engine bombers; arguably accounting for more RAF casualties than any other Luftwaffe ace and becoming the third highest Luftwaffe claimant against the Western Allied Air Forces.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (16 February 1922 – 15 July 1950) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter pilot and is the highest scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five (in some services, notably the World War I German air force, classification as an ace required ten) or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. All of his 121 aerial victories were claimed during World War II at night, mostly against British four-engine bombers. He was nicknamed "The Spook of St. Trond", from the location of his unit's base in occupied Belgium.

Schnaufer entered the Luftwaffe as a trainee pilot in November 1939, and underwent flying training in 1940. In April 1941, Lt. Schnaufer was posted to Nachtjagdschule 1, to learn the rudiments of night-fighting . In November 1941 Schnaufer was posted to II./NJG 1. Schnaufer's first operation came in February, when II./NJG 1 flew escort for the German navy’s capital ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen when they broke out from Brest in the Channel Dash. His first victory was claimed on the night 1/2 June 1942; a Handley Page Halifax over Belgium. However, while attacking a second enemy aircraft, his aircraft was hit by return fire and he was wounded in the leg. He successfully landed his damaged aircraft. By the end of the year, his total stood at 7, with 3 victories recorded on one night. Schnaufer was promoted to Oberleutnant in July 1943, when his total was 17.

Schnaufer was transferred to IV./NJG 1, based in Holland, where he was appointed Staffelkapitän in August 1943. Oberleutnant Schnaufer was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for 42 victories in December 1943. He recorded his 50th victory, (IV./NJG 1’s 500th victory) on the night of 24/25 February 1944.

March 1944 saw Schnaufer appointed Gruppenkommandeur IV./NJG 1. He claimed five enemy aircraft on the night of 24/25 May. Hauptmann Schnaufer was awarded the Eichenlaub on 24 June for 84 victories and the Schwerter on 30 July, with his total at 89.

In September 1944, IV./NJG 1 retreated into Germany, Schnaufer achieved his 100th victory on 9 October 1944. He was awarded the Brillanten personally by Adolf Hitler. Schnaufer was then appointed Geschwaderkommodore of NJG 4 on 4 November 1944; the youngest Geschwaderkommodore in the Luftwaffe at 22. At the end of the year, his victory total stood at 106.

Schnaufer's greatest one-night success came on 21 February 1945, when he claimed nine Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers in the course of one day: two in the early hours of the morning and a further seven, in just 19 minutes, in the evening. On 7 March, he claimed three RAF four-engine bombers as his last victories of the war.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the top-scoring Nachtjäger of World War II. He was credited with 121 victories recorded in just 164 combat missions. His victory total includes 114 RAF four-engine bombers; arguably accounting for more RAF casualties than any other Luftwaffe ace and becoming the third highest Luftwaffe claimant against the Western Allied Air Forces.

His radar operator on his first 12 claims was Fw. Dr. Baro, while 100 of his claims were with Lt. Friedrich "Fritz" Rumpelhardt. His air gunner on 98 claims was Oberfeldwebel Wilhelm Gänsler. Both the latter received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes.

Schnaufer flew variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 exclusively.

Schnaufer was taken prisoner by the British Army in Schleswig-Holstein in May 1945, but was released later that year when he took over the family wine business. He died in 1950 as the result of an accident in which his open sports car collided with a truck near Bordeaux. Heavy gas cylinders from the truck fell on to Schnaufer's car, and at least one of them hit Schnaufer on the head. He died in a hospital on 15 July 1950.

The portside vertical stabiliser from the twin tail of his Bf 110G, tallying all his kills, is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London. In addition, another fin from a Bf-110 of Schnaufer's is at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Old 02-21-2013, 02:46 PM
  #8022  
SimonCraig1
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Hilo, HI
Posts: 534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

The is related to a recent clue but I don't have time to research a new one....

I'm looking for a defensive weapon

1. The defensive measure was developed for this plane after it entered a new role later in life.
2. This weapon was discovered by an enterprising pilot.
Old 02-22-2013, 08:56 AM
  #8023  
Ernie P.
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bealeton, VA
Posts: 7,086
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 11 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz


ORIGINAL: SimonCraig1

The is related to a recent clue but I don't have time to research a new one....

I'm looking for a defensive weapon

1. The defensive measure was developed for this plane after it entered a new role later in life.
2. This weapon was discovered by an enterprising pilot.

I'm taking a long shot here, but my assumption is you have two questions: (1) What was the defensive measure?; and (2) What was the aircraft carrying it?. If that's the case, how about "Serrate" (An Allied radar detection and homing device); and carried originally by the Beaufighter, later the Mosquito? Thanks; Ernie P.


Serrate was an Allied radar detection and homing device, used in Allied nightfighters to track German night fighters equipped with the earlier UHF-band BC and C-1 versions of the Lichtenstein radar during World War II.

No. 141 Squadron RAF, commanded by Wing Commander J. R. "Bob" Braham and flying the Bristol Beaufighter, commenced operations over Germany in support of the Bomber Offensive from 14 June to 7 September 1943. 179 operational sorties yielded 14 claimed fighters shot down, for 3 losses.

The technique developed was for the RAF nightfighters to fly slowly off the bomber stream, mimicking the characteristics of a heavy bomber, until the rearward-facing Serrate detector picked up the emissions from a Luftwaffe night fighter approaching. The Radar Operator would then pass directions to the pilot until the fighter was 6,000 feet behind, at which point the Beaufighter would execute a swift turn onto the tail of the German night fighter, pick up the enemy aircraft on his forward radar and attempt to down it.

Serrate was also subsequently fitted to de Havilland Mosquito nightfighters.

No. 141 Squadron transferred to No. 100 Group Bomber Command in late 1943 and during the Battle of Berlin on the night of 16/17 December, a Mosquito crewed by Squadron Leader F. F. Lambert and Flying Officer K. Dear made Bomber Command's first successful Serrate-guided operational sortie when they damaged a Bf 110 with cannon fire. The Serrate night fighter offensive preceded far greater and wide-ranging support operations by the specialist 100 Group during 1944-45.

No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group was a special duties group within RAF Bomber Command. It was formed on 11 November 1943 to consolidate the increasingly complex business of electronic warfare and countermeasures within one organisation. The group was responsible for the development, operational trial and use of electronic warfare and countermeasures equipment. It was based at RAF stations in East Anglia, chiefly Norfolk.

The group was a pioneer in countering the formidable force of radar-equipped Luftwaffe night fighters, utilising a range of electronic 'homers' fitted to de Havilland Mosquito fighters which detected the night fighter's various radar and radio emissions and allowed the RAF fighters to home in onto the Axis aircraft and either shoot them down or at the very least disrupt their missions against the bomber streams. Other Mosquitoes would patrol around the known Luftwaffe fighter airfields ready to attack any landing night fighters they came across.

This constant harassment had a detrimental effect on the morale and confidence of many Luftwaffe crews, and indirectly led to a high proportion of both aircraft and aircrew wastage from crashes as night fighters hurried in to land to avoid the Mosquito threat (real or imagined).[citation needed]

During 1944-5, the Mosquitoes of 100 Group claimed 258 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down for 70 losses. The gradually increasing threat from the RAF fighters also created what the Luftwaffe crews nicknamed 'Moskito Panik' as the night fighter crews were never sure when or where they may come under attack from the marauding 100 Group fighters.

Old 02-22-2013, 01:17 PM
  #8024  
SimonCraig1
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Hilo, HI
Posts: 534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

Sorry for the delay guys...

Nice try Ernie but not correct. I was going to use Serrate and 100 Group in another question at some point.....

I'm looking for a defensive weapon

1. The defensive measure was developed for this plane after it entered a new role later in life.
2. This weapon was discovered by an enterprising pilot.
3. The aircraft's design for its original combat role enabled easy deployment of this defensive weapon.
Old 02-22-2013, 06:38 PM
  #8025  
SimonCraig1
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Hilo, HI
Posts: 534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default RE: Knowledge Quiz for Warbird wiz

I'm looking for a defensive weapon

1. The defensive measure was developed for this plane after it entered a new role later in life.
2. This weapon was discovered by an enterprising pilot.
3. The aircraft's design for its original combat role enabled easy deployment of this defensive weapon.
4. The measure was in addition to the usual chaff and flare defenses.
5. It used an offensive weapon in a defensive role.


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.