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88-476: WEP may stand for: Abbreviation of weapon War emergency power , an engine mode for military aircraft Weak equivalence principle , in relativity theory West European Politics , a journal of comparative politics Wetland Park stop , MTR station code the pen name of Australian cartoonist William Edwin Pidgeon (1909–1981) Windfall Elimination Provision ,

176-504: A concerted attack by a force of fast single-seat, single-engined fighters was flawed. When pitted against the Hurricane and Spitfire the Bf 110s began to experience heavy losses through being only slightly more manoeuvrable than the bombers they were meant to escort and suffering from poor acceleration. A variant of the 110 was the Bf 110D-1 , nicknamed " Dachshund -belly" ( Dackelbauch ) because of

264-638: A constant speed Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (VDM) three-blade unit with automatic pitch control. As early as 1938 Roy Fedden , who designed most of the Bristol Engine Company 's most successful aero engines, pressed for the introduction of 100 octane aviation fuel from the US, and later that year the British aero engine manufacturers Bristol and Rolls-Royce demonstrated variants of their 'Mercury' and 'Merlin' engines rated for 100 octane fuel. A memorandum by

352-464: A critical spar the projectile would simply pass straight through the airframe leaving two small holes which could easily be patched. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 received extra armour in late 1939, and this was supplemented with a 10 mm thick armoured plate behind the pilot's head during and after the Battle of France . Behind the fuel tank, an 8 mm armoured plate was placed in the fuselage protecting

440-454: A few months some 60 squadrons had transitioned to the type. The Mk. IF proved to be slower and less nimble than expected and by June 1940, daylight Blenheim losses were to cause concern for Fighter Command. It was then decided that the IF would be relegated mainly to night fighter duties where No. 23 Squadron RAF who had already operated the type under night time conditions had better success. In

528-441: A large producer of synthetic fuel, was thought to be in a favourable position to produce 100 octane fuel in large quantities. The German supply of aviation fuels was largely based on the hydrogenation of coal , due to their limited supplies of natural crude oil. At the outbreak of the war, Germany already had seven destructive hydrogenation plants in operation, with a total installed capacity of 1,400,000  t /year of oil. At

616-530: A month later, on 24 August 264 Sqn suffered the loss of four Defiants shot down and three badly damaged with seven crew members killed. Both units were withdrawn from 11 Group, reequipped, and took no further part in daytime operations. However, the Defiant was found to be more effective as a night fighter . It equipped four squadrons and during the winter Blitz on London of 1940–41, Defiants shot down more enemy aircraft than any other type. The Fiat CR.42 Falco

704-436: A single 20mm MG FF/M in the fuselage as an engine-mounted Motorkanone , firing through the propeller hub. A drawback of the Hurricane was the presence of a fuel tank just behind the engine firewall, which could catch fire and within a few seconds severely burn the pilot before he managed to bail out. This was later partly solved by fitting a layer of "Linatex" fire-resistant material to the tank, and an armoured panel forward of

792-480: A single, 7.92mm calibre MG 15 machine gun at the rear of the cockpit for rearward defense. Furthermore, it could not be effectively protected by fighters, because of its low speed and the very low altitudes at which it ended its dive bomb attacks. The Stuka depended on air superiority, the very thing being contested over Britain. It was therefore withdrawn from attacks on Britain in August after prohibitive losses, leaving

880-480: A statutory provision of the U.S. Social Security system Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), a wireless network security standard (sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Wireless Encryption Protocol") Words of estimative probability , terms used to convey the likelihood of a future event Women's Equality Party , political party in the United Kingdom Women's Equality Party (New York) , political party in

968-439: A takeoff if they opened unevenly. The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the British fighters had the drawback of being equipped with a float-type carburettor which cut out under negative "g" forces . The direct-fuel injected Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine gave the 109 an advantage over the carburettor-equipped engine; when an RAF fighter attempted to "bunt" (the diving entry into an outside loop ) and dive away from an opponent as

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1056-459: A ventral center-line ordnance rack to take either an SC 250 bomb for Jabo duties, or a standard 300 litre (66 Imp. gal/80 US gallon) capacity Luftwaffe drop tank to double the range to 1,325 km (820 mi). The ordnance rack was not retrofitted to earlier Bf 109Es until October 1940. The Spitfire, from about mid-1940, had 73 pounds (33 kg) of armoured steel plating in the form of head (of 6.5 mm thickness) and back protection on

1144-762: Is considered its first major setback. The most famous fighter aircraft used in the Battle of Britain were the British Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire Mk I, and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 E variant ( Emil ) single-engined fighters. Although the Spitfire had attracted more attention from the public, the Hurricanes were more numerous and were responsible for most of the German losses, especially in

1232-528: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages War emergency power Maximum normal power would be limited by a mechanical stop, for instance a wire across the throttle lever slot. A more forceful push would break the wire, allowing extra power. In normal service, the P-51H Mustang was rated at 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), but WEP would deliver up to 2,218 hp (1,654 kW), an increase of 61%. In

1320-497: Is safety-wired shut. During combat, pulling the Vmax switch would provide the pilot with a little more thrust. However, Vmax usage is limited to a maximum of six minutes, and the engines would then need to be serviced and rebuilt. Some modern military surface vehicles also employ WEP features. The US Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (cancelled in 2011) sported a 12-cylinder 1,200 bhp (890 kW) diesel engine developed by

1408-548: The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka was specifically designed. The Junkers Ju 88 was fitted with external dive brakes and a control system, similar to those of the Ju 87 and could carry out a dive bombing role, although it was primarily used as a level bomber. The light bomb loads carried by the Ju 87 had been used to great effect during the Battle of France . However, the Ju 87 was slow and possessed an inadequate degree of defensive weaponry, with only

1496-465: The Knickebein , X-Gerät and Y-Gerät for nocturnal bombing, there were some very fundamental limitations to the accuracy of bombing from level flight, and there was no guarantee that such attacks could achieve success on small or difficult targets such as radar stations. For precision attack emphasis was placed on the development of aircraft which could utilise the technique of dive bombing for which

1584-504: The Luftwaffe gunners were well trained and capable of hitting a fast moving fighter the damage done was seldom enough to stop the attack in time to prevent heavy damage being done to the bomber. The high rate of fire of the MG 15 meant that the small magazines emptied quickly; the time taken to reload often gave a fighter the time it needed to make a successful attack. Efforts had been made to increase

1672-459: The Luftwaffe short of precision ground-attack aircraft. Another constraint was imposed by the light armament carried by the Luftwaffe bombers. At the start of the battle they were still armed with an average of three hand held MG 15 light machine guns, which were supplied by 75 round "saddle drum" magazines. When faced with concentrated attacks by modern fighters such as the Hurricane and Spitfire this proved totally inadequate. Although many of

1760-575: The Luftwaffe , provided extreme power benefits of 25 to 30 percent at high altitude by adding oxidizer gases but required cooling on the ground and, like the MW 50 boost system, added significant weight. One of the few German aircraft that could be equipped with both Notleistung systems, the late war Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H high-altitude fighter, could attain a velocity of some 470 mph (756 km/h) with both systems used together. Kurt Tank reportedly once did this, using both boost systems simultaneously when he

1848-640: The Messerschmitt Bf 110 C when equipped with the DB 601 N engine, that entered series production in October 1939. The power was increased by 20% over that of the DB 601A, to 1,260 hp at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) at 1.35 atm boost pressure and 2,400 rpm. By July, nine Bf 110 and three Bf 109 fighter Staffeln (squadrons) were equipped with the new engines, By the end of October around 1,200 DB 601N engines had been delivered. and

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1936-587: The P-51D Mustang , the model most produced and used during World War II, the WEP increased engine power from 1,490 to 1,720 hp (1,110 to 1,280 kW), over 15%. The Vought F4U Corsair , not originally equipped for WEP, later boasted a power increase of up to 410 hp (310 kW) (17%) when WEP was engaged. Several methods were used to boost engine power by manufacturers, including water injection and methanol-water injection . Some earlier engines simply allowed

2024-766: The Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom in preparation for the planned amphibious and airborne forces invasion of Britain by Operation Sea Lion . Neither the German leader Adolf Hitler nor his High Command of the Armed Forces ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht , or OKW) believed it was possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on Britain until the RAF had been neutralised. Secondary objectives were to destroy aircraft production and ground infrastructure , to attack areas of political significance, and to terrorise

2112-526: The Soviet Union . The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces ; the British in the defensive were mainly using fighter aircraft, and the Germans used a mixture of bombers with fighter protection. It was the largest and most sustained bombing campaign attempted up until that date. The failure of Nazi Germany to destroy Britain's air defence or to break British morale

2200-495: The "Department of Defence Co-Ordination", 'Proposals for securing adequate supplies of 100 octane fuel to meet war requirements', 23 December 1938, noted that there was a need to increase supplies of 100 octane fuel and discussed ways in which this could be achieved. A meeting was held on 16 March 1939 to consider the question of when the 100 octane fuel should be introduced to general use for all RAF aircraft, and what squadrons, number and type, were to be supplied. The decision taken

2288-497: The 109 could, their engines would temporarily cut out for the duration of the negative-g forces. This ability to perform negative-g manoeuvres without the engine cutting out gave a 109 pilot better ability to disengage at will. On the question of comparative turning circles in combat, Spitfires and Hurricanes benefited from their lower wing loading compared with the Bf 109: the Royal Aircraft Establishment estimated

2376-399: The 109E. The Emil was smaller than either RAF fighter, and it was more difficult to land and take off than the Spitfire and Hurricane. At high speeds controls tightened considerably, and the Bf 109E needed more strength to manoeuvre than either of its main opponents. Of all three fighters, the Bf 109E would possess the highest roll rate, with the aileron controls being brisk and responsive;

2464-544: The 21 I.ZG 76 aircraft being used as bomber escorts were destroyed, including that of the Gruppenkommandeur ("Group Commander"). The casualty rates for all of the Zerstörergeschwader wings using the Bf 110Cs were extremely high throughout the battle, and they were unable to fulfill the high aspirations of Hermann Göring, who had referred to them as his "Ironsides" ( Eisenseiten )." The most successful role of

2552-455: The Bf 109E-4, was modified to fire the more destructive, high-capacity mine-shells propelling the lighter shells at greater velocities than the MG FF. The early shells of this type had contact fusing , detonating on contact with the skin of the airframe rather than penetrating, then exploding. The more streamlined Bf 109 F-1 , issued in small numbers starting in October, carried two cowl MG-17s and

2640-569: The Bf 110 during the Battle was as a "fast bomber" ( Schnellbomber ), the same role that the Junkers Ju 88 A had been designed for in the mid-1930s. One unit, Test Group 210" ( Erprobungsgruppe 210 ) — originally meant to service test the Bf 110's intended (but ill-fated) replacement, the Messerschmitt Me 210 — proved it could carry a greater bomb load over a greater range than a Ju 87 and deliver it with similar accuracy, while its much higher maximum speed, especially at lower altitudes, meant it

2728-576: The British fighters on par with the Luftwaffe. Throughout 1940 the supply situation and distribution of the fuel to the front line services was discussed by the "Co-ordination of Oil Policy Committee". With 100 octane fuel the supercharger of the Merlin III engine could be "boosted" to +12 lbs/sq.in., producing 1,310 hp (977 kW) at 3,000 rpm at 9,000 feet (2,743 m) with a time limit of five minutes. This increased power substantially improved

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2816-447: The British people into seeking an armistice or surrender. The British date the battle from 10 July to 31 October 1940, which represented the most intense period of daylight bombing . German historians usually place the beginning of the battle in mid-August 1940 and end it in May 1941, on the withdrawal of the German bomber units in preparation for Operation Barbarossa , the campaign against

2904-533: The German company MTU . When the EFV is swimming the powerplant can be boosted to 2,700 hp (2,000 kW) via the use of open circuit seawater-cooling. Such extreme war power setting allows the MTU engine to drive four massive water-jet exhausts which propel the surface-effect riding EFV vehicle at sea speeds reaching 35 knots (65 km/h). Although the EFV prototypes demonstrated revolutionary performance on water and land,

2992-532: The German mainstay fighter, the lack of a radio unit in most participating aircraft also challenged its usability. The Bristol Blenheim was used by both Bomber and Fighter Commands . Some 200 Mk. I bombers were modified into Mk. IF long-range fighters with 600 (Auxiliary Air Force) Squadron based at Hendon , the first squadron to take delivery of these variants in September 1938. By 1939, at least seven squadrons were operating these twin-engined fighters and within

3080-480: The German night bombing raid on London, 18 June 1940, Blenheim night fighters accounted for five German bombers thus proving they were better suited in the nocturnal role. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston , had some of its IFs equipped with Airborne Interception (AI) Mk. III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved

3168-464: The MiG-21bis slightly better than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio and a climb rate of 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s), equalling F-16 capabilities in a dogfight. In air combat practice with the MiG-21bis, use of WEP thrust was limited to one minute, to reduce the impact on the engine 800 hours time between overhaul, since every second of WEP was equivalent to several minutes of running without it. When WEP

3256-473: The Netherlands donated £215,000 to purchase 43 Spitfires. The Spitfire and Bf 109E were well-matched in speed and agility, and both were somewhat faster than the Hurricane. However, the slightly larger Hurricane was regarded as an easier aircraft to fly and was effective against Luftwaffe bombers. The Royal Air Force 's preferred tactic was to deploy the Hurricanes against formations of bombers and to use

3344-585: The RAF. German Luftwaffe aircraft had difficulty flying in formation with the biplanes, which also proved to be poor match for the more modern British fighters, and the CR.42s were transferred back to the Mediterranean theatre. The Italians also fielded a small number of Fiat G.50 Freccia monoplane fighters. Similar to the Luftwaffe's Bf 109E, this fighter was restricted by its short range of barely 400 miles (640 km), likely due to limited internal fuel, but unlike

3432-481: The Spitfire had the highest aileron forces, but both the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt's rate of roll suffered at high speed. Overall the differences in performance between the Bf 109 and Spitfire were marginal and in combat they were surmounted by tactical considerations such as which side had seen the other first, which side had the advantage of altitude, numbers, pilot ability etc. with the main difference between

3520-425: The Spitfire's turning circle – without height loss – as 212 m (700 ft) in radius (the Hurricane's would be slightly tighter) while the 109E's was estimated as 270 m (890 ft) radius at 3,657 m (12,000 ft). Other sources variously list a turn radius of between 125 m (410 ft) and 170 m (558 ft)at ground level and 230 m (754 ft) at 6,000 m (19,690 ft) for

3608-464: The Spitfires against the fighter escorts. The view from the "blown" clear cockpit hood of the Spitfire was considered fair, while upwards good; view to the rear was considered fair for a covered cockpit. The curved plexiglass windscreen however was very bad optically and caused considerable distortion, which made long-distance visual scanning difficult. Spitfire pilot Jeffrey Quill made recommendations for

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3696-623: The United States World Events Productions , an American animation and distribution company Wisconsin Experiment Package, an instrument aboard the space telescope Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 Wonder Egg Priority , a Japanese anime series Microsoft Entertainment Pack , also known as Windows Entertainment Pack or Simply WEP , a collection of 16-bit casual computer games for Windows published by Microsoft in early 1990s. Topics referred to by

3784-416: The aeroplane which tends to flick over laterally and, unless the control column is put forward instantly a rapid roll and spin will result. During tight turns the "twist" or washout designed into the wing by Reginald Mitchell meant that the wing root would stall before the wingtips, creating the shuddering and clattering referred to. This noise was a form of stall warning, reminding the pilot to ease up on

3872-511: The armour plating and self-sealing fuel tanks of Luftwaffe aircraft. The Emil's main armament depended on the subtype. The E-1 was armed with four MG 17 7.92mm machine guns; two cowl guns above the engine with 1,000 rounds per gun, and two in the wings with 500 rounds per gun. The E-3, E-4 and E-7s retained the fuselage armament of the E-1 but replaced the MG 17 wing guns with two 20 mm cannons , one in each wing with 60 rpg; either MG FFs (E-3) or

3960-632: The bomb load and the maximum size of bombs carried, with external bomb racks. The state-of-the art Lotfernrohr 7 gyroscoping bomb sight fitted to the Heinkel allowed for reasonable accuracy, for a level bomber. The main versions of the He 111 in use were the Jumo engined H-1, H-2 and H-3 and the DB 601 powered P-2 and P-4. Small numbers of the aircraft, called H-1x and H-3x, were equipped with Knickebein and X-Gerät and were used by Kampfgruppe 100 (KGr. 100) at night during

4048-631: The bomber aircraft involved in the Battle of Britain were German although the Italians fielded a small number. The Luftwaffe in 1940 primarily relied on three twin-engined medium bombers: the Dornier Do 17 , the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88 . Despite the Luftwaffe being in the possession of advanced gyroscopic bomb sights, the Lotfernrohr 7 for daylight bombing and electronic navigational aids like

4136-467: The bombers undefended by fighter escorts. Its eventual stablemate, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A, was only flying in prototype form in the summer of 1940; the first 28 Fw 190A-0 service test examples were not delivered until November 1940. The Fw 190A-1 had a maximum range of 940 km (584 miles) on internal fuel, 40% greater than the Bf 109E. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7 corrected this deficiency by adding

4224-442: The cannons were usually enough to bring down an enemy fighter and, even if the fighter was able to return to base, it would often be written off. For example, on 18 August a brand new Spitfire of 602 Squadron was hit by 20 mm shells which exploded in the structure of the rear fuselage. Although the crippled aircraft was successfully landed back at its airfield it was subsequently deemed to be unrepairable. The MG FF/M, used in

4312-542: The controls to be effective. Several Spitfires, designated Spitfire Mk. IBs, were also modified to carry a Hispano cannon in each wing panel. 19 Squadron was equipped with this version in June 1940. On entering combat in August this first cannon armed Spitfire failed to create an impact, with the guns often jamming and unable to fire. When it did work, however, the Hispano was an effective weapon, with its shells easily able to penetrate

4400-402: The crew stations, self-sealing fuel tanks and progressively uprated defensive armament meant that it was still a challenge to shoot down. It was the most numerous German bomber type during the Battle, and was capable of delivering 2000 kg of bombs to the target, carried in an internal bomb bay – usually eight 250 kg bombs, stored vertically. Subsequent variants allowed further increase in

4488-417: The deadliest opponents of bombers were single-engine, single-seat fighters with fixed, forward firing armament. Apart from the extra weight and drag imposed by the four-gun turret and second crew member, the Defiant lacked any directly forward-firing armament. Should the gunner need to escape from the turret in an emergency, the only way he could do this was to traverse the turret to one side and bail out through

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4576-404: The early part of the battle. The turn-around time (re-arm and refuel) for the Spitfire was 26 minutes, while the Hurricane's was 9 minutes, which increased its effectiveness. Many of the Spitfires used in the battle were purchased privately. Money raised by towns, companies, clubs or individuals was used to buy Spitfires for £5,000 each with the purchaser having naming rights. Queen Wilhelmina of

4664-499: The engine. British and Commonwealth aircraft could increase power by increasing the supercharger boost pressure. This modification was common by the summer of 1940, with the widespread availability of 100 octane fuel . Raising supercharger boost pressure from 6 to 12 psi (41 to 83 kPa) increased the Merlin III engine rating from 1,060 hp (790 kW) to 1,310 hp (980 kW), an increase of 23%. Pilots had to log

4752-535: The escape hatch — but if the aircraft's electric system was disabled, immobilizing the all-electric turret due to its power source being knocked out, there was no escape. After the strong intervention of Dowding, who realised the Defiant was designed to an unworkable concept, there were only two units equipped with this aircraft, 141 and 264 squadrons. On 19 July, after encountering Bf 109s of III./JG 51, 141 Sqn had four Defiants shot down, one written off and one damaged, with 10 crew members killed or missing. Just over

4840-576: The first success on the night of 2/3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came and, before long, the Blenheim was to prove invaluable in the night fighter role. Gradually, with the introduction of the Bristol Beaufighter in 1940–41, its role was supplanted by its faster, better armed progeny. The first Beaufighters entered service in early September 1940, at first delivered in standard day fighter camouflage schemes although

4928-520: The fixed, wooden, 1,050 litre (277 U.S. gal) fuel tank fitted under the fuselage. I./ZG 76, based in Norway, was equipped with this version in order to provide air cover for convoys sailing along the Norwegian coast. On 15 August, in the belief that all of the RAF fighter units were concentrated far to the south, Luftflotte 5 launched its first and only bomber attack against North Eastern England . Seven out of

5016-524: The height of the aerial battles, No. 247 Gladiators intercepted a He 111 in late October 1940, without result. No. 239 Squadron RAF using Gladiators in an army cooperation role and No. 804 Squadron , Fleet Air Arm outfitted with Sea Gladiators were also operational during the Battle of Britain. The British had a cannon-armed fighter coming into service, the twin-engined Westland Whirlwind , but problems with its engines and slow production meant it did not enter service until December 1940. The majority of

5104-485: The installation of "optically true" glass into the side panels to solve the problem. The Hurricane had a higher seating position, which gave the pilot a better view over the nose than the Spitfire. The upper canopy panels of the Bf 109 through its E-3 subtype were curved, while the E-4 and later Emil subtypes were modified for better visibility with flat panels and the new design was often retrofitted to earlier 109s. Each of

5192-431: The instrument panel. Another hazard was presented by the main wing root mounted fuel tanks of the Hurricane, which were vulnerable to bullets fired from behind. The main fuel tanks of the Spitfire, which were mounted in the fuselage forward of the cockpit, were better protected than that of the Hurricane; the lower tank was self-sealing and a panel of 3 mm thick aluminium , sufficient to deflect small calibre bullets,

5280-500: The more advanced MG FF/M (E-4 and E-7) that could fire the new German steel-cartridge Minengeschoß mine shell ammunition. Although the explosive shells had greater destructive power than the bullets of the Brownings, these cannon's low muzzle velocity and the limited ammunition capacity of their sixty-round drum magazines meant that the armament was not markedly superior to the RAF fighter's eight machine guns. Three or four hits from

5368-444: The most out of the aircraft in a circling dog-fight by flying very near the stall. The Bf 109 used leading edge slats which automatically deployed prior to stalling, but also made it much more difficult to continue chasing either a Hurricane or Spitfire with a tight turn in aerial combat manoeuvres, from the slats intermittently opening in tight turns (on the wing to the "inside" of a turn) during dogfights, even causing problems during

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5456-530: The next-generation MiG-29 could be introduced to service. The MiG-21bis received the upgraded Tumansky R-25 engine, which retained the standard 9,400 / 14,600 lbf (42 / 65 kN) normal and afterburner power settings of earlier R-13 powerplants, but with emergency thrust boost from an overspeed to 106% and increased afterburner fuel from a second afterburner fuel pump. Use of this boost feature provided 21,900 lbf (97.4 kN) of thrust for 2 minutes maximum in wartime. It gave

5544-407: The number of aircraft equipped with the improved engine gradually increased through the second half of the year. However, due to leaking valves there was relatively high wear on the 601N-engines, which had a life of about 40 hours. In addition to the Hurricane, Spitfire, and the Bf 109, several other fighter aircraft — mostly twin-engined heavy fighters — took part in the Battle of Britain. At

5632-416: The number of defensive weapons, but this also meant that because the weapons were hand-held either more crew members were needed in each aircraft, or the existing crew members could be overworked. It was a problem which was never to be fully resolved and the Luftwaffe bombers had to rely on the ability of their fighters to protect their formations. The bombers did enjoy some advantages. As more armour plate

5720-489: The rate of climb, especially at low to medium altitudes, and increased the top speed by 25–34 mph up to 10,000 feet. During the Battle of France and over Dunkirk RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires were able to use the emergency boost. "In the first half of 1940 the RAF transferred all Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons to 100 octane fuel." In the opinion of a pre-war paper by the British Air Ministry, Germany, as

5808-462: The reliability of their extremely boosted powerplants never met stringent military standards and the vehicle failed to enter Marine Corps service. Aircraft of the Battle of Britain#100 octane aviation fuel The Battle of Britain (German: Luftschlacht um England ) was an effort by the German Air Force ( Luftwaffe ) during the summer and autumn of 1940 to gain air superiority over

5896-403: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title WEP . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WEP&oldid=1226949056 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

5984-447: The seat bulkhead (4.5 mm), and covering the forward face of the glycol header tank. The Hurricane had a similar armour layout to the Spitfire, and was the toughest and most durable of the three. Serviceability rates of Hawker's fighter were always higher than the complex and advanced Spitfire. The Hurricane featured extensive fabric covering rather than stressed-skin aluminium - this meant that unless an impacting bullet or shell hit

6072-468: The small calibre bullets were often unable to penetrate the armour plating which was being increasingly used in Luftwaffe aircraft to protect crew and vital areas. An incendiary round, called the "De Wilde" was available, and this could do more damage than the standard "ball" rounds. During the battle at least one Hurricane was experimentally armed with a single Hispano 20 mm cannon in a pod under each wing although it proved to be too slow and sluggish on

6160-435: The start of the battle, the twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 long range "destroyer" (German: Zerstörer ) was expected to engage in air-to-air combat while escorting the Luftwaffe bomber fleet. Although the aircraft was well designed and the best of its class, being reasonably fast (Bf 110C-3 about 340 mph [547 km/h]) and possessing a respectable combat radius, the concept that the Bf 110 could defend bombers against

6248-424: The start of the war the Luftwaffe standardized on 87 octane aviation spirit, called "B4", made from leaded hydro-petrol extracted from brown coal . In 1940 an improved fuel, designated "C2" was introduced having a higher aromatic content of 35–38% and giving performance equivalent to Allied 100 octane grade of that time. C2 was used in small quantities by aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4/N and E-7/N and

6336-489: The tank and the pilot from attacks from behind. By July 1940, more efficient de Havilland and Rotol constant speed propellers had begun replacing two-pitch propellers on front line RAF fighters. The new units allowed the Merlin to perform more smoothly at all altitudes and reduced the takeoff and landing runs. The majority of the front line RAF fighters were equipped with these propellers by mid-August. The Bf 109E also used

6424-425: The three main fighters had advantages and disadvantages in their control characteristics; much of the air combat during the battle occurred at about 20,000 feet or lower. Due to its sensitive elevators , if the stick was pulled back too far on the Spitfire in a tight turn: stalling incidence may be reached and a high speed stall induced. When this occurs, there is a violent shudder and clattering noise throughout

6512-461: The throttle to open wider than normal, allowing more air to flow through the intake . All WEP methods result in greater-than-usual stresses on the engine, and correspond to a reduced engine lifetime. For some airplanes, such as the P-51D, use of WEP required that the engine be inspected for damage before returning to the air. 5 hours' total use of WEP on the P-51D required a complete tear-down inspection of

6600-401: The turn. British testing in September 1940 revealed that some Bf 109 pilots succeeded in keeping on the tail of the Spitfire, despite the latter aircraft's superior turning performance, because a number of the Spitfire pilots failed to tighten up the turn sufficiently. The gentle stall and good control under "g" of the Bf 109 were of some importance, as they enabled the Luftwaffe' pilot to get

6688-430: The two aircraft being the Spitfire's tighter turning ability and the Bf 109's faster climb rate. Both RAF fighters were armed with eight .303 Browning machine guns in the wings, harmonised by the squadrons to allow the bullets to converge at a distance. The Brownings had a high rate of fire and even a short burst from the eight machine guns sent out a large number of bullets. Although efficient against many aircraft,

6776-644: The type was intended for a night fighting role. The first night operations took place in September and October 1940 and on the night of 19/20 November 1940, a Beaufighter IF, equipped with AI radar downed a Ju 88. The aircraft from 604 Squadron was flown by Flt Lt. John Cunningham , scoring the first of his 20 victories. The only British biplane fighter in operational service was the Gloster Gladiator which equipped No. 247 Squadron RAF , stationed in RAF Robourgh , Devon. Although no combat sorties took place at

6864-431: The use of emergency boost and were advised not to use it for more than 5 minutes continuously. The German MW 50 methanol-water injection system required additional piping, as well as a storage tank, increasing the aircraft's overall weight. Like other boost techniques, MW 50 was restricted by capacity and engine temperatures and could only be used for a limited time. The GM 1 nitrous oxide injection system, also used by

6952-536: The world, increased more quickly than expected with the adoption of new refining techniques. As a result, 100 octane fuel was able to be issued to all front-line Fighter Command aircraft starting in the spring of 1940. Although U-boats and surface raiders had begun to take a heavy toll of tankers, in the summer of 1940 there was a surplus of these ships because of the incorporation into the British merchant marine of tanker fleets from countries overrun by Germany. The combination of CS propellers and 100 octane fuel put

7040-519: Was a biplane fighter used by the Italian Air Corps ( Corpo Aereo Italiano ). They only made one mission during the battle itself when on 29 October they provided a bomber escort on a raid on Ramsgate. Following the end of the battle, the Italian force continued to carry out limited raids on England, and on 11 November 1940, four CR.42s acting as escorts were destroyed by RAF Hurricanes with no loss to

7128-410: Was added in vital areas, crew members became less vulnerable. Their fuel tanks were also well protected by layers of self-sealing rubber, although the incendiary and tracer ammunition which was carried by RAF fighters could sometimes ignite fuel vapour in empty tanks. The He 111 was nearly 100 mph slower than the Spitfire and didn't present much of a challenge to catch, although the heavy armour for

7216-432: Was being used by the RAF. A much more serious issue for the Luftwaffe's single-engined fighter force during the Battle was the Bf 109E's limited fuel capacity as originally designed. The Bf 109E escorts had a limited fuel capacity resulting in only a 660 km (410 mile) maximum range solely on internal fuel, and when they arrived over a British target, had only 10 minutes of flying time before turning for home, leaving

7304-487: Was far more capable of evading RAF fighters. The Bf 110 possessed a heavy armament of two 20 mm MG FF/M cannon and four 7.92 mm MG 17s concentrated in the forward fuselage, along with a single 7.92 mm MG 15 for rear defence in the rear cockpit. For the British, the most disappointing fighter was the Boulton-Paul Defiant . This aircraft was intended to be used as a "bomber destroyer" because it

7392-499: Was flying a Junkers Jumo 213 E-powered Ta 152H prototype fitted with both MW 50 and GM-1, to escape a flight of P-51D Mustangs in April 1945. Perhaps the most dramatic WEP feature was found in the MiG-21bis fighter jet. This late variant of the standard Soviet light fighter plane was built as a stopgap measure to counter the newer and more powerful American F-16 and F/A-18 fighters until

7480-521: Was selected, the R-25 produced a 16 feet (5 m) long blowtorch exhaust - the six or seven brightly glowing rhomboid " shock diamonds " visible inside the flames gave the emergency-power setting its "diamond regime" name. The Vmax switch on the F-15 fighter jet allows the engines to burn 22 degrees hotter and about 2% more revolutions per minute , as well as boosting engine and afterburner fuel flow by around 4%. It

7568-401: Was that there would be an initial delivery to 16 fighter and two twin-engined bomber squadrons by September 1940. However, this was based on a pre-war assumption that US supplies would be denied to Britain in wartime, which would limit the numbers of front-line units able to use the fuel. On the outbreak of war this problem disappeared; production of the new fuel in the US, and in other parts of

7656-402: Was thought: The speed of modern bombers is so great that it is only worthwhile to attack them under conditions which allow no relative motion between the fighter and its target. The fixed-gun fighter with guns firing ahead can only realise these conditions by attacking the bomber from dead astern...( Air Staff memorandum, June 1938) By 1940, it was clear to both the RAF and the Luftwaffe that

7744-407: Was wrapped externally over the top tanks. Internally they were coated with layers of "Linatex" and the cockpit bulkhead was fireproofed with a thick panel of asbestos . On all the German fighters and bombers, the fuel tanks were self-sealing , and although capable of sealing leaks from enemy rounds, this could not prevent possibly fatal damage being inflicted by the "De Wilde" incendiary round which

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