Interesting to read your comments about the Blenheim IF's with underslung gun-packs. I have an account from one Flt Lt R M B Duke-Woolley of 23 Sqn who was informed by his Flt CO that anything which stood in the way of their Blenheim's "tremendous fire-power" would in his opinion "fall apart like a rotten apple". On 18/19 June 1940, Duke-Woollley fought a running battle with an He 111 which had just despatched another 23 Sqn Blenheim in flames. D-W made sevenattacks on the He 111, finally closing in to only 20 yds in his frustration and the lack of any apparent visible damage to their quarry. Their aircraft was hit by return fire on this last close-range attack, and RTB on one engine; the He 111 went into the sea at Cley, Norfolk and the crew were made PoW. BC
The Blenheim 1F's gun-pack had four machine-guns as opposed to a Spitfire's eight. Both the CO and Duke-Woolley would have known that. Sounds like a classic bit of management-speak! Roger Morewood must be an amazing bloke, though. There can't be many pilots still around who started their careers in Gloster Gauntlets.
...and it was "only" four .303s in the gun pack - even so, I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of just one but despite the apparent lack of punch, .303 equipped aircraft did pretty well! :becky: You're right there, AR, no one springs to mind. About the closest I can think of is W/C Patrick Gibbs, who died recently, who flew Furies and Harts (I think) when he graduated from Cranwell.
Roger was posted to the Mediterranean where he contracted TB. He recalled: "In hospital, they treated you with whisky in milk and a pint of Guinness for breakfast, very primitive stuff." Wow what a treatment, lol. Was that really what they did for TB during the war? and if so what was their reasoning?
Probably a treatment developed due to shortages? Guinness is very strong in Vitamin B (like Vegemite - Thiamin) and whisky, well, it's just lovely!
