06.05.2009, 08:40
I think if you were to say to the likes of Bader and Milan, Tuck and many others, don't worry about convergence sir, Flight will just follow doctrine and set it to the official convergence as required by regulations, well, you'd have the biggest rocket up your arse you could ever imagine!
These people ensured that new changes were implimented because their pilots lives were at stake, let alone the need to absolutely make sure because if they didn't, those people with black crosses on their aircraft would win the battle with the possible outcome of invasion!
You just have to read a few biographies and unit histories to realise that this was a time of major change in the RAF, that was being led by influential pilots that were doing the fighting.. just read Paul Ritchie's book for instance that clearly shows that pilots were making changes to their airframes and armaments that were clearly forbidden by higher formation, but they did them anyway, as they were the people fighting and dying, and not the desk wallahs in Whitehall flying bleedin desks.. and this was in France, early on in the war before the Battle of Britain!
These people ensured that new changes were implimented because their pilots lives were at stake, let alone the need to absolutely make sure because if they didn't, those people with black crosses on their aircraft would win the battle with the possible outcome of invasion!
You just have to read a few biographies and unit histories to realise that this was a time of major change in the RAF, that was being led by influential pilots that were doing the fighting.. just read Paul Ritchie's book for instance that clearly shows that pilots were making changes to their airframes and armaments that were clearly forbidden by higher formation, but they did them anyway, as they were the people fighting and dying, and not the desk wallahs in Whitehall flying bleedin desks.. and this was in France, early on in the war before the Battle of Britain!