Alternative RAF Battle of Britain Aircraft

[merlin]

I'll assume everyone knows what RAF aircraft (principally Fighter Command), were involved in the BoB. But which other aircraft could have been - and please can your suggestions be believeable!

There is a minor side issue - that of armament, was eight x 0.303" right, or should it have been four x 0.50" machine guns? The former was only saved by the Dixon (usually referred to incorrectly as De Wilde) incendairy ammunition.

Obviously the Spifire and Hurricane would still be selected. But in my scenairo the Gloster F.5/34 (Guardian) was ordered, by the RAF, being later re-engined with the Taurus. It and the Hurricane completely replaced the RAF's biplanes fighters well before the War started (a flight of Gladiators guarded Plymouth in the BoB); supplemented by the growing arrival of the Spitfire.
Gloster also supply the RAF's twin engined aircraft - the F.9/37, with a two-seat night-fighter variant as a stop-gap until the Beaufighter. A better option than the Blenheim!
Also Dowding is more forthright in his opposition to the Defiant, and with his industry contacts the single-seat alternative P.92 is offered earlier, and this time accepted. Although initially named Defiant 2, it is soon renamed 'Defoe'. And makes a valued contribution in the Battle, against the Me109's, to the Spitfire.

Interesting to see how others change the timescale to fit e.g. Whirlwind, Wildcat or indeed Re 2000!

[the lancaster kicks ass]

The RAF would've never considdered the .50 for it's fighters, they realised that the .303 wasn't perfect during the BoB and it is because of the experience against bombers we went straight to the 20mm, besides the MASSIVE shortage of .50s in the country, i don't see the need for alternative aircraft none of them really compared to the spits and hurricanes and we had little need for a twin engined fighter, the beaufighter was there to be a nightfighter during the blitz the only aircraft i would've liked to've seen would be the Whirlwind as a low level raider attacking the LW airfeilds in northern France to dissrupt raids over England..........

[Crow]

the .303 gets a poor press, mainly because towards the middle of the war aircraft had up-armoured and up-gunned and left it behind. In the BoB it was still a lethal armament when hosing the unprotected glass cockpits of German bombers. Its unfair to compare it to 0.50 armed fighters since by the large those American fighters didnt get to the UK in decent numbers till mid to late 1942, by which time the RAF had switched to 2x20mm cannons

As for alternative fighters, the one probably closest to production if things went badly was the Miles M20, a little fighter quicker than the Hurricane despite fixed undercarriage, and able to be made vastly quicker than both (made in large parts from Miles Magister trainer components).

However what effectively sunk it was it required the same Merlin engine being built as fast as possible for the Hurricane and Spitfire, and the fact that when it was ready to fly the major shortage was pilots not fighters.

One lesser known fact was that there was even an emergency plan to arm the Percival Gull racer as a fighter, should the factories be unable to produce enough frontline fighters to stem the tide.

[Jabberwocky]

Well, the Whirlwind should of been available about 8-10 months earlier than it was.

The prototype, which was ostensibly complete by March 1938, suffered from delays in delivery of the undercarriage and the protracted development of the Peregrine. The Air Ministry wouldn't approve full scale development for the Peregrine until the Whirlwind was ordered in quantity, while the Whirlwind couldn't get enough engines for proper flight testing, slowing down testing and development for it. Something of a vicious circle. Eventually RR delivered two engines in June and the prototype first flew in October 1938.

After A&AEE testing in Dec-1938 the tail unit required a significant rework, resulting in the 'acorn' type tail, as well as installation of new flaps and numerous other, but minor, adjustments. Although necessary, similar developments to the Hurricane and Spitfire were carrierd out while the fighers were entering service. It was probably a case of wanting too much, too soon from the Whirly.

The Air Ministry kept delaying production decisions on the Peregrine and the Whirlwind, eventually settling on an order for 200 airframes in Dec-1938, which was then cut to 114 in May-1940. RR, who were busy with Merlin development (as well as the Vulture), never really had the time to put into the Peregrine that it deserved (as well as trouble getting Hobson downdraft carburettors for the engine), and told the Air Ministry and Westland in Sep-1939 that it was terminating Pergrine production .

Westland estimated that it would take them 9 months to get the first airframe ready for delivery. Unfortunately, the tooing and froing with production decisions and engine manufacturing balloned this out to 17 months, 8 months longer than originally expected.

If the RAF and the Air Ministry had really got their act together, then the Whirlwind could of begun deliveries in F eb/March 1940, instead of July-August. This would of given the RAF at least 1 squadron for operations in the Battle. Operationally however, they would of been hamstrung a little by the tendency for the engines to overheat and cannon jamming caused by case crush.

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by Crow

One lesser known fact was that there was even an emergency plan to arm the Percival Gull racer as a fighter, should the factories be unable to produce enough frontline fighters to stem the tide.

Lesser known indeed. I don't think I'd ever heard or read about that before.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

either way i can't see how we can really have this debate as no other aircraft were needed really, you can talk about the M.20 'til the cows come home but you can't convert an entire airforce to a different aircraft type in the middle of the most intense air battle the world's ever seen..............

[merlin]

I am a bit perplexed, where do I suggest that the RAf should 'convert an entire airforce to a different aircraft type in the middle of the most intense air battle the world's ever seen ... '??

No, the whole point of my scenairo was that different decisions could have been made, in the late 30's regarding the aircraft that made up Fighter Command.
As regards armament; when the decision was made to go from four 0.303" guns (as per Gladiator) to eight for the new monoplanes, it could have been 0.50" instead - with the manufacturing capability to go with it!?

Some interesting info on the Whirlwind, yes perhaps it could been available earlier. I wonder if the Hispano 12y engine would have been a suitable alternative - similar hp howabout size?

Look forward to some further alternatives.

PS Would you still have Leigh-Mallory in charge of 12 Group? If not who?

[Tony Williams]

Originally Posted by merlin

As regards armament; when the decision was made to go from four 0.303" guns (as per Gladiator) to eight for the new monoplanes, it could have been 0.50" instead - with the manufacturing capability to go with it!?

The RAF had rejected .50 cal guns after extensive testing, reckoning them to be "neither fish nor fowl"; i.e. they were much heavier and slower-firing than .303 cal but lacked the destructive effect of a 20mm cannon. So they had decided to adopt a 20mm cannon as early as 1935: it just took too long to be service-ready.

However, as the fighting approached they did get more nervous and showed an interest in the 13.2mm FN-Browning. This was effectively the .50 M2 in a slightly larger calibre, made in Belgium. It was lighter and faster-firing than the US original, and also had HE ammo. It would have made a good fighter armament in 1940 (and bomber gun later), but the idea had to be dropped when Belgium was overrun.

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