In all her glory.
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Spitfires in the Mediterranean Theater. Aircraft operating in that theater were frequently fitted with air filters, due to all the dust, grit, and sand of the Sahara. Unlike some, the Spitfire had two different filter options: the Vokes and the Aboukir. I can’t remember which one was the culprit, but a filter in need of change was noted of smelling “cheesy.”
(I’ll admit, I’m just bs-ing at this point.)
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The Timber Terror strikes again.
The Mosquito, as I’m sure we all know, was made largely of plywood, which is thin layers of wood glued together. In an age before modern epoxy resin was invented, the binding agent was casein which was extracted from milk. In Europe this was absolutely fine but when the aircraft was taken to the Far East, the heat and humidity could cause the casein to break down, with somewhat alarming consequences for the air crew. Because the casein was derived from a milk protein, the aircraft would supposedly emit a cheesy smell if the casein was starting to break down, so for safety reasons it was vital that a crew under no circumstances tried to take off in a cheesy smelling Mosquito.
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In my defense, I did guess a British plane powered by Merlin engines that a German aviator was allegedly jealous of.
What mythical bird provided the name for a much disliked fighter?
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Blackburn Roc?
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That’s the bird.
Q: Who created the device that helped to solve the engine cut-out issues the Rolls-Royce Merlin experienced during some maneuvers?
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An engineer called Beatrice Shilling
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Traditionally, ships are considered female. Which warship was, by order of a ranking officer, to only ever be referred to as “he” not “she?”
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I thought all German capital ships were a “he” not a “she”. Bismark certainly was.
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Maybe, but I specifically remember an admiral (Donitz perhaps) saying during a speech that Bismarck was a “he.”
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What daring, yet successful, raid inspired an iconic scene in the original Star Wars film?
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I know that George Lucas was influenced greatly by the movie “Dam Busters”, which is about the Allied bombing raids on dams in the Ruhr area. I suppose the trench scene in Star Wars may be influenced by one of these raids?
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Yes, the “dam buster” mission was one of the inspirations.
Keeping with the category… What period film inspired the scene that goes with the following track?
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IIRC an initial cut of Star Wars used scenes from 633 Squadron in place of incomplete special effects.
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Darn, might need to watch that again.
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Who were the Plymouth Argylls?
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One of the best themes of any war film ever IMO.
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Not even a nibble? Time for a clue I guess.
It’s not this lot, although there is a connection.
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Four members of Plymouth Argylis F.C. who joined the RAF following the Battle of Britain. They served in North Africa, flying cover for the second battle of El Alamein.
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Interesting, but no. It was a name, or at least a nickname of a unit.
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