Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Beale
It's in The Guardian, so it must be true.
P.S. doesn't that "Spitfire fighter planes" bit make you cringe? As if the British don't know what a Spitfire is!
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With all due respect, have you ever heard of a chap named
Sidney Cotton and/or the Nr. 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit (PRU)?
Now, I must admit that I'm a former US Army Photo Intelligence Analyst/Air Intelligence Officer, so when someone says "Spitfire fighter planes," I tend to say, "Well, yes but... " and - while I dinna cringe - I
do have a tendency to roll my eyes and sigh....
It's been a good while since I was in the business, but as I recall, I was taught that the first effective photo recce birds flown by the Allies in WW II were Spitfires flown by the Nr 1 PRU, as they could fly faster and higher than any interceptors that the Axis had at that point.
For that matter, I believe that the Spits were used as ground attack "fighter-bombers" in Normandy following D-Day, but that wasn't my bailiwick, so I shan't comment on that.
Jim Kirk
(aka "RangerJimK," "Ranger Jim" et al
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