Re: Aircraft that did not quite produce a full top ace
Beaufighter losses to Ar196 (Appendix I - Fighters over the Aegean):
17-Sep-43 252 Sqn V8335
29-Oct-43 47 Sqn JM225
6-Nov-43 47 Sqn LX998
27-Jan-44 603 Sqn LZ144
22-Feb-44 227 Sqn X8103
1-Jun-44 227 Sqn JM235
1-Jun-44 603 Sqn LZ517 (shared with flak)
1-Jun-44 16SAAF NE641
17-Jun-44 16SAAF NExxx (shared with flak)
Here's an oddity for you - a Beaufighter shot down from return fire of a Ju52:
30-Aug-44 603 Sqn NV213
If you compare straight performance statistics between Beaufighter and Ar196, the Beau wins hands down. However, remember that combat is not a comparison sheet. The Beau has good low-level speed, but in a shipping srtike wouldn't be going flat-out top speed on the way in to target. Down low, the Arado was very nimble. If the Arado takes the Beau by surprise or the Beau's crew is over-confident and underestimates the floatplane result is not so sure. As for the benefits of the Beau's heavy armament....well RAF crews were supposed to be lousy shots in general. Air-to-air marksmanship was not as heavily drilled in the Commonwealth as for the USN/USMC or USAAF training.
...geoff
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- converting fuel into noise.
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