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Continuing the recent aviation theme, I would like to pay homage to something that really saved Britain from the Nazis in World War II.
The main turning points in World War II in Europe were probably the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942/43 and the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942. The first, because this preserved a Western front, and required Germany to maintain forces and resources which could have been used elsewhere. The latter 2 because they denied Germany access to the oil fields of the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Britain's moment of greatest peril came in August and September 1940. The German army had swept through Holland, Belgium and France. Hitler and Stalin had signed a non aggression pact in the East, and Spain and Italy were allies of the Germans. All that remained was Little Britain, and German Hegemony over Western Europe was total.
The German military commanders had drawn up an invasion plan, known as Operation Sea Lion
For any likelihood of success, however, the operation required both air and naval supremacy over the English Channel, neither of which the Germans ever achieved during or after the Battle of Britain.
The Battle in the air over Southern England became known as the Battle of Britain, and gave rise to Churchill's famous quote
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
All that stood between the Hitler and an occupied Britain was the Royal Air Force, whose principal aircraft were the Hurricane and the Spitfire, both powered by
Rolls Royce Merlin V12 engines. The resilience of these aircraft, the courage of their pilots and the support of the ground crews, manufacturing facilities and the training of new pilots denied the Luftwaffe air superiority, and the invasion plan was cancelled in September.
As a Boomer, born in the early 50's, whose father had been in the Royal Air Force from September 1939 to December 1945, I was brought up to love those aircraft. In the late 50's and early 60's there were still many examples of Spitfires and Hurricanes flying, as well as Avro Lancasters and Mosquitoes which were also equipped with the same engine.
Sadly these days there are very few, but praise must go to the Battle of Britain memorial flight who keep History alive.
But back to the point of this diary, when you have heard a Rolls Royce Merlin engine, either in a single fighter, or a twin mosquito, or a 4 engined Lancaster, it is a sound that stays with you for ever. If you grew up in a post war UK like I did, it is a sound which brings tears to your eyes.
Turn your sound up loud and/or use head phones. These are meant to be heard full volume .
.
And just to prove how good this engine really was the P51 Mustang was powered by a Merlin, manufactured by Packard under license.