User talk:Drifter bob

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hello Drifter bob! Welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. If you decide that you need help, check out Getting Help below, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking or using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. Finally, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field. Below are some useful links to facilitate your involvement. Happy editing! Khoikhoi 05:56, 22 March 2007 (UTC) Getting Started Wikipedia Tutorial • The five pillars of Wikipedia How to: edit a page • upload an image Getting Help Frequently Asked Questions Where to ask questions or make comments Request administrator attention Policies and Guidelines Neutral point of view • Reliable sources Verifiability • Citing sources • No original research What Wikipedia is not • Biographies of living persons Manual of Style • Three-revert rule • Sock puppetry Copyrights • Fair use • Image use policy External links • Spam • Vandalism Deletion policy • Conflict of interest • Notability The Community Build consensus • Resolving disputes Assume good faith • Civility • Etiquette No personal attacks • No legal threats Community Portal • Village pump Signpost • IRC channels • Mailing lists Things to do Be bold in editing • Help develop an article Pages needing attention • Peer review Join a WikiProject • Translating articles Cleaning up: General • Spam • Vandalism Miscellaneous Categories • Disambiguity • Stubs User pages • Talk pages Useful templates • Tools • User scripts

[edit] P-40/Caldwell

Hi Bob. I've been back to the library and gleaned some more details from Brown's book as well as Alexander's bio of Caldwell. Most of it is in the P-40 article now. BTW, I have to warn you that while Brown's book is very detailed, his writing style is somewhat convoluted, requiring great concentration. Alexander is a terrific writer though and very readable. Grant | Talk 16:08, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks grant I'm going to get the PDF of Alexanders book today. Does Brown offer any evaluation of the P-40 vs the 109, Mc 202 or Fw 190?

Drifter bob 15:13, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

That is a good question and one which I will have to revisit Brown to answer. I was looking for general material about the P-40 on my last visit.

Among other points, Brown doesn't seem to have a high opinion of Tedder, whose emphasis on bombing, in the absence of air superiority, seems misguided to say the least. Brown also mentions how 3 Sqn RAAF destroyed a whole flight of six Vichy French Glenn-Martin 167s (A-22s) in a matter of minutes over Syria. They were sitting ducks without fighter escort, just as the DAF bombers would have been without the P-40s. Brown's account of the DAF squadrons' conversion to the P-40 is also staggering because it was so inadequate. One squadron lost about half a dozen planes, mostly to landing accidents, while converting. Some squadrons had an experienced USAAF pilot with them to advise, but they still struggled at first to land P-40s without breaking the landing gear! Grant | Talk 17:27, 30 March 2007 (UTC)