The Untold Battle of Britain

[bobbysocks]

this guy deserves any honor bestowed and then some...got this from another site amd is a mix of several posts.

The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Lancaster and one of the Flights Spitfires) had a fly over in salute to Fl Lt Nicholson who 70 years ago on Monday this week (16.8.10) won the VC for his incredible act of bravery. (the ONLY Fighter Command VC in the Battle of Britain and entire war)

He was flying a Mk1 Hurricane from RAF Boscombe Down (where I work) in a flight of three A/C ...Red flight...and was engaged with a gaggle of Me110's over the Solent when his Hurricane was hit by 4 canon shells from '110. One shell caused an injury to his foot, one shattered the canopy and caused cuts and bleeding to his eye and two went into the gravity tank in front of the cockpit (Only a Brit would design a fighter with a petrol tank sandwiched in between the motor and the pilot !). Obviously, it got a bit hot with tank on fire so he decided to jump.

Just as he's about to go over the side, he see's a 110 fly right by in front of him, and in sheer bl**dy mindedness, he climbs back inside the burning cockpit...and promptly shot the 110 down !. Then he jumped, badly burned.

All was well until he was just about to land, when a member of the LDV (Home Guard) shot him in the b*m !. He spent more than a year recuperating from his burns, but by September 1941 was back in the air and in 1942 was posted to India. Between August 1943 and August 1944 he was a squadron leader for a unit stationed in Burma (27 Squadron, flying Bristol Beaufighters over Burma. During this time he was awarded the DFC.). He was killed when an RAF Liberator in which he was flying as an observer caught fire and crashed into the Bay of Bengal. His body was not recovered. His medals are in the possession of the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon.

His two wingmen, both with surname King, were also badly shot up by the 109's who had joined in the dogfight, one managed to fly his crippled Hurricane back to land but the other bailed out only find his parachute had been shredded by canon fire and it failed. He did'nt make it back home.

At Boscombe Down, we have a memorial to Nicholson ...sorted by our very own Rocketeer !!!...and have some of the armour plate form Nicholsons Hurricane in the Museum.

video from the day...

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65...nd-flight-gear

[Xiola]

Originally Posted by bobbysocks

this guy deserves any honor bestowed and (Only a Brit would design a fighter with a petrol tank sandwiched in between the motor and the pilot !). Obviously, it got a bit hot with tank on fire so he decided to jump.

The reason it was there, at least on the Spitfire, was because that point was exactly over the wing and the centre of gravity. Which meant the plane had exactly the same performance characteristics with a full or empty fuel tank. Other planes with the fuel tank elsewhere had different handling whether the tanks were full or empty.

So it was done for superior performance and handling reasons, but obviously had disadvantages if it caught on fire.