Built like a Mercedes (?)

Nor were English ideas on radar practical until the U.S. put their scientists in the same location as the English scientists.

Funy, I thought it showed he had good aim.

Wrong!! How do you think you got the supplies from us that kept your country alive until we entered the war. Entering a theatre does not mean declaring war.

LOL, you are kidding right. Without our help you would not have survived.

Who said that it was just the US? The point is that if we didn't get involved (by provoking the Japanese to attack) and our help and industrial might helped to turn the war around.

I find it funny that you would call anyone a lying sack of SHIT there, POO bear.

They sure do, and when they do, the price for them goes up. The point wasn't that the parts had to travel, but that shipping them added to their total cost. Unlike your examples, parts for foreign makes here in the states cost much more (not just a dollar or two) than similar parts for domestic.

Even if we were exactly that, the fact is America does rule. Like others have said, if we closed our borders, the rest of you would die, like it or not.

Chain home was built without any US technology or knowhow. Indeed, it's operations were an official secret, which were not shared with the US.

In 1940, the cavity magnetron was invented at Birmingham (uk) University. Churchill, realising that Britain simply didn't have the resources to develop this technology or any of the other emerging technologies, was eventually persuaded that the US be allowed unfettered access to all the undeveloped technologies that Britain had that could be used in the war against Germany, in return for access to the US's developments of them.

The magnetron (along with details of the the Chain Home system, the Jet engine and numerous other things) were taken to America in September

1940. It was described as being a thousand times more powerful than any American transmitter and also as being "the most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores". Google for the "Tizard Mission"

Us Brits can still be proud that before WWII, we were the most technologically innovative country in the world. Oh, how times change...

Ahh. A wiki page

Then you can plonk me because I top post because I find it more convenient.

Budd

What ? Britain already had a working radar air defence system before WW2 started.

The most practical innovation for radars during this period was the resonant cavity magnetron, invented in the UK.

Please give some example of your assertion.

Graham

Die of laughter perhaps !

Graham

No, it shows, he, like myself, live in a country that believes in personal freedoms over government restrictions.

Like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms . . . But I also believe in gun control . . .my personal best score with an M-16A1 is

297 out of 300 rounds fired.

Sounds like you are perfect for a socialist monarchy like the UK . . .a willing and well trained Pavlov's dog.

Hey, if it makes you feel more comfortable to have the government make all your decisions then so be it, but I prefer to make my own choices and prefer to live where I can do so legally.

PLONK.

Budd

Aw, gee, could that be partly because the British government thought they could handle it alone?

Really? What about all the equipment the US supplied the British forces, like the Mustang fighter plane

Gee, without American equipment, soldiers, supplies how far would they havce gotten???

No, you are simply misinformed.

Budd

Actually, in my visits to the states I have found an oppression that is simply not seen in Europe. It comes not from the Government but from the people themselves and the media.

Criticise democracy, or the American dream, or anything that culturally identifies America, and you face being completely ostracised by your peers. Americans just don't seem able, or willing, to criticise themselves to any significant degree.

Of course, on this side of the pond we sometimes appear to actively encourage it which doesn't seem too smart to me either.

The P-51 did not make it over in any real numbers until 1943. Battle of Britain was Summer 1940. It was almost exclusively a Brit on German air war. In fact, it was a near thing. Without radar and very high aircraft factory output, Britain would probably been invaded, and most likely would have been completely overrun in a few weeks.

We owe our successes in WW2 to those few who stood off the German air assault in 1940.

So, "Budd", stop showing your ass, and learn some history.

E.P.

*** There weren't any Mustangs around during the Battle of Britain ***.

The main RAF fighter at that time was the Hurricane but the Spitfire got most of the limelight.

When those Mustangs did finally arrive they simply didn't perform as well as the British fighters due to the poor Allison engine. It was the RAF that had the bright idea of putting a Rolls Royce Merlin in one - and production was the switched to use US 'license built' Merlins after which it did rather better.

Those Mustangs were *ordered* by the RAF btw on a commercial contract to boost aircraft production .The USA didn't just give them away. In fact the Mustang only ever existed on account of that RAF order, it would never even have been designed otherwise.

Graham

Certainly not once Churchill got in power.

The battle of Britain was in 1940. Britain got it's first P51 in 1942. Your logic appears flawed.

Prior to the Battle of Britain, US aid was confined mostly to food, oil and raw materials, notably steel.

Probably just North and Central France and probably a year or two later. The USSR, have taken all the land east of the German west border and all the Mediterranean coastal land would probably have bullied us into handing it over.

All of which confirms my assertion that our nations were at work on these things together prior to WWII, unlike what some others seem to believe.

Ahh - kind of like saying two clusters of grapes.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

The Mustang prototype didn't fly until 26 Oct 1940 by which time the 'Battle of Britain' targeting the destruction of the RAF had been won. The Luftwaffe changed its tactics to bombing London - 'The Blitz' after 7 Sep 1940.

" The plane first flew on 26 October 1940 "

A few US volunteers did play a part though.

" American contribution - The RAF recognises 7 Americans as having taken part in the Battle of Britain "

Graham

Just curious: what, exactly, is a top-poster abusing?

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling