Spitfire thread

[switters]

Must love the Canadians.

Problem: Canadian squadron in WWWII sent to France, France is out of Labatts.

Solution: Fly beer from London in the bomb racks.

Outcome: Brilliant

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/wor....html?chrome=1

[ron ll]

Not a Spitfire, but a somewhat related anecdote. Years ago a friend had a float plane and I would ride with him on various jaunts. One trip we left Seattle to visit a friend on a backwoods river in B. C. They had this deal where my friend would trade beer for big Dungeness crab. The beer was carried in compartments in the plane’s floats. The direct route to the destination took us over the Olympic mountains. We landed in the river, made the swap for the crab, loaded the live crab in buckets in the floats, and proceeded back to Seattle. But on the way back, instead of the straight line over the Olympics, he chose a more circuitous route following the shore line. When I ask him why, he said the beer could survive the mountain altitude but the live crab could not.

[Dave Hadfield]

Must love the Canadians.

Problem: Canadian squadron in WWWII sent to France, France is out of Labatts.

Solution: Fly beer from London in the bomb racks.

Outcome: Brilliant

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/wor....html?chrome=1

A similar thing happened in WWI. When Westland was building DH-9 bombers, they could make it to France directly from Yeovil, the factory's airfield. So every aeroplane heading for a squadron departed with a keg of west-country cider strapped to a seat.

[Jim Bow]

Lots of stories of crews using the high altitude cold to make ice cream.

[Ian McColgin]

Dad learned early not to bother his crew chief . . .

[Robbie 2]

Lots of stories of crews using the high altitude cold to make ice cream.

Yes.......My Uncle Phil was a RNZAF engineer in the Pacific during WW2.
He told me they often did just that.

[skuthorp]

My uncle, Australian trained in Canada, bomber command, said that when training in Hamdens theyoften left the parachutes home and carried beer. He also said that on raids they often dumped empty beer bottles out with the bombs. As they dropped they whistled like a bomb.