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Posted on 06/10/2004 12:00:49 AM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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The events leading up to the Battle of White Plains in October 1776 flowed from the British defeat of Washington's troops in the Battle of Long Island that previous summer. The American commander evacuated Long Island with his army intact to fight again another day. (Estimated 14,000 men.)  Gen. Sir William Howe, British Commander-In-Chief and his tory sympathizers, had a stronghold in New York City, while patriot fervor was stronger in upstate New York. Westchester County was considered to be the neutral ground though lower Westchester was more loyalist oriented. (Estimated troop strength; 15,000 disciplined, highly trained soldiers.) Washington had concentrated his forces in Ft. Washington and Kings Bridge and slowly moved north to White Plains along the Albany Road. The rear, brought up by Gen. Charles Lee's Virginia Division, laden by baggage and provision, started out on October 18th travelling the west side of the Bronx River and took nine days to reach White Plains. There they joined Washington's advance unit which started arriving October 21st and were fortifying Chatterton, Purdy, Merritt, Hatfield and Miller hills. Along the way, occasional skirmishes broke out across the Bronx River as the rival forces from time to time tested one another. (There is the story of Col. Rufus Putnam reconnoitering for the colonials who stopped, reportedly at Wayside Cottage to pick up intelligence on British strength and local tory sympathy.)  Lord Howe landed about 4,000 men at Throg's Neck, October 12th, with the intention of encircling Washington's army and bringing the rebellion to an early end. He was met by Col. Ed Hand's crack Pennsylvania riflemen who destroyed the bridge and causeway leading from Throg's Neck to the Westchester mainland. Howe's men were isolated for six days before they re-embarked and landed at Pell's Point in Pelham Manor on October 18th. Col. John Glover and his weakened brigade of Marblehead troops fortunately were posted in the right position, as a rearguard to Washington's northerly movement, assigned to protect the Boston and White Plains Post Roads. Glover commanded three regiments under Cols. Baldwin, Read and Shepherd. Glover placed his regiments in a succession of ambush points along the route of Howe's army. The ensuing enfilade and leapfrog ambush tactics triggered by Glover's daring headlong charge into the British and Hessian advance guard was cited later by the colonials, for training purposes, on how a small force could hold up a larger advancing troop. Casualities: Americans, 8 killed and 13 wounded, British, 11 killed and 44 wounded, A few historians have theorized that the Hessian losses, not reported, could have been as high as 800 men! Assuming this to be true, "the Battle of Pelham' could have exceeded the 500 estimated combined number of soldiers killed at the Battle of White Plains.  Gen. George Washington Howe, normally cautious and deliberative, became even more so. The main body of the British and Hessian mercenaries proceeded up North Avenue in New Rochelle. The first column, under Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, marched up Quaker Ridge Road to Weaver to Old Mamaroneck Road through East Scarsdale towards White Plains. An historic marker at Weaver and Cornell reads, "A detachment of British troops on their way to the Battle of White Plains marched along this road and encamped near this spot on Oct. 27, 1776. Gen. Wilhelm von Knyhausen, Hessians!' The second column of Hessians marched up Mamaroneck Road to Secor Farm and bivouacked in the Heathcote area. Howe took up quarters at the Griffen House (still standing at Mamaroneck and Garden Roads in Scarsdale) on October 25th and remained until November 4th. Many Scarsdale families, i,e., Varians, Barkers, Griffens and Cornells, of patriotic persuasion, fled as the British advanced in strength. The Secors and Tompkins, among the few exceptions, stayed to later recount for posterity their eyewitness accounts of unfolding events in Scarsdale. The Hessians, particularly in the forefront of the advance, pillaged and plundered the countryside regardless of friend or foe. (Helen Hultz reports that Hessian sabre marks can still be seen on the Wayside Cottage door where legend has it the Varians managed to hide their cow in an underground area.)  Gen. Sir William Howe Caleb Tompkins drove the family cattle before him to safety behind Washingtons lines in White Plains. One account states that at one point he hid in a swampy area immersed up to his neck. British movement, as previously reported, did not go unchallenged. On October 22nd, Washington dispatched Col. Haslett's Delaware Regiment and Col. Green's 1st and 3rd Virginia Regiments, 750 men in all, to harrass the right wing of Howe's army stationed in Heathcote where Col. Rogers Queen's "American" Rangers (loyalists) were encamped. Haslett's guides in a nighttime raid, ran into Roberts' pickets. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting ensued. The brief skirmish left 25 British dead (buried in an orchard near the school house that served as Rogers' headquarters). Haslett returned with 36 prisoners including John and James Angevine - whose house at 164 Mamaroneck Road still stands. Thereafter, the Queen's Rangers became ineffective and disintegrated as a fighting unit though whether as a result of this engagement, history does not make clear.
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"Gen. Sir William Howe, British Commander-In-Chief and his tory sympathizers, had a stronghold in New York City, while patriot fervor was stronger in upstate New York."
This still holds true today.
Patriotic fervor in NYC isn't as high as one would think it would be considering recent events.
My spouse was furious that the "democrats" who hated RRs guts the entire time he was in office and complained of "reaganomics", Iran, etc. now have their faces in the camera playing on "oh, what a good job he did".
Bill Clinton was interviewed by Vanity Fair last year and stated that he "was lucky to enter office during the Reagan/Bush economy." It didn't take old "tax-n-spend bill" less than 8 years to put us in another recession that the dems keep trying to blame Bush for.
The "over exposure" ploy is probably because RR passed away about the same time Bill Clinton's book was being released. The major networks were pretty much forced to cover a funeral, and you can tell by the reporting that some of the journalists would rather cover a book signing.
Thanks!
Morning Darksheare. It's hard to believe how much New England has chnaged from the Birthplace of the Revolution to the hotbed of Socialism in the States.
If I had a nickle for every reference of some sort to Clinton during the Reagan Ceremonies I'd be a millionaire. They always seemed to be able to work his name into somehow.
Yes, kinda vertigo inducing actually.
And the sick part is that the socialists insist they are the ones preserving the legacy of being a hotbed of revolution.
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Air Power |
Background
Sidney Camm became Chief Designer of Hawkers in 1926, and remained in that post until his death in 1966. This is a stunning achievement particularly given the technological advances made in aircraft design during this period. Sidney Camm was a prolific designer who seemed to produce new fighter (or bomber) designs effortlessly on almost an annual basis. "Very nice, Sidney, we will take a hundred of those…" - this is how fighter procurement must have seemed to a casual observer throughout the 1930's. Hawker Aircraft were one of the leading producers of cutting edge, state of the art fighters during this period and the Second World War, but by 1948 Hawker and its Chief Designer found that they had time on their hands. The end of the war had reduced the pressure on aircraft development, and budgets were cut to a tiny percentage of their wartime levels.
By this stage, the jet age had arrived, and the RAF employed 2 main types of fighter, the Gloster Meteor and the De Havilland Vampire. Both were designed during World War 2, and neither of them were Hawker designs. These particular aircraft, although excellent machines, had started to show definite limitations, particularly in performance terms and especially when compared to the latest American fighters, which had been developed with the aid of German wartime research. The Meteor had a top speed of about 580 mph, if it flew faster compressibility became a problem as Mach 1 was approached.
Hawker built several jet prototypes in the immediate post-war period, the only one going into production was the Sea Hawk for the Royal Navy. The Sea Hawk itself was rejected by the RAF because they did not consider it to be sufficiently advanced over existing fighters. The series jet of prototypes, such as the P.1052 and P.1081, did however provide Hawker's with a great deal of experience in high speed fighter design.
All Camm's early jet aircraft designs used engines with centrifugal compressors, a feature common to all early jet engines, but the axial flow compressors which were in their infancy resulted in a much slimmer and more powerful generation of engines. Camm therefore went back to the drawing board, and designed a new fighter around this novel style of jet engine, specifically the Rolls Royce Avon and the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. These engines promised much better performance than anything already in service.
Development and first flight
Camm and his team set to work, and the new design, given the company designation Type 1067, took shape in late 1948. Metal was cut for the first prototypes in late 1949, the first aircraft being finished in July 1951. It was obvious from the outset that this aircraft's sleek lines, swept wings and tail, would promise good performance. Indeed the overall look of the fighter was more aesthetically pleasing than anything previously seen.
The new aircraft took shape around some design features necessitated by the intended equipment for the fighter's role. The radar ranging units had to be positioned in the nose, meaning the air intakes were moved to the wing roots. The armament associated with the ranging equipment was also entirely novel, in both type and arrangement. The future of fighter armament at this time was unclear, so four 30 mm Aden cannon were chosen as being likely to fullfil any Govenement requirement, unprecedented firepower for the day. The cannon were mounted in a single pod in the forward fuselage, the whole unit being removable. This meant the Hunter could be re-armed very quickly, as a full pod could be substituted for the empty one in around a minute by a trained crew. The first flight of the Hunter, as this aircraft was now named, was on 20th July 1951. It flew from Boscombe Down with Hawker's new Chief test pilot, Sqn Ldr Neville Duke, at the controls.
After some initial handling difficulties, and the addition of fairings over the tailplane and fin junction, the aircraft proved itself to be a true fighter thoroughbred from the Hawker stable. Even before flight testing was completed orders poured in for 200 Mk 1 Hunters, with the Rolls Royce Avon engine, from Hawkers at Kingston. A further 200 Mk 2 Hunters were ordered from Armstrong Whitworth at Coventry, fitted with the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engine.
Even while prototype testing was continuing, the Ministry of Supply added the requirement for an air brake that would not affect the aiming of the weapons, but that could also be deployed at all altitudes and all airspeeds. The optimum position for the brake took time to evaluate, and deliveries of the new fighter to the RAF were delayed as a result. The air brake was eventually built into the underside of the rear fuselage.
Into service
Hunter F.1
The Hunter F Mk.1 entered service with the Air Fighting Development Squadron at West Raynham in July 1954. These aircraft were quickly used in Air defence exercises, intercepting high flying Canberra bombers, surprising them with attacks from above, something the hitherto immune Canberras were not used to! The development trials were closely followed by Squadron service with No. 43 Sqn, at Leuchars. The only other 2 squadrons to receive the Mk.1 were No. 54 at Odiham, and No. 222 at Leuchars. The remainder of the 139 Mk 1s went to Operational Conversion Units. The Avon RA7 was starting to show problems with engine surges and flameouts, particularly when the aircraft's 30mm cannon were fired. This led to restrictions on gunfiring of 25,000 ft being introduced, a serious limitation in performance.
Hunter F.2
These particular problems were not evident in the Mk.2 with the Sapphire engine, although both marks were prone to a phenomena known as 'pitch-up'. The Mk.2 Sapphire engined aircraft could fire its guns beyond 40,000ft without problems. However, only 45 of these excellent aircraft were produced, equipping just 2 squadrons, Nos. 257 and 263, both based at Wattisham. Interestingly, the political clout of Rolls Royce was so strong, that despite the problems, most development was based on their engine, rather than the snag-free Sapphire. Bearing in mind that the endurance of the first two marks was very short, the Mk.2 did at least show everyone what the Hunter could do. It quickly became a favourite with Service pilots, because of its' crisp handling and great strength.
Hunter F.3
Only one Hunter Mk.3 was built, this was WB188, the first prototype Hunter. It was rebuilt with aerodynamic refinements, and a reheated Avon engine. This engine, the Avon RA7R, developed 7,130lb of thrust dry and up to 9,600lb of thrust with the afterburner lit. On 7 September 1953, Sqn Ldr Neville Duke took the Mk.3 to a new World Absolute Speed Record of 727.6 mph, off the Sussex coast at Rustington. On the 19th of the same month, Duke took the aircraft to a new 100 Km closed circuit record of 709.2 mph. This unique aircraft is still in existence, at RAF Cosford aerospace museum
The mass-produced marks
Hunter F.4
The Mark 4 was the first really successful version. It took the Hunter from a useful point defence day fighter to a truly multi role fighter, with greater endurance and hardpoints for bombs and rockets. Drop tanks could also be carried to extend range even further, making the Hunter F Mk 4 a very capable fighter. Aircraft were produced initially as modified F Mk 1s, and later as new build aircraft. 365 F Mk 4 Hunters were produced, the first 156 with Avon 113 engines, and the remainder with Avon 115s. These had modified compressors to alleviate many of the surge problems that bedevilled the Hunter Mk.1.
The modified engines were retrofitted to most of the earlier airframes. The wing was also redesigned with 'sawtooth' extensions to the leading edge to alleviate the 'pitchup' phenomena, and internal fuel capacity was increased. The first Hunter F Mk 4 flew on 20th October 1954, and first deliveries were to No. 54 at Odiham, and No. 111 (F) at North Weald, in March 1955. In this same year, Hunter F Mk 4s were delivered to RAF Germany too, and by 1956, Hunters equipped 7 squadrons at home and 13 overseas in Germany.
Hunter F Mk 4s were also delivered to several NATO countries, and aircraft were built under licence in Belgium by Avions Fairey, and in the Netherlands by Fokker. These were for service in their respective air forces. After replacement in squadron service by the F Mk 6, many F Mk 4s served on OCUs, and later many were converted to two-seater T Mk 7 or T Mk 8 trainers. Still more were repurchased by Hawkers for refurbishment and resale overseas.
Hunter F.5
The Hunter F Mk 5 was essentially similar to the F Mk 4, the exception being that it was powered by the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire Mk 101 engine, as fitted to the F Mk 2. Production was simply continued on the production line at the Coventry works of Armstrong Whitworth, aircraft number 46 in the production run was the first F Mk 5 off the line. Hunter F Mk 5s served with 5 squadrons of Fighter Command, No.s 1, 34, 41, 56 and 263. Deliveries commenced in 1955, and when the Suez crisis erupted in late 1956, Nos. 1 and 34 were deployed to Cyprus to escort British bomber operations over Egypt.
The Hunter training variants
The idea of developing a two-seat Hunter started to emerge as a private venture by Hawkers in early 1953, for use as an advanced trainer. The Hunter's performance was sufficiently beyond that of exisiting training aircraft, such as the Balliol and Vampire, to warrant such an aircraft. The layout was a subject of much discussion at first, both tandem and side-by-side layouts were advocated. In the end the side-by-side layout prevailed, and the first of 2 prototypes flew on 8 July 1955.
These were essentially single seat Hunters, with a new front fuselage. The first aircraft was a modified F Mk 4s, powered by the types original Avon RA 21. However, all was not well with the trainer variant, the new nose and cockpit caused airflow instability, and a long programme of trials began to develop the shape of the new canopy and the fairing behind it. By the summer of 1956 the airflow problems were solved, and the Ministry of Supply placed a production order for the trainer, now termed Hunter T Mk 7.
Even though the second prototype had been powered by the Avon 203 and based on the F Mk 6, it was planned for the production aircraft to be fitted with the Avon 121 engine, not the so called 'big Avon' 200 series. This was because it was intended that some F Mk 4 aircraft be converted to T Mk 7s, although this did cause great problems with spares in later years. Apart from the two-seat nose section and fairing, the only other structural difference between the F Mk 4 and T Mk 7 was the addition of a fairing in the tail for a braking parachute.
Altogether 55 aircraft were new-build T Mk 7s, although the last 10 were built as T Mk 8s for the Royal Navy with arrestor hooks and other associated naval equipment. Several of the Royal Navy T Mk 8s were reconverted in 1980, to become radar trainers for Sea Harrier student pilots. The reconversion included the addition of Blue Vixen radar in the nose for interception training. Deliveries of the T Mk 7s were to most front line squadrons, one apiece, and the remainder to 229 OCU at Chivenor, in 1958. These aircraft served in the advanced trainer role and as weapons trainers for over 20 years.
Hunter heyday
Hunter F.6
In late 1951, an improved Hunter with increased wing sweepback was conceived. This aircraft was powered by a reheated Avon engine and it was anticipated that this aircraft would be a truly transonic aircraft, capable of Mach 1+ in level flight. Although construction got underway, the project, designated P.1083, was cancelled in 1953, due to changes in Air Staff preferences for large un-reheated engines.
The centre section was used as a basis for the next version of Hunter, called the F Mk 6, with an Avon 200 engine and 10,500 lbs thrust. Nevertheless these engines were still experiencing problems, particularly during fast throttle-ups, and the engine was derated to 10,000 lbs thrust in an effort to alleviate this. Ultimately, the problem was traced to compressor blade fatigue. Rolls Royce were starting to iron out the problems with the Avon engine by this time, and reliability improved when the Hunter F Mk 6 entered service at the end of 1956. The Avon 200 engine (often called the 'big Avon') gave the Hunter F Mk 6 a very good rate of climb, making it a superlative interceptor.
The Hunter's wing was its' Achilles heel, and no amount of power could make it truly supersonic, without a major redesign. By 1958, all RAF day fighter squadrons in Europe were equipped with the Hunter Mk.6. Initially this was as an excellent interceptor, but when deployed in NATO duties, it was out performed by the supersonic American F-100 Super Sabre. However, the Hunter found increasing favour as a ground attack aircraft. This was just as well, considering what was about to happen in British defence thinking.
From air to ground - the Ground Attack Hunters
Around 1960, just as the Hunter was being replaced by the Lightning in service as the RAF pricipal interceptor, it was simultaneously being increasingly used as a ground attack aircraft, especially in Germany on NATO duties. The Hunter had been outclassed at altitude by the new generation of supersonic fighters, such as the Lightning, the American F-4 Phantom and the Russian MiG 21. All of these had Mach 2+ performance at altitude, but they were only about 30 knots faster than the Hunter in the denser air of the lower atmosphere. So, despite the limitations of it's older design, the Hunter was far from obsolete at low level.
Even today, strike aircraft are unable to fly much faster than 750 kt near sea level. So with the service already in possession of large numbers of Hunters and in order to utilise existing stocks of aircraft, Hawker undertook a major conversion programme to rebuild the Hunter F Mk 6 into the ground attack FGA 9. Modifications included tail parachutes for short runway performance, strengthened inner wing pylons to carry 230 gallon drop tanks, along with extra fittings beneath the wings for the carriage of an increased weapons load. The new weapons in the Hunter's inventory included 1000 lb bombs, 2 in and 3 in rockets and 100 gallon napalm bombs. The Hunter's fixed armament of 4 x 30mm cannon in the nose was retained.
The introduction into service of these modified FGA 9's was with 8 Sqn, in the Aden Protectorate, in January 1960. The new Hunters also served in East Africa, and the Far East. At home, Transport Command was forming a fighter wing for quick deployment around the world, known as 38 Group. Hunter FGA Mk.9's were the principal aircraft type of the new Group, to support these short-notice overseas deployments. These relatively unsophisticated aircraft gave sterling service for over 10 years in front line use, and were retained for some time after as weapons trainers in the Tactical Weapons Units (TWU's) of Brawdy and Chivenor. No. 8 Sqn finally gave up its FGA 9's in December 1971. The RAF maintained a ground attack training wing at RAF Wittering until August 1976, and the TWU's finally gave up their Hunters in the early 1980's, replacing them with Hawks.
One further version of the Hunter saw service in the RAF, this was the tactical reconnaissance FR 10. This was similar to the FGA 9 except that it had three cameras fitted in the nose along with other specialised equipment for the reconnaissance role. The Hunter FR 10 replaced the Swift FR 5 in service in RAF Germany with No. 2 Squadron in March 1961. These aircraft served until the end of the 1960's and were replaced by various types, such as the Harrier and the Jaguar.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Hawkers Aviation
Roles: Fighter / Trainer / Ground Attack
Powerplant: One 10,000-lb. thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 203
Accommodation: Pilot
Recognition: The broad swept wing with its rounded tips and slim, well proportioned fuselage make the Hunter a pleasing shape, a classic jet fighter of its period. The swept fin with the tailplane mounted one third of the way up it are distinctive features, as are the triangular jet intakes in the leading edge of the wing root.
Dimensions:
Span: 33 ft 8 in (11.25m)
Length: 45 ft 10.5 in (9.12m)
Weights: Empty, 14,400 lb. Loaded, 17,750 lb. (with extra tanks): 24,600 lb
Performance:
Max Speed: 715 m.p.h. at sea-level or Mach 0.95 at 36,000 ft
Range: 1,840 miles at 515 m.p.h. with drop tanks
Ceiling: 51,500 ft
Armaments:
Four fixed 30-mm Aden guns in removable pack.
Provision under wings for two 1,000 lb bombs, two 100-gallon Napalm bombs, or 2" multiple rocket batteries on inner pylons
3" Rocket projectiles below outer wings
LOL. I get it!
Great pictures, thanks for the link Gail.
Hiya Betsy, thanks for dropping by with a wonderful note.
What you and Sarah are doing is wonderful. Thanks for providing an avenue to help.
I saw those big guns on tv live. Pretty neat.
I think they have thick skulls in that city with nothing filling any void.
Hi Johnny. Thanks for today's Air Power. How is your SIL and baby doing?
I'm jealous. I was driving home in the rain. AM braodcast isn't quite the same. I kept hollering at the ABC commentator. He was saying stupid, untrue things. Hence my tagline.
At least WBAP had continuous coverage. The other talk stations were interrupted with commercials.
Both are doing wonderful! The pneumonia and infection is gone and baby Josette is quite the cutie.
Good deal.
and baby Josette is quite the cutie.
Got pictures?
Click here: The House's Home - Josette's Page
It appears that it hasn't been updated for a few days. (gee I can't imagine why... LOL)
It's a seeming cultural arrogance and, while not pride, a kind of boastful pride at being in one of the world's crime capitols of the country.
NYC seems to think that they are all there is to NY state, and everyone else is irrelevant.
it's really NO TROUBLE, as Sarah goes over there for therapy at least 3x a week.
free dixie,sw
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