My library just grew again 2016

[Weaver]

Went to the Post Office in Marple with a package this morning and then had quick look in the little bookshop opposite. Came out with a copy of The Manchester Heinkel by Matthew Corrigan.

It's a little 46-page book about an incident in 1941 in which an He-111 got shot up over Manchester by a Defiant from Blackpool, and subsequently crashed south of Stockport. Why did I snap it up? Because my late mother was standing in our garden that night and saw the aircraft go over with flames trailing out of it! I've been hearing the story all my life, so it's nice to see the facts of the matter researched and written up. Also a bit sobering to see just how far folklore and faulty memory can drag a good story away from the facts too...

[Thorvic]

Went to the Post Office in Marple with a package this morning and then had quick look in the little bookshop opposite. Came out with a copy of The Manchester Heinkel by Matthew Corrigan.

It's a little 46-page book about an incident in 1941 in which an He-111 got shot up over Manchester by a Defiant from Blackpool, and subsequently crashed south of Stockport. Why did I snap it up? Because my late mother was standing in our garden that night and saw the aircraft go over with flames trailing out of it! I've been hearing the story all my life, so it's nice to see the facts of the matter researched and written up. Also a bit sobering to see just how far folklore and faulty memory can drag a good story away from the facts too...

Nice local touch, and does this mean a couple of real world builds using the recent Airfix kits as it sounds an ideal little display ?

[Weaver]

Went to the Post Office in Marple with a package this morning and then had quick look in the little bookshop opposite. Came out with a copy of The Manchester Heinkel by Matthew Corrigan.

It's a little 46-page book about an incident in 1941 in which an He-111 got shot up over Manchester by a Defiant from Blackpool, and subsequently crashed south of Stockport. Why did I snap it up? Because my late mother was standing in our garden that night and saw the aircraft go over with flames trailing out of it! I've been hearing the story all my life, so it's nice to see the facts of the matter researched and written up. Also a bit sobering to see just how far folklore and faulty memory can drag a good story away from the facts too...

Nice local touch, and does this mean a couple of real world builds using the recent Airfix kits as it sounds an ideal little display ?

Can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind....

The reports paint a pretty vivid picture: the He-111 dropped it's bombs (they were aiming for the Fairey aircraft factory but actually hit the McVities biscuit factory next door*), flew into a cloud of AAA smoke, and then flew out of it in front of the Defiant. The Defiant crew maneuvered to one side of it and gave it six bursts. The Heinkel then dived away, but the Defiant overtook it in the dive and put more bursts into both it's engines from dead ahead at fifty yards. They fired just under 800 rounds at it in total (how many hit is anyone's guess of course). The diving-ahead-of-it coupe-de-grace would make a fine diorama.

The identity of the Defiant airframe doesn't seem to appear anywhere (the book reprints the RAF Composite Action Report) but I havn't tried to research it yet.

*One lady who saw the bombing that night as a little girl vividly remembers the sweet smell of burning biscuits drifting over Burnage as she went to school the next morning...

[Gondor]

Received a couple of books today

Flightcraft9 Avro Shackleton, Ideal for building the Shackleton's especially the MR 1/1a I intend to build from the AllyCat T4 conversion set.

Aerofax Vickers Valiant, Lots of ideas and detail pictures for what to do with an Airfix Valiant. I received the B2 conversion set recently so this is an ideal compliment for the conversion.

Gondor

[NARSES2]

The reports paint a pretty vivid picture: the He-111 dropped it's bombs (they were aiming for the Fairey aircraft factory but actually hit the McVities biscuit factory next door*),

Hitting McVities might have had a greater effect on morale 

[kitnut617]

Received a couple of books today

Flightcraft9 Avro Shackleton, Ideal for building the Shackleton's especially the MR 1/1a I intend to build from the AllyCat T4 conversion set.

Gondor

Might be easier if you got the vacuform kit of the MR1 from Sanger Alastair  -----   like I'm doing     Using a lot of bit's & bobs from a Frog Spawn Shack' for details though ---

[Rheged]

Britain's Wonderful Air Force....Odhams Press...probably late 1940 or early 1941.  It only cost 10p and is a fascinating glimpse into how the Air force was reported  then.

[PR19_Kit]

Britain's Wonderful Air Force....Odhams Press...probably late 1940 or early 1941.  It only cost 10p and is a fascinating glimpse into how the Air force was reported  then.

Oh my life, I've still got a copy of that! 

I love the diabolical 'drawings' they have in there, some are so bad they might as well be Whiffs!

[Gondor]

Received a couple of books today

Flightcraft9 Avro Shackleton, Ideal for building the Shackleton's especially the MR 1/1a I intend to build from the AllyCat T4 conversion set.

Gondor

Might be easier if you got the vacuform kit of the MR1 from Sanger Alastair  -----   like I'm doing     Using a lot of bit's & bobs from a Frog Spawn Shack' for details though ---

Why? The T4 was a conversion from the MR1/1a so apart from possibly having to move a few aerials or intakes it should be almost the same. I am also using the Airfix MR2 as per the T4 instructions for the basis of the aircraft so a lot less work than building a vac-form.

Gondor

[Weaver]

The reports paint a pretty vivid picture: the He-111 dropped it's bombs (they were aiming for the Fairey aircraft factory but actually hit the McVities biscuit factory next door*),

Hitting McVities might have had a greater effect on morale 

Yeah: "Fairey Battle factory destroyed - hundreds of RAF lives saved!"

[Rheged]

Britain's Wonderful Air Force....Odhams Press...probably late 1940 or early 1941.  It only cost 10p and is a fascinating glimpse into how the Air force was reported  then.

Oh my life, I've still got a copy of that! 

I love the diabolical 'drawings' they have in there, some are so bad they might as well be Whiffs!

Agreed!!  I've got the army and navy volumes too, with some of the pictures that look as though the artist had never actually  seen the subject, but merely had it briefly described to them  on a very poor quality phone line. Mind you, I've  seen some box art that's no better.

[Green Dragon]

That Heinkel wasn't trying to get the Fairey factory, it was a deliberate attempt by the Nazi regime to destroy one of best secret weapons, Rich Tea Biscuits with our cuppa!

Paul Harrison

[NARSES2]

Britain's Wonderful Air Force....Odhams Press...probably late 1940 or early 1941.  It only cost 10p and is a fascinating glimpse into how the Air force was reported  then.

Oh my life, I've still got a copy of that! 

I love the diabolical 'drawings' they have in there, some are so bad they might as well be Whiffs!

I have a 1944/1945 edition of the Observers Book of Aircraft and some of the German aircraft are illustrated by some poor artists impressions so you can guess what most of the Soviet and Japanese types look like 

Anyway my Xmas pressies included French Secret Projects Vol 1  which I wasn't expecting and some Waterstone's tokens which I was. Still trying to figure out how somebody figured out I'd like the Secret Projects and that I hadn't bout it ? 

[Nick]

Anyway my Xmas pressies included French Secret Projects Vol 1  which I wasn't expecting and some Waterstone's tokens which I was. Still trying to figure out how somebody figured out I'd like the Secret Projects and that I hadn't bout it ? 

They've been spying on this forum!

Todays haul so far includes In Memory: A Tribute To Sir Terry Pratchett. Short stories written by his fans all on the theme of memory, proceeds going to Alzheimers Research UK.

A signed copy of Ready Player One. They've just made the movie of this excellent videogame nostalgia story. 

Five Go On A Strategy Away Day. Brilliant parody of Enid Blyton's Famous Five tales 

[PR19_Kit]

A copy of 'The Lightning Boys', a great book, but sadly I already have it.

I may be in a 'swapping situation' if anyone's interested?