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Post by pampa14 on Dec 27, 2015 21:46:11 GMT 12
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Post by raymond on Dec 27, 2015 21:57:07 GMT 12
I recall it was a quick means to replenishing "stock" in the mess when they were operating in France after D-day
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 28, 2015 0:17:13 GMT 12
Correct. It's a well known story to any Spitfire aficionado although I think other squadrons with other types were doing similar beer deliveries.
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Post by komata on Dec 31, 2015 12:05:40 GMT 12
FWIW: In the early 1960's I was told that there was actually a bit more to this than meets the eye. My informant (ex-RAF), said that as although the 'beer barrel' drop tanks were innovative, the beer was still 'warm' (ie, as the Brits tend to like it) on arrival at the airfield; this at a time when RAF pilots had discovered 'cold' beer US-style. What to do to make 'warm' British beer, cold like the stuff the Yanks drank? In the best RAF tradition, considerable experimentation resulted and it was discovered (apparently by accident), that a quick en-route ascent to 15,000 feet, followed by a gradual descent down to the airfield, had the desired effect, 'chilling' the contents of the barrels, and 'Americanising' them as a result. The results were quickly replicated throughout the squadrons' concerned, and a good time was had by all concerned. Although on reflection I may have been fed a line, at the time I had no reason to doubt the veracity of what I was told, so pass the info on FWIW in the hope that it may be of interest.
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Post by shorty on Dec 31, 2015 13:53:18 GMT 12
Further to Komata's story, when I was on 14 Squadron it was the practice when on exercise in Singapore to load up the pannier in the bomb bay of a Canberra with cans of beer and send it on a "high altitude navex" with it scheduled to land just prior to the happy hour starting, the slabs of cans would then quickly be transported to the swimming pool (or wherever the happy hour was being held) to begin begin the session.
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