Typhoons and Limejuice

[longweight]

G'day.

Just re reading "Monty's Northern Legions" Patrick Delaforce. (My father served as a gunner in the artillery with 15th Scottish) In it he writes in the chapters about the 15th Scottish Div.  that during the battle for the town of Goch in the lead up to the crossing of the Rhine the army was supported by "Typhoons with Limejuice" ?  I'm guessing some form of Napalm as it was mentioned in conjunction with flamethrower tanks, but does anyone know what this Limejuice stuff is ?  Google is strangely silent on this matter.

 

My thanks in advance.

[JackG]

Not sure, but in this reference it seems Limejuice was the the radio call used by ground troops when requiring ground support from Tiffies:

https://books.google.ca/books?id=tSLOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=LIMEJUICE++typhoon+fighter+1945&source=bl&ots=cjsBGiPumk&sig=qLJwluObQoLLg3zizdUUxroxLmk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi838D38s7dAhUJ5YMKHTP6Al0Q6AEwEHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=LIMEJUICE typhoon fighter 1945&f=false

 

...but the way you have the quoted phrase I can see why it looks like Limejuice is some kind of weapon load carried by Typhoons.

 

regards,

Jack

[noelh]

I read somewhere before that Typhoons did drop napalm at some point. I can't remember where I saw it though, so no help really. The Americans definitely did using P47s mostly on fortifications. Whether it was known as limejuice is another question. 

[Chris Thomas]

Yes, Limejuice was a callsign - I believe for one of the FCPs (Forward Control Posts) which organised close support in the latter stages of then war (these had replaced the better known VCPs (Visual Control Posts) developed during the Normandy campaign.

 

Napalm was dropped by Typhoons during the last weeks of the war, on a small number of operational trials by 193 Sqn.  The containers were 90-gallon ferry tanks (twice the size of normal Typhoon LR tanks) with a detonator attached.  Eduard's BFC has just offered a 1/48 kit of one of these Typhoons in colourful postwar markings, complete with the weapon.

[longweight]

Aha. Yes a callsign would make sense. I guess it was a refinement of the 'cab rank' system.   I do seem to recall that whilst napalm has become associated with the USA it was originally 'invented' by a couple of Brits. Then again I've also read about CIA 'American Airlines' operatives mixing washing powder and avgas in 44 gallon drums for pushing out of cargo aircraft during the 'secret war' in Viet Nam and neighbouring places.

Thanks all for clearing that up....I am partial to a spot of lime juice in my ale on the hot afternoons here in Queensland, Aus. 😯