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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0835.PDF
FLIGHT, AUGUST 19, 1932 commanders. The loss of Mathy was a blow from which the German naval airship service never recovered. The L.31 fell in flames at Potter's Bar. In March, 1918, when the last great German offensive started, No. 100 Squadron was moved for a while up to an aerodrome near Rheims, and was busily employed on every night when the weather was suitable in bombing the lines of communication of the advancing Germans. Then it returned to Ochey and the Independent Air Force. The work of that force was to bomb the factories in the Rhine towns, thus holding up the enemy's munitions, and also causing him to withdraw fighter squadrons from the front. In June, Maj. Tempest gave over the command to Maj. C. Gordon Burge, who commanded the squadron until the Armistice, and afterwards compiled its history. He is now well known as the editor of the Air Annual of the British Empire and the Royal Air Force Quarterly. By this time it was obvious to everyone that the brave old F.E. machines had outlived their usefulness, even as night bombers They could not carry a heavy enough load of bombs, and they were slow at manoeuvring to dodge searchlights. In August the squadron was re- equipped with the Handley Page 0/400 with two Rolls- Royce " Eagle " engines. General Trenchard put it on record that this squadron " was one of the quickest squadrons I have ever had under my command at learning new type machines when it was re-equipped with Handley- Pages." The F.E. machines, however, sang a great swan song, for at the end of July and the beginning of August the squadrbn brought off a series of raids on 13 consecutive nights. This was its record ; its previous best was raids on 11 consecutive nights. In the course of its two years (less some months) in France, the squadron made 213 raids and dropped 185 tons of bombs. Thirty-five officers and airmen of the squadron received decorations. Twenty-eight officers and airmen lost their lives either in action or by accidents. Night-flying squadrons normally had fewer losses in action than the day squadrons had. Forced landings behind the enemy's fines were the fate most dreaded by the men who flew by night, but No. 100 Squadron was fortunate in losing only 39 officers and men as prisoners of war. Lord ESS Trenchard has called No. 100 " one of the ' great squadrons ' of the war." Note.—Since the above article was written Wing Com. Insall, V.C., has been transferred from Donibristle. Royal Air Force Squadrons Other descriptive articles concerning the work of various R.A.F. Squadrons, etc., have been published in FLIGHT as follow: — May 16, 1930. H.M. Aircraft Carrier Glorious. June 27, 1930. No. 4 (Army Co-operation), South Farn- borough; No. 17 (Fighter), Upavon; and No. 33 (Bomber), Eastchurch. August 15, 1930. No. 601 (County of London) (Bomber) Sq., A.A.F. (at Lympne). September 19, 1930. No. 43 (Fighter) Sq. (Tangmere). December 19, 1930. No. 2 (Army Co-operation) Sq. (Manston). April 24, 1931. No. 101 (Bomber) Sq. (Andover). June 12, 1931. Nos. 204 and 209 (Flying-Boat) Sq. (Mount Batten). June 26, 1931. " 1890-1912-1931." (A Brief Outline of the Growth of the Royal Air Force.) July 10, 1931. Cambridge University Air Sq. (at Old Sarum). July 17, 1931. Central Flying School (Wittering). August 7, 1931. Oxford University Air Sq. (at East- church) . August 21, 1931. No. 600 (City of London) (Bomber) Sq., A.A.F. (at Tangmere). April 1, 1932. No. 605 (County of Warwick) (Bomber) Sq. (at Castle Bromwich). May 13, 1932. No. 40 (Bomber) Sq. (Upper Heyford). June 10, 1932. Nos. 7 and 58 (Bomber) Sq. (Worthy Down). June 17, 1932. A visit to H.M.S. Exeter of 2nd Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet. July 22, 1932. Oxford University Air Sq. (Eastchurch). August 5, 1932. Cambridge University Air Sq. (Nether- avon). August 12, 1932. No. 1 Air Defence Group (Auxiliary Air Force and Cadre Sq.). S 0 § A REMARKABLE CRASH ON July 29 the Lufthansa Junkers - Ju 52/3m. D.2201, when returning from Zurich after win ning the Chavez-Bider Cup, was involved in a remarkable mid-air collision with a " Flamingo " light aeroplane in the neighbour hood of Munich. According to the report of Herr Milch—a Director of Lufthansa who was one of the passengers—they had just left the aerodrome near Munich en route for Berlin when, at about 300 m., suddenly a formid able crash occurred, which at first was thought to be an explo sion. Large holes appeared in the left wall of the cabin, which also caved inwards, while sundry pieces of material—later found to be parts of a machine—flew into the cabin. The Junkers simul taneously made a sharp turn to the left and dropped about 50 m. It was then noticed that the port engine was half torn out of the damaged left wing and was hanging down with the pro peller broken. No one suspected that a collision had occurred, as the other machine had not been noticed, and only later was it ascertained that the " Flamingo " coming from below had flown, first against the Junker's left wheel and then into the engine and wing, finally crashing to the ground. Its pilot—a pupil named Kruse—made efforts to escape with his parachute, but failed and was killed. However, the pilot of the Junkers, Flight-Capt. Polte, and his mechanic Haensgen, succeeded after a few seconds in getting the machine under control, and throttling down the remaining engines, got the machine into a glide. They A REMARKABLE CRASH : The damage to a Junkers Ju 52/3 m. caused by a mid-air collision with a " Flamingo " light plane. The Junkers managed to land safely without injury to passengers or crew. just managed to clear some high tension cables and land in a small field; the left wheel having been smashed in the collision, the Junkers naturally tipped over on the left wing and swung round some 100 deg. as it touched. Nevertheless, the fuselage with central engine and cabin, and the right wing were entirely undamaged, while the passengers and crew were quite uninjured. To come through such a collision as it did—with so little damage and no injury to the occupants—speaks well for the Junkers construction. 779
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