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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0081.PDF
FLIGHT, January u, 1940. c O N T I N U E D ) Referred to by the manufacturersas a " convoy " fighter this two- seater Seversky is simply a long-range two-seater fighter with six front guns (four synchronised) andone free gun. in the dark with the aid of search- lights. Yet only five days after the raids had started they again began destroying Japanese bombers. In twelve days of opera- tions the Japanese lost about forty of their original fifty-two modern, fast bombers. All bombing opera- tions were then stopped. A month later the raids were resumed, but now the Japanese bombers from Formosa were escorted by their own fighters based at Shanghai. These were of the Types 96 and 97, and were superior to the old Chinese fighters. The Japanese bombers and fighters would meet at Shanghai and fly to their objective. While the bombers dropped their bombs the Japanese fighters would circle above them ready to engage the Chinese defenders. In one raid the Chinese lost eleven fighters and the Japanese five, but all the bombers returned safely. For the next ten days Nanking was attacked by large numbers of bombers supported by fighters which encountered little opposition. In February, 1938, the Chinese were equipped with the more modern Russian fighters of the Chato and Mosca types, in addition to Gloster Gladiators and Curtiss Hawk 75s. A force of twenty-four Japanese bombers escorted by twenty-one fighters raided Hankow in daylight. Thirty- five Chinese fighters took off, shot down nine Japanese fighters and lost seven of their own force. But no Japanese bomber was attacked as the supporting fighters always kept between the bombers and the Chinese attackers. On another occasion fifteen Japanese light bombers con- voyed by twenty-four Type 96 fighters raided Hankow. Sixty-five fighters manned by Chinese and Russian pilots took off and shot down ten bombers and eleven fighters with the loss of nine of their own machines. Mr. Caldwell admits that it does not necessarily follow that the experiences of one war will be duplicated in another in an opposite corner of the globe. He gives as a reason the comparative inefficiency of the Chinese and Japanese pilots. It is, however, important to remember that the bombers in this European war will fly at higher speeds than the Japanese raiders, and once their escorting Sir Kingsley Wood tries his hand at operating a Nash andThomson power-driven turret mounting four Browning machine guns. Such turrets, it seems, will be inevitablyrequired for long-range escort work. Great Britain leads the way in their development. Another suggestion for a large multi-turret escort fighter. It would probably be possible to incorporate a retractable in the bottom of the forward part of the fuselage. 1 dustbin "
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