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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0254.PDF
94 FEBRUARY I, 1940 WAR IN THE AIR (CONTINUED) Armed with one 20 mm. shell-gun andtwo Chatelleraut rifle-bore machine guns the Morane MS 406 single-seaterfighter is a popular type in the French Air Force. Above are two views ofactivity on a French Morane aero- drome before a patrol. the ground, the debris being scattered over a considerable distance. Although given up for lost, the two men re- maining on board got out of this catastrophic descent with light burns, which did not endanger their lives. The War in Finland •*• favoured aviation and our pilots had rightly decided not to rest. Flights for observation, photography and reconnais- sance were pushed far into enemy territory, and (so Les Ailes records) some as far as 200 or 250 miles. One of these flights, escorted by fighters, encountered a patrol of Messerschmitts. Our machines immediately en- gaged them, but the German fighters broke off the engage- ment after the first bursts of fire and let the French aircraft pursue its mission. A little later other French fighters forced down a Dornier Do 17 ; others did the same also to a Messerschmitt. German aviation was equally active ; observation machines made frequent flights over the- lines and reconnais- sances were pushed nearly up to the Parisian region. British Machine Down in Belgium HPHE same day an R.A.F. machine -*- was forced down in Belgium. On a reconnaissance flight over Germany, he was met by a Messerschmitt patrol and encountered severe anti-aircraft fire. The machine having been severely damaged, the pilot was forced to seek refuge in Belgium. H« crossed the frontier in the neighbour- hood of Eupen and descended imme- diately, one of the members of the crew leaving the machine by para- chute. There was not sufficient height for the parachute to open, and he, untortuintely, was killed. Imme- diately after the aeroplane hit a high- tension line ; it took fire and struck successive failures of Russian assaults on the defence lines of Finland seem to have inspired the Bolshevik commanders with a furious desire to hurt the Finns in any pos- sible way. Consequently, masses of German bombers have been flying over and trying to destroy every town and village in the country. The one thing that Russia can always produce is quantity. She has lots of bombers and lots of bombs. The skill of her airmen is, however, of a low order, and many of the bombs have failed to explode. So, while much damage has been done, chiefly by incendiary bombs falling on wooden houses, the casualties have been comparatively slight. Finnish airmen have hit back with all their strength. We find it hard to accept the story that one Finnish fighter shot down six Russian machines in less than four minutes ; but, undoubtedly, their fighters have been giving a good account of themselves. Shortage of machines has been the chief handicap of the Finns, but help from outside has begun to arrive. Italians and other volunteers have taken part in retaliatory raids on Russian bases. The anxious question now is whether enough help from outside will reach Finland in time to enable her heroic soldiers and airmen to keep the Russians at bay. A League of Nations. Finnish airmen prepare to set off an a Fokker C.io which has a Bristol Pegasus engine. Note the streamline skis.
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