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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0633.PDF
andAIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .• FOUNDED IQOQ Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (50 lines). 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. SUBSCRIPTION RATES : GUILDHALL BUILDINGS. NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress. Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 lines). 260, DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412 268, RENFIELD ST., GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Central 4857. Home and Canada : Other Countries : Year, £1 13 0.Year, £1 16 0. 6 months. 16s. 6d. 6 months, 18s. Od. 3 months, 8s. 3d. 3 months, 9s. Od. No. 1628. Vol. XXXVII. MARCH 7, 1949. Thursdays, Price 66. The Outlooks Over the Baltic LL thoughts are turned to the Baltic now, where the gallant Finns are hard pressed, where the German Navy rules the waves, and where Sweden is speculating as to what will happen to her if the Russians succeed in conquering Finland. Par- tially icebound, it is now a gloomy sea where Freedom is quivering before the mailed fist of Dictatorship. The fleets of the Allies cannot enter the narrow approaches of that sea, but the R.A.F has now repeatedly flown over it and reconnoitred the German seaports on its border. These flights have shown that if Germany decided to land a force in Sweden, which some folk think not im- probable, there might be some bombing interference with the transports and the disembarkation of the troops. The scenes of such operations would be defended, of course, but Germany did not start the war with mul- tiple pom-poms on her warships, and it has been proved that Messerschmitts, even of the no variety, cannot easily turn our well-armed bombers from their purpose. Pirowetting in S. AfricaM R. OSWALD PIROW, formerly Minister of Com- munications and Minister of Defence under General Hertzog, was accused in the House of Assembly on February 14th of betraying the Union's interests by giving Germany orders for aeroplanes" to operate the L'nion's air services. Mr. G. Dolley said that, at the cost of £432,000, Mr. Pirow bought 21 Junkers monoplanes, without inviting British firms to tender. He asked why the Administration continued to order German engines after they were shown to be defec- tive. These engines, he said, were bought against the advice of the Government's technical experts. At the time of purchase, last year, it was evident that sooner or later Germany would be involved in war. Why, then, he asked, was the Junkers firm in Germany left in possession of engines and equipment, worth nearly £43,000, belonging to the Union Government? Mr. Dolley alleged that inefficiency in the control of communications under Mr. Pirow had been just as bad as his administration of the Defence Department. Equipment purchased " included eight engines. £25,800; eight propellers, nearly £1,000 each; and wireless equipment. In addition, an engine worth more than £3,000 was shipped to Germany on loan. What helps a little towards redressing the balance, not to mention the meed of poetic justice involved, is the fact that some of the Junkers monoplanes have been converted for military duties. The possibility of a German monoplane without its Hakenkreuz bombing German objectives is not, perhaps, very likely at the moment, but it is not an impossibility. Already aircraft of the Seawaxd Defence Force have, as recorded in Flight recently, done good work in intercepting a German liner. A Grievous MistakeM ISTAKES will occur in every sphere of human activity, and not least in war. In many land battles cases have occurred of infantry being shelled by their own artillery; and one of the most dis- tressing instances happened during the Gallipoli cam- paign, when a Gurkha regiment had the Narrows in sight but was shelled by the guns of our own ships. Anti-aircraft artillery are, one would imagine, particu- larly likely to feel doubts about the nationality of air- craft at a great height over their heads. There seems, on the face of it, far less excuse for the pilots of fighter aircraft to mistake a machine of their own side for one
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