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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 2219.PDF
AUGUST 8, 1940 101 WAR IN THE AIR (CONTINUED attack. I saw several bright fires which we had started. The preceding bomber also had started two or three fires among the buildings. I was very glad to have the oppor- tunity of taking part in this raid, for I have seen some- thing of what the Germans have done to us in my own country. Coming back, we met more anti-aircraft fire and searchlights, but the captain merely put his fingers to his nose and laughed. He was a very fine young;man." The air bomb has scored tw6_moi>e successes against British destroyers. H.M.S. Wren, of ivt2o tons, sank after being bombed in an action between patrolling destroyers and enemy aircraft. During the fight another destroyer, H.M.S. Montrose, shot down two enemy bombers. H.M.S. Delight also sank after being bombed. ; Italian Futilities * •; A CAIRO communique on Monday, July 29, reported the •** destruction of nine Italian machines. R.A.F. bombers, escorted ry fighters, on reconnaissance over Eastern Libya, shot down one fighter and destroyed two on the ground. In Italian East Africa an Italian bomber was destroyed and two damaged during a raid on an aerodrome. Two Sun- derland flying boats on patrol over the Mediterranean accounted for four fighters. One Italian fighter was brought down by anti-aircraft fire at Malta. French pilots and crews operating with the R.A.F. carried out a valuable reconnaissance in the Diredawa area of Abyssinia. Con- centrations of troops and camel transports near Moyale, on the Kenya-Abyssinian border, were successfully bombed. The Regia Aeronautica is still making abortive efforts to prove that Italy rules the Mediterranean waves, but the British Navy seems incredibly slow to recognise that alleged fact. One of the most trying of the Italian problems is to keep the Dodecanese islands and her other overseas posses- sions supplied with oil, water, and other essentials. The chartered Greek steamer Hermione was despatched to the Dodecanese with 300 tons of petrol and 200 tons of lubri- cating oil. One difficulty of the Italians is that if they send a naval escort with a tanker it may be caught by the British Navy, so this time they seem to have trusted to air escort. The Hermione was duly stopped by our naval patrols on the evening of Sunday, July 28, and the contra- band character of her cargo was discovered. Then the Italian bombers arrived on the scene and began a heavy attack on our ships. They did not hit them or do any damage, but they made it impossible, for them to bring the Hermione in as a prize. So we had to order the crew into the boats and sink the ship by gunfire. The weather was fine, and land was not far off, so the crew were in no danger. The Italians, of course, claimed that several British warships sustained severe damage, but admitted that many Italian machines were hit by "the violent anti-aircraft fire " of the ships. We believe the; last statement. Two Sea Gladiator aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm inter- cepted three Italian Savoia S.79 aircraft in the Mediter- ranean on Monday afternoon, July 29., One of the Italian machines was shot down in flames. A second was seen to be badly hit and it is considered unlikely that this machine has regained its base. One of our Sea Gladiators made a forced landing in the sea." The pilot was picked up unhurt. ' ' ^: -" It is now announced that during July R.A.F. machines attacked with apparently complete .-success two Italian submarines in the Mediterranean. On one occasion an aircraft on patrol sighted a submarine on the surface. The pilot immediately attacked, and the first salvo of bombs dropped so close to the stern that most probably ihe screw and the hydroplane were damaged. The sub- marine tried to submerge stern first, but the damage was evidently severe, for it manoeuvred, clumsily. Pressing home the attack, the Squadron Leader in charge dropped a second salvo when the conn-ing tower was still above the surface, and direct hits were scored abaft the conning tower. The submarine was now completely submerged, but the attack was kept up and a final salvo of bombs crashed on the estimated position, whereupon air bubbles appeared on the surface. The aircraft cruised round for a considerable time and the bubbles continued, followed by a large patch of oil. The other action was fought three days previously. British aircraft rushed to the attack when a submarine was sighted and dropped two salvoes of bombs, the first dropping 15 yards astern of the enemy. In the next attack, however, the aircraft found die target and a direct hit was scored abaft the conning tower. Nothing more was seen of the submarine, but an oil patch half a mile square formed on the surface and air bubbles rose for a consider- able time. Though it is a ruse of submarines to release oil when attacked, these two seemed certainly destroyed. Norwich Bombed ON August 1 a single raider crossed our East Coast ata great height and dived out of a cloud on to Norwich down to about 400ft., where it opened fire with its machine-gun, afterwards dropping bombs. Several buildings were demolished, and some people were buried in the debris, but all were extricated, suffering only from shock. There was no panic, and the people behaved with admirable calm. Recently the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, writing about British air raids on Germany, said: "It is only natural that to stay in the air-raid shelters has become a nightly habit which is pursued until it is relieved by a full night's rest. Already people are almost surprised if such visits by the English have for once not taken place, and they make guesses as to why the night was quiet." Australian Airliners Returned '"THE Australian Minister for Air, Mr. J. V. Fairbairn, an-•*• nounced that the four Douglas DC3 airliners which had been taken over from the airlines, A.N.A. and A.O.A., forthe use of the Royal Australian Air Force, would be returned, and no doubt have been by this time. This is good news, for the commandeering of these aero-planes must have severely handicapped the activities of the two companies, activities which are essential both in peaceand war. Their addition to the strength of the R.A.A.F., which has about 80 Lockheed Hudsons at its command, wouldmean very little. New Design of Floating Flare pOMMANDER H. T. BENNETT, control officer at the Rose^ Bay flying boat base, and Mr. R. D. Kennedy, both of the Civil Aviation Department of Australia, have designed afloating flare for night landings at the base. Several advantages are claimed for the flare, which is mounted at the top of asingle vertical rod weighted at the bottom and with a kapok buoy about 30m. from the top. The flare is a brass stream-lined container and has a fin which keeps it pointing into wind. Suitable shielding for the flame is arranged to prevent side gusts blowing on it, but a small inlet provides a supplyof the requisite amount of air right on to the wick. The container holds sufficient fuel for four hours' operation,and the design is such that heat dissipation is adequate to prevent the fuel reaching boiling point. Causes of Accidents OF 36 fatal aircraft accidents in March and April in U.S.A.,22 were due to violations of the regulations. Seventeen of the fatal accidents resulted from spins or stalls, this beingthe major cause. Other causes were low aerobatics staged over a pilot's home (intended to thrill his relatives and no doubthe did), overloading in the take-off, corrosion of a control cable due to poor maintenance, flight into adverse weather con-ditions, and failure in aerobatics of the wing of an old aeroplane. In connection with this last it was recalled that nine struc-tural failures (including seven fatalities) occurred during 1939 in fabric-covered aeroplanes which had been in service forseven years or more. It was recommended that the standard of inspection should be more rigorous than ever on aeroplanesof such an age. The corrosion of the control cable was due to the natural acids emanating from a piece of rawhide round it.
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