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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0193.PDF
ma AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .• FOUNDED WO9 Editor C M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS. NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams. Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2 97 1 (5 lines). 260, DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER. 3. Telegrams: I liffe, Manchester. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412. 26 B, RENFIELD ST., GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams : 11 iff e, Glasgow. Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: No. 1674. Vol. XXXIX. Home and Abroad : Year, £2 8 0. 6 months. Registered at the G.P.O, as a Newspaper. JANUARY 23rd, 1941 £14 0. 3 months, 12s. Od. Thursdays, Price 9d. The Outlooks Stukas Off SicilyI T had been anticipated that the air contingent which Germany has lent to Italy would include a consider- able proportion of the Ju.87 dive-bomber type. The Luftwaffe seems to set little store by those machines since tL.3 campaign in France came to an end, and to be willing to use them up as a rich man spends pennies at a fair. In truth the type is obsolete, and it never was good for much except co-operation with German tanks when the latter had outrun the support of the field artillery. How- ever, in the action in the narrows of the Mediterranean oft the south coast of Sicily, the Stukas have scored a degree of success more notable than any which has re- warded their efforts since they perforce turned their energies to naval warfare. They have planted bombs on H.M.S. Illustrious and Southampton, and damaged the carrier, while the cruiser was lost. It has always been recognised that this narrow passage between Sicily and the island of Pantellaria would con- stitute the greatest problem for the Royal Navy if we were at wai with Italy. It would always be a risky business to pass through it, but it was a risk which the Navy was resolved to take. In this case the Fleet achieved its object of escorting through the narrows a convoy of ships laden with important stores for the help of Greece, and so it can be said once more that air attack has failed to prevent the Navy from carrying out its work. This is all the more satisfactory because, accord- ing to correspondents who saw the action, the Stukas were evidently flown by the most expert and resolute German pilots. They lost some of their number from the ships' guns, and they afterwards were caught by the fighters from the carrier, and paid a heavy price. Two days later their base at Catania was raided by R.A.F. bombers, and over 30 machines, some of which were believed to be of the Ju.87 class, were destroyed. The damage to the carrier and ihe loss of the cruiser may be a nuisance to the Mediterranean Fleet, but this fight gives no ground for supposing that the intervention ot the Luftwaffe will upset British naval supremacy in thj Mediterranean. Night Fighters QUITE recently Air Ministry reports have begun (omention the destruction of German bombers byour night patrols, and two pilots have been decorated for their work as night fighters. It has been mentioned also that the Defiant was being adapted for night-fighting work. Although the number of German bombers so far destroyed by night fighters has not yet been large, the above-mentioned facts show that some progress has been made on this side of the Channel in dealing with this very difficult problem. What the devices may be which enable the fighter to intercept the bomber at night have naturally been kept a close secret, but it is clear that the pilot must have some help. In pre-war days the defence authorities used to say frankly that without the help of searchlights there could be no interceptions by night. The searchlights are now outranged by the height at which the bombers fly. For a fighter to search for a bomber in the dark without some help would be a very hopeless task, especially at the speed of modern air- craft. The bursts of A.A. shells will sometimes be a guide of sorts, but if the gunners were fairly certain of the whereabouts of the raider, there would be the less need for the help of fighters. It is a natural deduction that the fighter pilots are getting help of some kind, and once a start has been made science is usually able to improve on the original method. We may hope for better things, though we may not get them soon. It is obvious that the Germans, too, are at work on the same problem. Our night bombers catch glimpses of
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