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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0892.PDF
Id FLIGHT, April 1941. NIGHT' FIGHTING Improved Defence* \ ON the moonlit night ofFighter Command was able toclaim eleven definite victories by night fighters in addition to severalprobables. Beaufighters—of which no details maybe given and no photographs published —Defiants, Hurricanes and Spitfires aswell as Fighter Blenheims are all em- ployed in chasing the Luftivaffe aftersunset. One squadron of Beaufighters alone destroyed four raiders, and the squadron leader of this unit had, himself, three moonlight encounters.A flight lieutenant of the same squadron, describing his first night victory, said, "It looked just a little black spot silhouetted against thehaze. Coming up behind him I gave one burst and something fell off the bomber. I was immediately enveloped in a blinding cloud of smoke,and when I flew out of it the bomber was already on its way towards the sea well alight. I was so excited that when I landed I found myselfperspiring as if I had been in a Turkish bath, although it was very cold. The photographs on this page show. A Hurricane running up in afloodlight; Boulton,Paul Defiants lined up on the grass with a close-up of the four-gun turret in the4.1eft bottom corner, and a typical scene ipthe crew room where night-flVIBg pilots wear dark glasses in order that their eyes are'pre-accustomeq to peeing in poor light. It is of interest,to note that some of the pilots are "wearing the new R.A.F. battle dress/- V"
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