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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0997.PDF
MAY IST, 1941. WAR IN THE AIR (Continued) ENEMY AIR OverG.B April 20 ,. 21, 22 , 23 „ 24 , 25 - , T2 2 1 2 10 LOSSES TO APRIL 26th Over Conti nent 1 2 __ 2 ~5 Middle East 25 2 II 8 4 2 1 53 Total in Northern Area : 4,446. Total in Middle East about 1,450. •^ature of "running repairs." The one hit by the "extremely heavy bomb " will certainly be out of action for a considerable time to come—and she may be hit again. Naval, military and air strength are closely bound together in this war, and so it is of interest to all Ser- vices to hear that the battleship H.M.S. Prince of Wales is now in com- mission. She will relieve the pressure in many directions, and from that the R.A.F. will benefit. Incidentally the new warship carries four aircraft. British Army anti-aircraft guns have destroyed over 1,000 enemy air- craft since the beginning of the war. The total has been brought to this figure by recent successes in the Middle East, notably at Tobruk. It includes only certainties and takes no account of damaged aircraft which have crashed unobserved on the way home. Five hundred enemy aircraft have been definitely shot down by anti- aircraft gunners in the British Isles and many others have been destroyed in Malta and the Middle East. The Prime Minister's Broadcast A LL listeners throughout the Empire, •^ and in all friendly lands, must have been much cheered by Mr. Churchill's latest broadcast. He never minces matters when a situation is grave, but he does put the various phases of the war in true perspective. He pointed out that no enemy success anywhere else will lose the war for us if we can win the Battle of the Atlantic. Perhaps not everyone had previously realised how important was the decision of President Roosevelt to send out his '' neutrality patrol'' of warships and flying boats far into the Atlantic. Mr. Churchill laid due stress on its itnportance, pointing out how it would enable us to concentrate our own naval and air forces far more than hitherto on the actual guarding of the merchant ships which bring us the food and arms which we need from the con- tinent of North America. When it is a matter of patrol rather than of actual striking power, aircraft are of supreme importance, and the long-range flying boats of the U.S.A. Navy will be an immense help to us in defeating the U-boat. Once we know where the danger lies, we can take appropriate action. The strength of the U-boat consists in its power of hiding. When it is deprived of that power it is much less dangerous. The Prime Minister BRITISH AIR LOSSES TO APRIL 16th April 20 „ 21 22 , 23 24., 25 . 26 Over Continent Aircraft Pilots Aircraft 17 Total in Northern Area, I 895. about 182. Middle East Aircraft 9 5 3 18 Middle East also cheered his hearers by pointingout the superiority of the British Empire plus the United States overGermany in population, in productive capacity, and particularly in themanufacture of steel. He looked for- ward to the day when Britain wouldhave far more aircraft than the enemy can muster. After Berlin, Hamburg tasted thenew-type British bombs, and the destruction wrought by them in itsdock area and round about was quite amazing to even experiencednight-bombing pilots of the R.A.F. It is to be hoped that they destroyedmuch material which the enemy had intended to use in the Battle of theAtlantic, or prevented its production. Another batch of airmen has arrivedin this country from Canada, products of the Empire Training Scheme. Itwas the largest batch which has arrived up to date. It included anumber of American pilots who will probably be used for ferry work To make a clean Brest of it? A 2,ooolb. bomb awaiting stowage aboard an A. W. Whitley. Whethpt- this is one of LordBeaverbrook's "beautiful bombs" or just a "big bomb" if not revealed.
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