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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1106.PDF
342 MAY 15TH, 1941. Sometimes during a raid the people on the ground in their blacked-out houses and shelters hear the sound of engines overhead while the guns are silent, and they smile and say to themselves, "Our fighters are up to-night," and they wish luck to the pilots who go questing through the night to take vengeance on the raiders. They wonder what it feels like to fight up there in the moonlight. The pilots seldom wax eloquent on their feelings on such occasions; their reports are usually quite matter-of-fact. On one recent night three of the enemy raiders destroyed were shot down by one night fighter squadron. Two were destroyed within the space of two hours by a D.F.C. Squadron Leader. The D.F.C. Squadron Leader, who had two victories that night, did three patrols. He first attacked a Ju 88. " Suddenly," he said later, "there was a violent explosion as the Ju 88 blew up. As soon as I had re- fuelled and re-armed I went up again. This time I saw a raider and chased him, firing one burst and then another until the enemy went into cloud on fire. I followed him down and gave him three more bursts when he came out of the cloud. By this time we were not more than about 500ft. above the sea, and as I pulled away I saw the raider diving into the water."' This pilot has now 12 victories, 10 of which were during the daytime. "When [ came down," he said, "I could scarcely believe that I had got two—it had all happened so quickly." Iraq Revolt Smashed TN Iraq the British authorities took -*• prompt action. The Prime Minister has explained that when first more troops were asked for to guard com- munications there, there were none which could be spared, as all were wanted for General Wavell's force. But since the outbreak troops were sent to Basra from India, and rein- forcements were hurried up to Hab- baniya. When first that station was attacked, it was stated that most of the aircraft there were training machines, and the only guards were the Assyrian levies. Later we heard of fighters and bombers in action over WAR IN T Iraq Target : A section of the oil pipeline, with an emergency landing ground alongside. the Iraqi encampment. Then howit- zers were flown up to the station, and a general attack was made on the enemy position. This attack was a complete success, and a column of lorries, which were bringing up rein- forcements to the Iraqis, was attacked from the air. The escarpment was completely cleared of the enemy, who lost heavily in killed and prisoners, while the losses on the British side were negligible. Other aerodromes in the country which were in the hands of the rebels were also bombed, and the air arm of the Iraqi army speedily ceased to have any effective existence. The legitimate Government of the country, represented by the Regent, remains a good friend of Britain, as do all the surrounding Arab States. "~ A Gallant Record While the campaign in Greece was still in progress little could be made public of the doings of the R.A.F. there, except brief records of raids and fights. It is still too early to tell the full story of that chapter of R.A.F history, but part of it has been pub lished by the Middle East Command. When Italy attacked Greece last October, some of the R.A.F. squadrons who had been fighting for six months in the Western Desert moved at once to Greece. This was a small force, but even ihen it was too big for the few aerodromes in Greece. As new bases were built, the R.A.F. in Greece gradually increased, but never approached anything like the strength, of either the Italian or the German air forces operating against Greece. Only six days after Italy comm her ill-fated march into Greece the R.A.F. carried out its first bombing raid. In many cases, during those first few days, pilots arrived with one or two members of the ground crew and between them prepared and flew their aircraft against the enemy until the rest of the personnel arrived by sea. It was a hard winter; flying con- ditions experienced by our pilots were the worst in Europe. Nevertheless, enemy ports and aerodromes were con sistently hammered to relieve pressure on the Greek Army holding their line in the mountains. Early in November the first British fighter squadron arrived. Though only equipped with Gladiators, they immediately made their presence felt On the day of their arrival in Greece the squadron carried out offensive patrols and, discovering the enemy in great force, shot down eight, as well
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