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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1460.PDF
FLIGHT JULY 3RD, 1941. WAR IN THE AIR fighters shot down 28 enpmy aircraft, a Squadron Leader who has had many successes shot down two Me logs one after another, but irnme diately had his Hurricane badly damaged by a third which got under- neath him. He gave that machine ,a burst too, but when he was within three miles of England he had to jump with his parachute. He promptly inflated his dinghy and floated for 45 minutes until he was picked up The dinghies, coloured yellow, attract attention from a good way off. After one combined raid the Bomber Group which had taken part sent the following message to the Fighter Group which had provided the escort: "All Blenheim pilots wish to express appreciation of the excellent support provided by fighter escort.'' Congratulations SIR ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR, AirMinister, sent the following mes- sage to Air Marshal W. Sholto Doug- las, A.O.C.-in.C, Fighter Com- mand : — "Congratulations on striking suc- cess of your squadrons in recent fighting over France. It shows not only that they retain their ascendancy over German Air Force, but that they can overcome all the disadvantages of fighting over the enemy's fortified territory and air bases and still in- flict on him severe defeats. May good fortune attend you and your squadrons in making the most of this fresh advantage which your skill and hard fighting has won." It may be presumed that the Germans have transferred a number of their most experienced fighter pilots SHIPS' SHEPHERDS. The smiling crew of a Coastal Command Hudson, snappedwhen just about to embark with their gear before taking off to shepherd in a convoy reported nearing home. Coastal patrol is their chief duty. from France to the Russian front, for the R.A.F. men have found the Messerschmitts over France distinctly loth to attack, and often somewhat unskilful when they did venture. Naturally, the R.A.F. has to use new pilots at times (everyone must make a start), but our men are very care- fully trained, and our formations are led by experienced officers who are now quite veterans, and know every trick and turn of the game of air i •# PILOT'S PILLION : Our pilots don't usually sit on each other but this was the onlyway in which Captain K. A. Quirk of No. 1. Squadron S.A.A.F. could give his brother officer a pillion ride back to base when the latter made a forced landing in enemyterritory near Acroma, Libya, a aaring rescue for which he received the D.S.O. His name ought surely to be Captain Flag, we'll tell the cock-eyed world I combat. Consequently, British suc- cesses have largely outnumbered British losses. In one recent period of eight days (on one of -which there was no large-scale operation) our offensive sweeps destroyed 112 enemy aircraft for the loss of only 26 British fighters, and from them five pilots were saved. Naturally, when the fighting takes place over hostile ground, some of our men who have to jump with their parachutes are taken prisoner, and likewise some German machines which go down damaged can only be claimed as probables—whereas over England they would become certainties when the wreckage was picked up. Both of these considerations rather spoil our average when we fight over the Continent—but the figures quoted above are extremely good even such allowances have been made. Salt on its Tail A NOTHER case of ramming a Ger- •*"*• man has recently come to notice. An experienced Polish pilot, who gained the Croix de Guerre when fight- ing in France, has recently joined a Polish squadron of the R.A.F. In one day he took part in two sweeps, and on the first shot down one Me 109 and probably got a second. In the second sweep he shot down two more, and in doing so ran out of ammunition. Then a third Me attacked him, but he manoeuvred so that his airscrew cut off the whole of the German's tail. A fragment of the enemy machine cut his face badly, and the blood partially
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