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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1476.PDF
FLIGHT JULY 3RD, 1941. THE SOVIET AIR FORCE FIGHTERS IN SPAIN. I-15 biplane fighters gave a good account of themselves in the Spanish War, when the Russians aided the Government forces against Franco and the Germans and Italians. same power as the four of the Douglas, 8,000 h.p. Its loadedweight is 103,000 lb. while that of the Douglas is 164,000 lb. Maximum speed is given as 186 m.p.h. Women enter into the traditionally masculine pursuitsmore in Russia than in other countries. Women sometimes work even as sailors so that it is not surprising to find thatthey have women parachutists also. Whether they will take any active part in the present combat is moredoubtful. The latest official release on the Russian Air Force isMarshal Voroshilov's speech of March, 1939. Sources of Russian news in this country, though they can give nofigures, state that the Air Force is now considerably stronger than at that time and that Moscow has kept com-pletely secret all particulars of the latest aircraft. Extracts from the speech follow : "The speed of our fighters and bombers is well over312 m.p.h., and the ceiling has far surpassed 49,000ft. We have the best aeroplanes in the world as regards loadingcapacity, and in this field we have won almost. all the world records. "In the years from 1934 lo X939 there has been a 213per cent, increase in horse power; in 1934 our bombers were able to carry 2,000 tons of bombs in one flight; in1939 they could carry over 6,000 tons. By 1939 the firing capacity of aircraft machine-guns increased by 300 per cent, per second. The Fighter Air Force increased from 12.3 per cent, in 1934 to 30 per cent, in 1939. '' Our up-to-date fighters and bombers have a speed exceeding 375 m.p.h. We now have squadrons of dive- bombers. More than 5,000 aircraft throughout the whole country took part in the November parade last year, and had the weather been more favourable more than 8,000 aircraft could have participated. '' Our pilots can resist the enemy bravely and persist- ently in individual as well as in group engagements. The Fascist pirates have a good idea of this, but now they will learn still more about it. In the Soviet Union .there are thousands of heroes like the late Brigade Commander Serov, who destroyed scores of Fascist aircraft at night on one of the western fronts. '' We can only say that the number of our aircraft ex- ceeds the numbers mentioned in English papers and maga- zines. We have enough aircraft to beat the ferocious Fascists. Among our pilots are 161 Heroes of the Soviet Union. '' During the two months of war at Khan-khingol we destroyed 660 Japanese aircraft and lost only 143. '' We have thousands of parachutists ready for action and trained to a modern fighting technique." As this photograph was taken six years ago, it indicates how long the Russians have been at work training paratroops. Itshows women parachutists after landing at Baneasa Aerodrome, near Bucharest. This may be happening again, but in deadly earnest, for Russia and Rumania are at war. ,
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