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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1887.PDF
tnd ,. AIRCRAFT ENGINEER V. FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN* THE WORLD •• FOUNDED 1909 ., Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). 8-10, CORPORATION ST.. COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS. NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2 97 1 (5 lines). 260, DE A NS G ATE, MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams ; Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars +412. 26B, RENFI ELD ST., GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home and Abroad : Year, £3 10. 6 months, Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper. O 10 6. 3 months, 15s. 3d. No. 1704. Vol. XL. AUGUST 21st, 1941. Thursdays, One Shilling. The Outlooks Long-range FightersF IRST official mention of long-range fighters in action was made in an Air Ministry Bulletin dealing with the recent daylight raid on Cologne. The types mentioned specifically were the Westland Whirlwind twin-engined fighter and the Supermarine long-range Spitfire. Judging by the official account, the fighters do not appear to have been called upon to display any particu- larly long-range qualities, as it is stated that on the outward flight they met the bombers at the English coast and escorted them as far as Antwerp. When the bombers were returning, the long-range Spitfires met them again off the Dutch coast. The Whirlwinds do not appear to have met with any opposition, and their only victims were one barge sunk and another damaged by bullets. The Spitfires, on the other hand, had some encounters with the enemy, who had, by the time the bombers were on their way home, got some Messerschmitts and Ju 88s into the air. Several are thought to have been destroyed. The significant thing about the raids is not the actual contribution of Fighter Command to the Cologne success of Bomber Command; this seems to have been small enough in all conscience. What is important is that the whole subject of escort fighters has been revived by the inauguration of daylight raids on Germany. If such raids are to be continued, escort fighters of much greater range than the long-range Spitfire can possibly have will be essential, for daylight bombing cannot for long be continued without fighter protection. What is the range of the Whirlwind has not been disclosed, and it does not, of course, follow that the distance from the English coast to Antwerp represents its maximum. As the bombers were flying low, they were fairly independent • of fighter protection. Whether, even with strong fighter escort, daylight bombing at really long ranges is possible without incur- ring prohibitive losses is open to debate. We proved last year, in the Battle of Britain, that our fighters could take such toll of German bombers and fighters that even the Luftwaffe could not keep up the daylight raids. But that does not necessarily prove that if the tables were turned the result would be the same. 'The Royal Air Force has established a superiority, man for man and machine for machine, which might upset any calcula- tions based upon past experience. Fortunately, it is comforting to know that if long- range fighters should be wanted in the future they will be forthcoming. . .-••.••«The American Air Question *- ".'--V .W E learn from U.S. papers that, once again, there is keen discussion on whether the United States ought to institute a separate Air Force by combining into one Service the flying units of the Army and the Navy, as did Great Britain in 1918. One gathers from what one reads that, on the whole, the army airmen are inclined to favour such a step, while the naval airmen are against it. If so, that is also a reproduction of the general feelings in Britain in 10.18. It would be impertinent if Flight were to advise the United States on what would be best for her. Never- theless it is our opinion that Great Britain made a mistake in 1918, not by forming the Royal Air Force,
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