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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1947.PDF
"AIRCRAFT ENGINEER .; k FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE W6RLD .• FOUNDED 1909 Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH V'i • Xhief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I • 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: AutoDress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midlind 2 97 1 (5 lines). 260, D EANSG ATE, MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 26B, RENFIEL D 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. C\ 10 6. 3 months, 15s. 3d. No. 1705. Vol. XL. AUGUST 28th, 1941. . Thursdays, One Shilling The Outlook- A Mediterranean Armageddon? ' I ^HE opinion of Field Marshal Smuts on probable J^ developments of strategy always commands respect. He believes that the final great struggle in the war will be fought out in the Mediterranean, and if he is of that opinion it is not to be lightly dismissed. World strategy does not change with the development of weapons, and we may recall that the name of Alex- andria commemorates the first European conqueror of the East, that the Battle of the Nile stopped Napoleon's drive in that direction, and that for many centuries the destinies of the civilised world hung round the two Capital cities of Rome and Constantinople. Kaiser Wilhelm always had his eyes fixed on the roads to the East, and at the moment Hitler is painfully battling his way in that direction. Of course, Africa is a starting point for the West as well as for the East, and Dakar looms large among the possible developments of the present German plans. This gives the United States a very live interest in campaigns in the Mediterranean. It is perhaps a coincidence, but certainly a very inter- esting one, that while the South African Prime Minister was making his prophecies, President Roosevelt should announce that an agreement had been signed with Pan American Airways for the delivery of martial aircraft to the British forces in the Middle East by way of West Africa. Some months ago it was announced that a pro- portion of the United States exported aircraft were sent to that part of the world, apparently on board ships. Now the big bombers are to be flown across the Atlantic, xom British West Africa to Cairo an organised airway nas been in operation by British Overseas Airways. In peacetime it was regarded as a sideshow, but now it assumes strategic importance, and the American pilots, are to fly their charges along it. They may even take some on from Egypt to Russia, holding in reserve the, Behring Sea-Siberian route. ; The Middle East Command has done wonders with small supplies of aircraft and air forces, but it felt its shortage badly during the campaign in Greece. The Prime Minister has said that that shortage was due to the difficulties of finding shipping to take the aircraft to that front. The American plan will short-circuit that difficulty, at least so far as heavy bombers are con- cerned. The fighter position, which was once rather serious, especially at Malta, has now been mainly put right, and American ships can take Tomahawks and other fighters up the Red Sea to Suez. Heavy bombers take up more space on ships, and delivery by air is the ideal solution. So this latest plan is very welcome, and it encourages us to face a possible Armageddon in the Mediterranean with increased confidence. /• Lease-lend and Beg-borrowB EFORE the war there were only a few people in England who believed in the value of air transport to the British Commonwealth. Their efforts to communicate their belief in and enthusiasm for air trans- port to other people were not very cuccessful, and among politicians the campaign yielded particularly barren results. The attempt to prove the value of air transport was based largely on the facility which it confers on commerce for the fast movement of personnel, mail and freight. The other. national value which it has is as potential war transport, for the modern nation at war
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