FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1941
1941 - 2083.PDF
SEPTEMBER IITH, FLIGHT 145- and the other ports. One day last week a convoy of five merchant vessels with an escort of no less than seven destroyers was discovered off the south coast of Sardinia. The Fleet Air Arm attacked them at night with torpedoes, blew up one large merchant vessel, hit another amidships with a torpedo, and damaged two other smaller vessels. The attack took the escort by surprise, and the destroyers started firing wildly. Our naval air- men thought that the destroyers were firing on their own ships, and several of them narrowly missed collisions. An attack by torpedo-carrying air- craft at night must be very perplexing to .naval gunners ; they would prob- ably be in doubt as to whether their attackers were submarines, surface warships, or air bombers. On the whole, one would not choose to be escorted by Italian warships. The Fleet Air Arm had a night out on that particular night. While one squadron used torpedoes against the convoy, others bombed aerodromes in Sicily, shooting down one three- engined Italian bomber in flames over Gerbini and hitting another as it was coming in to land. Yet another con- tingent of naval aircraft attacked dumps at Gambut in Cyrenaica and started many fires. Heavy bombers of the R.A.F. were also busy that night, while" next day S.A.A.F. fighters dealt faithfully with some enemy fighters' which attempted to attack our forward landing grounds. Five of the enemy paid the penalty, BRITISH AIR LOSSES TO SEPT. eth. Over G.B. Fighteri Pilots Aug. 31 0 0 «Pt. I 0 0 ,20 3 0 0 ,,4 0 0 .,5 0 0 .6 0 0 0 0 39 7 T°tsls: Northern Area. 2,65l ; Middle East, about 377. OverContinent Aircraft 102 II 0 8 0 8 MiddleEast Aircraft 0 1 2 |0 1 1 and not one of our machines was lost throughout that rather hectic twenty- four hours. The Defence of Malta HHE enemy attacks on Malta con- -1- tinue at irregular intervals. On September 4th a large enemy formation attacked the island, but our fighters sent six down into the sea and knocked three others about so badly that it is not likely that they got home. Next day the Italians tried again, and in the morning a strong force of fighters was sighted. Our fighters intercepted them and shot down six Macchi 200s, and damaged others. Then our fighters went out to look for trouble, and in the afternoon found more Macchis off Sicily. Three of them were destroyed and others damaged, for the loss of two British machines. Fifteen certainties and at least three probables in two days is not bad going. But the Italians have resumed night bombing of the island, and in the darkness they WAR IN THE AIR FUEL FOR THE SPITFIRE : AnR.A.F. armourer fitting a fresh maga- zine of ammunition to a shell-gun inthe wing of a Spitfire V. ENEMY AIR Over G. Aug. 31 Sept. 1 , 2„ 3 „ 4 .. 5, 6 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 LOSSES TO Over B. Continent 1 0 2 0 II 0 0 M Totals : Northern Area, 5,297 • over 2,093. SEPT. oth Middle East 0 0 0 06 II 1 18 Middle East, manage to do a certain amount of damage. Admiral Cunningham has sent a message to the Governor of Malta, in which he said : " Malta, in very truth, has proved a rock of strength to her friends and a thorn in the enemy's side." Sir William Dobbie replied, saying: '' There is no one from whom we should rather have received a generous tribute. . . . We are conscious of the inestimable debt we owe to you for keeping our supply lines open these many months." The Fleet Air Arm have added an- other enemy destroyer to their already long list of trophies. On a- night raid they found it outside Tripoli harbour, launched torpedoes at it, and destroyed it. In addition, on the same raid a large merchant ship was hit by bombs. • R.A.F. bombers had to search dili- gently before they found the synthetic rubber works at Huls, carefully hidden in the forests of the Rhineland ; but Wellingtons and Hampdens planted their bombs among the buildings with good results. THAT SINKING FEELING : Three Beauforts of Coastal Command, armed with torpedoes, go off to look for enemy shipping.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
