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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 0593.PDF
-r AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD •• FOUNDED WOQ Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London COVENTRY : 8-10, CORPORATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2 : GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST. Telegrams: Autocar,Coventry. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Coventry 52 10. Telephone: Midland 297 1 (5 lines). Telephone: Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : GLASGOW, C.2 : 260, DEANSGATE. 26B, R E N Fl E L D ST.. Telegrams: lliffe, Manchester. Telegrams: lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES No 1734. Vol. XLI. Home and Abroad : Year, £3 10. 6 months, Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper. MARCH 19th, 1942. The Outlooks " £1 10 6. 3 months, 15s. 3d. Thursdays, One Shilling Smashing Up Essen A SUCCESSION of heavy raids on Essen by Bomber Command is evidence of our growing strength. Although this munitions arsenal has been raided many times since bombing activities com menced in May, 1940, the target is huge, and at first our bomber force was not numerous enough to do crippling damage. During the long period of bad flying weather in the winter months the Germans have doubt less been hard at work repairing the damage, and one knows that this is work at which they are clever and expeditious. Now the weather has improved, and •***our strength in machines and in bombs has grown appre ciably, so we are impressing these ^acts upon what is perhaps the most vital spot in German war produc tion. It is not possible for onlookers to decide the order of importance of the various targets which Bomber Com mand has to visit. The Ministry of Economic Warfare is mainly responsible for advising on that point. We must remember, too, that of late 40 per cent, of the energies of Bomber Command have been expended in helping the Navy; and the Battle of the Atlantic is the most critical of all the struggles in which we are en gaged. Bomber Command must always be flexible, and ready to turn at short notice to what the High Command *gards as the most critical object at any one time. But when it undertakes strategic bombing, a concentration of repeated effort on one important target is the best policy. A nibble here and a nibble there does little good. The Prime Minister was probably trying to cheer the public spirits up when he said that the departure of the German warships from Brest would free Bomber Com mand from the necessity of frequent visits there and allow more scope for attacks on German war industry. The probability is that the energies previously expended upon Brest have now to be diverted to Kiel and Wil- helmshaven. None the less,, we are now in a better position than we were before for creating serious inter ferences with enemy production, and there are probably few places where big bombs well placed pay better divi dends than the home of Krupps' works. Hero Worship T HE grant of a posthumous Victoria Cross to Flying Officer K. Campbell for torpedoing the Gneisenau in Brest nearly a year ago brings up the question of publishing the names of R.A.F. men before the an nouncement of awards in the London Gazette. This very gallant officer was the first member ol Coastal Com mand to win a Victoria Cross, while that highest of all war decorations has been granted to several members of Fighter and Bomber Commands. The Press is always urging the Air Ministry to allow the publication of names before awards are published in the Gazette, and it is known that the Air Ministry intends to comply with the request to some extent. The Press in general always hankers after " human interest" in its news, and represents the country as perpetually hungry for heroes to worship. The same demand was made in the last war, and the question was asked why the names of Guynemer, Fonck, Immelman, Boelcke and von Richthofen should be known all over the world, when few had ever heard of Mannock and other British Aces. The answer given
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