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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1065.PDF
MAY 2IST, 1942 WAR IN TH€ AIR ENEMY AIR O May 10 ., II „ 12 „ 13 ,. 14 ., 15 16 Totals : ver G.B 0 1 0 0 1 1 • 2 5 LOSSES TO Over Continent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 North 5,883 ; Middle E MAY 16th. Middle 20 15 20 5 8 5 5 78 ist, over 3,831. be good enough to justify risk ing the loss of crews and machines. Fighter Command also curtails its activities when the weather is un favourable. The Air Ministry has just fsPfed some figures about the doings oi a Spitfire Group in March and April. It flew two million miles, mostly over the Channel or occupied territory, often escorting bombers, it undertook 70 large-scale offensive operations, and shot down 119 enemy aircraft known definitely to be destroyed. There is no doubt at all that the enemy's casualties were in reality a good deal heavier than that, for when fighting at perhaps 20,000 feet our pilots are too busy to follow a damaged German down and see it crash. These "prob ables " are not counted by us, but the enemy has to count them. In the two months the Group lost 106 fighters, and only eight of the bombers which it escorted were lost. The official opinion is that the Spitfire 5 is un doubtedly the finest all-round single- seater fighter now in operation. It can turn inside the FW igo, and is vastly superior to it in armament. In fact, our pilots do not think very highly of the fighter Focke-Wulf, though it ad mittedly has a good climb. HIGHLY "PROBABLE " : A pictorial record of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 attacked by Sgt. Robson in a Spitfire at 17,000ft. over Cap Gris Nez. In two bursts of fire the port undercarriage leg dropped and the cockpit hood was shot away. This can be seen leaving the machine. The pilot's helmet was also seen to blow away. The sequence of the photographs is from left to right, starting at the top. Only a "probable " was allowed to Sgt. Robson. Whether the skies* are clear or foul, nothing seems to stop the machines of Coastal Command from setting forth by day and by night to scout and to harry the enemy's coastwise shipping. Day after day one hears of a Hudson finding German supply ships, often under escort of flak ships, coming down to deck level, and dropping its bombs with unerring aim as the pilot zooms up over the tops of the masts. Not infrequently he brings back some trophy, such as part of the ship's aerial twined round part of his Hudson. Of course the Hudsons are fairly often hit, but they are very tough machines, and often get home in a condition which makes one wonder how the aircraft and the engines (or engine, for often one is hit) managed to keep the machine flying. Hudsons of a Royal Canadian A.F. squadron and of a squadron of the Royal Dutch Naval Air Service attacked two German .convoys off the Frisian Islands last week. One Hud son was set on fire, and its pilot drove it straight on to the deck of the nearest ship. An explosion followed, and it is believed that the ship was des troyed. Three supply ships were left on fire and others were hit. We lost five machines. BRITISH AIR LOSSES TO MAY 16th Over G.B. A'crft. May 10 0 „ II 0 „ 12 0 , 13 0 „ 14 0 :. 15 0 „ 16 0 0 Totals : North Over Continent B'brs. Frts. 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 7 0 3,710; Middle Eas Middle East A'crft. 6 2 3 5 1 2 3 22 , about 1,135 DORNIER STUKA : The Dornier Do 217 as a dive-bomber is the Lujiwaffe's latest development. It is claimed to be almost as fast as a fighter. It is powered by two 14-cylinder two-bank B.M.W. 801 radials of 1,600 h.p. each, and is armed with both machine guns and cannons. An armoured turret is fitted behind the pilot's cockpit. The Do 217 can carry bombs, torpedoes or mines inside the fuselage. Interesting is the arrangement of the diving brakes placed in the extended tailpiece of the fuselage. They are said to open out like an umbrella (which seems doubtful) and to give the aircraft good stability in a dive. When used as a dive-bomber either the missiles are carried on external racks or ejector gear is fitted.
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