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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1177.PDF
JUNE 4TH, 1942 FLIGHT WAR IN THE AIR "CHU FENG." Which means "Hurricane." One of the "China-British " fighter squadron goes down to the attack in the evening sky. This squadron, with the motto " Rise from the East," was subscribed for by the British Community in China. heavy bombers and troop transports; but, in spite of this, hundreds of civilians have been helped. Cologne's Four-figure Raid T AST week-end was notable for two ""-' striking items of news; the colossal R.A.F. raid on Cologne and the report from Libya that the '' entire Afrika Korps '' had been sur rounded by our forces in the Bir Hacheim-Tobruk-Acroma area. The concentrated attack on Cologne by aircraft of Bomber Command on the night of May 3oth-3ist was the mightiest aerial assault of the war, and in his congratulatory message to Air Marshal A. T. Harris, A.O. C.-in-C. Bomber Command, Mr. Winston Churchill described the raid as '' the herald of what Germany will JMrtMT AIR Over G.B May 17 „ 18 .. 19 ,. 20 .. 21 „ 22 ., 23 ., 24 ,. 25 .. 26 ,. 27 „ 28 ., 29 ,. 30 Totals : 0 .0 0 1 0 0 1 I 0 0 1 1 7 0 12 LOSSES TO Over Continent. 14 0 5 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 2 4 30 MAY 30th. Middle East. 8 9 2 1 3 5 6 4 1 6 12 5 7 5 __ 74 North, 5,925 ; Middle East, over 3,905. receive, city by city, from now on." More than 1,000 bombers—two- and four-engined aircraft of at least a dozen different types—took part in this terrific undertaking, while other machines made diversion attacks on enemy airfields; in all it is estimated that some 1,250 aircraft, including those of the Army Co-operation Com mand, took part in one gigantic operation which is said to have dazed even the German propaganda ma chine. It was the first time that all R.A.F. commands in this country had joined in one night's "op" in which 3,000 tons of bombs were dropped on the Huns. Cologne was left a mass of flames with a smoke pall rising above it to a height of some 15,000ft. The operation was a triumph of organisation and per fect timing, and it is significant that a number of senior officers, including A.V-M. J. E. A. Baldwin, A.O.C., one of the Bomber Command Groups, flew with the crews under their com mand on this first four-figure attack on Germany. With customary British reserve, the official communique described the smashing of Rommel's attack in Libya in the unemotional phrase, '' The posi tion is not unfavourable." True, it is still possible, as we go to press, that some of Rommel's forces may live to fight another day, but his carefully planned attack has definitely failed after throwing in all his reserves of tanks. General Ritchie out manoeuvred him into a trap, and the panzers' only alternative to possible escape is annihilation. BRITISH AIR LOSSES TO MAY 30th. May 17 ,. 18 „ 19 ., 20 „ 21 „ 22 „ 23 „ 24 ., 25 „ 26 ,. 27 „ 28 ,. 29 » 30 Totals : Over G.B. A'crft. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 North, * These totals ir Over Continent B'brs. Ftn. 9 8 0 0 12 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 13 1 — — 36* 22* . Middle East A'crft. 2(1 pilot safe) 4 1 (pilot safe) 1 0 4 4 2 2 4 4 5(4pil'ts»afe) I2P ,. .. ) 14(3 „ „) 59(11 pil'tssafe) 3,768* i Middle East, about 1,194 ; io not include the 44 aircraft lost the Cologne raid.
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