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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2147.PDF
OCTOBER 15TH, 1942 WAR IN THE AIR ENEMY AIR Over G.B. Oct. 4 „ 5 6 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 Totals : —ooooo o 1 West LOSSES TO Over Continent 0 0 0 0 r S3 0 54 OCT. 10th Middle East 0 0 1 2 0 24 2 29 6,426 ; Middle East, over 4,624. have yet been released for publication by the Russians. A Surprise Raid in Egypt FRIDAY, October 9th, was a busy day and night for the Allied air forces in the Middle and Far East. In Egypt things had been fairly quiet for some time, chiefly due to un favourable weather, but on that Fri day the Eighth Army staged two of the biggest daylight raids in which it has ever indulged. The main, but not the only, targets were the enemy's airfields in the low land near the sea. There seems little doubt that the object was to interfere with Rommel's plan to build up his air strength until it equals or surpasses that of the Allies. First, the British and Allied bombers made their attack, coming in irom the sea, and evidently taking the enemy by surprise. Many of the Axis landing grounds were water-logged. Gun positions and transport were also attacked, and some pilots said that they had seen enemy gun crews gaping open-mouthed upwards. Numbers of Germans were shot down before they could take any action. After our bombers had prepared the way, our fighters went in, making low- flying attacks. Wave after wave, they flew over the Axis positions, and did great damage. After the first surprise was over, enemy fighters took off, and there were many dog fights. We BRITISH & U.S. AIR LOSSES TO OCT.IOth Oct. 4 , S 6 7 8 ,." » „ 10 Totals : Over G.B. A'crft. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 West, Over Continent B'brs. F'trs. 0 0 10 0 6 0 0 0 5 0 0 21 0 4,744 ; Middle East Middle East A'reft. 1 0 4 1 1 12 3 22 about 1,747. STILL THEY FALL : A Heinkel III brought down by the Russians in the Rzhev area. claimed ten enemy aircraft shot down in the air and 14 destroyed on the ground. It sounds a very modest claim, but that is in accordance with R.A.F. policy. Almost certainly we must have done a great deal more damage than that. Our losses that day were twelve machines. East of Suez (~\N the same day General Mac- ^-^ Arthur's aircraft made the heaviest attack so far made on the Japanese main base at Rabaul. First of all Australian Catalinas flew over the target by night and dropped fire bombs to light it up. Then, before dawn, a large concentration of For tresses followed on and dropped 60 tons of bombs. On the next night the Fortresses went there again, though in smaller numbers, and dropped an other 40 tons On the Friday Hud- sons flew to the Tenimber Islands and completed the destruction of a vessel which they had attacked the day before. The Japanese have landed some reinforcements on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomons group, but at a price. Dive-bombers and torpedo-aircraft of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps DRAUGHTY : A Wellington which was hit by 111 ij^Hi nil fabric covering caught fire but this was exfeingtushed by the rush steep dive. The rear gunp«rstayed in his turret ! attacked the ships which were bring ing them and sank a destroyer, besides damaging another and also damaging a cruiser with both bombs and tor pedoes. In New Guinea the Japanese have withdrawn in front of the advancing Australians. The latter have followed on, but for some days could not catch up with the enemy, and only occa sionally had brushes with his patrols. The reason for this Japanese with drawal is not yet apparent, but that it was hurried is shown by the amount of valuable material which they left behind for the Australians to pick up. Airacobras and other low-flying air craft have been consistently harrying the Japanese lines of communications, and the enemy may have found his supply difficulties too difficult to make it possible to advance or even to main tain his positions. Fortress Fighters "V7"ET another "biggest to date" -*- event must be recorded this week. Fortresses and Liberators of the Eighth American Army Air Corps made the largest daylight raid of the war with Lille as their target. A very large escort of Spitfires went with them. Despite this, Fw 190 and Me 109 fighters managed to attack the Ijombers, which claimed to have shot 'tlown 48 for certain, besides 38 prob ables and 19 damaged. The escort and diversionary fighters accounted for five more. The Americans lost four bombers, but the crew of one was saved.
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