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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2195.PDF
OCTOBER 22ND, 1942 An Australian Hudson taxying to its dispersal point at an advanced airfield. Hard Fighting in the Pacific : Kiel Heavily Raided Malta's Deadly Spitfires IT has often been remarked in these columns that Australia is being defended mainly by air action. The statement must not, of course, be pushed too far, for the American action in the Solomons is mainly a matter of the Navy and the Marines, though air plays its due part. New Guinea is the island which is most im portant to the defence of Australia, as it would provide the best base for a Japanese attack if the enemy were able to establish themselves at Port Moresby, and for some considerable time it was mainly air action which held the Japanese off. Their sudden retirement may also, in all probability, be attributed to Allied air action against their tenuous supply lines, and the repeated damage to Wairopi bridge. At times, however, aircraft are asked to do more than they can ac complish, and one case of this sort was the recent Japanese reinforcement of their outnumbered troops in Guadal canal Island in the Solomons. The Navy Department at Washington has stated that "Navy and Marine Corps aircraft from Guadalcanal persistently attacked these landing parties, but air attack alone did not stop the land ings." Perhaps there were not enough machines available for the job in hand. Consequently, U.S. cruisers and destroyers had to take on the job. Although the U.S. Navy had lost three heavy cruisers in a short-range engagement with the Japanese Navy on August 9th, they raised enough warships for this occasion. A sharp battle was fought for thirty minutes, in which six Japanese ships were sunk, including one heavy cruiser, while the Americans lost only one destroyer. The enemy was forced to abandon his landing attempt, and withdrew. Aircraft in Pursuit HTHEN the aircraft came into the pic- •*• ture again, and torpedo-aircraft and dive-bombers pursued the fleeing Japanese ships. Another Japanese cruiser was hit by a torpedo from the air and afterwards by bombs, and was set on fire and stopped. Her crew abandoned the vessel. The accom panying destroyer received a direct hit from a bomb, besides near misses which may have damaged her below the water line, and she was last seen in a sinking condition. In the mean time, the American marines on Guadal canal pressed forward and improved their positions. A later announcement by the Navy Department in New York has stated that U.S. submarines had sunk eight more Japanese vessels, one of which was a heavy cruiser, while the others were cargo ships and tankers. War ships and naval aircraft (including machines of the Marine Corps) are working in grand ccr-operation in the S.W. Pacific, and this co-operation has been most profitable. Since the above statement was pub lished, the battle has developed, for c CHEATING DAVY JONES: The begowned figure on the right is P/O. G. E. Genders, who had to bale out over the Mediterranean. His engine stalled while he was attacking a Junkers. Supported only by his flota tion jacket, he swam, for 21 hours before reaching land. The- native galabieh he is wearing is fif replace his wet clothes. This seeoB to be a clear case for starting ^;lu^-called the " Flying Mae West^l swim
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