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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2217.PDF
OCTOBER 22ND, 1942 FLIGHT 447 towards their objective German bombers often attempt to mislead Soviet fighters. Once a message was received at headquarters that lour groups of bombers flying along different courses had been sighted 30 to 40 kilometres < from the airdrome. A close study of these courses made apparent, however, that ali these aircraft were heading for one and the same objective. The officer on duty gave orders for aircraft to take-off. Soviet fighters intercepted the first group of the German bombers near the objective and attacked. The remaining groups of the bombers made their appearance in intervals of two to three minutes, and they were all met by Soviet fighters in time. Soviet fighter tactics which have withstood seveie tests during the last six months consist of offensive operations in formation. The most usual formation is six to eight aircraft flying in pairs. Closed-circle formation is no longer used, since it makes active oflensive operations im possible. The Soviet fighters usually try—as a rule successfully— to intercept the enemy ten to 15 kilometres from the objective which is to be protected ; another flight of patrol ling fighters remains over the objective itself. Tactics of fighters which prevented a big enemy raid on an important objective are typical in this respect While the detachments of Commanders Matveev and Pavlov broke thcenemy formation, other fighters shot down indi vidual enemy aircraft by intercepting and pursuing them as far as the front line. ARMY AIR SUPPORT IN WESTERN DESERT IN the desert the Army and Air Force fight as one. They cannot do otherwise, for ground and air tactics in modern warfare are inseparable. Air support to the Army in the desert has no.w reached peak proportions, ex ceeding the support given by the Luftwaffe to the German jlthe BattJ**Gf France. Mow is it done? These pttiire^g^Sik idea^f ouAs/steto^fcf A*foy-Air co-opera They shoW wjjftt hhfif&fis frftm %tfz moment when the man on the ground jjafrls a suitable target until the moment when our aircjwfft roar across to drop their bombs on it. They show ^reprocess which gets to work when the Army " vvhistlcprop its air." The Air Farces in the Western Desert are at the di: of the Nvfihs The.Army Comrr»Mider, at the joint he quartajdTTtells' theJAk C^mmanjflcr what J»*... woulfrfiko the>#vir Forces td\d<\f T\ie AirSC^nimiiider JwK him (Top left) An artillery officer in a forward O.P. spots a suitable bombing target and telephones back to his unit headquarters. (Top right) The call for air support is radioed to the joint Army-Air H.Q. (Bottom right) At Army-Air HJX^he message is received by an officer of the Air Support Unit. (Bottom left) The Air Support Control Officer plots thfijw^tion on his ever- ff. t changing map of the battle area. Q. 1AA \V> \ST*
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