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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2298.PDF
^ NoVEMQJgfc 5TH, 1942 CREUSOT RAID : The astounding sight of 94 Avro-Lancasters at o ft. on their way to bomb the Schneider works at Le Creusot. They are passing over Montrichard on the River Cher in the department of Loir et Cher. battle, sea, air and land, has been going on round the Solomons for the possession of Guadalcanal. So far little has rSeen made public about it, but it is notable that the American Government has changed the Admiral in command in that area. Aircralt have been plaving a very large part in this battle, and it is to be hoped that the Americans have enough machines there, to do all that has been expected of them. It is also to be hoped that their losses in cruisers have ' been made good. The Japanese cannot feel very exhilarated at the news (if the public are allowed to learn it) that the great Alaskan highway from Edmonton to Fairbanks, . in Alaska, has been opened. Many airfields- are situated along the course of the road. Lorries are now running along the road, and a great massing of American strength for attacking Japan by sea and air is foreshadowed. The base at Fairbanks also means a new way of communicat ing with Siberia, and perhaps getting certain sorts of supplies into Russia. Likewise it is not good news for Japan that the Americans have 13 new aircraft carriers under construction, while President Roosevelt has signed an order for building 25 more. Speaking of the war in the North, it has just been announced that since the summer units of Coastal Command have been stationed in northern Russia, where their long-range machines have been active on recon naissance in connection with convoys. Watchiug the movements of the ice is an important part of their duties. Air Action in Burma "VTOT long ago the Japanese in -^ Burma made another isolated air raid on one of the smallish towns on the eastern coast of the Madras Presi dency. American bombers have also made heavy attacks on Japanese air fields in Burma, notably Lashio at the end of the now useless Burma Road to China, and Myitkina, where the damage was so heavy that it is calcu lated that these will no longer be suit able as main bases for enemy fighters. But they are evidently still capable of use as advanced landing grounds, for in a return raid on the Americans in Assam the Japanese were able to send a fighter escort with their bombers. There are several advanced American fields in the" neighbourhood of Dibrugarh, and the Japanese suc ceeded in taking them by surprise. It appears that they did a good deal of damage to American aircraft. One estimate gives the heaviest raid as made by 95 Japanese machines, 50 of them bombers and the rest fighters. From the Dibrugarh area the Ameri cans have teen running an air ferry service between India and China, and the object of the Japanese was evidently to dis rupt that as much as • possible. In other raids on air bases in North-East India the Japanese were not so fortunate, and American fighters shot down a few raiders and damaged others. Five Japanese bomb ers flew up from Burma one day into China and bombed a town and road in Yunnan province. On the other hafad, the Chinese Air Force, of which little has been heard for a long time, has begun to take vigor ous action. Chinese bombers accompanied by fighters made a raid on a Japanese airfield in South Shansi province. They dropped tons of high explosives, while the fighters set fuel depots on fire and damaged Japanese aircraft on the ground, as well as military trucks. There is also an account of Chinese fighters attacking 10 Japanese fighters which were escorting a bomber formation, and shooting down two of them after a dog fight. These incidents suggest that the Americans have now succeeded in get ting aircraft through into China, and they may have helped to train new Chinese pilots. It is certainly en couraging to hear of the Chinese Air Force in action again, and taking definitely aggressive action. The time may not be far distant when Americans and Chinese together ITALIAN FIGHTER - BOMBER : The 1,150 h.p. D.B. 601 engined Reggiane Re 2001 fighter adapted as a bomber. As a fighter it is credited with a speed of 362 m.p.h.
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