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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0553.PDF
MARCH 4TH- T943 FLIGHT FOR ITALIAN INTRUSIONS A de Havilland Mosquito flying over Malta where a squadron of these fast light bombers arestationed for intruder operations. Aircraft in Tunisia Battles : Fortresses Score Off Rabaul : Japanese Futile Raid on Assam Airfields TiE fighting in Tunisia has beenvery mechanised, noticeably soeven in this age of mechanical warfare. Tanks and aircraft have played a great part in it, though nowadays it is recognised that infantry are also of prime importance and must work with the tanks. Rommel picked up some Tiger tanks after his arrival in that country. These weigh between 55 and 60 tons, and carry an 88 mm. gun as well as two machine guns of 7.92 mm. calibre, say 0.315 inches. On the other hand the British have been using Churchill tanks for the first time, so far as is known, which weigh about 40 tons. The Axis is estimated to have some 220 tanks in the region of the Kasserine gap. There have been heavy clashes between the opposing tanks, while fighters and bombers of the U.S. Army Twelfth Air Force have been very active in setting about the attacking German forces. It is not to be expected that bombs will lay out many tanks, unless the latter's tracks are broken, but much damage, was done to other targets. The Allies have a strong preponder- ance of air power in Tunisia, but are short of airfields* Three of them were lost in the first onrush of Rommel's men. In consequence the Axis was able to concentrate in the central area where the thrust was made, and that area was out of the reach of the short- range fighters with the First Army in the North as well as of those with the Eighth Army in the South. That is not to say that ao British or American short-range fighters were able to take part in the battle, but the Allies were not able to use their superior, air strength there. Later accounts* have also made it clear that the Axis air attacks on the Americans at the be- ginning of the engagement were not made entirely with Stuka dive- bombers, as was at first reported, but by a mixture of Stukas and fighter- bombers in about equal numbers. In- experienced troops would naturr.lly be unable to understand the distinction between them as they saw both types coming downwards at them and drop- ping bombs; but the bomb of the Stuka is much heavier than that of the fighter-bomber. The Germans seem to have lost faith in the Stuka of late, and the number possessed by the Luftwaffe is said to have been reduced from 500 to 300, while some Stuka squadrons have gone out of existence altogether. Fortunately British and American reinforcements of t~nks and infantry OVER THE TARGET : A Ventura flying below another Ventura during a daylightraid on the steel works (bottom left corner) at ljmuiden in Holland.
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