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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0557.PDF
MARCH 4TH, 1943 FLIGHT CZI WAR IN THE AIR ENEMY Over Feb. 2122 ' 23 24 ' 25 26 ' 27 Totals : 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 AIR LOSSES TO FEB. 27th. Over G.B. Continent 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 West, 6,650 ; Middle East North Africa : Nov. 10, 1942, to Feb. Middle East 2 52 0 0 2 0 II over 5,239. 26, 1943: 689. Later News * FOR a time the battle in Tunisialooked rather nasty, when the Axis were through the Kasserine Pass, and there seemed to be a threat to the flank of the First Army. But evi- dently General Alexander dealt very efficiently with the situation, and Rommel's men had to retreat quite as fast as they came on. Evidently Allied reinforcements had been brought up, and aircraft were got to- gether so as to pursue the retreating enemy and inflict all possible damage on him. Then the Axis turned its attention to the northern sector, and made a series of attacks there, probing at several points simultaneously. These were repulsed with loss to the enemy. There, too, the R.A.F. distinguished itself, and Hurricane bombers were very active in upsetting or setting on fire the enemy's vehicles. A fairly large petrol dump in a farmhouse was exploded. Meanwhile General Montgomery was massing his Eighth Army opposite the Mareth line, and sending out fighting patrols to find its weak spots. His aircraft.were also active, fighters and fighter-bombers attacking troop con- INTERESTED SPECTATORS : North African natives watching a Spitfire V being serviced by stee! helmeted ground staff. centrations and transport, while medium bombers took on other tar- gets, and enemy airfields were raided at night. The Western Front THE R.A.F. in Great Britain andthe U.S. 8th Air Force have com- bined in a terrific bombing effort in the last few days, accomplishing something like '' round the clock raiding for a period of 72 hours. Be- tween a raid on Nuremberg on the night of Thursday, February 25th, and ^Saturday morning, February 27th, the four Home Commands of the R.A.F. sent out more than 2,000 sorties, and the aircraft between them flew a million and a half miles. Nothing of the sort has ever been attempted before. The attacks were switched from target to target, so that the enemy never knew where to expect the next one. Tha^t naturally put a great strain on all his defences, and parti- cularly on his fighter force. That force is being stretched more and more, and is obviously unable to fulfil all, the duties which are expected of it. We must remember that if a fighter force fails completely, its side loses com- mand of the air, and that may lead to the very greatest results. The German reply is " sneak raids " on coast towns by fighter-bombers, which are only " frightfulness." They will not win the war. BRITISH & U Peb. 21 „ 22 ., 23 ,, 24 „ 25 , 26 ., 27 Totals : Over G.B. A'crft. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 West. S. AIR LOSSES TO FEB. 27th Over Continent fj'brs. 00 0 • 0 9 13 1 23 5,283 : Midd North Africa : Nov. 10. 1942, F'trj, 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 6 e Enst, Middle East A'er.t4 0 2 1 0 0 0 7 ibout 2,084. to Feb. 26, 1943 ; 299 CAUGHT IN THE ACT : A Royal Air Force photograph of a German D.F.S.230 glider beihg towed off by a Ju 87 from a desert airfield. A. T. A. BENEVOLENT FUND VX7E are happy to publish a further * ' list of donations to this deserv- ing fund:— £ s d_. Amount previouslv acknow- ledged 5,-497 4 9 Cunliiie - Owen Aircraft, Ltd., Swaythling, South- ampton 175 o o The De Havilland i>'orlh- ern Sports Clubl, Lostoek 70 o 1 The Herts and Essex Avia- tion, Ltd 10 10 o M. Croisdale, Esq.. 163, Ring Road. Parnley, Leeds 1 o o Ernest Burrows, Esq., Watergate, Dewsbury . . 100 The Scottish Flvin? Club, Ltd. io 10 o Personnel of A.T.A. and B.O.A.C. to January 31, 1943 1.53' lJ> !O £7,317 9 8
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