FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1370.PDF
554 FLIGHT MAY 27TH, 1943 Behind the Lines Slovak Airline ACCORDING to a report from Brati-•**• slava, the first Slovak air service, which is to operate three times a weekbetween Presov (Eastern Slovakia) and Vienna via Bratislava, was formally in-augurated on May 15th. From France WITH the exception of six plants, air-craft works In Southern France wuicfi had to close down on January 5thhave again resumed production. While the real reasons for the suspension ofwork are still not known, the official explanation states in a somewhat am-biguous manner that it was due to a shortage of electric power. Among thesix works which have net resumed pro- dir'iou are the Hispano-Suiza branchworks at Toulouse and the Kalier plant at J urancon. Regia's LossB RIG.-GEN. ENRICO PEZZI, whocomtnanded Regia units on the Rus- sian front (Commando Aviasione FronieOrientate) is missing from an operational flight. Gen. Pezzi was 45 years old,served as an artillery officer in the last war, and has been with the Regia since1926. At the beginning of this war he commanded a bomber unit in NorthAfrica, and in February last was pro- moted and transferred to the EasternFront. Incidentally, he was the brother ofCol. Mario Pezzi, who gained the alti- tude record in 1938 in a Caproni 161 bisaircraft. Dumb Hun IX an article in the Hamburger Ftem-denblatt, addressed to readers at home, Obeileutnant Freiherr von Glei-chen-Russwurm gives the following in- structive picture of the mental conditionof German soldiers coming home on leave from Russia: " . . do you still remem-ber how in the first two years of the war we came home from Poland, Norway,France and, finally, from the Balkans? We appeared then to you mature andconfident when we were telling you of our experiences, of the happiness, of thebeauty and enthusiasm, hinting only at the serious and terrible things. Andnow again we come on leave, but we are monosyllabic, often mute. " 'Just as then "... sav many of youin fear, and you think of our fathers who carried the gruesome experience of thebattles of the last war." Aces, Decorations and Losses ACCORDING to the German Press, a•£*• number of Luftwaffe " ace " pilots— " Oak Leaves Holders"—were on servicein Tunisia. Among them was Major Muencheberg, credited with 125 victoriesand recently reported killed in action, fn connection with K.A.F. operationsover Germany the names of night-fighter pilots are given increased publicity. Major Hellmut Lent, 25 years old. issaid to be the first night-fighter pilot, with 50 aircraft to his credit. He foughtin Poland, Norway, in the battles for Narvik, and in the campaign againstFrance. Oberleutuant Giklner, 29, a Service and Industrial News from the Inside of Axis and Enemy' occupied Countries night-fighter pilot, now reported killed inaction, was originally a member of the Richthofen Squadron, and a holder ofthe Oak Leaves to the Knights Insignia of the Iron Cross. According to the Ger-man citation he was the first Luftwaffe man to score a night victory. Major Werner Streib, commander of agroup of night fighters, is awarded the Oak Leaves for his 40th victory. Heis said to be one of the oldest and best German night fighters. On the Russian front several awardsof the Knights Insignia to the Iron Cross General Pezzi, late C.-in-C. of ItalianAir Force units on the Russian front, and Marshal Messe, now a prisoner in this country. are announced: Lt. Wilheltn Doling, anobserver in a Kampfgeschwader, who has carried out 350 operational flights againstPoland, France and this country, for a difficult operation in connection withsupplies for encircled German units, at VelikieLuki; N.C.O. Werner Weihranch,a Stuka pilot, credited with the destruc- tion of gun emplacements in Fort Stalin,at Sevastopol; and C.O. Paul Langkopf, 28, a Stuka pilot. Finally, the same decoration isposthumously awarded to N.C.O. Karl Mueller, a pilot in a Kampfgeschwuder,decorated with the Iron Cross in October, 1942, who served in dillerent campaigns,and is now reported missing from an operation, presumably against thiscountry. Farinan Revived IN spring, 1941. the Farmaii familycreated a new company, S.A. des Avions I'tnman, to compensate them forthe old "Avions H.M.I). Fattnan," which had disappeared during thenationalisation period of the aircraft in- dustry. It is now reported that the re-vived Farinan company has acquired the Rosengart Motor Works in Paris. The technical management of the new lactotyis entrusted to M. Coquelin, a former director of Farman, and the commercialadministration has been taken over by- Jean Bfun, previously of Air France. For many years Jean Biun served onthe board of directors of Air France, but presumably because of his associationwith Piene Cot, the Air Minister in tht Popular Front Government, he had toleave in 1938 and took ovei the manage- ment of the Air France office in New-York. Alter the Armistice he appeals to have made a political " about-turn,"and after his return to France he took charge of the very much reduced officeof the company in Paris. Nazi Output DR. HUPFAUER, Comptroller of Out-put Efficiency in the German war industry, is obviously not satisfied withthe results of the total mobilisation. In a lecture given in Berlin he complainedthat " In most war enterprises it was im- possible to observe a serious productionincrease despite lengthening of working hours. In fact, it has been ascertainedthat industrial enterprises which have lengthened their working hours andadded on paper 20 per cent, of wage hours, have in reality shown hardly anyincrease in output." It appears, too, that German workersare far less enthusiastic at their jobs than Goebbels' propaganda would likethem to appear. " They fail ill," says Dr. Hupfauer, "absent themselves orleave before the end of the shift." To counteract this situation he recommendsthe reduction of working hours and con- cludes that working days longer thaneight hours, especially lor women, de- crease the intensity of work." Air France ACCORDING to unconfirmed reports,JtV the head offices of Air France have been moved back to Paris from Mar-seilles, to which they migrated sometime ago after the French Armistice. Fuel Control THE Italian Official Gazette publishesa Government order establishing an Economic Council for the control of research work, exploitation, and manu- facture of petroleum and methane gas. The former Minister of Trade, Vaiga, has been appointed president of the council and is assisted by eight members. Finale A REPORT from Switzerland says thatthe Germans have seized the three French flying boats, the 65-ton Late-coere 631, the 42-ton Potez 161 and the 66-ton S.E. 200. It will be recalled thatwork on the three machines has been carried on with interruptions for sometime, and only recently trial flights have been completed. Since the production ofthe aircraft has been financed by the Vichy Government, one could not helpwondering what their ultimate destina- tion would be. The expected answer isnow given by the Germans. As yet it cannot be said, however,whether the Germans are going to use them, or whether they have taken theflying boats into "s-nie custody."
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
