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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2033.PDF
FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD •• FOUNDED WOD Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH. M.B.E. Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. COVENTRY : 8-10. CORPORATION ST. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5 210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 : GUtLDHAU BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 297 1 (5 lines). Telephone: Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : GLASGOW, C.2 : 260, DEANSGATE. 26B, RENFIELD ST. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. Telegrams: Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412. Telephone : Central 4857. No. 1808. Vol. XLIV. c Registered at the CJ'.O. as a Newspaper. August 19th, 1943. IFe Outlook Thursdays, One Shilling. German Fighter ShortageT HE smart manoeuvres by which the Americans landed troops on the northern shore of Sicily behind the German lines were largely due to the complete air supremacy won by the United Nations in the Mediterranean. The trips were made by night, but1 ships have often been spotted by night when enemy reconnaissance aircraft are thick over the area. Such a discovery would be nothing new to the crews of Coastal Command Hudsons. In this case no enemy reconnais- • ance machines were about, or were expected to be about, because the Allied fighters had put a stop to all such activities and had cleared the skies round Sicily. German and Italian fighters had ceased to dispute with them. The same sort of thing is reported from the Russian front. In one of the recent attacks by the Red Army it was stated that their fighters absolutely dominated the air over the battle, and allowed their ground troops and their bombers to get on with their respective tasks with- out any interference by German bombers. In each case the cause was the inability of the German fighters to hold their own. This shortage of fighter aircraft in the Luftwaffe in the fourth year of the war is a somewhat remarkable thing. There has been no claim by the R.A.F. that its bombing offensive has done any crippling damage to German aircraft factories, though here and there some have been hit by bombs. The reason must be sought farther back, in the plans laid by Goring before the war. The Me 109 was put on production, being at the time about the fastest fighter in service with any Air Force. All the German leaders looked forward to the coming campaigns as affairs in which they would constantly be on the offensive—as, indeed, they were for well nigh three years—and as fighters were regarded as defensive weapons, the number provided doubtless seemed more than ample. The position which has now come into being, with Germany on the defensive on many fronts, was not foreseen. Least of all could the German High Command have conceived the idea of R.A.F. Fighter Command taking the offensive over occupied France and there tying up a large number of German fighter squadrons. Evidence has lately been received that the Germans are trying to increase their production of fighters at the expense of their bomber force, but the effort has come too late to affect the fate of Sicily (perhaps of all Italy) or to hold back the Russians. There are plenty of German bombers on the Eastern front, but without fighter protection of adequate strength their numbers are largely nullified. Neutrals and Distressed AirmenR EUTER'S correspondent at Istanbul. has reported that the Turkish Government has decided to release the seven American airmen whose aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Turkey while on its way back from the bombing raid on the Ploesti oil refineries. It is an interesting point, because international law has not yet become crystallised about air warfare, and has to rely on precedents established by centuries of sea war- fare. As regards airmen who come down on neutral terri- tory through shortage of fuel or damage to their air- craft, their case is governed by the Air Warfare Rules drawn up at the Hague in 1923. Article 42 of those rules lays it down that: "A neutral Government shall use the means at its disposal to intern any belligerent mili- tary aircraft which is within its jurisdiction- after having alighted for any reason whatsoever, together with its crew and passengers, if any." The airmen in question, however, did not land on
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