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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2186.PDF
272 FLIGHT SEPTEMBER QTH, 1943 even at the cost of cutting down her production of bombers Yet, though the United Nations are grimly determined that, for so far as human eyes can see into the future, Germany shall not again threaten the freedom of the world, victory in the present war cannot alter the facts of geography and a salient geographical fact is that Great Britain is an island. Whatever is done to Germany at the end of this war, it must remain a truth that an island kingdom i? safer if air defence is stronger than air attack, Everyone will remember the hope expressed by Mr. Churchill snme time before this war broke out, that science would some day "claw the bomber down from the skies." He was then obviously thinking of what might happrn when Britain was attacked from the air, and he can hardly have foreseen the almost miraculous result of the Battle of Britain. Sir Philip Joubert must also have given much thought to that subject when he commanded the Fighting Area. At the moment the bomber is a formidable weapon in thj: hands of the Allies, and our interests lie in air attack. But it was not always so, and it may not always be so in the future. The bomber abolishes the advan- tages of insularity. If it can be " clawed down," Britain will be once again, as Tennyson said, "compassed by the inviolate sea." General Arnold's ViewsE VERYONE in Britain has been glad to welcome over here General Henry H. Arnold, chief of all the United States Army Air Forces, and to hear his opinions about the war in the air. It was no surprise to hear him say (at a recent interview) that for heavy bombers the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom has " No. 1 priority " on the products of American fac- tories, or that bombers with more and heavier guns and more than twice the bomb load of the Fortresses will be ready when and where they are required. But it CONTENTS The Outlook - . - - - - - 271 War in the Air - 273 Here and There - 6 The Tunisian " Aero Show" - 277 Tactical Bombing .... 281 Aircraft Characteristics - - - - 282 Reversible-pitch Airscrews - 284 Wings Club ------ 285 Photographic Reconnaissance - - - 286 German Aircraft Structures - - - . - 289 Accessory Before the Fact - 292 Death of Mr. L. F. G. Butler and Dr. Townend 293 Correspondence ----- 294 Service Aviation - - - - 295 was interesting to hear him say that at present he is only interested in one class of fighter, namely, the escort fighter, and that he considers the P38 (Lightning) and the P47 (Thunderbolt) the best types in that class. Most interesting of all was the opinion expressed by General Arnold that the medium bomber class will soon pass out of existence. The light bomber, he considers, will survive, and in Africa the best light bomber was, he said, a fighter. But when armies are locked in land battles, the function of the medium bomber and the heavy bomber will tend to merge, and the heavy bomber will be the more efficient for the work required. General Arnold was presumably thinking of daylight assistance for the Army, when the bombing must be tactical. Naturally enough, British authorities have never considered machines of the Lancaster class as suitable for that sort of work, but the precision bomb- ing of Fortresses is a different proposition. The Wel- lington class may go, if General Arnold is right; but we can hardly believe that there will not be work for the Mosquito class. Perhaps General Arnold would rank that as a fighter-bomber. /• ir Fokces. They are'TIS ALL A CHEQUERED BOARD : Rolls-Royce Merlin-engined Warhawks of JJarUorth-West Afn carrying long-range tanks in place oL&ombs.
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