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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0492.PDF
252 FLIGHT MARCH grH, 1944 R.A.F. Reorganisation NOT everybody cares to read political speeches, even an abbreviated report of a speech by the Air Minister intro ducing the Air Estimates. The new organisation which Sir Archibald Sinclair described in his speech (a brief report of which appears on pages 265-6 of this issue) is discussed in our leading columns, but there no mention is made of the men who will lead the new formations. It is therefore useful to set forth the total facts clearly here. At the beginning of the war the R.A.F. in the United Kingdom had three operational Commands, namely, Bomber, Coastal and Fighter. The first two of these remain, and do not concern this article any further. A new Command was formed in 1939-40, called the Royal Air Force in France. After the Dunkerque evacuation, this Command naturally ceased to exist, and in its place there was formed a new one, called Army Co-operation Command. ; In the meantime the Army and Air Force in the Middle East set a new standard of combined ground-air work, which was carefully studied in the United Kingdom, and it is evident that the Air Council found that Army Co-operation Command did not come up to the new requirements. It was therefore abolished, after a brief existence, in which it had not been able to distinguish itself in any way, except by challenging the Navy's monopoly of the term "Silent Service." In its place was formed Tactical Air Force No. 2, on the lines of T.A.F. No. 1 in the Mediterranean. This new Force was not made an independent Command, but was placed under the general direction of Fighter Command, then boasting Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory as its A.O.C.-in-C. Then came the collapse of Italy, and the Teheran Conference, at which agreement was reached .with Marshal Stalin about the invasion of Europe from the West. In consequence, most of the successful commanders from the Mediterranean were recalled to Britain, and the forces were reorganised with a view to landing on the Continent. From being A.O.C.-in-C., Fighter Command, Sir Trafford I^eigh-Mallory became Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Borce, under the supreme command of General Eisenhower. Fighter Command ceased to exist, at least in name, and the Target : Germany. Simon and Schuster, New York.) $1.00. T HIS very fine account of the experiences of the U.S. Army Eighth Air Force's first year in Great Britain has been compiled for readers in America, but we are informed that H.M. Stationery Office is publishing an edition for the United Kingdom. It is a story which will .tell the American public much which it can hardly have learnt from any other source, and we feel sure that it will thrill, as well as instruct, its readers across the Atlantic. At the same time, it is calculated to open the eyes of British readers to many points about our gallant American visitors and Allies. Inevitably, much of the space is occupied with narratives of bombing raids, on much the same lines as the publications of ,the Air Ministry News Service. To thoughtful British readers other features of this brochure will be of deeper interest. The author is exceedingly frank—in fact, frankness is one of the most pleasing characteristics of the work. Though he is naturally jubilant about the results of the year between August 17th, 1942, to August 17, 1943, he never hesitates to point out that mistakes were sometimes made, that results were sometimes disappointing, and that policy had gradually to be revised and developed. These confessions will perhaps be good for the souls of American readers; they will also in crease the respect of British readers for the American effort. Some British critics were inclined to depreciate that effort as having developed somewhat slowly. After reading' this brochure they will understand some at least of the reasons for the pace of the development, and will appreciate the difficulties which had to be overcome. To run through some salient features of the progress, the first American raid was made on Rouen on August 17th, 1942, and only twelve Fortresses were able to take part in it, On October yth of the same year 108 machines, mainly Fortresses, but including some Liberators, attacked Lille. The author admits (p. 92) that this debut of the Liberators was not par ticularly brilliant. Of all the early attacks on Occupied France lie says that too many missiles fell outside the target area, and since they were falling on French soil nobody was happy about it. " Judged by European standards," he writes, " the bomb ing in those early days was extraordinarily accurate. Judged passing of the name called forth the regrets of Lord Trenchard. Sir Trafford's new Command has been divided into three parts. These are Air Defence of Great Britain, the 2nd Tactical Air Force, under Air Marshal Coningham, and the U.S.A. 9th Air Force under General Brereton. The latter Force has been recalled from the Middle East. Some time ago the G.O.C. of the 8th U.S. 8th Air Force announced that he was forming a Tactical Air Force in his Command, on the lines of that which had proved so successful in the Mediterranean. Presumably this body has been merged now in the 9th Air Force. Still, the old Fighter Command survives in function if not in name. It is represented by the new body known by the old name of Air Defence of Great Britain, and its A.O.C. is Air Marshal Sir Roderic Hill. It will be responsible for the day and night air defence of these islands. There can be no doubt that the A.A. guns and searchlights will stand in the same relation to it as they did to Fighter Command of yore. This organisation is probably for "hostilities only," but it foreshadows the form which the Royal Air Force will have to assume after the war, when no American forces remain in the British Isles. CONGRATULATIONS IT is with a great deal of personal satisfaction that Fliglit extends, on behalf of its staff and readers, very hearty con-, gratulations to Air Marshal Sir Roderic Hill on his appoint ment to the command of the new organisation under the revived title of Air Defence of Great Britain. During the early days of flying, young Roderic Hill was a welcome and frequent contributor of drawings to our pages. He had that rare gift of being able to make an aircraft " fly " in his pictures, and we are very glad to know that he has, so far as his Service preoccupations have permitted, kept his hand in with many drawings and paintings, most of which are of very high artistic merit. We have followed witli great interest the careers of Roderic Hill and his brother Geoffrey (of Pterodactyl fame), and take a not unnatural " paternal" pride in their successes. by American standards it was not good enough." It was found, in fact, that bomb-aiming in combat conditions was a different matter from practice bombing in peacetime. It must be remembered that the Americans were experiment ing with daylight bombing—'' an untried theory of air war fare," as the author calls it. Technical modifications had to be made in the machines as experience was accumulated. The crews found that they needed more fire power forward, better oxygen supply for the turrets, better organisation of the crew, and better equipment for abandoning aircraft, dinghies, etc. In the raid on St. Nazaire on January 3rd, 1943, individual bombing by each crew was abandoned in favour of mass release on a signal by the leader. The raid on Bordeaux on May 17th, J 943, was made by a force composed entirely of Liberators, and led to the conclusion that better results were obtained when a J combat force was composed entirely of one type, either P'ortj )t resses or Liberators. Incidentally, it is mentioned that the name "Liberator" was an idea of the R.A.F., chosen with the idea of appealing to enslaved nations. At the end of July Thunderbolts were equipped with long-range tanks, and the Americans became convinced believers in fighter escorts for daylight raids. In fact, they had wanted long-range escorts long before any could be supplied. The steady development of the force available to bomb Ger many was interrupted in various ways, probably not realised by the man in the British street. In October, 1943, two squadrons of Liberators were sent to work with Coastal Com mand. In December three squadrons of the same type were sent to Africa, and stayed there for three months, during which time they raided Ploesti. A little earlier two whole groups of Fortresses (the most experienced) had also been sent to Africa, and they remained there permanently as part of the 12th Air Force. The 8th Air Force had no easy march to its present state of power and efficiency. The author is generous (though that is not quite the word) in his acknowledgment of Reverse Lease-Lend, and the help which the R.A.F. was always ready to give. We must al«r> note that the brochure is profusely illustrated, and that tn< description by an officer of the air battle on the Regensbur^ raid (August 17th, 1943) >s one °f the most vivid pieces of descriptive writing that we have come across for a long time. BOOK REVIEW
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