FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0691.PDF
. "~"~ STARVING THE LUFTWAFFE : The S.N.C.A. Du Sud Ouest aircraft factory at WAR IN THE AIR Chateauroux-Deols, France, after a visit by our heavies on the loth of March. The • factory had been producing the Siebel 204 which is described on pages 369 and 370. policy not to publish the results of these Pas de Calais raids, but, as was remarked above, the Germans have not yet fulfilled their repeated threats to *ise new and secret weapons against Britain. They may, of course, do so at any moment, but it does not seem over-optimistic to conclude that the daily attacks on the Pas de Calais, now by mediums, now by heavies, have had a restraining effect. The mediums are jjrobably making the better shooting, but a volley from the • heavies every now and again will prob ably help in the good work. Gen. H. H. Arnold, who commands the whole Army Air Forces of the United States, has explained to an American audience the policy of forc ing the Luftwaffe to fight in defence of its production centres. " Here," said the General, " is the crux of our air strategy, and here we have been able to face the enemy squarely with a desperate dilemma. The only way he can fight back against these air attacks is by putting up strong forces of fighter aeroplanes. He has no fighter aero planes to spare. He knows that when we come ashore in the West he is going to need those aeroplanes des perately." The General explained the difference between Allied early raids, when the only practicable technique was quick —really sneak—blows with the hope of a few lucky hits. We do not, he said., do it that way anyngartT Now we engaged in planmj|M3attiee, trying tojFike the'^nemji^y surprise, to feint J«TOi out ofjg^sition, and if possible makahi^ffinpover the point where we ^^TTt'iU' Aijfohl described the present I air attacwB aa by no means prelimin aries to invasion, but as actual invasion. Jrnis was hardly a correct use of ,j*dras. Invasion implies occu pation, and that is a thing which bombers are not able to accomplish. The bombing offensive is rather com parable to the naval blockade. M would have thought that the constant air attacks on Japanese communica tions in a country like Burma, where there are few railways and roads, and most traffic must go by river, would have embarrassed the enemy. Pro bably they did; but he doubtless moved his river craft by night, and so got enough stuff up to the front to make his offensive possible. The rapid succession of brilliant Russian victories almost makes the head swim. With the Red Army at the foot of the Carpathian mountains one wonders how long the Germans will be able to keep Rumania fighting on their side. Lvov (which was known during the last world war as Lemberg) g. is also threatened, and > Russian a bombers are now boldly launching forth and attacking all routes which lead to that city. It may be that be fore long the Russians will get within bombing range of Ploesti, and in due course occupy that very important oil field ; but the Carpathians are a rather formidable barrier. In the meantime one continues to wonder why the Mediterranean Air Force or the Middle East has not paid another visit to Ploesti. Far away in the West the R.A.F. and Americans have kept up their almost ceaseless attacks. On March 29th Fortresses with a medium-sized escort of fighters bombed Brunswick, and on that occasion they forced the Luftwaffe to fight. The escort shot down 39 German fighters, drove off the rest, and also destroyed a number of enemy machines on the ground. At the same time Liberators were making a daylight raid on those in triguing targets in the Pas de Calais, and they were not molested at all by fighters. It is evidently the official f MORE ATMOSPHERICS ? : Flak damage to the radio compartment of a Fortress sustained during a raid on Berlin.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
