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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1055.PDF
MAY 25TH, 1944 does not now seem necessary to send battleships as escort for carriers in that part of the world. The attack was carried out by Hellcats carrying bombs with a pro tective cover of Hellcat fighters and Wildcats. This is the first time that mention has been made of Hellcats as fighter-bombers. It was not claimed that any enemy ships were sunk; but two supply ships and two armed trawlers were hit by bombs, and other vessels were possibly damaged. Oil tanks and a fish oil factory were also hit. The naval aircraft could afford to make these attacks on supplies, as they did not imply neglect of any centre of communications. Nine enemy aircraft were shot down and others were driven off by the fighters and the guns of the ships. Our loss was five machines. Another development in air arma ment, this time in the S.W. Pacific, has also been announced recently. C\ •'%*^ *^ : V-* i BOLTS FROM THE BLUE : Bundles of fragmentation bombs beneath the ;use- lage of a Thunderbolt fighter-bomber. WITH LUGGAGE: A paratrooper dropping with a bag of gear. This reaches the ground first, and the para chute, relieved of its weight, slows -*own before the man touches the earth. This was the use of rocket-guns by Airacobra fighters and Dauntless dive- bombers. A Division by Air A VERY interesting and significant" -**' incident of the fighting in Manipur State has just been revealed. The 5th Indian Division, equipped with guns, mules, jeeps, ammunition, and food, was moved by air from Arakan to Dimapur and Imphal. The actual time of transit was two hours; whereas by road and rail the move ment would have taken several days. If time had not been a factor, the move by ground would doubtless have had advantages, for the equipment carried in the transport aircraft was all of the lighter category. The guns must also have been something less than what Tommy Atkins in South African days called Long Toms. The time is not yet when monsters of that sort can fly to the battle front. But this movement of a whole division, even though lightly equipped, must have achieved that priceless asset— surprise. Anot%r surprising event (surprising to us at home as well as to the Japanese) was the attack on Sura baya, the great naval port on the northern coast of Java. A carrier force, strongly escorted, played the Chief part in the attack, and nearly 100 aircraft bombed the shipping in the harbour, sank ten ships, damaged two floating docks, and also went for oil refineries and airfields. The sur prising feature of the attack was that naval forces from the South East Asia Command combined with those from the South West Pacific and the Cen tral Pacific area, and the American warships were assisted by Australian, French and Dutch vessels. Details could not be published at once for . security reasons; but it is very signifi cant to see the various Allied Com mands in Asia and the Pacific joining together in one operation. It was surely the shadow of coming events. Last Saturday nearly 5,000 Allied aircraft took off from Great Britain for the Continent—a new record, but it may not stand for long. In these days a record set up one day may be surpassed before the description of it is published. Among other damage done to the enemy, 35 military supply trains were attacked, and a large number of locomotives was shot up. Airfields were also bombed. The Luft waffe offered only slight opposition. It is hardly to be hoped that even the immense air effort now launched by the Allies will completely put all the railways in Western Europe out of action before the invasion takes place (again we must put in a proviso that this may have taken place before these words are published), but sucJi destruction must hamper the German movements enormously. Some observers see in the absence of German counter-attacks of any size in Italy evidence that the work of the M.A.A.F. on the roads and railways has had a tangible result. Clever though the Germans are at movements by night, such expedients can hardly be expected to meet the needs of such a position as General Alexander's assault has set up on the Apennine front. The bad weather which grounded the heavy bombers on more than one day did not affect the medium and light aircraft, and they did the work of immediate importance.
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