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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1887.PDF
SEPTEMBER 14TH, 1944 s WAR IN THE AIR dispirited Germans must have been much more miserable. Moreover, the Allied aircraft were not everywhere unable to fly. On one day the airmen spotted hundreds of German vehicles streaming along the road from Mons (the name recalls memories of another retreat in 1914) to Aachen. As the airmen watched, they saw Allied armour catch up the Germans and cat the lines of trans port up. The aircraft circled overhead until the armour had pulled clear, and then swooped down to complete the rout. The number of vehicles destroyed ran into hundreds. It was a fine example of co-operation between the two modern successors to the horsed cavalry of ancient campaigns. Incidentally, horses are playing a part in the present movements, for tl •• Germans are now short of both petrol and vehicles, and have seized large numbers of horse-drawn carts to take some of them back to the Fatherland. Hundreds of these carts and the poor beasts which drew them have fallen victims to the pursuing modern cavalry. The Rats CURELY there has never been such a v-' strange war as this \ As it becomes evident to everyone that the defeat of Germany is certain and must be accomplished soon, her former allies not only desert her and seek their own safety (which is perhaps natural) but each in turn declares war on her. Italy was the first to do so; then came Rumania ; and now Bulgaria has fol lowed suit. We may remember that Italy and Rumania were both on our side in the last war, and their peoples are more contented to '' work their DOWNED : A four-engined Kawanishi reconnaissance-bomber flying boat (Emily) on fire after being shot up over the Pacific. The Emily has a span of 124ft. and a length of 96ft. 6in. passage '' than to serve bad leaders in a wrongful cause. But Bulgaria has always been on the wrong side ever since she fought Greece and Serbia in 1913. Her devotion to Russia is the only thing in her favour, and the Soviet has known how to deal with her. The Yugoslav patriots have been marching up to join forcgs wM4*f4t g advancing Russiansy»"*and Allied bombers from JtSly-have been cutting the main raih to Hungary, German di\ Danube must able feeling il e from the Balkans,, eeping it cut. south QJjjFHtfu or POINT BLANK : The fight between a Catalina and a U-boat when F/0 Cruickshank won his Victoria Cross. The official citation appears on page 295. An Acknowledgement f^N the whole the men and women ^-^ of the Balloon Command have received very little credit for their work in this war, and they really deserve a great deal. Their job has been boring, uncomfortable and not without dodger. Yet they have saved many jfJlaces from the horrors of mackme-gunning by the modern Huns. ft is therefore pleasant to learn that ^\ the battle with the air torpedoes the . b&loon cables destroyed no less than 27$ of the pests. Any Londoner can picture the amount of damage which ^th<fce 278 air torpedoes could have dope if they had reached London. No than 2,000 balloons were massed the barrage against the robot 'bombs. They were drawn from all over the country, and some were even brought by sea from Scapa Flow. The crews,^worked splendidly, and in some idltheipJaarrage in order ahead t£ fb£dM for them by the itiC _ DnsM^rabk^gdEjjjp of the 2nd Tactical Air Force E3Q moved its bases up into Belgium qy last week-end. Naturally the fighters and fighter- bombers Nled the way, and they received a great deal of help from the Belgian "White Army," which pre vented the Germans from wrecking a number of the airfields before they retreated. The remnants of the Luft waffe have sometimes showed up in strength, but would only fight if the conditions seemed quite favourable. Both American and R.A.F. fighters have encountered the new jet-propelled Me 262, named the Swallow. The Allied pilots said Vthat the German pilots seemed inexperienced and handled their machines clumsily.
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