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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 2086.PDF
39* LIGHT OCTOBER 12TH, 1944 4 ontiiiciilal Miscellany Observations from a Visit to Some Advanced Airfields and Recent Battlefields in Western Europe *g3;rvfBr- The ruins of the beautiful buildings on the Parisian international airport at Lc Bourget. By JOHN YOXALL, our War Correspondent at S.H.A.E.F THE very first thing that strikes one when flying low over the Continent is the accuracy of Allied bombing. Flying-bomb launching sites are shambles, but nearby farms are scarcely scratched. In the towns it is difficult to find a broken window except in the region ot marshalling yards, airfields or factories working for what used to be called the Axis. "In Brussels, for instance, the faith in our ability and desire to bomb accurately is such that there are no air raid shelters except near the rail ways aud the municipal airfield at Evere. The last time I was at Evere was on the occasion ot the international air meeting there in July, 1939. There on the tarmac, in full dress uniform, were Air Chief Marshal Sir Cyril Newall, then Chiet ot Air Staff, R.A.F., General Vuillemin of the French Arrnie de I'Ait. and General Milch, of the Lujtwaffe. I remember observing at the time that although they appeared to be chatting amiably enough together, each of the three knew that war could only be a matter of days Evere has changed a good deal since then, but it still remains a grass field. No permanent or semi-permanent runways have been built by the Germans. A number of buildings have been added, and these, with the old ones, have been camouflaged by the Germans in their most painstaking manner. By the aid of wood, wire mesh and plaster, a complete extra storey has been built on to the roofs of the hangars and the lower halves painted to com plete the illusion of rows of three-storey residences. A wasted effort: Allied bombs have wrecked the lot. The second thing which is most apparent is the tre mendous employment of air transport to keep up army and air force supplies. While Cherbourg was the only usable port in our hands, and the French railways were at a complete standstill, it was only air transport that made the advance right up into Holland possible. The price, however, was rather high. It is a joy to watch a well organised air convoy at work. The aircraft come in and taxi up to a long nose to-tail queue where they are unloaded. Any return load is put on board and the line, at the appropriate time, moves m round to the take-off point where the control officer flags them off at the rate of one every few seconds. They appear to follow each other down the runway with an interval of only about 250 yards in between. At one grass field from which I saw them operat ing, the fastest they had done was .58 off in 38 minutes and, as a sus tained effort, 347 in just over six hours. In pre war days any big inter national airport which had six aircraft wanting to land or take off at the same time though it was busy ! The loading and unloading is all done by troops of the Royal Army Ser vice Corps, and this applies also tb the dropping of supplies from the air A Spitfire IXE in full dress a<> a fighter-bomber. The wing machine- guns are .5in. calibre.
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