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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 2240.PDF
Or CSV-P 464 NOVEMBER 2ND, 1944 WAR IN THE AIR fighters put in an appearance, and Gen. Spaatz's force only suffered the loss of two bombers and one fighter. Not very long ago these heavy raids used often to cost the attackers 40 or more bombers; but even then the deci sion was to persist, as the heavier the attack, the sooner the war would be over. Now the heaviest of all day efforts has only cost the Allies seven machines. The loss to the enemy will probably be reckoned on the battle field even more poignantly than in the factories. Kirkenes Captured TN-the early days of the war probably •*• few people would have foreseen that the first help to reach unfortu nate Norway from one of the major Allies would have been afforded by the Russians. In the last World War, it may be remembered that the Swedes cherished a historic fear of the Russia of the Tsars, which may have dated from Charles XII's invasion of Russia and his defeat by Peter the Great at Poltava, or even earlier. This senti ment inclined \he Swedes to a pro- German sympathy until the German submarines took to sinking Swedish ships. Norway, on the other hand, while maintaining strict neutrality, was undoubtedly well-disposed to wards the original Alliance of Britain, France and Russia. There was cer tainly no anti-Russian sentiment in the country. Now the surrender of the Finns and their handing over to Russia of the port of Petsamo has given the Red armies a chance to break into northern Norway, and they have seized the town and port of Kirkenes. It is an important port, and there are airfields round it. It is'also a main base for U-boats in northern waters. Its pos session by the Russians should help to mitigate the hardships and risks ERRANDS OF MERCY: Dakotas of R.A.F. Transport Command being loaded with casualties at an advanced airfield in Belgium. Since D Day over 40,000 cases have been flown back to hospitals in Britain by the R.A.F. alone. The total number of cases is over 103,700. suffered by our convoys as they carry munitions to Russia. The King of Norway has urged all his subjects to help their Russian Allies, and has an nounced that Norwegian forces would fight beside them. There is not much doubt that in recent months the Germans have been withdrawing troops from Norway to meet the attacks on the Reich from other quarters. The advance of a Rus sian army into that country has evi dently increased their apprehensions. There seemed a real danger that the damaged battleship Tirpits might be captured by the Russians at her moor ings in Alten fiord. Though damaged by British submarines and aircraft and unfit to fight, the vessel is still able to move. So the Germans, according to firm reports from Stockholm, have moved her from Alten fiord to Tromso, and are preparing to take her still further south. If they do, she will come within still easier range of British aircraft. The Tirpitz is not likely to end her days as her sister ship the Bis marck did, and go down with colours flying and guns firing to the last; but still it would be a satisfaction to the Fleet Air Arm if they could send her to the bottom, even in a Norwegian fiord. The weather on the Western front has of late not been too favourable for air operations. Still, whenever there is a chance of doing good work the Allied Expeditionary Air Force gets machines into the air. The soldiers must envy the air crews, who, once ^ they have left the ground, are fxv-e from the mud and floods which are ROUSING THE SLEEPERS : Special railway-destroyin^JWJfnbs being dropped by Ywataung near Mandal /•
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