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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 0056.PDF
FLIGHT JANUARY IITH, 1945 South African Air Force uses a number of British types, few of the civil population had seen any " in the flesh," and knew them only from snapshots and letters sent home by relatives in the S.A.A.F. They were im- pressed by the Halifax. We very much hope it may be possible to send other British aircraft types to South Africa. American air- craft are a familiar sight in many parts, and visits by British crews would serve as a useful reminder that there are others "Pulling a Fast One"F IELD MARSHAL SIR BERNARD MONT- GOMERY certainly put things in the right perspec- tive last week when he told an assembly of war correspondents that the Luftwaffe was still able to "pull a fast one." He also added, equally truthfully, that it was unable to protect the German army. The "fast one" he had in mind was undoubtedly the low-level attack by some 300 fighter-bombers on Allied airfields on the Continent at first light on New Year's Day. The price paid by the enemy was 188 aircraft and pilots. The R.A.F. lost four pilots and the Americans only one pilot. The number of British and American aircraft des- troyed on the ground—which matters but little because we have such a preponderance of aircraft supply—has never been stated. Obviously the Germans would like to know what they got for their money, but our com- manders insist that they must find out the hard way by sending over reconnaissance flights. No figures have been issued, but it is unlikely that our aircraft losses were any greater than those of the enemy. Although the attacks must have caused local surprise it is highly probable that our air command was expect- CONTENTS The Outlook - War in the Air - - - - - Here and There - Asymmetry Again - - - - Mosquito School - Helicopters - Saint Landing System Civil Glider Trains - Civil Aviation News - Topics of the Day - ... New Year Honours - - - Correspondence - - - Service Aviation .... 27 29 32 34 36 38 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 ing some such tactics to be employed and was willing to pay the cost. Since the great breakthrough and advance from Nor- mandy, the retaliatory reply of the German air force has been so weak that it would have been more than foolish to pay a lot of attention to such things as camou- flage and dispersal. Unless airfields have metalled peri- meter tracks and dispersal areas, maintenance in the winter mud becomes both troublesome and protracted. The percentage of serviceability drops sharply, and be- taking too many of these safety precautions one might easily inflict on our own forces the effect of many severe raids by the enemy. The Me 262 jet-propelled aircraft restored.to,the Luft-j waffe the ability to carry out reconnaissance, ahd th«" pilots must have seen the ranks of Allied aircraft up on each side of the main Runways. j^Wjlh it ali ing so ripe for a raid the/Germans^uvedjtheii one " and burnt their fingers in the AIR OBSERVATION POST : R.A.F. mechanics servicing a Taylorcraft Auster for the Roya Artillery, lhe maximum speed of the Auster is 130 m.p.h. which is not very much faster than the landing speed of some of our heavily loaded fighting types.
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