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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 0273.PDF
FEBRUARY 8TH, 1045 FLIGHT RocketMosquito Coastal Command Punish Enemy Shipping Off Norway with the Latest Variant of De Havilland's Famous Fighter'bomber /k GAINST land targets the rocket /"\ has been mostly in demand for ^- •*• short-range tactical work by day, for which a single-engine fighter was obviously the most suitable air-r - craft; the outstanding success of the rocket Typhoons against tanks and troop concentrations in the Falaise Gap was a classic example. Against shipping, however, longer operating range, a navigator, more elaborate navigational radio and the safety of two engines are necessary. Rocket rails have therefore been fitted to several multi-engine types, the Beaufighter and now the Mosquito because of its high speed. A steady '' platform '' is necessary for accurate rocket launching because of the relatively low speed at which the rocket leaves the aircraft. The Mosquito, which always attacks in a dive, provides the steadiness that is wanted, and has another good feature in the pilot's excellent view. It carries the usual eight rockets with 60 lb. heads—and the lightness of this form Fitting 60-lb. headed rockets into the port rails of' a Mosquito. It will be noticedthat these rails are of a later type with single, instead of double, runners. The rails are sighted in such a manner that a perfect shot should give hits below, on and above the watsrline. of armament enables advantage to be • taken of the extra fuel tankage which is a feature of every Mosquito version. The absence of gun weight and recoil are distinct advantages of the rocket projectile over the 57 mm. gun carried by other Mosquitoes, although the high muzzle velocity of the shell of the latter greatly aids accuracy. The rocket projectile is ten times as heavy as the six-pounder shell, but fewer of the rockets can be carried, their num- ber being limited by the number of rails that can be accommodated. A feature of the Mosquito attacks is the confusion caused by the anti-flak firing with their 20 mm. cannon shells and machine gun bullets, while the rockets are being launched, giving' a very clean sweep of the enemy's decks. The mixed grill is sometimes improved by a few 500 lb. bombs and some six-pounder shells from other fighter-bomber Mosquitoes all flying in the same strike force. The cannon- equipped Mosquitoes are fighters in their own fight and nasty customers for enemy fighters to tackle. CHANGES IN HIGHER COMMANDS TUST as we are about to go to pressJ with this issue certain changes in the Higher Commands of the R.A.F. areannounced by the Air Ministry. Air Marshal Sir Keith Park, K.C.B., M.C.,D.F.C., has been appointed Air Com- mander-in-Chief, South East Asia, inplace of the late Sir Trafford Leigh- Mallory, who was lost with others on aflight when about to take up his new post. Air Marshal Sir Guy Garrod, whohas been acting in command, will take up another high appointment not yetdisclosed. Air Vice-Marshal C. E. II. Medhurst,C.B., O.B.E., has been appointed Air Officer Commanding^in-Cbief, MiddleEast Command, in place of Air Marshal Park. Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bow-hill will soon be relinquishing his post as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief ofTransport Command. He will be suc- ceeded by Air Vice-Marshal R. A,Cochrane, C.B., C.B.E., A.F.C. Air Marshal Sir Keith Park has beenA.O.C.-in-C.,. Middle East Command, since January, 1944. During the Battleof Britain he was A.O.C, No. 11 Group of Fighter Command. Once upon a timewe was CO. of the Oxford University Air Squadron. He is a New Zealander.Air Vice-Marshal Medhurst has been commandant of the R.A.F. Staff College-since 1943, and before that he was Assist- ant Chief of the Air Staff. Air Vice-Marshal Cochrane has been Air Officer Commanding various groups in BomberCommand since September, 1942. GOOD STAFF WORK UNDER the chairmanship of Mr. D. L.Hollis-Williams, chief engineer, the drawing office of the Fairey Aviation Co.,Ltd., held a staff dinner at Frascatis Restaurant last Friday. It was the firstof the kind and very well attended. A sign of the times was the number ofladies among the drawing office staff. If good feeling and cameraderir are acriterion of efficient team work, then Fairey products will assuredly live up tothe reputation of the long line of notable aircraft bearing that famous name.Naturally, the staff generally are appre- ciative and refreshed by the recent pro-minence accorded to the Barracuda and the Firefly, which are doing such goodwork for the Silent Service. Mr. Hollis- Williams announced that the company has produced seven war types of aircraft,and in an inspiring address paid just tribute to tin- team spirit displayed. BALLOON COMMANDDISBANDED LAST Monday, February 5II1, SirArchibald Sinclair, Set letary of State for Air, said farewell to Balloon Com- mand. He explained that this did not mean that balloons would no longer rise, (he said "fly"), but that thev wouM bo under other Commands of tin K<>-ai Air Force. GOVERNMENT AIRLINE OWNERSHIP LAST week, in our report on theR.Ae.S. debate on ( ivil ;M i.-ition, due to a misunderstanding, we ascribedto Mr. T. A. Rice, London managci of Pan American Airways, an expressionwhich he did not actually use in his concluding remarks. What he did savwas: "That is the case againM ib<- American surface transport companiesparticipating in civil aviation, as it appears to me. Naturally, I haveassumed that our airlines will continue to be privately owned, no matter whooperates them."
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