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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 0743.PDF
APRIL 19TH, 1945 FLIGHT WAR IN THE AIR and it is very gratifying to know that the carriers of the British Pacific Fleet gave very useful help to the American troops by attacking airfields from which Japanese aircraft might have taken off to worry the Americans. Our fleet was not opposed, and closed to- wards the coast. Seafires, Hellcats, and Corsairs maintained a permanent umbrella patrol over the fleet,_ while Avenger bombers ran a shuttle service between the ships and the shore. Our machines bombed a radio station and barracks, and also set fire to Ishigaki Town. At first the flak was light and no fighters came up against our Avengers. Later in the day some Japanese aircraft returned to the dam- aged airfields, for no clearly discern- ible purpose. Our fighters shot down 20 of them, and 14 more were damaged. / mfhe Americans were left with a clear *r:eld for their operations, so far as those airfields were concerned. The Bordeaux Pocket TT is gratifying to read about the -*• growing military power of France— that most resilient of nations. Push- ing through the Black Forest, French troops have captured 1,500 V bombs and a number of radio-controlled tanks. At the same time an assault has been launched against the Ger- mans holding out round the mouth of the Gironde below Bordeaux. For the past few weeks they have been left to stew in their own juice, with no hope of relief, while the great armies under General Eisenhower swept eastward to accomplish greater things. Contin- gents of the Maquis kept an eye on the Gironde positions. Now, however, it its time to eliminate these pocketH. The SLEEPERS ARISE : Railway lines and sleepers take on fantastic shapes and angles in the much-bombed marshalling yards at Hamm. French Annee de I'Air has not yet got a force of heavy bombers; so the U.S. 8th Air Force sent more than 2,300 machines to give the forts a prelimin- ary hammering. A novel form of in- cendiary, called for the time being "liquid fire," was rained down, and pilots reported the whole area to be a sea of flames. Then the French Navy took up the bombardment, and it has been remarked that this was the first time since 1940 that the French Navy has put a completely national force into action. It did not take long before Gen. Leclerc's 2n^ Armoured Division had entered"' captured the fort of R avail, A GIFT HORSE : A paratrooper helps himself to some barebacked transport. Airborne troops are taught to make full use of captured m-iterial and transport. northern end of the estuary of the Gironde. Every day the news brings items of good work by the Air Forces, both independently and in conjunction with other Services. Some items bring back special memories. On Saturday night last week Lancasters made a heavy attack on Potsdam, so full of memories of the Kaiser. In one of his last mes- sages to the Indian Army, then pre- paring to send a Corps tg^France, the great Lord Robertsy^fioped '' that Gurkhas would %ai*g their ease in the It would have the world if they test is the cap- l.S. 1st Army, aroused whenr plant there was f!F. quite early in 5ut unfortunately the then the strength to a really destructive campaign against German oil, and, moreover, in those days Ploesti was still filling the German petrol tanks. Weather has varied in different places. Last Sunday was like a lovely summer day in England and in the Straits ; but the 2nd Tactical Air Force was only able to operate during the afternoon. The aircraft found a fair amount of traffic moving north-east- ward beyond the Elbe. It took due toll. The Germans have divided their West Front into two commands, Kesselring remaining supreme, but confining his personal attentions to the southern half. There are signs that the Germans intend to try to form a united front to guard the ports of Bremen and Hamburg. So the 2nd . T.A.F. cut the railway between the two in ten places. Repairs will not be found so easy in these days.
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