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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1048.PDF
576 F L MAY 3 IST, 1945 HERE AND THERE commission in the U.S. Air Corps Re-serve after Mr. Roosevelt had attacked him as an "appeaser." One cannot imagine that, in the cir-cumstances, Lindbergh will be a parti- cularly welcome visitor to Europe justnow. "Southern Cross" Flies AgainA S mentioned some little time ago inFlight, the late Sir Charles Kings- ford-Smith's famous Fokker monoplane,Southern Cross, was to be made ready to fly again in order to take part in the film" Smithy," being produced by Columbia Pictures in Australia. Last week it made a short test flightat Canberra, after being overhauled by the R.A.A.F., and, having been granteda Certificate of Airworthiness, was then flown from Canberra to Sydney. Wing Cdr. John Kingsford-Smith,nephew oi "Smithy," was a member of its crew, and the trip was covered at anaverage speed of 105 m.p.h. Distinguished Visitor SENOR JOSE MARIA PEN A,Director-General of Civ.il Aviation for Uruguay, who is at present in thiscountry, recently paid a visit to the Bermondsey A.T.C. Wing H.Q., accom-panied by Group Capt. Sidney Smith, London Command Commandant. He saw cadets busy at their normalroutine and was visibly impressed with the Corps' efficient training methods,and the fact that the end of the war in Europe had in no way lessened theiractivities. R.C.A.F. Occupation ForceT HE Canadian Government is to retainoperational squadrons of the R.C.A.F. in Britain "until conditions inEurope justify its withdrawal," accord- ing to an official statement issued inLondon last week. The purpose is to assist in holding Germany to the termsof her unconditional surrender. # Personnel who elect to serve in thePacific theatre against the Japanese will have priority in home leave, and thoseelecting to sene in the occupational force in Europe will besent on leave to Canadaas soon as facilities permit. Reinforce- ments for both overseas forces are to betrained. Jet Progress A CCORDING to Hall L. Hibbard in an •**- interview with American Aviation, the U.S. is far out in front of the world in jet development. "The Americans are far in the lead in jet propulsion," he said. " We know that the present General Electric jet engine used in the Shooting Star is the most powerful air- craft engine ever built. It is far superior to the present British jet engines. And we know that the Shooting Star is faster and has several times the range of the Ge.man jet planes." Mr. Hibbard can possibly be forgiven for his claims in the relative position of jet-propelled aircraft in Britain and America because this country has been silent about its recent achievements, but it can be taken as definite that we are not lagging behind—indeed, the engine of the Shooting Star was based upon British basic patents. RADIO TARGET TUG : A radio-controlled target tug, used by the American Army for A.A. practice shoots, on its mobile catapult. Power is apparently supplied by a small flat-twin two-stroke driving a pair of two-bladed, fixed-pitch contra-props. News in Brief A IR VICE-MARSHAL J. O.ANDREWS, appointed Air Officer in Charge of Administration, Flying Train-ing Command, in 1943, has retired. * # * The engagement was announced lastweek between Patricia, younger daughter of Sir Alliott and Lady Verdon-Roe, andSqn. Ldr. Maurice W. Hartford, D.F.C. * » # Lt. (A.) Brian Aikens, R.N.V.R., ofEaling, London, has been awarded the American D.F.C. " for great gallantry anddevotion to duty" while on loan to the U.S.A.A.F. as a naval observer. * * * A recent Superfortress incendiary raidon Nagoya left the entire southern part of the Jap city, including the Mitsubishifactory (their biggest airemft plant) in flames, it was reported by returningbomber crews. • • * Some 75 Flying Fortresses and Libera-tors which made forced landings in Sweden during the war against Germanywill soon return to America. Before crossing the Atlantic they will be com-pletely overhauled by the U.S.A.A.F. in Britain. * * - # Promotion to the acting rank of Air Marshal of Air Vice-Marshal Sir Hugh P.Lloyd, who commanded the R.A.F. in Malta during the heaviest air attacks,has been announced in The, London Gazette. Air Comdre. R. L. Ragg andGroup Capt. (Act. Air Comdre.) I. E. Brodie are promoted Acting Air Vice-Marshals. * * * The Air Minister has received fromM. F. T. Gousev, the Soviet Ambassador, a message congratulating the R.A.F. andhoping that the wartime friendly co- operation between Britain and theU.S.S.R. would continue and develop in peacetime. Sir Archibald Sinclair, in hisreply, said he fully shared this hope and thought the mutual respect between ourrespective Air Fortes would be a strong element in realising it. Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris,C.-in-C. Bomber Command, has sent messages of congratulations to the AirForces of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and .SouthernRhodesia. * # » Admiral Teijiro Toyada, JapaneseMunitions Minister, in an address to Japanese munitions chiefs, urged them toconcentrate on aircraft production and take steps for the speedy dispersal ofbig aircraft factories to country districts. * • • Navy Avengers and Helldivers lastweek carried out the first bombing attack on the new Kumamoto aircraft assemblyplant in central Kyushu, the southern- most island of Japan. The plant wasreported heavily damaged, and 62 Jap aircraft were shot down. * • * The Russian Air Force, says a Reutermessage from Moscow, flew 17,500 sorties on the first day of the Berlin offensive. ^April, the last month of the war, SAW their most intensive activity with 216,000sorties flown and 45,000 tons of bombs dropped. During nearly four years otcombat Soviet airmen have flown a total of more than 3,000,000 sorties. * * * Wing Commander D. E. Kingaby,D.S.O., D.F.M. and two bars, who, states The London Gazette, has beenawarded the American D.F.C. for valu- able services, was known in the Battleof Britain as '' the Messerschmitt 109 specialist." He destroyed more Meio<)fighters than any other R.A.F. pilot, his record up to the middle of June last yearbeing 27J. * * # When the Luftwaffe general, Maj. Gen. Ulrich Kessler, went ashore from the Ger- man submarine, U.234, at Portsmouth. New Hampshire, last week, journalists were ordered to keep at least 8ft. awav from him. The U.234 surrendered off Newfoundland, and Kessler is to l>e "subjected to rigorous questioning ' according to a Reuter message.
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