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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1212.PDF
-662 FLIGHT JUNE 2IST, 1945 AUSTRALIAN-BUILT also for versatility, reliability and ser- viceability. Whilst this is a tribute to the skill of the R.A.A.F. aircrews and ground crews, a large measure of the credit must go to the excellent craftsmanship of Australian men and women who built these fine British- type aircraft. Moreover, the Beaufort Division of the Department of Aircraft Production has adopted the policy of attaching experienced field service representatives to every Beaufort or Beaufighter squadron, and has also paid very special attention to organis- ing the supply of spa*«£! Evidence of the effectiveness of Australian-built aircraft is supplied by the fact that one Australian Beaufort completed 145 operational strikes and another 139 strikes before undergoing the 240-hour inspec- tion, whilst many others have made 100 or more strikes. Looking down a list of pilots, we find men who have made 124 operational sorties in Beauforts, 113, 110, 107, and so on, furnishing striking illustrations of the reliability of these aircraft. One Australian Beaufort wing flew 2,000 sorties over New Britain in six months, covering 1,500,000 operational miles and dropping 2,000,000 lb. of bombs for an overall loss of only 0.7 per cent. But the exploits of Australian-built aircraft were not by any means confined to Beauforts and Beaufighters, g*Kthe VVirraway, built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corpora- tion Pty., Ltd., has been in action since the first Japanese attack on Rabaul in January, 1942. On that occasion, gallant R.A.A.F. airmen in Wirraways vainly endeavoured to divert from their target a force of 120 Japanese aircraft acknowledged to be amongst the world's best fighter aircraft. It was an epic fight against hopeless odds. Since then Wirraway squadrons have served with distinction in New Guinea, New Britain and the Solomons, adopting the role of dive bombers, operating as pathfinders for other types of aircraft, attacking enemy land bases and shipping, and acting as the "eyes" of the Army and Navy on co-opera- tion work. They played a big part in covering the land The 1,000th D.H. Tiger Moth built in Australia. The.majority of the R.A.A.F aircrews received their early training on these. forces at Lae in September, 1943, and at Buna and p where one Wirraway pilot, Flying Officer J. S. Archer, had the distinction of shooting down a Zero. More recently they have operated extensively and effectively with N.Z.R.A.F. aircraft in support of the A.I.F. on Bougain- ville Island. The Wirraway's younger brother, the Boomerang, an Australian-designed medium interceptor of great manoeuv- rability, the first of which flew in July, 1943, has also been in the forefront of the fighting in New Guinea during the last 2\ years. These fine aircraft, designed and produced by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, have proved particularly adapted to Army co-operation work in the precipitous valleys of New Guinea. They performed especi- ally good work in the Ramu Valley and around Wewak, spotting for the Army, bombing and strafing and even acting as " biscuit bombers," dropping supplies to isolated patrols. Their record in New Guinea has been doplitated by their service in co-operation with the A<"i7F. and N.Z.R.A.F. in recent operations in the Solomons. The work done by Australian aircraft has worthily sup- plemented the fine achievements of the Australian Military •Forces, which carried out the major part of the land opera- tions in New Guinea. ROCKET PROJECTILE DEVELOPMENTT HE original proposal lot the development ot a rocket-pro- pelled anti-tank weapon was put forward in September, 1941, and since that date the R.A.E. has been actively engaged upon the development of the rocket. The aircraft weapons then available for the attack of tanks were bombs and cannon. The latter, even in the 40 mm. calibre, appeared likely to be outmatched by increased and improved armour- ing. Rocket motors, originally designed for anti-aircraft use, were immediately available and to these it was proposed to fit armour-piercing heads similar to those in use with the 25 pdr. gun. Before air firing could begin, many things had to be investi- gated, such as the effect of the blast and flame on the aircraft, the vulnerability of the rocket to enemy fire, the method of carriage and launching, and the effect of the rockets on the aircraft's performance. The first R.P. aircraft, a Hurricane, was fitted with experimental projectors by the end of October, 1941, and the first firing of rockets from an aircraft in this country toi;k place on October 25th, 1941. Rounds were fired out to sea with the aircraft picketed on the ground at the edge ot the airfield. This was satisfactory and Hying trials followed immediately. Ballistic trials took place in November and December, 1941. to obtain fundamental information regarding the scatter and trajectory of the rocket, the method of sighting, the- best type and length ot projector and the best size of stabilising fin. Many ballistic and wind tunnel data were accumulated and one particularly fruitful investigation was carried out which brought to light the. potentialities of the weapon for the attack of targets such as submarines and ships. Early firing trials of the R.P. from aircraft against small land targets gave somewhat disappointing results on account of inaccuracy. Nonnal methods employed by the fixed-gun fighter pilot were unsuitable for the new weapon. At about this time the U-boat menace was beginning to assume serious proportions and attention was therefore turned to a fuller consideration of the possibilities of the R.P. as a counter to this danger. Coastal Command aircraft equipped with R.P.s went into operation early in 1943. Attention was again directed to the attack of the smaller land target. The R.P. with its low "muzzle velocity" (it is only a small fraction of that of a cannon shell), its drooping trajectory and its comparatively long time of flight, is very sensitive to aircraft flying errors, e.g., incorrect aircraft speed, incorrect angle of dive, side slip and pilot's errors in range and wind estimation. The need for specialised training for R.P. pilots had been well illustrated in September, 1942. Three Army-Co-operation pilots, who had never before fired R.P.s, were posted to R.A.E. for three weeks prior to the date of the trial. They were given intensive training in low flying, range estimation and sighting. In the actual trial against moving tank targets the number of hits (25 per cent.) was much greater than anticipated and again brought the R.P. weapon into the picture as an anti-tank weapon. Part of the work carried out on the R.P. at the R.A.E. has been concerned with the air ballistics of the weapon. An air ballistic range has been set up at which, by means of, a special photographic technique, the behaviour of the R.P. during its air path can be accurately recorded and analysed. The special sighting problems associated with this new weapon still are the subject of much research and develop- ment, with the object of allowing the pilot greater tactical freedom. Work on improved design of head, motor, projector and sight is being actively pursued.
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