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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0708.PDF
"Flight" photographs Two pre-war approaches to the problem of increasing aircraft range: the Short-Mayo composite aircraft, and fight refuelling from a Harrow tanker. Alex Henshaw in the cockpit of his record- breaking Mew Cull. In the Queen's Lifetime . . . so much has rightly been written that nothing need be added here—save, perhaps, to say that 1,733 enemy aircraft were shot down and 643 damaged, for the loss of 828 fighters and 405 gallant pilots. Other outstanding events of the year were the Swordfish raid on Taranto, when three Italian battleships were sunk for the loss of two aircraft; the introduction of the British-invented Magnetron valve, which alone made possible all the fantastic array of centi- metric radar that made our bombers and night-fighters so effective; and the first delivery flight of Hudsons across the Atlantic. Over shadowed by war news, but an important occurrence nevertheless, was the merging of Imperial and British Airways into British Overseas Airways Corporation, in April. In 1941, Atlantic ferry flights continued on an increasing scale under the organization known as "Atfero", which in July became R.A.F. Ferry Command under Air Chief Marshal Bowhill. The Mosquito appeared; and No. 151 Hurricane wing went to Mur mansk to teach the Russians how to fly and maintain the similar aircraft which they were receiving. The Luftwaffe's night raids on British cities, which had proved such a grim test for the people throughout the winter of 1940-41, became steadily less intensive as defence methods improved—among them A.I., Fighter Control, and the skill of the counter-measures scientists in deflecting the German radio beams. The Bismarck was located and sunk, a victory in which Coastal aircraft fitted with A.S.V. played a vital part; and a Hudson of 269 Squadron of the same Command actually "captured" a U-boat off the coast of Iceland. Bomber Command was busy at Brest and elsewhere. By the end of the year over 500 of the new Stirlings, Halifaxes and Lancasters had been delivered, and 4,000 lb bombs were being used on an increasing scale. Finally, and most significant of all for the future, the first jet flight in Britain took place at Cranwell on May 15th—a historic moment indeed, though one cloaked in the greatest secrecy. F/L. Jerry Sayer was at the controls of the Gloster-Whittle machine, which was airborne for 17 minutes on this momentous occasion. In 1942 Bomber Command's effort was steadily stepped up under the relentless guidance of "Bomber" Harris. Radar aids —Gee, Oboe and H2S—were introduced, bomb weights went to 8,000 lb, and the Pathfinders were formed under Air Commodore (later A.V.-M.) Bennett—that same Bennett who had crossed the Atlantic in Mercury before the war. The first 1,000-bomber raids against Germany took place, with devastating effect because the fires started could not be controlled. Elsewhere, the Desert Air Force, with tank-busting Hurricanes and other famous types of support aircraft, was making its power felt, first in thwarting Rommel's attacks, then by playing a major part in his rout. Tedder and Conningham were the air officers who organized this classic instance of air/ground co-ordination. In the Mediterranean, the siege of gallant Malta was lifted, and the island's airfields were soon packed with aircraft for subsequent operations. The year 1943 saw increasingly successful air warfare against he U-boats, by V.L.R. (Very Long Range) and other squadrons of Coastal Command, equipped as they were, by then, with H2S, Leigh lights, rocket projectiles, and other aids to destruction. The Mohne and Eder dams were breached by Guy Gibson's hand-picked crews, using the fantastic weapon devised by Wallis (its exact nature is still a well-kept secret). An obliteration attack made on Peenemunde was estimated to have put back Hitler's V.2 attack by at least a year. Gliders were used on a large scale for the first time in the invasion of Sicily, and pilots in Malta used the first R.A.F. G-suits. Transport Command was formed, to take care of the work of Atlantic and all other transportation requirements. In the East, air superiority was firmly established over the Japanese. June 1944 saw that dark omen for future wars—the pilotless aircraft—used as a weapon against cities. Over 10,000 V.is were launched against England by the Germans, in spite of frequent attacks on the launching sites by aircraft of Bomber Command and the 2nd Tactical Air Force. About 7,500 of the missiles reached our coasts, and 52.8 per cent of these were destroyed, a few by balloons, the rest in almost equal shares by guns and fighters. The gunners used radar prediction and the new (American) proximity fuses, Fighter Command their fastest aircraft, included among which were the first Meteors to enter service. Later in the year came the V.2. Fortunately for southern England, the invasion was launched against the enemy in Normandy at the same time as their V.i attack commenced; this fact, coupled with the Peenemunde raid, saved us from what might have been appalling destruction. The invasion and subsequent battles saw the employment of Bomber Command and 2nd T.A.F. aircraft on a vast scale, and rocket attacks on armoured vehicles became a great feature, as did the "cab-rank" system of having close support immediately available. By this time aircraft production was up to more than 2,400 aircraft per month, and the 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb was beginning to make itself felt, being responsible for holing the "indestructible" U-boat and E-boat shelters in the French pons, destroying viaducts and canals that had defied previous efforts, and capsizing the Tirpitz, sister ship to the Bismarck, at Tromso. The year was also marked by the largest airborne infantry operation ever undertaken, the famous attack on Arnhem and Nijmegen. In Burma the successful southwards campaign was begun, in which stores measured in thousands of tons were flown over the "Hump", and an army that was sometimes as large as 100,000 men was supplied from the air by British and American aircraft. In 1945 the war in Europe ended. Airborne assault had been used with success in crossing the Rhine, and the great 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb which only specially modified Lancasters could carry, had proved to be a weapon of enormous possibilities. Air power was then transferred to the East. Lincolns were produced for long-range operations against Japan, Transport Command found itself very busy indeed; and then came the Atom Bomb, and the whole concept of modern warfare was changed overnight. Air Marshal Harris' offensive had been the greatest of all the reasons for the defeat of Germany, but it had taken a long time to achieve the necessary destruction and dis location. The V weapons and the atomic bomb warned mankind Dawn of an era: Whittle's engine, the Power Jets W.1, which successfully drove the Gloster E.28J39 (seen on right) into the air on May 15th, 1941. ..... • . :• •. . • • • ••'- :'-' •&.'%. --SmBm'St-,-:*-.-.--- * -' m mm- - ••
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