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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0885.PDF
28 June 1957 891 high. They have absolute trust in their aircraft and are con-fident of their ability to reach a target anywhere, however small it may be and however limited the visibility. In fact No. 88have claimed successful low-level practice attacks with only 450 yd visibility. Similar pride in their work is displayed by No. 17 Sqn., whichis one of the Canberra P.R. squadrons and has the dual role of both high and low level reconnaissance. With their cameras,capable of over 3,000 exposures, these aircraft can photograph a target area from 40,000ft or 400ft; and their photographic installa-tions are to be supplemented by ones of the type fitted in the Swift. Re-formed a year ago, 17 Sqn. recently moved from Wahn—which is shortly to become the German civil airport for Bonn— to Wildenrath. Since the camera equipment of the Swift F.R.5s has been men-tioned twice in comparison with that of the Canberras, it is as well at this point to consider the work of the two Swift squadrons—Nos. 2 and 79—in 2nd T.A.F. Army officers undertake the training of Swift pilots in secur-ing information for the Army's requirements in battle, and pilots are briefed and debriefed by Army Liaison Officers. Immediateresults are necessary for tactical reconnaissance work. Air Control Teams work with forward units to identify targets.The Swift relies largely on speed for immunity from ground defences. The new concept of atomic warfare visualizes a shortperiod of intense air activity; and the risks of atomic attack on troops in the battle line and on rear areas is such that, in the firstphase, everything is staked on securing information of an atomic build-up in the tactical area. Relying on high speed for a silentapproach and coming in over the tree tops below radar screens, the Swift should be virtually immune from engagement by groundforces. "Swift pilots," wrote a contributor in Flight last year, "mustbe more than just good pilots. They must be good map-readers and able to find a pin-point and report on it quickly and accur-ately. The safety of the field forces will depend largely on the Swift squadrons. . . . Upon information garnered both visuallyand by the set of cameras which the Swift carries, the air attack and perhaps ground-to-ground guided missile attack would go in.Under these circumstances much depends on the speed with which the Mobile Field Photographic Sections and PhotographicIntelligence Detachments complete their task." The Swift is armed with two Aden guns and may have to fightif intercepted. It would be well able to secure an advantage in altitude, but it is not part of its role to seek a fight. As withall classes of reconnaissance throughout the history of war, its essential task is to avoid combat and return with the desiredinformation—and even negative information is often useful. Thus speed is its virtue since in a tactical battle area a target may havemoved between time of first reporting and the moment for a strike. Direct viewing of negatives is carried out in the M.F.P.S. unitswith the ground liaison officer and pilot at the debriefing. One effect of the recent defence cuts on 2nd T.A.F. is thatstation establishments will be brought up to strength. Cuts in air- craft naturally mean cuts in manpower requirements, and smallerrequirements can be met by lower strengths. Another part of 2nd T.A.F. which is bound to be severelyaffected—talk was in terms of a 50 per cent cut, though nothing definite had been said officially—is the R.A.F. Regiment. Its maintask of protecting airfields with light ack-ack has been radically changed by the concept of atomic warfare, and there will in futurebe fewer airfields to defend. When the Prime Minister recently visited 2nd T.A.F. headquarters, the Regiment mounted (in con-junction with the Army) a very smart guard of honour; but the minds of its members may have pondered then on their part inthe new shape of 2nd T.A.F. decided on by the Government. One unit which is unaffected by the changes and looks likely toremain consistently active while the R.A.F. remains in Germany is the Aviation Medical Centre at Wildenrath, where it has justcompleted a first year of very useful existence, providing unique educational facilities for aircrew on their safety and survival inmodern high-speed aircraft. Each week courses are held which deal with die use of oxygen and with pressurization, accelerationand centrifugal force, decompression, ejection, flying clothing and survival kits. Aircrews are given decompression tests, and ex-perience the sensation of ejection on a special test rig. The centre is now undertaking its first piece of research, on the possible toxiceffects of certain fuels; but its chief purpose is education rather than experiment, and in a short existence it has built up a high Fe The new C-in-C. at 2nd T.A.F., Air Marshal J. H. Edwardes Jones, has recently taken over his command from Air Marshal theEarl of Bandon. He assumes it, having had invaluable previous experience of 2nd T.A.F. as S.A.S.O., at a time halfway throughthe changes being made to implement Britain's new defence policy. But though the forces under his control will be numerically smaller,they will be potentially more powerful—and actually so when armed with nuclear weapons—both as a deterrent and in attack.One's impression after visiting both its headquarters and some of ' photograph Flown by F/L. Ken Goodwin of No. 118 Sqn.—famous for his solo aerobatics—this Hunter F.6 makes a magnificent reversed sunlight- ond-shadow pattern close by the photographic Meteor. Flight photograph S/L F. C. Ellis, CO. of No. 730 (Punjab) Sqn., and some of his pilots —with Skein, the squadron's Labrador—ruefully contemplates pre- disbandment packing. Below, two of the squadron's Hunters, with one from No. 67 Sqn., before a final sortie—flown by pilots of No. 112 Sqn. its squadrons and units is that it will be one of the most efficientcomponents in the NATO forces. One's hope is that these forces will never need to be more than a deterrent. But the Britishpublic may be assured that though our air shield has changed its shape, its Continental element is still brightly burnished. Suchis the efficiency and readiness, and the high morale, of the R.A.F. squadrons and units which now form our re-formed—butdecidedly fit and muscular—Second Tactical Air Force. H.W.
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