1939-08-31 — Page 8

MODERN AIR WARFARE

MODERN

PURSUITS

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 1, 1939.

By W. H. RINGS-KELL

two-engine bombing planes entered of super and small pursuers as to give the field, with a maximum speed ex- them the victory in a modern air bat- ceeding by 100 km, that of the hither- tle? It has been said that a German to employed pursuers, it was clear pursuer has achieved the world speed that the Tiger had outpaced the bul- record of 611 km. per hour.

let. It was therefore necessary to in- The Spanish war has shown-how- vent a new type of pursuer with a over important the high speed records top speed exceeding that of the fastest may be for technique-that they are bomber and even faster than that of not decisive for the capacity of a war planc. For the German super-pur- Lessons of thirty months of modern cialisation than had hitherto been re- the small and flexible, pursuers.

One of the in- When the first German super-pur- suer, ME 109, a one seater with low warfare in Spain: Can the G. 50 of the garded as necessary. Italian air flest do without the modern novations of the Spanish war is the suer appeared in Spain, the German celling, which like all other fast ma

General Staff expected it to carry all chines has a collapsible landing train "Super-Pursuer" of Germany? Gor. "Super-Pursuer",

and What is a "Super-Pursuer"? Are before it, for it was equipped to attack and which, with the 1025 HP engine many and Italy build Russian American prototypes.

not the hitherto available classes of and crash the adverse bombers at the type DB-600 achieved the world re- As a cord of 611 km. per hour, developed Tanks, air weapons, flame-throwers war planes sufficient?-namely, the highest speed so far known. and gas warfare: The achievements of bombing plane, which casts its 800 to matter of fact, it was able to come up its highest fighting value with the 12-. the world war, which revolutionised 1500 kg. of bombs on the enemy posi- with the fastest pursuers possessed at cylinder engine 880 PS-type Jumo 210 military tactics with the invention of tions, and the 'much smaller, faster, that time by the Spanish Republicans; with a top speed of 480 km. per hour.

front ex- It is true that the ME 100, with these four new methods, have been more flexible and generally, one-man but the observers at the perfected and developed during the pursuer plane which protects the perience a second and definitive sur- cruising speed of 410 km. per hour, twenty years of peace. Each new war bombing plane and attacks its enem- enriches man-kind with new exper- ies? iences: can it be said that the Spanish war has done the same?

+

NEW TYPES-NEW TACTICS The history of the "Super-Pursuer" The Spanish Peninsula was in the is the competition between the bomb- first place a laboratory for the testing ing plane and the pursuer. For it lies of the new arms first employed in the in the nature of the pursuit that the world war. And in this case, the pursuer (the attacker) as well as the invariably world was faced with an astonishing objective (the attacked) new discovery: war on modern lines aim at the greatest speed. When for demanded a more far-reaching spe- the first time in the Spanish war, the

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ME 109: Messerschmidt "auper-pursuer".

prise: a great many of those German representing the top speed of the fast- super-pursuers were shot down. Could est German bomber HE III, was the this be due to a technical defect of most rapid machine that Germany and The the first super-pursuer?

Italy had ever sent to Spain..

It was soon realised that the super- most recent record of Messerschmidt pursuer constituted a definitely new was reached on a super-pursuer type. But specialisation means divi- April 27th, 1939, at a speed of 775 km. of sion of labour and compelled colla- per hour (Daimler-Benz · engine boration. The new super-pursuer had 1175 HP)..

on

achieved speed at the cost of flexibi-... When the ME 109 appeared on the lity. Just as a racing car can only scene of the Spanish war, it complete- attain its highest speed in wide and ly destroyed the qualitative superior- flat curves, the flexibility of the su- ity of the Republican air force, which per-pursuer is subject to a similar already disposed of a super-pursuer. law. A group of small and flexible On both sides all steps were taken to pursuers-even if not attaining the draw the necessary conclusions from speed of the super-pursuer could the desperate fight in the airs and to bar its way and attack it, without its improve and as far as possible to per- being able to avoid this attack. On fect the super-pursuer type. The suffered at the other hand, these small planes German General Staff were in a position by sudden nose times from illusions based on the suc- 'dives and fast `manoeuvres to elude cess of the numbers but not of quality. the pursult of the more powerful It remained for the Spaniards use at plane, just as the hare eludes the the beginning of the Catalonian cam- hound by its quick looping turns. paign the somewhat faster Super- as "Silver Wings", The super and the small pursuer Mosca, known therefore entered upon modern war- which with its four automatic fare as an indivisible unit. While the chine guns in its wings, was twice as ME 109. super-pursuer attacked

formidably armed as the the enemy planes, the convoying smaller

1400 shots per minute-i.e. 92 bullets pur- suers protected it and prevented the per second on the enemy target. Bul- small pursuers of the enemy's detach- lets which glanced in the rays of the ment from encircling the super-pur- sun or of the search lights, so that it suer and from driving it into a corner often seemed as if an invisible

had cut off a wing from the enemy and shooting it down.

plane.

ma-

saw

In this way; the modern air tactics

But soon after, there appeared an in Spain have become far more com- plicated, for the necessary collabora- improved type of the ME 109, which tion of super and small planes result-up to then had only carried two ma- chine guns of 7.7 mm. and 12.9mm. ed in combined tactics of protected There were again extraordinarily attack and attacking defence a sys- sharp fights between the perfected tem based on so many and varied combinations as to produce a new and super-pursuers on either side. What comprehensive theory of modern air were the most recent developments of the ME 109? Whenever a German was hit, it exploded super-pursuer like dynamite before crashing. None of these machines fell into the hands of the enemy.

warfare.

IF ME 109 DOES NOT EXPLODE.....

Do the two partners of the Berlin- Rome axis possess such modern types

POW!

(Continued on Page 27)

By BUD FISHER

SIGN

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(WANT UM

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