1939-09-04 — Page 8

MODERN AIR WARFARE

OFS

PROBLEM OF CONSTRUCTION

Lessons of Thirty. Months of Modern be decisive when confronted by an- Warfare In · Späin!--Wär-Planes have other modern air weapon; and that a Attained thair Maximum Speed

"lightning" campaign was an impos-

These new experiences strengthen- ed the confidence of those who had from the outset had their doubts as to the omnipotence of the modern air fleet-experiences * which supported the appeal of the democratic Govern- "Arm and ments to their peoples have confidence!"

The new Curtiss pursuer ́attains sibility, 1064 km. per hour in a nose dive! Messerschmidt is beaten by Hurricane and Spitfire! The fastest world bomber! 170 meters in the second Sensational Information of new re- cords, peak performances, etc. during the last few weeks. The press head- lines mark an increased temperature: a concomitant of the armament fever. Each seeks to outpace the other. Who will beat whom?,

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER

By W. H. RINGS KELL

BA65:-Breda—a "good" fighting machine and bomber of the Italian

air force.

But the secret anxiety underlying to a the armaments race gives rise series of further questions. What is The Spanish air war was a source the practical value of the production! of new experience. A high percent of 1000 planes per month, if a new age of the German and Italian plattes and faster plane is invented every six failed utterly... The quality of the months? And even if one accepts this! German plane was far inferior to that enormous risk, how can one in the

Machines of which the internation- of the Italian. It was realised that event of war ensure the undisturbed. What is the age of an airplane? Who

that they towns could be protected against air progress of such a production from is in a position to guarantee produc- al technical press stated

air fleet? tion against the extraordinarily rapid could carry a bomb charge of 2000 kg. raids; that the air weapon could not destruction by an enemy

development of modern aviation? were never charged with more than

AT. THE FRONTIER

1500 kg. in Spain; others with a capa-' During the world war, the war city of 1500 kg. never carried more planes increased their speed from 110 than 800 kg.; the flexibility of the ma- km. per hour to 180 km. This speed chines has to be assured at the cost has since been- trebled. The first of their carrying charge. years of the Spanish air war saw a veritable race of the various types; an increase of ten km. per hour seemed to be decisive for the value of a ma- chine.

BARCLAY'S

IN

LAGER

CANS

But speed, if exceeding a certain limit, also reduces the flexibility of the bomber: the greater the speed, the.. straighter the course. And the easier for the enemy batteries to calculate In 1915, the surety of aim of a the course of the bomber; to aim and bomber amounted to 73 per cent. A to bring it to fall. speed increase of 70 km. per hour in

The limit has been reached. Bomb- 1918 reduced this surety to 27 per ers with a maximum speed of 450-km. cent. Since then the machines them- per hour cannot be beaten for the

CLAY'S

BARCLA

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& COUP

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BARCLAY

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PRODUCE OF GREAT BRITAIN

PERKINS & CO

DOR ENGLAND

ENGLAND'S BEST BEER

BREWED IN ENGLAND FOR

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MUTT AND JEFF

MMMT UM GUMDROPS!

SURE, I KNOW ESKIMOS HAVE

UNUSUAL STRENGTH} AND ENDURANCEL

WELL, THAT'S WHY „ITS A GOOD IDEA TO TRAIN OUR ESKIMO TO BE

A FIGHTER!

VES, IT WON'T

381: Three-engine Bavoya, bomber-the best heavy bomber of the German-Italian air force.-

a

A passenger car with selves and the methods for the calcu- moment. lation of surety of aim have been con- speed of 500 km. per hour cannot han- siderably improved. But the same dle the dense traffic of a city better problem arose constantly during the than a car with the sixth of its speed. Spanish civil war: the faster the Speed is not an absolute factor.

VON RICHthofen WAS RIGHT bombers, the greater the disproportion

of the bombs, ie. reduction of surety A question: what about the pur- of aim. The General Staff put an end suers? Have they not, proved their to the record fever of the technicians value in Spain? Is speed not one of --slower, please!

the most important factors for a pur-

Let us take the practical lessons of the Spanish air war. They are based on arguments and a quotation:

It became, in fact, clear in Spain suer? And there may be a tendency that a speed limit had been reached, to say: "The Spanish war has shown the exceeding of which did not facil- how soon the most modern pursuers tate the task of the bomber. Rather, have to be scrapped."--- it rendered this task more difficult or even raised the question of its per- formance altogether. There were tac tical reasons which prevented the mc. When the super-pursuer were intro- dern bomber from exploiting its en- duced for the first time on the Spanish gine power to the full, and from de- front, this concerned machines with a veloping the maximum speed to the maximum speed of 480 km. per hour. utmost. Squadron flight, attack of an It was stated that these fast machines objective, mass bombing, operations were so difficult to manoeuvre that, demanding observation and direction, without the support of the small pur- preclude in themselves the exceeding suers with a maximum speed of 990

(Continued on Page 23) of this speed limit:

KEEP COOL

I KNOW ALWAYSƑooooooo00000000 BUT THIS

HEAT

MIGHT

KILL

'EM!

BS

HOT!

THẾ. ESKIMOS,

WHERE ARE

THEY?

THEY'RE GONE!

EXI

By BUD FISHER

UH,ODGLIE GÅ WAH SIE CA WANT UM BUMDROPE}" 1'000 008