1940-10-31 — Page 7

CHINA MAI Shock Troops Of The

WINDSOR HOUSE

SHIPPING LOSSES

in a frenzied effort to escape".

the

wago

and still more

Royal

Navy

There is arm-chair comfort inï infant was born, as recently as different directions at a given sec- May of last year.

|ond): It really was a giver second, most of the aeroplanes” used froitti,

A two-second · error)" would: have (aeradronies. endangered the operation.

The United States has such a service-but: it hasn' had the test of war.

X

Anger and despair. filled British destroyer when it was realised that the shells were fall- ing short of the Italian cruiser; The sinking of the "Em-now almost bursting her turbines press of Britain" has come as a rude shock, though. Mussolini had been wise. He the importance of the in- knew what sort of fight the Ital

ian Navy was. destined to cident is capable of exag-when he insisted that the first re- geration, as witness.some quisite of Italian warships Wus

In aeroplanes catapulted fromées the decks of warships, pilots areși of the American broad speed. Speed,

Although they left aircraft car-cramped in tiny cockpits, ofteri casts. The disaster was

It is one thing to leave a friend- different courses; they arrived stinging nor'easter than a wind- riers 200 miles away, and took with no more protection from the Through the sea-mists made possible by new Nazi

Italian ly aerodrome, run the gauntlet of over their targets at the second screen as big as a pocket-handker- sailors discerned the coast-line of German anti-aircraft batteries, fly arranged. And did murderous chief. tactics which will have to Sicily; felt sure they were safe at back-having a smack at a few

work. be met and doubtless will last

Messerschmidts on the way—and | be met, and it was made possible by factors which have contributed largely -to the recent increase in

British shipping losses.

speed.

But now a speck. appeared in the sky, grew in a matter of see- looking British naval aircraft. Al- onds into the shape of a vicious though shells burst round it, on

and on it' came.

By

Maurice Fagence

then have lights to illumine your When it dived almost to water-path to friendly "terra firma” and level, the Italians knew what to a hospitable mess. expect. You have to be near the surface when your release a tor-

pedò, otherwise the jar of hitting

The Fleet Air Arm has the same attacks from anti-aircraft guns,

but without the other blessings.

They were told: "The Riche~. licu must never sail again while this war is in progress. She is in harbour at Dakar, off the West Coast of Africa.”

1.

You know what happened: They- saw to it that France's biggest battleship will never sail for Germany.

Gallant:men of the RAF would cousins of the F.A.A are the, most thoroughly trained pilóts in the

The aircraft flew to within ล The naval flying man's home is world. few hundred yards of the Italian an aircraft carrier, a tiny speck in cruiser-essential again, because na wide expanse of sea. His "terra fast manoeuvring ship can dodge firma" is a swaying deck. a 60-it-a-second torpedo, given

time.

the the

. Askim of foam through water, a gigantic roar, and tiny aircraft had delivered its gift from the British Fleet, in the shape of a torpedo, right into the bowels of the ship..

S),

It is the same with gunners. radio operators, observers and e others in the crews. They must: be complete R.A.F. ahmen and know their naval flying duties as well. And be sailors into the bargain.

Judge, their all-round ability from this...

A young midshipman pilot ran: out of petrol. There are no petrol pumps at sea, and he was equip- ped only for a sea-landing. So he brought his machine down on the ground, "ski-ing" to a.stand... still on his floats.

Then he scrounged the petrol he wanted, slid off the ground, and← got back to his carrier.

An increase in such los- ses when conditions.at sea and the occupation of French ports began to the water dislocates the propelling from bombers and from fighters-be the first to tell you that their favour the U-boat cam-mechanism of the projectile. paign was only to be ex- pected: But whatever suc- cesses Germany is able to achieve are bought at a heavy cost. The destruc- 'tion of enemy submarines is not regularly announc- ed by the British Admir- alty. Nazi broadcasts hab- itually exaggerate the tonnage of British ship-solini. ping sunk to a fantastic extent. But the actual loss admitted by Britain for a recent week. reached an impressive figure: The Africa's Tobruk if a wisp of smoke seriousness of this has not been under-rated in London: There is no rea- son, however, to fear that

To begin with, they get a full course of ordinary flying, forma- tion lying, and gunnery from the He sets out at: dend of night R:A.F Then their naval work this. and does 500 miles on sheer navi-begins,

Speed, speed, speed, urged Mus-

•

the Fleet Air Arm, "shock-troops" of the Royal Navy:

But it hasn't saved them from

His warships have sped

for

the British Fleet was about. They have cowered behind the vasti semicircular harbour bar there.

on the horizon has suggested that

The Fleet Air Arm has dived over the bar to torpedo, bomb and

the efficiency of the con-machine-gun them.

voy system has in any way His submarines have skulked at weakened or that the periscope depth; ten times more Royal Navy is not pursu-afraid to show their noses than

U-boat commanders, ing the campaign against the U-boat. menace with the utmost vigour and vigilance.

*

Yet. lads. of the Fleet Air Arm have sent them rolling_to the bottom.

Some of Mussolini's naval de- tachments, hearing... that British ships-o'-war are in one part of the Mediterranean, have tried to make a show of bravery six hun dred miles away. But now they

are even nervous about that.

!

Judge their doggedness from

Dive-bombing German war-

The collapse of France gave Germany numerous bases nearer the trade routes for attacking Brit- ish shipping. That is ob- viously one explanation for the intensified sub-

British naval aircraft hunt them gational ability not daring to ask. They have to learn how to be ships in a Norwegian flord, a Fleet marine warfare There has out, test them with three tons of his whereabouts by radio, because catapulted into the air: how to Air Arm machine was hit by anti- been concentration of bombs atminute. Ficet Air Arm any ship, that told him would re-take off from and land on a ship, aircraft fire. His port petrol tank smaller units of the fleet units have maintained a grim veal its whereabouts to the enemy that is trying to stand on ends alight; the pilot dived into

how to bring a machine-equipped) fiord: tattoo of five tons a minute on a

with floats down into the water.

A. picturesque scene near York as the farmer..carries on with the harvesting,.boneath-heavy- clouds. (Copyright, Fox).

to meet the invasion dan-German naval base. ger, a situation which will

No wonder they hope that one Round: and round he gofs in be much relieved when day Il Duce will discover e bomb that 500-mile course, always do proof harbour for good Italian America's 50 destroyers sailors.

ing reconnaissance work, and sometimes a spot of fighting as come into service. The

! well: new difficulty thus pre doing work comparable with that

Then, whatever his evolutions sented will undoubtedly of the Fleet Air Arm-the young-in a barren. sea, devoid of: land- be overcome. If the air est Air Force in the world: The marks; he must steer a dead course blitzkrieg, always regard-

There are no: German› airmen ?

ed as the greater danger, then only one in four. It has failed, it is hardly has been frankly admitted likely that the utmost since then that the whole ruthlessness

of U-box On: the part Allied cause threatened to

יו

for that speck» he' calls: home. 1.

it::

You may not belleve“ it, but water is harder than clay. And dances about, which clay can't be persuaded to do. What is more, water is ever-changing. You need a hundred different techniques for

landing in it.

the

Under the noses of the Germans he put out the fire when he had only 20 gallons of petrol left, took off, and made a safe landing alongside » British destroyer.

if you would know about the men as personalities, read this.

An Air Arm pilot brought his machine down in a harbour off the West Coast of Ireland because his engine was in need of repair. **The Eire harbður-master::7lènt him a mechanic the Jotliwas.com- uleted, and off he went

the telephone to the harbour- master.

Some hours later Dublin was on

„“We understand you have in- put down in your harbour," said torned a British- dying-boat that the Voice of Officialdom.

Next, the pilätímust learn to be Event naval exigencies have a complete sullor. When afloat; he compelled the aircraft carrier to must do ordinary ship's duties. move while he was away from When his craft is on the surface home, he should be able to spot of the sea he must navigate it as

aship must function as a mas ter of a ship. commanders crash to earth just as enemy has followed him back, He must fly machines that are

Yet; as probably: a cunning- can defeat the enormous America entered the war, hoping he would reveal awon necessarily far inferior to any

"Sure, I'vo:done no such thing," strength of British sea The situation was saved derful target, he must not worry thing in service with the R.A.F.

If no flashing message comes: from

sang back the harbourmaster.. power or come anywhere in time by the adoption of the sea.

They must be given addedThey've flown away. I couldn't hear starving Britain into the convoy system and

strength to enable them to with" | "think of "being" neutral · againstų As well as navigational'ability stand the shock of landing on young, men solcharming," surrender: Such a despertha complete Government he must have the patience and deck or in the sea--and that can Charming? Forgive Mussolini if ate situation nearly arose control of all matter fortitude to wait bravely for alanly be got at the expense

of he falls to agree. in 1917, when in the affecting Britain's nat- month of April alone 881,- ional life and the diret 100 tons of Allied and tion of national effort neutral shipping were Things are vastly differ sunk. The chances of aent to-day There can be ship leaving the United no question of losing the Kingdom on a voyage and war at sea while it is be returning safely were ing won in the air.:

|

sign: from the dark sea:

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daily covers-8,000,000 square miles In such a way the Fleet Air Arm of often storm-tossed sea-160 times the area of England..

lightness and manoeuvrability)

smaller this machines used from

They must boy considerably a land-base. Even the biggest

aircraft carriers.: would only be able to give ship's space for half a dozen or so big RAF! macht- ines. R

He is known to have ear-marks machines to keep a special. watch ed some four hundred of his best on the hornets of the Royal Navy.

Héicon littlo?? afford toespare them with Libya, Abyssinia, and Italy. Itself continually under::fra " from our R.A.FER

He realises that even thé Royni

fast.

when British destroyers at Seventy and more tiny Fleet Italian Navy can't rum tacked Narviky tlie airöraft of the Air Arm craft can be housed | enough to escape the grasp of the Fleet Air Arm had to appear from comfortably in such a parcht ship. Fltet" Air-Arm)