1941-07-26 — Page 6

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THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 26, 1941.

WAR

IS TAKING ON NEW FORMS

AIR WAR THIS YEAR WILL TAKE ON NEW

| FORMS, WRITES THE AIR CORRESPONDENT OF THE "DAILY TELEGRAPH.” NEW TYPES OF AIRCRAFT WILL BE ENGAGED AND THEY WILL EMPLOY NEW TACTICS; FOR TACTICS ARE LARGELY DETERMINED BY THE AIRCRAFT.

Numerically, most students of the position be- lieve that the Royal Air Force, while still being less strong than the Luftwaffe, will be at less of a dis- advantage than in 1940. The technical balarice is more obscure. Yet it is likely that technical quality will be the decisive factor in the tremendous clash that must soon come.

*Reports of new British aircraft coming into action for shortly to do so have been fairly frequent of late. Among the now fighters there are the Westland Whirl- wind and the Hawker Torhado: among the new bombers the Short Stirling and the Avro- Manchester.

Concurrently rumours leak. through of new German aircraft. Among the fighters there is the Focke-Wulf 187 and among the bombers a new Dornier and a new Junkers, There is also the Focke-Wulf four-engined com- merce-raiding aeroplane, which has already been in use on the western Atlantic,

approaches from the

interchangeable with load, and is Single Engines Faster the factor which affects the milit-

ary efficiency of the bombers. At Detailed performance figures of The Tornado is a single-engined the outbreak of war, again, Britain these machines are not yet [machine, and there are many ex-'enjoyed a commanding lead in the available. Some of the machines !perienced designers who assert range of her bombers. The We are still in process of development, that it is always possible, other fington bomber with a range of and few of them are yet giving things being equal,

mak

ce than 3,000 miles was the the best that can be got from single-engined aircraft faster than most notable case

them. But there are also the awn-coined We may, there-: In November and on February Mark II. Spitfire and the Mark modifications of existing types the fore, expect the Tornado 10 be 16 last: British aircraft demon. twin-engined strated their runge capabilities. In

II. Hurricane; the re-engined Whirlwind Whereas the original Noventher a bumbing

Messerschmitt 109 raid Focke-Wulf and the Whirlwind made on the railway station

schmitt 110. These might come in about the Sam Danzig, a distance of about 1,600 speed class, the Tornado may be, miles out and back, and in Febru

sumed with confidence to heary the leaflet raid on Katowice good doul faster.

and Crew was made, a distanes basof about 1,750 miles.

faster thr the

A recent report, however, given the Focke-Wulf two newer and higher-powered engines. With these it is said to be 30 or 40 miles an hour faster than in the original Version I that report is true

was

nt

and Messer- may be said to be near the peak of their pos- sible development.

Importance Of Speed

It is, of course, easy to carry that have beconte

It is useful to look at the figures leadets great distances. But in fact, though they are

available; for our bombers could curry bombs on they serve as some sort of guide very incomplete, an operational flight of that range. to the trend of technical progress So far the Germans have not

and as yet it is entirely uncon- shown that they can make equally on both sides and to the probable

Armed it will come into the same chuss as our best fighters for speed

My own view is that we shall not see many Focke-Wulf fight ers just yet, and that these machines will

be not

giving their best performance until the end of the summer. By then our new fighters will have been developed and wil be faster than they now are.

In every field of aeronautical progress development counts more than origination. It is by the hard and intricate process of develop- ment that we started ahead of the Germans in the quality of our air force equipment and it will be by

the same means that remain ahead.

WC

shall

Less Sure On Climb

performance margins.

First of all there by speed, the

long flights, nor cious what S known of their bomber perforin once suggest that they could make prerogative of the interceptor

their fighter.

It may be laid down as axiomatic that the short-range Fighter,

merit given

in equal

faster than the long-range fighter. Those who

this.

them except with a few of newer types of large bomber.

Finally, something

be may said about the tactical signifi-design, will be cance of performance. It is clear

one

that the faster the aeroplane the call for long-range fighters some- better is chances

times forget

The aircraft of catching the enemy.

It is equally clear with a duration of two hours will that the

greater the climbing

completely outdistance the ablities of the aeroplane

with a duration of seven hours. the better its chances

Any special devices that might be of making contact with the enemy.

applied to the long-duration air-

10 wir combat

cruft to build up its speed can also the technical clement is of overwhelming

be applied to the short-duration im- portance. It is essential that the aircraft and will have more effect aircraft should be capable of out- performing its opponent if it is to

(overcome it in combat.

Great Requirements

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fastest military aircraft in service The Spitfire, which was then the

in the squadrons in any air force in the world, entered the war Fighter speed around 400 miles

with a maximum speed of 367 an hour will be common by the Speeds of 400 miles an hour, miles an hour. It has subsequent- summer, and the British machines heights of 30,000 and 40,000 feet, ly been modified in many ways. should be superior to the German and ranges of 3,000 and 4,000 miles The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in every class. On fighter climb those are the requirements of has been boosted

give more I am less confident that we shall the present day. A great responsi-power, The result is that the establish a commanding lead.

Spitfire is faster. It bility rests upon our designers and Mark III. The Germans have undoubtedly engineers, for they must keep us has been stated that it does over done useful development work on ahead of the enemy in the design 400 miles an hour.

The success of eral. Part of their success has the R.A.F., no matter how cour- been attributed to their use of ageous and skilful its 'pilots, still direct-fuel injection. On this some rests, as ever, upon the technical work has been done by the Royal equipment with which it is sup- Aircraft Establishment. A Junkers plied. Jumo 211 D direct injection engine

A great trust falls upon our air- was compared with a 'Rolls-Royce craft engineers and the aircraft Merlin X, and

as a résult the manufacturing shops. Whatever experimenters concluded that the happens, they must not fail. They direct injection gave no advantage must ensure that our pilots and over the carburetter for high fly-aircraft crews are furnished with ing. It is recalled that the aero-aircraft which are plane height record, which stands superior to those of 'the enemy at 50,040ft., was a carburetter:

as markedly

The Messerschmitt

109 was. and still is slower than the Spit- fire, The Messerschmitt 110 (which Is the twin-engined machine) is also slower. There is no sign that either of these German machines, whatever their new engines may give, will be able to out-speed the latest Spitfire. They may, how- ever, have Elightly closed the

gap.

The Heinkel 113 was originally during this critical summer as supposed to be the fastest Ger- Whatever may be the facts as during the summer to the two methods of engine of 1940.

and autumn man fighter but in practice it feed, it is clear that the Ger-

seems to have some disadvantages It may well be that the outcome and not to be giving the expected mang have developed the high of the great air battles of 1941 will results. flying qualities of their aircraft be decided not so much by the below the

It also may be placed and have made the Messersch-numbers of aircraft which are comparison of existing types, with Spitfire in spééd. ́. A mitt 109 perform at a height far engaged on each side as by 'better than it did at the begin- technical merits of those aircraft.Acations, therefore, leads to the the their new engines and other modi- ring of the war.

Our heroic pilots last summer conclusion that the Royal Air.· ́ Our engineers have also been tackled enormous odds without Force, in this class, studying the problems of high fly-hesitation. That was because they technical superiority this year.

will retain ing. The chief difficulty seems to were couragebus and daring. They be that the aircraft which is fast broke up huge German formations consider the Focke-Wulf 187 'and In the new types we have to low down and in the middle and fought the enemy to a stand to compare it with machines like heights is not well suited to high still wherever they could make the Whirlwind and Tornado. The flying. Wing loading is a factor: contact with him. That was 187 has two engines, each of more though the German fighters are because their courage, and daring | than 1,100 Horse-power, and its mostly more highly loaded than were backed up and reinforced speed it said to be over 300 miles by superlative technical equip an hour at 20,000 feet. Note that ment.

this speed is below that of the Engineers Played Part assume that it is below that of the Mark 1, Spitfire, We may safely

Tornado.

ours,

In high flying and in the powers of manoeuvre at height it is Im- portant that the Royal Air Force should be well equipped. The pre- sent trend suggests that, eventual The. -unimaginable drive, and ly, specialised high flying fighters fury with whith the men of the may become necessary, but new Fighter Command hundled their types of aircraft cannot be pro- machines were derived from the quced quickly. Certain modifica- laboured considerations of bur tions to existing types might suft engineers, and the conscientious them for high flying. It is not skill of our craftsmen

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BURNED

HER CHILD Julia Jane Collies, aged 44, Hornsen Road, Hilsen, who admitt-

A bad pilot in a good aeroplane ed burning the hand of her three- Is useless; a good pilot in a bad year-old child to teach him not aeroplane is much better; but a to play with fire, was bound over good pilot In good aeroplano is for 12 months dt Portsmouth. She After speed and height comes the guarantee of victory in the told the Bench she would never range. Runge is to some extent air.

"do it again.