NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 21, 24 July 1940, Page 10

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

WORK OF FIGHTERS

ATTACK AND DEFENCE

THE NEED FOR SPEED!

News that the Germans are . bringing a new fighter .into " action, which was printed this week, shows that the Nazis \ realise the need for 'more', proi lection against the incessant British bombing attacks and have been working hard on the problem of developing a new type : which might be abletp stop; our heavily-armed bombing planes. The Counter-Attack. Fighters are the counter-attackers of the sky. They are designed to refuse the attacker the freedom of the air, and in order that they' may achieve their 'end' they must be designed in a,certain way. They must be faster than the machines which they will be sent up to meet; they must be more manoeuvrable, and they must be.able to climb faster and! further than the opposing bombers. In a combination of all these things British machines have outclassedV the German fighters; The Spitfire I • and Hurricane I (as they are.now called because improved types are being used) are about as fast as the German Mes'serschrriitts and the two types of Heinkel 112 (one powered' with Junkers Jumo 21OG engines and one with Daimler-Benz DB 601 A engines) which are used to protect the German planes. Their service ceiling is 1000 " feet mora than that of the Heinkels though slightly less than that of the Messerschmitts, and their armarfleht ha* proved much more powerful Their Duties Varied. But fighters must perform, a .variety, of duties. They, must be able to act as interceptors in local defence work; that is, they must be able, to quickly interpose their protection ;between raiding aircraft and local objectives which are threatened with attack. .They must be able to maintain' a local'patrol of vital areas. They must be capable of "dog-fighting," attacking enemy short-range; fighters, observation machines, bombers,' and reconnaissance craft.; They , must be : abie -to act, as pursuit ships^-to fly out to,meet enemy long-range bombers ' and ■- long-range escort fighters—and they,must.,themselves be able.to be sent on long:rahg9 missions, protecting, long-range bombers, and reconnaissance craft against enemy attacks." ; ' V These different classes of duties call for different qualities. The interceptor must be able to climb rapidly, tha patrolling craft must be sparing ia fuel. The dog-fighter must be capable of manoeuvres at some, heights, and] the long-range, fighters must, obviously* be able "to fiy a long: way.: " " They Do the Work. . It is because the Spitfires: and'Hur* ricaries combine the. ability to perform the first four tasks listed aboya so brilliantly that they have such an; excellent record.- They have a. higa performance,, their endurance is comparatively long;; and 'theyC arfe .heavily armed:.They are; single-seater machines, Tiowever, and unsuitable for convoy work over very long, distances, for tha task of covering many miles, engaging in an air battle, and flying back home would be too much for- the endurance of one man.- :••..■.**-.•"■ . , These fighters are .' single-engine<t machines, but there, are twin-engined fighters in service in a number of countries. The United.States Lockheed' 322-61 and- the Yugoslav Ikarus-Orkan, are examples. But a twin-engined fighter is not: necessarily a two-seater fighter, nor is it hectessarily suitable for long-distance work. Planes which can be. used on long-range jobs must} be machines with more endurance,, and there are twin-engined, fighters, which have less endurance than planes with only one engine. The American machine mentioned above is a singleseater, the Yugoslav plane-is a twoseater. 1 Our • Bpulton Paul Defiant -if also a.'two-seater.. ■ Compromise Demanded. The demands made upon the fighte* are such that'it is capable of nigh performance and calls. f,or,an, approach to 'perfection in design.. . But many, things' combine to enforce a compro* misc. Its landing speed can be littuj higher than that of any other military, type,' for' pilots are" 'huhian'and waf stations' cannot be relied upon to provide all the runway; which might ba. desired for take-off and landing. The German endeavour to lower landing speeds (can it be because of tne smaller skill' of their pilots?.). has resulted in machines such as the: Messerschmitt 109, .which have been proved inferior to British planes. .Armament and. Design. ■ The single-seater fighter has affixed armament. Therefore it must be; able to perform difficult manoeuvres in tn« thin air of great heights, or its guns, the fire of which converges, cannot be. trained on the target, for-to: train the guns the pilot must be able to train the whole ship. This calls for special attention to such fine points of design as the shape of the wing-tips-m^ordei? that the machine may turn suddenly, without falling as the result of trg The great majority of fighters monoplanes. But the controversy be. tween designers over the respective* merits of the monoplane (which lends itself to speed) and the biplane (which, because of its increased wing surface, is more manoeuvrable) continues t« rage, and the Italians, who -enjoyed some success with their Fiat ; CR33 biplane in Spain, have put a new type, the CR42, into service. The troubles with the biplane is that it is mucH slower because of the higher inter* ference of its surfaces. Its take-off and rate of climb are often better,, but it suffers from lack of ability to-ca'tcH the modern high-speed bomber. Strongest and Fastest. Except the dive-bomber the 'fighteff must be the strongest of all .military aircraft, and the present endeavour M to keep it the fastest. A speed of 400 miles an hour is in sight (some maker* claim tq have reached it), and in acceptance tests in the United States a Curtiss Hawk 75A, built for the French, attained a speed of 575 miles an hour in a dive. . Armour. plating at: vital spots and self-sealing tanks are also -features of the modern fighter. .-• Arrna* meht is beingihcreased, and up to tons shell-guns of 200 millimetres (.Bin), capable of firing 60 shells.a minute, art mounted. The .modern stressed-skin bomber can take many hits, from riflecalibre bullets if it is not hit in a vital spot, and thus the mounting of larger* bore guns seems assured. ,