WAR IN THE AIR

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1944, Page 5

WAR IN THE AIR

MOSQUITOS’ VICTIMS

RUGBY, January 19. RA.F. Mosquitos on offensive patrol over Norwegian coast on Wednesday found several large Blohrne Voss long-distance three-engined flyingboats on the water at the seaplane base of Stavanger. They attacked and. destroved one, and scoring cannonshell hits on another. As the pilots continued the patrol they encountered another enemy aircraft and shot it down in flames. The Mosquitos returned safely.

BOMBS ON'GERMANY

RUGBY, January 19. The Secretary for Air (Sir Archibald Sinclair) told the Commons that R.A.F. bombers dropped over 136,000 tons of bombs on Germany, compared with 2,400 tons dropped on Britain. The R.A.F. between January 1 and. January 17 of this year dropped 6000 tons mi Germany, compared with 15 tons dropped by the enemy on Britain.

R.A.F. ACE KILLED

ALGIERS, January 19. Squadron Leader Lance Wade, D F C. and two Bars, a lighter pilot of the R.A.F., has been killed as tne result of an air accident. He had. shot down 25 enemy planes and was regarded as one of the greatest lighter pilots of the war. He was born in America.

N.Z. AIRMEN’S ATTACK.

(N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent)

LONDON, January 17. A New Zealand torpedo-bomber squadron living Beaufighters took part in an attack against German merchantmen off the Norwegian coast recently. They flew through heavv fire from escorts and. shore batteries. One Beaiifighter, captained bv an English flight commander, 'hit a medium-sized ship. There was a large flash as one torpedo went home, and then whitish smoke turned to black and hung like a huge mushroom over the ship for seme time. Hits were also scored by cannon fire on other vessels. During the engagement, in which an additional ship was hit by another squadron, seven Messerschmitt 109 s were encountered, three of which made six separate attacks against one Beaufighter, which, in a violent evasive action, was pursued for 30 miles, but shook off the enemy and returned undamaged. No members of the crew were injured

STANDARDISATION

RUGBY, January. 19. . To avoid confusion, Allied aircraft produced in. future. will be largely standardised. This is the work of a sub-committee of the Joint Aircraft Committee, on which the British and American military (and naval vices hold membership. Names will be assigned only to types which have reached the production stage and those already existing in considerable numbers. Each basic model will retain the name originally assigned. For instance, Airacobras will be P 3J A. B. C. and D. The keynote of the new names will be simplicity with meaning. Thus fighters, will have names indicating speed, manoeuvrability, and fighting characteristics or aggressiveness. Bombers’ names will indicate size, weight, power, and range or destructive characteristics. Patrol types will use seafaring terms.

GERMAN NEW GUN

(Rec. 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 19, A new 30 millimetre aerial cannon, said to be more dangerous than the rocket-firing gun, has been invented by the Germans, says the “Daily Mail.” The new weapon is half as. big again as the cannon usually carried by British fighters. The diameter of the shell at the base is 1.2 inches, which is more than twice the size of the shell fired by Flying Fortresses.