“FLYING FORTRESS”

Camp News, Volume 3, Issue 153, 18 December 1942, Page 2

“FLYING FORTRESS”

THE WEAPON THAT WILL DOOM THE AXIS

Treacherously attacked by Japan even as Japanese diplomats were protesting their peaceful intentions in Washington, America has set aside the determination to remain at peace which has dominated her • diplomacy for twenty years, and has turned, powerfully and bitterly, to a total war effort. . America will spare nothing in this conflict; neither men nor money nor machines. Of all three, she has more than enough to do the job. America is stronger in machine power than any other-nation, and this is a machine war. It is a war of trucks and tanks and ships and airplanes. Most of all it is, a war of airplanes, and America, the home of the airplane, is best of all prepared to fight such a war. The weight of her bombing planes, sent to England and used in long-range raids over Germany and Italy, has been felt for more than a year now, and the punishment they are inflicting will increase with each passing day. Japan, too, will feel the fury of American wrath when U.S. bombers spill their heavy loads on her islands. The Japanese Navy already knows the power of American bombers, for it was one of the famous “Flying Fortresses” piloted by Capt.

Colin P. Kelly, which sank the bbattleship “Haruna.” The “Flying Fortress” is the mightiest bomber ever built. The British knew, when war began in 1939, that longrange bombing of German industrial centres was an imperative necessity. But first the fighter planes of the. R.A.F. had to ward off the waves of German bombers blasting at England, bombers which were, by September, 1940, threatening England’s very existence. That they did a truly heroic and completely successful job all the world knows. ; ■ SEVEN MILES HIGH When the American-built “Fortress” was put into the capable hands of the R.A.F., it quickly proved itself to be the most difficult target German aircraft defenses had ever encountered. Under the clearest weather conditions it could be seen only as a pinpoint, even through binoculars. Certain types of Nazi interceptor planes can struggle to the 40,000-foot altitude of the “Fortress”. But in the rarefied atmosphere of such heights . the smaller one-and two-en-gined fighter planes are almost use-

less. A sudden turn means the loss of hundreds of feet of altitude. They cannot manoeuvre, pursue, or fight at such altitudes.

347 MILLIONS - From the ground, a “Flying Fortress” f at 40,000 feet cannot be seen or heard without special equipment. For most i of the enemy, the first and only warnf ing is the scream of the falling bombs. - Under such circumstances, the enemy ’ is so taken by surprise that his fight- ■ ers, cannot hope to get off the ground - and reach the bomber in time, as it > streaks towards its home base at 335 ■ miles per hour. I American productive power will ■ soon have “Flying Fortresses” rolling out of the factories at the rate of hundreds a month, marching towards the goal set by President Roosevelt for 1943. Even before America went to war, the President had earmarked a fund of 347,000,000 dollars for rush mass production of these huge fourengined aircraft. In his message to Congress January 6, President Roosevelt declared that 60,000 planes would be produced in the year 1942. 50,000 of these will be 'combat planes, including bombers, dive-bombers and pursuit planes. In 1943, the United States will turn out 125,000 planes, greatest production programme in aviation history.