Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

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'!t:: s~ '!l:: '!C! '*= t,~ ._---~ \ By mid-September, it was obvious that the German air force could not contend in France. \ Vhcn Allied soldiers clambered from the hedgerows of Normandy and Brittany to launch major breakthroughs, they moved virtuallv at will as far as cucmv air attack \yas concerned. The G~r1lJans had to withdraw their slender store of fighter planes from Alencon and Angers, centers of the Nazi forward air force since D-day, and from then on opposition was extremely slight. Thc Luftwaffe could not harass cffcctivcly Allied ground troops and armored columns, could not fight the U. S. 9th Air Force or British 2nd Tactical Air Force supporting the land armies, could not provide helpful cover for Von Kluge's 7th Army as it struggled to get out of the Falaisc pocket, could not prevent Allied planes from ceaselessly hombiug and strafing German transport columns, barges and r;lihYays, could not offer resistance to heavy bomber formations ranging the length and breadth of Germany, and could not prO\'ide the IIigh Command with adequate rcconuaissuurc and intelligence. In the south of lr.mcc the Luftwaffe \yas not even brought to action. Om landings were made without any aerial resistance whatever. \\Then thcv needed it most, the Germans fonnd their air force rencle:red impotent by concurrent losses at the front-totaling more than 3,600 aircraft in the first 7(] dan of the Enropean campaign-and blows against their manufaetming .md service centers in the Reich. Intense attacks on the ;'\azi aircraft industry were continued by USSTAF bombers throughout Aug;lst. At the same time there took place a systematic 'assault of perhaps even greater importance-destruction of German oil. The oil offcnxivc, like that agaimt aircraft plants, had hcgun months back, l lcuvv dam;lge had already been visited on German refineries, svuthct ic petroleum plants .md oil storage dumps, but in August this assault hv the :-lth and I :;th Air Forces reached a crescendo. Wh ilc the St h \ns huming out oil tanks and scvcrclv damagiug buildings in such centers as I Lunburs; .mcl Zeitz, the I :;th \yas attacking pLllIts ;It PJoesti. Duhovn in Czechoslovakia .md others in Ccrm.mv. Rccounuisxnucc sho\\'ed complete inactivitv in the Plocxti ;lre;1 even before the Balkan disintcgrution and capture of the citx .. '111e attack on AugllSt 2-1-by these t\\'O air forces \\';IS ;1lI example of their terrific striking pO\\'er. This W;IS a d.rv on which some I, )00 bOI11hers of the 8th Air Force .u«l 600 from the 1 :;th were out, plus O\Tr 1,000 escorting fighters. Visual pinpoint bomhing \yas almost univcrsa]. The Forts ;111cl Liberators bronght hcavv c1amage to oil production centers at !\ fcresehurg in Prussia and Brux in the Sucirtcnlaud, two of the largest synthetic producers, ;IS \\Tll as to m:my other refineries and c!umps throughout Axis Emope. Photo-reconnaissance afterward showed \Try severe gutting 4 Our airmen had the skies virtually to themselves as the Battle of Europe roared toward Germany IR MASTERY OVER EUROPE BY CABLE FROM AIR FORCE CORRESPONDENTS IN THE ETO 01 tar treatment plants, boiler rooms, tanks, injector systC'IIlS and other facilities, with m:my fires still raging. During August, the Sth Air Force alone bombed 26 oil plants in Europe and made 3:; attacks on oil storage dumps. This entire oil offcnsi\e, coupled with demolition of hundreds of tank cars in transit by fighters and fighterhom hers, \\'a, a serious setback to German hopes of continued resistance. \ Vhilc the Allied ground offensive was gathering momentum in the first \\'Ceks of August, aircraft of both the strategic and tactical air forces were harassing the l\azis at Cluy possible point. The 9th Air Force, in immediate support of the land armies, was launching Mnr.iudcr and ILI\'oe attacks on high\\'ay anc! rail bridges, ra ilwav centers and junctions, healy gun batteries and similar targets. hghters and figh tel' -bom bel'S were flaying troop con centra tions, tank" .utillcrv emplacements and e\'ery conceivable form of m ili- Iarv transport. In the week prior to August I -1-,9th fightcrbombers flew more than 7, 'iO(] sorties over the b.rt tlc area. Xlc.mwliil«, to the north, St h Air Vorce fighters were doing a h\e]y business. They hac! taken time out from escort dl! tics to strafe and hom h the Ccrnumx \1'110 were ,1ttem pting to move rciuforccmcnts and equipment southward through Brussels toward !\ fctz ;1IIc! other kcv centers. hom Angnst 7 to 1), cxeept for one
oads and bridges and military imtallations on the coa-.t and up the Rhone \ alley. ;\lediulI1s, fighters and fighterbombers struck at radio and radar stations, gun emplacements and a wide variety of other targets. Transport aircraft crews and glic1erll1en were ready to carry spearhead units of paratroopers and airborne infantry. On Augmt 1-1- General Eisenhower issued his Order of the Day and calamity came to the Germans from cyery qU~Hter. A new mvasion of France began with enormous success on the Mediterranean Coast and the Allied armies in the Norru.mdv-Br itt.mv area burst northward and eastward with the plnngi ng, uncon trolla blc Yigor of gia nt broncos. The General's order had asked "every airman to make it his cI irect rcspousibil ity th.. t the cncmy is blasted unceasingly by clay and by night .md is denied safety either 111 fight or flight." That request dcscriix-s cmuing operations, I Ic~l\'y bomber, of USST,\I.'--\\llich c.nlicr had n;:HIc notabk- attlcks on such tngeh ;15 the cxpcruucu t.rl st.uiou .rt Pccncuruudc, the important industri»! complex at Brunvwick. the Ar.ido .mcl Adam Opel armament work« and many other areas. in .uld ition to the oil and aircraft offemi\c-probed deeper .mcl deeper iuto the Iic.ut of the enemy's war machine, Targets bombed in v.nicd ass:mlts In' B-l';"s :111d 13-2-1-s from mid-i\ngl1't inc]l1clecl the I. C. Far'ben chemical pl.mt ;It Lnd\\'ig.,ha'cn and electrical equipment bctories .rt \ Ll11nheim, ammunition stor:lge buildings at Zwischen;dl11. the Seibel aircraft work« nt ILrlle and the [unl.crs f.rctorv ;It ])e5';m. the chcm icnl \Hlrks ;It Obcr Racl.rch. bricl~es ;rcross the l\lcme .md the a n n.u nr-n t works at \Vcimar. T'he Litter ;Ittlck on Angmt 2-1- not onlv dcstrovcd or cLlln~lgeel i 0 \HlrkshojJ' hut ;rlso blasted Gestapo offices ;1l1e1 g:nages, \Vi!'hin fom str:ligllt e!;l\'S cneling Angmt 2
Page 1 and 2: ~J 1 AIR FOftCES * OCTOBER 1944
Page 3 and 4: Rendezvous Who Is He? Dear Editor:
Page 5: [us: ,dlat is tIle AAI'I'DC~ It is
Page 9 and 10: Here's how controllers direct the p
Page 11 and 12: sengcr and courier service in areas
Page 13 and 14: GET WISE Here are a few of the easi
Page 15 and 16: Airborne soldiers. shown here durin
Page 17 and 18: Smoke in background is fruin [up.ui
Page 19 and 20: It has pronounced step characterist
Page 21 and 22: TIIC{"II""IIIi; ;lItidc j, till' I/
Page 23 and 24: OCTOBER,1944 The first thing the a\
Page 25 and 26: YOUR ENEMY All ;Iirer;!ft fllillg o
Page 27 and 28: ->",i" .""tJnil'et hj/'- By Col. Do
Page 29 and 30: 28 011 BOll~aiIldk is quicklv unloa
Page 31 and 32: the plane landed, a jccp would driv
Page 33: THE PHiliPPINES DISTANCES SHOWN IN
Page 36 and 37: The economic system of the Philippi
Page 38 and 39: The AAF's homing pigeons are recogn
Page 40 and 41: Our aviation engineers had to fight
Page 42 and 43: ---- technique • -- - --- . RUNWA
Page 44 and 45: High Intensity Controlled Lighting
Page 46 and 47: Attached to a flyer's ear, the Oxim
Page 48 and 49: Automatic Pilot Trainer-A new train
Page 50 and 51: 3 5 7 Surprised by the friendliness
Page 52 and 53: TIM ELY A D V ICE FRO M THE A I R I
Page 54 and 55: R.6 I:>:CJ: the AAF S helicopter, t
Page 56 and 57:
SS I. You on the left, Buddy, appea
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ever .nrivc at a fir',t ~Iid stut i
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p:rinted on the outvi.lc wrt l: ,ih
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tanks and truck-borne infantry and
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FIGHTER CONTROL (Colltilltled from
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Property of tDe Library ARMY INDtJS
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For the Record I)e:lr h!Jtlll Rende
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he Allie's into German-held of the
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H Combat may make you Lazy By Maj.
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..... -; ... The results of two yea
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Production charts show the disaster
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all key points of the factory's 3-+
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HE Fortresses T wings to the took o
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';:'4"'~' .~~~c ~)'~ ~J ~~~ ~" . "
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'l'h is was a YClr ago, but these a
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Pulling in His Ne-:I:. Reeelit de,c
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When a radio operator makes a mista
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Lifeline to the US,S R BY HERBERT R
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Ten o'clock of a December morning a
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THE MAN WITH THE PRIVATE BREEZE By
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THE AIR WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFI
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STANDARD FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL E
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It 11c:l!,illg l.ot h sidc
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, , ,CO:-iTI:-iUI:D ]'\o\\', pacbgi
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technique ••• CO]\;Tl:"UED Ne
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INSTRUMENT PANEL (Continued from Pa
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LIFELINE TO THE US S R ( Cout iuucc
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F\lr:RCF'\~CY FOUrp\lr:,\'T luvpcct
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50 COMBAT MAY MAKE YOU LAZY (Contin
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EN of the AAF-including the hundred
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.I In. ]~rhO:S-':cl the'mll-it:IIT
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August 7. Patton kept moving his he
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l'Iiavigation Training En Masse. Th
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"WE arc not going to bubble over wi
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A wood block support; injured legs
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Burma. A Japanese light antiaircraf
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~ ~,C"= =~=.~7~~ ---,- .... _._. __
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HOW ,SHARP ARE YOU? A 'hoto Test of
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.. ' Back to the Philippines PART I
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Tacloban strip \\";IS not sC'ITicca
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All Tile Illftl, \\ ,(("d If iii, ,
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:lIe fbttle of Hrit.un. IC\i" intru
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Underground. ,'~ group of worried m
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volunteers between the agcs of II .
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I f By Capt. Greer Williams Air SlI
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Flaming debris (If njllI, ])1]]1:ll
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ground fire the pilot should look f
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two weeks: Cincinnati. one week: Pi
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At 5.000 fed. the pilot opened the
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cardboard bombs on their choice of
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turn to Traffic Scction, Crcnicr Fi
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Oil refineries arc gooel targets, T
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Tile air campaign to choke off fuel
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fallen into Allied hands, thus maki
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Hamburg i lPolilz IMagdeburg 1 I r
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He's the guy who holds the life of
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46 V4ba\'s vnong V4itbtbis pictUfe1
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j ._3 Thirteen days after the 13th
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THE ABC OF D-DAY When an invasion i
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By all AIR F( )RCl-: ()\"t'rsc;/s S
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The fighters called for help and th
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A jeep, laden with leftover explosi
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THE ABC OF D-DAY t Cont inu.xl [r o
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By Capt. E. E. Churchill co, isu. A
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- ~ --'fftJMlGa ~II.I - , • - '--
Page 198:
We're more than 2,300,000 individua
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