News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

A Ruasian Officer's View ------------------- ... • S~
THE GERMAN ATTACK ON LONDON
By Colonel N.
Zhuravlew
\
\
!he air attacka on\London afford a good
... aap1e of the tactiCal forms modern avia.-
tion U1' aeeumein operations against large
1d.1n1strative and induatrial centers.
!o reach London in cUo'l1ght, Germanavia.-
tion V88 required to OTercome re8istance
ot British porsuit craft disposed at the
approaches to the capital. The Ge1'lllaZl8
endeavored to c1"U8hthe Bri Ush pu.rsu1 t aircraft
at their airdromes. The Bri Ush comaand,
hoV8T81',succeeded in providing its
aircraft in due time vi th sufficient airtielda
aDA landing fields to insure the
proper aatUnlTer of their aircraft on the
ground. .u a consequence, the Germanraids
on the Bri Ush airdromes tailed in their
Illsdon.
The German8attempted al80 to faoili tate
their approach to Londonby staging aerial
demonstrations against a number ot points
in Soa.th and Southeut ~and, hoping to
divert the British pursuit aviation !rom
approaches to the capital. Thi8 tactical
.. thod, hovever, also tailed to produce
satistact01'1' results: The British command
voald Ilot disperse 1ta punu1 to craft or
divert t~ for the protection of second&17
areu.
!he Ge1"llaZl air torees delivered their cUo'-
U.. ra1cla on London vi th the aid ot mixed
croups. The.. included pover-di ve bombers
of the IJUDker_87 1 type or the faet nDor_
llier-17 1 bombers and the 'Messerschmitt-
110 1 aDA l.sserscbll1 tt-109' pursu1 t craft.
!he mud goup ordinarlly comprised three
or faaz bcabardment squadrons of nine airplce.
each and tYO or more pursu1 t 8quad.-
roaa.
Practical esperience demonetrated the
ezpe41enC7 ot thh .ethod. At the same
tiae, hoWTer, 1t hu .hown that where the
e4versar.r i. in po.seseion ot a sufficient
JIaIlber ot pu,nait craft, the bOllbardment
C1'att ot the attacker are tar trOll being
secure 'ICI',1Dstattack b7 the hostile pur-
8U1t aircraft. BeceiT1ng time17iDformation
flo_ the ob.enation poets of tbe appear-
.. ce ot ho.tl1e airplane., the detender ls
in a po.1ticm to callout and to have in
the air one and a halt or twice the IlWDber
ot h1s ownpa,r1lU1 t aircraft--and this Wall
-11-
actuall7
tbe case here •
In escorting tbe bombere, the singleplace
pursuit airplanee enccn:m.tered such
tactical obstaclee as ditticult7 in vit~
draving !rom combat and getting aWB1' tram
the hostile pur suit craft because ot the
fact that, in turning with their tail to
the en~, the Bingle-place pursu1 t airplane
becomes entire17 detenseless. The
two-place pursuit craft of the lMes8erschmitt-110
n type were tactical17 more satisfacto1'7in
escorting their bombers. Theae,
however, were incapable of the full protection
of their bombers against attack b7 the
hostile pu1'suit craft.
In a word, the Germansfound 1t impossible
to overcome complete17 the action of the
Bri Ush pu1'suit craft that were massed at
the approaches to London and, not desiring
to endure heav;y losses in ma8sed cUo'tiae
attacks on the British capital, resorted
to night raid8.
Practical experience ot aerial engagements
during the maeI aerlal attacks Oil
London bas shown that tbe punu1 t craft are
capable ot attacking the moderntast bomber.
onl7 from the rear, and this at cloee range
onl7. Crolsvile and trontal attaclal are
practically impos8ib1e becBnse of the tact
that the machine-gun tire at long-range,
owing to the great diepersion of fire. has
little effectiveness, and at close range,
1nview of the great speed ot the airplane.,
is almost impossible. Renee machine-gun
fire in aerial engagemente is opened at a
range ot 250 to 300 metere, and treqaent17
at not more than aoo meters. Rowver, eveD.
thoU&bthe rear part ot the bomber i. le ••
protected, the bombardmentgroup, Foeeea.-
ing in clo.e formation, i. quite capable
of producing eutf1cient17 Itrong tire protection
trom the rear .0 that the pa.1'suU
craft, in the cue ot attaclal at clole
range, will be subjected to serioa.s 1081ee.
The Ge1'lll8Zl1 endeavored to overcOlll8the
fire of hostile antiaircraft arti1ler,r
weapons by tyO methode: B7 attacks on their
batter.r pod tions and b7 a dilpers10n of
the combat t01'lll&tloni of their bombardment
aviation. Experience tailed to ju8tif7
these methods, aDd the Genum air lerTice