THE ROYAL AIR FORCE - Air Power Studies

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IN ACTION IN POLAND During the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Ju 87 established a formidable reputation in combat. As part of its establishment each Ju 87 Gruppe possessed three twin-engined Dornier 17 reconnaissance aircraft (later replaced by converted Messerschmitt 110 twin-engined fighters). These machines took the pre-strike photographs, led dive bomber formations to their targets, and took post-strike photographs for bomb damage assessment. 8 In Poland the dive-bombers delivered pin-point attacks on bridges, rail targets and troop concentrations well behind from the front line – what we would now term Air Interdiction missions. They also attacked airfields, though with less success. During the period of tension preceding the invasion, the Polish Air Force re-deployed most of its combat flying units to well-camouflaged field landing grounds. As a result few frontline aircraft were lost during the initial onslaught. Yet although the main body of the Polish Air Force survived, it was too small and its equipment too outdated to pose any serious threat to German air operations. The Polish forces were also poorly equipped with anti-aircraft guns for the protection of targets and, operating with little hindrance, the Ju 87s struck with great accuracy and effect. 43
44 …operating with little hindrance, the Ju 87s struck with great accuracy and effect Despite numerous assertions to the contrary, only a small proportion of Ju 87 missions were Close Air Support operations against enemy ground forces in contact with friendly troops. To carry out the accurate steep-diving attack a Stuka pilot needed to discern his target from at least 5,000 feet, and camouflaged troop positions in the battle area were difficult to see from such an altitude. The dive-bomber was a new and effective weapon and, above all, it was predominantly a German weapon. In those circumstances the German propaganda machine can hardly be blamed for playing the aircraft for all it was worth. Among friends and foes alike, the legend of the invincibility of the Stuka was established. BLITZKRIEG IN THE WEST On 10 May 1940 German forces launched their all-out Blitzkrieg campaign in the West, and from the first the Stuka units were heavily committed. One of these was Trägergruppe 186 (Träger = aircraft carrier; the unit was earmarked to operate from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin when the warship was completed). With an establishment of about 35 dive bombers and 40 crews, the unit’s combat record was typical for a dive-bomber Gruppe at this time. TGr 186 went into action on almost every day that the weather allowed, with crews flying as many as four missions per day. It flew about 1,500 sorties, in the course of which it lost 15 crews. The overall loss rate was about 1 per cent, but the cumulative loss during the six weeks of hard fighting mounted to 40 per cent of the aircrew. 9 At that stage of the war the war losses in crews and aircraft were replaced almost immediately from the replacement units, but it was an uncomfortable pointer to the problems that would arise during a lengthy campaign.
Page 1 and 2: THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AIR POWER Revie
Page 3 and 4: Royal Air Force Harrier GR7: Carrie
Page 5 and 6: In the fifth article, Vincent Orang
Page 7 and 8: AIR POWER and JOINT DOCTRINE: An RA
Page 9 and 10: 2 Air power could not have won the
Page 11 and 12: In Chapter 11 of AP 3000, the autho
Page 13 and 14: 6 AAP 1000 defines Basic Air Power
Page 15 and 16: sorties; according to the Official
Page 17 and 18: 10 contractorisation have so deplet
Page 19 and 20: 12 18 The British way in war is tak
Page 21 and 22: LOGISTICS and the BATTLE OF BRITAIN
Page 23 and 24: 16 …single seat fighters would ne
Page 25 and 26: 18 “Battle of Britain 1940 - Repa
Page 27 and 28: 20 PRODUCTION The expansion of the
Page 29 and 30: Such experiences were not unique to
Page 31 and 32: In quality and general professional
Page 33 and 34: 26 Figure 3:SingleSeat Fighter Stre
Page 35 and 36: It could be argued that a better te
Page 37 and 38: 30 …at the peak of the Battle, Fi
Page 39 and 40: Accordingly, the Luftwaffe’s rela
Page 41 and 42: SUMMARY 34 Figure 15 : Fighter Comm
Page 43 and 44: 11 These wastage figures were to so
Page 45 and 46: The RISE AND DEMISE of the STUKA
Page 47 and 48: 40 The Junkers 87 had been designed
Page 49: commence the dive. Immediately befo
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Page 73 and 74: 66 The lethality, speed and scope o
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94 29. At no time did the English I
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96 Port Stanley, 30th May 1982 Year
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I ask that you forgive such excesse
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We should not just defeat the Enemy
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102 One Sea Harrier of 801 Sqn was
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Regarding the Enemy 104 He has lear
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106 Father impose his Catholic mora
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BALLOONS What have they ever done f
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110 It is important to stress at th
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Meanwhile, following the outbreak o
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CONTROL OF THE AIR “Anyone who ha
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116 The Germans learned the hard wa
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118 …balloons would be floated ov
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has been put forward on at least on
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operating an aerostat system was en
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EW READING NEW READING NEW READING
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EW READING NEW READING NEW READING
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UNIONS NOTICES/REUNIONS NOTICES/REU
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