by David Row
The Beaufighter, while only a marginal first-rate fighter, is longer ranged and can also carry a significant bomb-load, or a torpedo for naval use. Production should be continued as planned, to replace part of the Beaufort force. We should also look into the suggestion of a very heavily gun-armed version (4x20mm cannon and 4x0.5" mg) for air support and interdiction of light shipping. The initial priority should be to coastal command, but a certain number should be retained to develop the concept of the heavy attack fighter properly.
Hurricane production should be reduced and replaced by Sparrowhawk as resources permit. The Hurricane will be supplied to overseas theatres where the fighter threat is less than over Germany.
Goshawk production will continue until the new fighters are available for the FAA. It will then either be discontinued or retained at a lowe level for second-line carrier operations.
Development of the Tornado should cease; development of the Typhoon should continue subject to ongoing monitoring of the situation of the Sabre engine.
The development of the new aircraft for the Navy is seen as acceptable by the Navy, now that the three new planes have entered production. Once these are available, the existing production will be reviewed to see if any of it should be made available for other usage. Although it is technically obsolete, the Navy has asked that production of the Fairy Swordfish be continued due to the characteristics that make it particularly suitable for the AS role on small carriers. This will be reviewed in one year when more experience with hew new escort carriers is available.
There is a problem with the performance and availability of the current light bomber force. The Blenheim is obsolescent, and not suitable for the fighter role against serious opposition. We recommend that production be reduced and phased out in favour of more useful aircraft. In the meantime it should be used in theatres such as North Africa where is performance is not such a drawback.
We have a lack of good new light bombers in development. Some of the roles currently tasked to them can and will be performed more usefully by the new fighter-bomber concept, but light bombers will still be needed. The Mosquito concept shows promise, but is untested, and until it has proven itself we cannot rely on it as the only plane to fill this role. In addition, while its construction has the useful benefit of not using many scarce resources, it also means that unlike a conventional aircraft there are limits on the number that can be produced. We therefore recommend we look for one or two aircraft from the USA to fill the light bomber requirement.
The medium bomber role is currently filled adequately by the Wellington. Production should be given priority, especially as it is also required by coastal command. The other planes being used in this role are seen as obsolescent.
The heavy bombers currently coming out of development and into service have a number of significant problems (please see detailed appendix on these). As a result, we cannot justify the huge investment in these demanded by Bomber Command, although development of the planes and techniques for using them should of course continue. We do not feel that any significant campaign against Germany using these planes is possible before 1942 at the earliest. In particular we are deficient in the means to find and mark the targets with suitable accuracy - until we do this, we are just wasting any heavy bomber force.
A marking or Pathfinder force should be established as soon as possible, and trained up to locate and mark targets of various kinds so that when the heavy bomber is mature we can use it effectively. This can be usefully tied in with the development of precision raids, as similar levels or marking/delivery accuracy is needed in both. The question of using a different aircraft for marking than bombing needs to be addressed.
Following successful tests of the prototype, a requirement has been put out for a twin engined jet-powered aircraft. Both Westland and deHaviland have presented suitable ideas, and prototypes from each company will be developed. While we see this advance as having great potential, after talks we have determined that the engines are currently the main limiting factor (they are currently unreliable with a short working life), and we recommend additional resources in this area to parallel to development of the planes.
Glossary
AA - Anti Aircraft (guns).
AI - Airborne Intercept (radar). A small light radar set capable of being carried on a plane to allow it to intercept another aircraft at night.
ASDIC - what later became known as SONAR, a high-frequency sound system designed to detect a submerged submarine. At this time, rarely usable above 1,500 - 2000 metres.
A/S - Antisubmarine
ASV - Air to Surface radar, a small airborne set designed to spot ships and, later, smaller objects such as submarines.
Avgas - Aviation Gasoline (fuel), very volatile and very dangerous.
CAP - Combat Air Patrol, the act of keeping a number of fighters in the air above the carrier or fleet ready to intercept enemy aircraft.
DB - Dive Bomber, an aircraft designed to deliver a single bomb in a very steep (normally over 70°) dive.
FAA - Fleet Air Arm, the aeroplanes flown and controlled by the Royal Navy
HA - also known as HA(AA), the guns capable of attacking a high-altitude enemy plane. Normally used against high altitude level bombing. While not terribly accurate at this time, the aim was to disrupt the formation of the attackers, making them miss, rather than to shoot them down. Level bombers depended on the 'shotgun' principle of bombing during this period.
Hammer-and-Anvil attack - a type of attack by torpedo planes. Two groups of planes will attack 90° apart, one the 'hammer', the other the 'anvil'. Dodging the torpedoes of one group will put the ship broadside on to the other group. The ideal torpedo attack against a moving ship.
HMS - His Majesties Ship (British); also HMAS - His Majesties Australian Ship, HMCS - His Majesties Canadian Ship, HMNZS - His Majesties New Zealand Ship.
HIMJS - His Imperial Japanese Majesties Ship (Japan)
Kriegsmarine - the German Navy
LA - Low angle guns, normally those unable to elevate above about 40 degrees, so unable to fire on a plane over the ship. In fact, these guns can be used as antiaircraft guns, but only on aircraft some distance away (the angle of the aircraft increases as it closes the ship). Usually even less accurate than HA fire, as this type of gun was not usually matched with the control system designed to engage aircraft.
Luftwaffe - the German Air Force
MN - Marine Nationale, the French navy
Pom-pom - the name given in the RN to a fast-firing light AA weapon. Originally firing a 2-pdr shell, then the 40mm shell, given its name due to the sound the multi-barrel version made
RA - Regia Aeronautica, the Italian Air Force (Italy did not have a separate naval air force)
RAF - the British Air force
RDF - Radio Direction Finding, an early (British) name for Radar (so named to try and mislead what it actually did)
RN - Royal Navy, the British naval forces. Also the RAN (Australian), RCN (Canadian), and RNZN (New Zealand).
Round down - the aft part of a carrier's flight deck. This was 'rounded down' in a downward curve, which improved the airflow and made it easier for a plane to land. It also reduced the available deck parking area, and so was reduced on British carriers as larger strikes became more common.
SAP - Semi Armour Piercing
Shadow factory - A set of factories built in the mid-30's in Britain ready to be used as aircraft factories in war. In fact the need for aircraft due to the expansion of the Luftwaffe meant they were brought into use before the war, and more built. The term 'shadow program' came to be used for anything built in advance of wartime needs, such as the Japanese programme of 'Shadow Carriers', merchant ships built ready for easy conversion into light carriers.
TBR - Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance. A class of plane used by most navies in these three roles. Bombing was normally level bombing with light bombs, although some aircraft like the Swordfish could dive bomb at shallow dive angles.
Twins - or the twins, the two German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
USS - United States Ship (USA)
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Information on the next book in this series may be found at
http://www.AstroDragon.co.uk/Books/TheWhaleHasWings.htm
Book 3, World War, is due for publication in the Autumn of 2013. This will cover the spreading of the war to the Pacific, and the actions of the allies against Imperial Japan, as well as continuing to show what is happening to the rest of the world.
