The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-08-11
. Capital
Comment
Hall Truths Mslisn
Flying Foriresses
whispering Campaign
KNOCKS Huge Bonbers
Plane Losses Heavy Al
The Wrong Attitudes
~ PETFR EDISON

One ~ the most persistent IF
The whispering campaign stories
about American aircraft has been
report that the first time
American Flying Fortress bomb
ers were sent over France on a
daylight raid. five Of the seven
ships were shot down.
This story has received vide
circulation. Its effect has been
10 spread the idea that the Fly
Ing Fortress was unsuited for
use against the Germans and TO
destroy confidence in what has
been hailed as the most potent
air weapon Of the war. So alarm
ing has this word been that the
Army Air Force and the Boeing
company. which made the orig
inal ships. assigned some of their
personnel TO run down the source
Of the story. IL is now possible
10 tell what really happened.
The main fact Of the story is
essentially accurate. Seven Fly
ing Fortresses, flown by Raj
pilots, We're sent over for a day.
light raid against an important
objective. and five of them were
shot down. But the facts behind
the raid reveal an amazingly
careless disregard OF correct tao
teal handling of the big ships,
and this caused the heavy losses.
It was not the first time the
Fortresses had been sent over
the continent. either. but the
second. On both trips they were
unesco-ted by fighter planes.
The first time, the planes went
over at high altitude. which is
what the Fortresses were de-
signed for = daylight precision
bombing at heights above ack-
sck and pursuit plane ceilings.
The course to the objective was
flown blind, there being a heavy
haze.
Not being able to see their
target, no bombs were dropped,
on this first raid. but when the
planes reached the point where
the navigators said the target
should be. photographs were
taken, using filters and trick
infrared Photographic equip
ment. The planes. unchallenged,
flew home.
When their films were devel-
oped, 1t was discovered the
planes had been right over their
target Had they dropped their
bombs. they would have regis
tered direct hits.
Elstsd. the Raj command or
dered the planes sent back on the
came mission the following dsy.
This time the pilots were told 10
20 In at 1900 feet. Why. will
never he known. Maybe IT was
because they had encountered no
opposition when they had gone
over at much higher altitude.
Anyway, the weather on this
flight was clear. The pilots
obeyed orders. And the Germans
were waiting. Apparently warned
by the previous days flight. they
came up with everything they
had in the vicinity. What they
did to the seven big bombers was
plenty. German attack planes
went after them from above, be-
low and the sides And five Of
the seven were shot down. One
limped home and made a crash
landing. Photos show the fuse
Isgs riddleP with bullet holes.
II was from this target mis-
use Of the FLYING Fortresses
that the planes began TO get
their bad name in England. The
rtory was repeated, and word
got around that the Flying For
tress was a washout for use in
Germany, though it might be all
right against undefended OBJ
jectives.
The Flying Fortress was said
~ be too slow. 70 be insufficient
~ armed. to carry an inadequate
bomb load-two tons against
British bombers' seven tons. All
the charges. Army Aai- Force
officers declare are unfounded.
The Fortress. known 10 the
army as the BIZ. is faster than