Military Enthusiast Vol V No 30

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lllilitary Enthus,asr

MILITARY ENTHUSIAST Magazine

5000 Cologne 90, West GermanY, and

Dramit Ltd.

Lt. Colonel D. Eshel, retd.

Lt. Colonel D. Eshel, retd.Lt. Colonel P. Frhr. v. Malapert-Neufville, retd.

USA - Colonel Stanley M. Ulanoff, USARUK - Bryan PerrettNATO - Lt. Colonel Peter Frhr. v. Malapert-Neufville, retd.Israel - Lt. Colonel Eli Ayal, IAF, retd,Salvador Mafe Huertas (Spain)

c.F.C. McKay (U.K.)T. Eshel

PanoramaKav OrReshet KavD. Biesenbach

Eshel-Dramit Ltd., P.O.B. 115, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel.

Miss Raya Eshel

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Steimatzky, Tel Aviv, Israel.Albion Scott Ltd., U.K.Bill Dean Books, New York, USAUS Armed Forces Europe: Stars & Stripes EuropePrinceton Books, Australia / New ZealandHangar Bookshelf, Ontario, Canada

Defence Update: P.O.B. 11 Skoyenasen, Oslo 6, Norway.Flash Aviation, HollandLight Corp.,Japan.

Advertising Offices:USA €t CANADA - Col. Stanley M. Ulanoff, Roger Ulanoff, 17, The Serpentine, Roslyn, N.Y. 11576, USA;USA WEST - John Pigeon Co., P.O. Box 2924, Riverside, Cafif. 92506; USA EAST COAST - Homeric Ad Sales Co.,299,Madison Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10017, USA; MIDWESI - Hugh R. Kennedy P.E. 114, S. Huron St., Ypsilanti, Mi. 48 197, USA;SOUTHEAST|SOUTHWEST - James C. Sasmor, P.O.B. 16158,71L9 Lynnwood Drive, Tampa. Florida 33687, USA.

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is published by Eshel G.m.b.H., P.O.B. 900 129'

distributed world-wide. Contents O 1983 by Eshel

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NOTICE FOR SUBSCRIBERSAND BOOK ORDERS

All orders are Fnt by sulfa@ orseagoing mail as soon as possibleafte! receipt of order.International mail is elratic in periodsand custom€rs should allow for 8-10weeks for arrival at destination, insome ares even more. Orders aledespatched after being re@ded inour mail despatch book, but wecannot ac@pt responsibility for lossin transit, or damage.ON REQUEST we supply AIRMAILor REGISTERED MAIL chages butthese are very expensive for overseasdestinations. We supply despatchdates ON REQUEST after a lapse of8 weeks ONLY. In spite of inter-national poltal disorders, WE DOOUR BEST to ship you your orderby fastest curier available, We dohope for your understanding.

IN THIS ISSUE

We open this issue with an update on lsrael's new fighter, the

LAVI. lsrael Aircraft lndustries and the lsrael Defence Minis-

try took a major decision last year authorising the program's

go-ahead. The Lavi, which will flv in 1986, will take a large

chunk of the country's defence budget, causing considerable

controversy. There is no doubt that the Lavi will bring a new

dimension to the IAF and the whole of lsraeli industry. At the

moment, new research and engineering have improved lAl's

current fighter, the Kfir, a new model of which, the C7, is also

described here. Lawrence D. Rifkin gives the details of these

new fighters (page ).

On page 10 we continue The Dumbusters story. Researched

from both sides, British and German, this new account of the

famous raid, presented by David Eshel, brings new light to the

story, in a minute-by-minute countdown to the raid'

Concluding the three-part AIF combat series on the Falk-

lands/Malvinas war, S. Mafe Huertas tells the story of the raid

on Pleasant Bay, in which the FAA succeeded in hitting the

British landing force at Bluff Cove. Also presented is the com-

plete list of FAA aircraft shot down during the fighting, and

where information is available, the cause of the downins (page

22\.Two illustrated reports are also presented, R.H. Brooks'

COLOUR CENTERSPREAD describing the 1983 AIRTATOO(page 18) , celebrated at Greenham Common in July, and Barry

Elson's report on RAF Regiment exercising in Germany this

past spring (page 26).

Concluding this issue is Maj. P. Francis' account of the his-

tory of air combat, from I914 to the present time. Mai. Fran-

cis analyses future scenarios of air combat and the various

scales of deployment of air power in possible f uture conf licts.

FULL Cl RCLE, Page 29.

Nostalgia this rnonth is dedicated to the BRISTOL SCOUT

C WWI fighter.We hope you enjoy this issue.

The Editor

Cover: Retuming to the doms, Jaguar from Bruggen bssed No'

3l Sqn passing low over the Eder dam.

CONTENTLavi and Kfir C7

NewlsraelifightersfromlAl ....'page4The DambustersSecond part, new details on the famous raid page 10

lnternational AIR TATOO Page 18

COMBATThird part of the Argentine FAA pilots' stories . . . . page 22

RAF RegimentCyprus-based units tralning in Germany

Full CircleAir combat and air power, yesterday and

... page26

tomorrow . page 29

NostalgiaBristolSCoUTC .. .... Page37MILITARY ENTUSIASTReaders'cornerandbookclub ..... page38

#'*n"'

ATTENTION!On the occasion of the ten year anniversary of theYom Kippur War, October 1973 - 1983, DEFENCEUPDATE presents a complete issue dedicated toaspects of the war.Including:

- Battalion Commander on the Golan front.

- The first counterattack in Sinai - a detailed study.

- The air war in perspective.

- Capture of the Hermon - Golani Infantry

Military Enthusiast 30

- Strategic aspects of the Yom Kippur War: day-by-

day chronology.The issue is illustrated with maps and photos, manyof them new.Do not miss your copy.Send $4.95 (f,2.00) for surface mail,

$5.95 (f,2.50) for airmailto Eshel Dramit Ltd., P.O.B. 115,45100, Hod Hasha-

ron. Israel.

*\:

Klir C7 with bombs ancl Juel tanks, taxies Jbr takeoff at a trcw IAF base itt the iVegev

Lavi and Kfir C-7lsraels new fightersIsrael Aircraft Industries is now developing a new-generation combat aircraft for the 1990s. It r.vill be

designed for short- to medium-range air-to-groundmissions while incorporating air-to-air combat capabi-lities. This plane, which will become the workhorse olthe Israel Air Force, will be called the "Lavi".

The Lavi, whose name means "Young Lion" inHebrew, will be a natural step upward from IAI's pre-

sent production aircraft, the Kfir (in more ways thanone, as "Kfir" means "Lion Cub"). The Kfir, nowbeing produced in the C7 version (see box), was IAI'sfirst production jet fighter. The general design was

based on the French Mirage 5, but alter a relativelyshort development period through several models, theKfir emerged very much an original aircrafl. This gave

IAI designers the expertise and experience, nevermind the confidence, to embark upon a totally newdesign concept based on nothing else already in exist-ence. In short, the Lavi lvill be a small, relatively low-cost/high-technology fighter, which aside from form-ing the backbone of the IAF, should have wide over-seas marketing potential.4

The Lavi, which will have a swept delta/canardconfiguration, will be powered by a single 20,620lb.(wet) thrust Pratt & Whitney I 120 jet engir,e f'ed

through a ventral intake. The manufacturers say itsperformance will be top rate. Its maximum speed willbe Mach 1.85, and it will have low altitude penetra-tion speeds of up to 600 kt. It is expected to have a

very high sustained tlrm rate. The Lavi will have a

maximum takeoff weight of 37,500 lb. and will be

able to carry Lrp to 6,000 lb. of ordnance in additionto its two IR air-to-air missiles.two IR air-to-air missiles.

The Lavi will be structurally stressed for 99 (as

compared to the Kfir's 79 abilities). The aircraft willinclude many components made of graphite epoxycomposite materials, including parts of the wings, ver-tical stabilizer, the all-moving canards, control sur-faces and various doors and panels.

The Lavi's avionics will be of the "home grown"variety. Elta Electronics Industries Ltd., a subsidiaryof IAI, will be prime contractor f or the aircraft's EW/ECM systems. These systems will permit rapid threat

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identification and autonratic flexible response, usingjamming and deception techniques and other EW

resources. A new Elta multi-mode radar will be

fitted, giving the Lavi reliable look-down capabilitiesover a broad band of frequencies, as well as high-resolution mapping. The fighter will also be equippedwith a digital fly-by-wire control system affording it"relaxed stability" manoeuvring, and a wide-angleHUD for pilot perlormance.

The Lavi avionics systems will be built around a mainmission computer which will coordinate the variousdevices in harmony. The various computerized systems,

connected by multiplex bus, will interact among them-selves and with the pilot. Feeding f rom the outside data,inertial sensors (internally installed INS - lnertial Navi-gation System) will be the primary sensors for flightnavigation and control. The INS will be augmented bythe pulse doppler, lookdowncapable AA/AG radar

which will allow sharp ground mapping together with all

other modes. ln fact, the radar will be capable of excep-

tionally high performance, as it will be programmable

for new modes as they are developed, through softwarerather than hardware changes, thanks to the PSP (Pro-

grammable Signal Processor) wh ich is bu ilt into theradar. lt is to be built with Westinghouse participation,for which the US company has already started studies.

The various systems will feed the pilot with valuabledata needed for the flight. Due to the demanding taskof carrying out sharp evasive manoeuvres in low-levelf light over well-defended targets, no time can be wasted

on reading the conventional displays and gauges whichare a traditional part of all existing aircraft. The Lavi,like many of the new generation aircraft. will have an

advanced cockpit with three headdown CRT displays


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EM*H EffiE EffiB@

(two black/white and one colour). capable of displayingany information requested by the pilot and available on

the aircraft (such as weapons availability, engine para-

meters, radar, EW warning signals. navigation and loca-

tion, communications, etc. The most vital informationsuch as navigation, target cues and radar. with the most

important flight data, will also be displayed on the HUD

in the pilot's Iine of sight. The HUD will probably be ofHu ghes/Marconi wide-f ield-of-view design.

Another innovation in the Lavi will be synthetic voicemessages. These will be generated by a special voice syn-thesizer with a limited vocabulary which will furtherextend the pilot's information input capability duringcombat conditions, while his uninterrupted attentionmust be given to the target.

Other systems will be automatically operated, such as

the EW system which will be installed internally. ltwillbe highly sophisticated, locally developed, with a fewimported components (lTT). The system will have a fast

response to electronic threats in real time with a jamming

system controlled by a power management computer formu lti-th reat situations.

The entire fl ight control will be performed througha computerized "fly-by-wire" system which will auto-

matically control the aircraft accord ing to the pilot'scommand.

Gtpil dis7l51s

5

KJir TC -2 two-seaterversionoJ'theKfirC2. The Lat,i tvill also be det,eloped in a two-seater versiort, ofwhich 60 t'vill pro'

babty be protluced. Tlte simulator, wl'tich is qvailable toda1, Jor tlrc Kfir (below right)will probably be ttptlatecl Jbr the I'avi-

Tltis is a mockup of the Kfir C7 cockpit os seen at Paris Airslrcv'.

As the Lavi will have relaxed static stability, which

means that the aircraft will hardly be flyable if an FBW

malfunction occurs, the system will have only analogue

backup (also computerized) to the digital system, but no

mechanical backup, as this would be of no use with thepilot unable to control the aircraft manually. The anal-

ogue system is more resistant to damage but less rapid in

its responses.

Most of the computer software used in

compatible with US military specif ications

able to accept future US systems.

the Lavi is

and will be

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Lavi parts made of composites (graphite epoxy) are seen

this schematic view of the Lavi (grey area).

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The Lqt,i wilt be capable of penetration at high-speed (''38 kt)

low-level clash speed, ornted witlt eight 750 lb bombs and ttvo

IR missiles or, in anotlter configttation, fivo Sidewinders and

two Mk 84 2000 lb bombs at 597 kt. Tlrc range specified forsuch missions is 244 n.m'

SPECIFICATIONS:

Type: . ground attack fighter

Designation: ." " Lavi

Manufactu rer: lsrael Aircraf t lndustries

Dimensions (ft) :

THE LAVI _ AN ISRAELI/AMERICAN VENTURE

Although the Lavi is a "sabra" which will hopefully be

born in lsrael to lsraeli parents - lAl and the lsrael AirForce - several US companies are expected to assist in

the process, and will be more than just "godfathers".

lsrael has requested proposals for several systems and

airframe parts for the Lavi which will comprise a con-

siderable part of the Proiect.lsrael expects to gain a lot from this relationship,

which may eventually be transmuted into a technology

transfer enabling these elements to be produced in lsrael.

Several of them, however, will certainly have 'Made in

USA' tags on them for a considerable time to come.

Among the main systems already agreed upon are the

PW 1120 engine, a derivative of the successful F-15li6F100/200 engine. An agreement on technology transfer

enabling the engine to be built by Beit Shemesh Engines

Ltd. has already been signed with Pratt & Whitney. The

engine will share common parts with the F100/200 en-

gines already in use with the IAF and therefore a reduc-

tion in operating costs is expected. The PW 1120 is ex-

pected to have improved operational capability, especial-

ly at low speed and high altitudes. lt will have less thrust

which will result in smaller fuel consumption.

While the Lavi engine problems seem to be over, the

airframe problems are only beginning. Repeated ob-

stacles have been raised to the authorisation of tech-

nology transfer of composite material construction f rom

the US Grumman Corp. to lsrael's newly opened compo-

site material specialist plant in Beersheva. Grumman won

the contract fcr the design and initial construction of

the Lavi composite-constructed parts, malnly the wings

and vertical stabilizers. Grumman has already signed a

$100 million contract with lsrael to build an initial 20

(with an option of 30 more) sets of wings and vertical

tail sections. Grumman composites are already used in

several of its aircraft such as the F'14 Tomcat. E-2C

Hawkeye and. to a larger extent, in the X-29 FSW tech-

nology demonstrator (see the article in our last issue) .

Besides these main programmes now engaging most of

the pollticans' attention are several additional projects

also being negotiated for the Lavi.

Among the companies expected to cooperate in the

Lavi proiect are Sundstrand/Garret Air Research, withjet fuel starter, leading edge f laps and the latter's emer-

gency power system and their environmental control

system developed with Hamilton Standard. The electri-

cal power system was developed by Sundstrand/Lear

Siegler/General Electric. Bendix will produce the oxygen

system, while wheels and brakes will be produced by

Goodyear/Goodrich.

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Length:Wing span:

Combat weight:

47.2128.58

Height: 17 '32

Wing area (sq. ft) : 350'00

Weight (max. T/O) : 42,0001b.21 ,305 lb.

18,595 lb.53.4 U/F2

" (T/O basic):

Wing loading:

Thrust/Weight ratio: . . 1.10

Fuel capacity (int.) : 600 lb'(ext.): . ....9,180|b'

Specif ic fuel consumption: . ' ' 1'86

Engine type: . P&W1120

" thrust(max.): .'.2O,62O1b'Max. speed at low level: 600 kt'

Max.speed: ... 1'85Mach

Range(operational)- .""244n'm'Max.loadfactor: '"" 99

Stores (not including fuel): . 6,000 lb'

(Total external stores: . . . 15.180 lb )

lncluding lR missiles, iron and "smart" bombs,

EW pods, etc.

Other types: two-seater fully combat-capable trainer


If everything goes according to schedule, the firstof five Lavi prototypes reportedly planned by IAIwill fly by early 1986. Three of the five are to betwo-seat combat versions. It is estimated that IAI willbe producing one per month by 1991, and that lateron thirty aircraft a year could be rolling off theassembly lines, depending on export orders. Israeliorders of the Lavi are expected to be around 300 toreplace the Kfirs and Phantoms now in IAF service.Since these Lavis will have priority, export orders willhave to wait a few years. IAI says the fly-away priceof the Lavi for foreign customers will be around $ l2million at current prices; but all exports of the air-craft, as with the Kfir, will be subject to US approvalon an individual-country basis.

Finances, as with just about anything, will be a

major consideration in producing the Lavi. Its devel-opment will be a multi-billion dollar proposition, nodrop in the bucket for Israel with its economic prob-lems. More than 18,000 Israeli jobs will depend onthe Lavi's production as well - IAI is Israel's singlelargest.employer. While IAI produces other products,gearing up for the Lavi would be its most ambitiousundertaking yet; and, while it might be easier to buyforeign-built aircraft, or co-produce or even build thewhole plane under license, Israel feels it must retainits independence in its defence industries. It will notbe easily forgotten how France, who was Israel'smajor supplier of arms, abruptly cut off sales to Israelfollowing the Six Day War.

And while the United States still maintains an openweapons pipeline to Israel, defence officials in TelAviv bristle every time Washington suspends ship-ments for political reasons, or stipulates just how andhow not these weapons can be used. As the JerusalemPost's defence correspondent Hirsch Goodman wrotelast winter: "The effects will be felt throughoutIsrael's fragile economic structure for at least the next15 to 20 years, and there is no prophesying what theultimate result will be". But no matter what theeconomic outcome, the Lavi will provide Israel andher custorners with a world-class jet fighter, as goodas or better than anything else in its class'in the air,and for the cheapest price.

A more powerful power plant is used inb e t t e r ac c ele ra tio n and p e rfo nrw nc e.

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{ffiKlir C7 cockpit. One o|tlte tnost notable lbatures is the multi-ple ntbde CRT disploy, replac,ing the armament sclector useditt previotts ntodels. The uut, WDNS 341 is scen on the rightside.

the Kfir C7, enabling


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KFIR UPDATE

Israel Aircraft Industries has come out with a new im-proved version ol its already successf-ul Kfir jet fighter.Called the C7, it is designed to fill rhe gap between theKlir C2 and the Lavi. ivhich will fly in the 1990s. The

C7 is externally almost identical to 1he C2.lts performance and operational potential, however, have been

much increased. Tlie J-19-JlE engine adds a thousandpounds ol thrust in atierburner mode, increasing the

Kfir's thrust-to-weight ratio by 4%.Its maximum takeoffweight is increased by -i,400 lb. There is also an increase

in the aircraft's combat radius. In the interceptor role,

this is now 419 nml lor CAP missions, 416 nm (with 60minutes loiter time)l and gLound attack missions can

now be up to 640 nm. An in-11ight refuelling system can

aiso be added on, employing either boom/receptacle orprobe/drogue equipment.

In the avionics department. the Kfir C7 comes withthe WDNS 34 I weapons delivery and navigation system

and the new computerized SMRS stores managementand release system, giving the aircraft enhanced deliveryaccuracy and the potential 1or the addition of "smart"weapons. The WDNS 341 is designed fbr "hands onthrottle and stick" operation ivhich, in addition to itshigh level of automation, considerably reduces pilotwork load. Weapons delivery, flight and navigational

data appear on the HUD, whrle armament, radar and

other systems data appear on the Armament ControlDisplay Panel television screen.


While being equipped with the EL 2001 rangingradar, the Kllr C7 can also mount Elta's ELiM 2021 ,orequivalent advanced pulse-doppler fire-control radarwith Look-Up/Look Down capability, doppler beam-

sharpened mapping, terrain avoidance/following, and

sea search modes.

Comparison table: Kfir C-2 Kfir C-7

Weights (lbs.):

Max T/O:Max. payload:

Fuel capacity (int.)(ext,)

Combat weight:T/W ratio (in combat

conf iguration):Wing loading (UlF2l 55

Engine thrust (AB + lb) 17,860

Performance:Max. speed (S.L. (kt) 75O

Max. speed (at alt.) : Mach 2.0Ceiling (ft.): 58,000Zoom capability: 75,000Load factor: 7.0 S

32,3409,4305.6706,780

20,660

0.87

36,30013,390same

8,217same

0.91

5518,750

same

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DANil$

Ouy Gibson s Laniastei *ut ten minutes away fromits target at exactly fifteen rninutes.past midnight onlTth May. I943. John Pulford. the flight engineer,,had just started the Wallis bornb retolving, ar briefed,and the navigat<r.t Filot Offic.er, Totger Taerum, was

making his final adjustments ready to operate thespe.clal sp*t]ights which had been fitted to obtain ex*

act.altitude required for the bomb run.' On the ground, there was unbroken silence; theguards inside the watchtower over the dam's powers{ati.on cculd hear ther monotono*s sounds of the,look<xlt on, the gun positicn s,bove, trying hard not todoze off. In the distance a dog could be heard barkingtn the near,by village, of Guenne down in the valley.The villagem had long'gone to bed - ignorant of the:fate fh&t .awaited them only a few minutes away. as

Wing ecrnmander Gibson's Lancasters roared lorvon,the.ir final stretch towards the Moehne dam.. At twenty-five minutes past midnight, Gibson's

crew saw'the dam wall for the first time as theycleared the hill overlooking the far side of the lake.The German gunners. awakening to full alert onhearing the engine noise, saw them tco. Now several

things started happening simultaneously.

The telephone at the 2hmm anti-aircraft gun posi-

tions ri"ngs shritly; the duty officer at Schu)ansbellCastle near Luenen the scclor air defence HQ- an-nou,nt e s h ostite airc raft appro ac h{ng.

The German guartl yells: "They *re *lready h€re!"and slams down the rccciuer, racing for couer as ha

comes on the receiuing end oJ' front gunner FtightScrgeant George Deering's twin Brownings.

'. fh€, G.e,rlnans are trying to'pierce the d,arhness withtheir ey'es, shooting in the general direction of the€ngxne noise, The low-flying bombers, merging withthe dark wqter, are still inuisible except for the fireo f the Lancasters' gunners.

1A

, ,,.sqdd,-q.n!i ,t:alur,b-,, rF tightl ib,p;e6r aaei tfl'rn;fd, ,k ,

as Gibson's nauigator gets ready to drop the bamb inits prec{se position.

Gibson, sweating in his seat. but completely tom-p.osed., n.ow guides the' raiin{'balrcbev:, towards thewalL, rrhith g"ot s menaeingl! as liti, roars ou'er thew ater, C errnan b u {Ie ts p in g o n'.th e'Lh:rl6ait riis'1fuik;lagc, but the aircrew, occupied with their duties, are

hardty eu,ere of the danger."Check height * speed contytl -:teady,,:'tici,at,l,t;

Pitot Officer Spafford, his face glued, ti t;he bimbsigh t, sq ueezes t;ie release button ancl &nnounces".Lline gone". The German gunn?rs duck as the four'engi n e d. Lantaster *, dark;''tltrai atb:ning, fi r e + p it;ti n g

*ant * thunders ouerltead.i atvnost strapi*g the d"|i:rxi:is

parapet. As it passes with a roar, the wireless operatar,Flight Lieutenant Hutchinsgn,'adds, Pis share to thepandemonium by firing red Very lights, blinding thedaeed gunneri below. As Gib'son hii;i;i,Is the aii:iraft;ia tight right turn, the rear gunner, Treuor-Roper,opens fire,wtt'h his four nar'kiaa:gwns| hining theGerma*.gltnposition., . .,,,,, .,

* RAF Bomber Command had used only Morse fype HF setsfor air-to-ground communications until the dami raid. Re-quiremente. to. control suff a diffie$lt operation made,voioecomrlrunication betwe*n leatiers arrd bpmblng aircraft vikif*r :tucees*,, Specially.,, adapted ,fi$ter ,rad.io equiprnent,using modified TR I 143 radios, was fitted into participatingLancasters.After overcoming difficulties in achieving medium range re-sults, the: sets worked-. at nigllt, over l . km diitance aiextrems low level * not a bad feat,with the ,equipment thenin usr, 5 17 Squadron aircrew *ere, speoi y,,.traine d ln- KT,

i ,Frocedures and code$, usod, to ccfrtf$ #e raid, The ex-prrience' gained in the dams r-aid,besHne$e h'.*sis t,.it111.proved RT,r4dio'equi$ent and,eontfol $foted f+s r, e,path{inders later on ,:.a ital factor. tr eEhieving concen-trations over night targeti.

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The Eder dams at Hamfurth, near lilaldeck, Germnny, as seen before the raid.

At twenty-eight minutes after midnight, Gibson'smine, rotating at 500 r.p.m. and bouncing three timesouer the u)ater, hits the dam wall near the waterlineand sinks. A strange silence follows - while the gun'ners continue to exchange fire. Suddenly there is a

terrific detonation. The blast sucks the air out of theGerman gunners' lungs - a 300 meter column ofwater rises into the air with white foam couering thedam from aiew. Gibson and his crew, cruising aboae,

watch with straining eyes for the uater to subside -the dam is still intact.

Ouer the RT* a uoice says: "Good show, leader,nice work"; but it is not good enough - the dam is a

toueh nut to crack.Gibson calls the next aircraft in line to attack: "M-

Mother, attach nott) - good luck - ouer". FlightLieutenant John Hopgood, a twenty-one year oldueteran bomber pilot, already with a double DFC tohis credit, eyits his teeth as he slams Lancaster ED925 into a uicious turn, dropping low ouer the lahe toaim for the dam.


But now the German gunners, recovering tiomshock, were ready and fighting mad. Hopgood linedhis aircraft up over the far side of the lake and raced

towards the dam wall, a sitting target as his bombaimer lined up the sight. Circling above and just out-side the German gunners' tange, Gibson flicked openhis navigation lights as soon as he saw Hopgood'sspotlights coming on below - attempting to draw firefrom the Germans on the dam.

The Germans, however, held fast onto the racingbomber, adjusting their fire as it came nearer at highspeed. Hopgood's front gunner did not remain idleand a vivid exchange of tracer was made. The German20mm shells whipped into the British bomber, and a

flame appeared on the port inboard wing root."He's been hit!" hoaffe voices, tsritish and Ger-

man, exclaimsd simultaneously as the flame grew

bigger. Inside Flopgood's Lancaster the bomb runcontinued in spite of the damage. Pilot Officer Fraser

dropped his bomb, while Hopgood calmly orderedSergeant Brennan, the flight engineet, to feather the

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burning engine. The hre subsided for a moment butrekindled itself, sweeping the whole port wing as thestricken bomber, relieved of its load, lurched up-wards.

The bomb bounced once too often, dropped overthe dam wall and onto the electric power house be-

low. As the now blazing Lancaster came over, thebomb exploded with a blinding flash, completelydestroying the powerhouse:

Overhead, Hopgood fought a losing battle with thecontrols of his aircraft; groping for height, he yelledto his crew to bail out. Two made it at the last min-ute - Fraser the bomb aimer and Tony Burcher, theAustralian rear gunner. Then Hopgood's Lancaster -blazing like a giant torch - crashed and explodednear the village of Ostoennen, a few kilometers west

of the dam. All aboard were killed.outright.The Mohne dam, however, survived Hopgood's at-

tack. Gibson and his crew, having just witnessed thetragedy, swallowed hard, but the job had still to be

done and Gibson ordered the next man in turn, FlightLieutenant "Mickey" Martin* to start his bomb run.

Martin, a veteran Austratan pilot with 36 opera-

tions over Germany, wasno newcomer to the game,

and had no illusions as to what was in store as hepushed his Lancaster down towards the Moehne Lake.The German gunners, encouraged by their kill, con-centrated on Martin's Lancaster. As he was third in a

row they now had the range and let fly for all theywere worth. Martin's aircraft was hit repeatedly, buthis experienced bomb aimer, Flight Lieutenant BobHay, DFC, did a good job with Martin expertlyguiding the bomber.

l The Mohne dam near Soest, one of the most important dams

in Germany, as it guarded the vtater supplies to the heavily irt'dustrqlised Ruhr Valley. This photo, taken before the raid (1 ),

shows th'e dam with its guard towers, anti-torpedo underwater

netting, and power station below. The RAF system developed

to overcome the anti-totpedo defence is illustrated above. Tlrc

Lancs were flying at 366441m height, determined by the

crosspoint of a pair of floodlights aimed downard. The bombs

would skip over the nets, hit the dam, sink to 9.7m depth and

explode. The results can be seen on the facing page.

* Later to become Air Marshal Sir Harold Martin, KCB, DSO,

DFC, AFC, Air Attache in Tel Aviv in1952.He commanded

RAFG in 1970.-Retiring in 1914,he is now with Hawker

Siddeley and President of the Bomber Command Asso-

ciation.


Once again lake and dam shook under the gigantic

explosion, cascades of water and foam rising sky high.It was thirty-eight minutes past midnight. Althoughless than ten minutes had passed since Gibson droppedhis bomb, it seemed an eternity.

But the dam's thick wall held once more, defiantlystanding, erect, solid and unmoved. The German gun-

ners, their throats dry, hands shaking with exhaustion,reloaded their guns and awaited the next inevitableattack.

Not far away on the hillside, two figures, unau)are

of each other, are crouching in the underbrush, fas-cinated by the drama which is taking place only a fewhundred meters away. Stunned by his fall, lyingagainst a tree, is Flying Officer Tony Burcher - onlyminutes before a member of Hopgood's crelt). Furtherback, also tahing couer, is the power station foreman

- who escaped only seconds before the place blewup. Now both are to become witnesses to one of theworld's greatest b ombing exploits.

Gibson was by now getting impatient. Threebombs had been placed almost exactly as planned,but no results had been achieved. "O.K. Doug - go in

- but be careful, it's pretty hot in there."Squadron Leader Melvyn Young, the American-

born "A" Flight Commander, went in to attack. Todraw fire off him, both Gibson and Martin circled andfired on the defences. Young dropped his bomb atprecisely 00.40 hours - but the dam did not breach.

Pilot Officer D.ll. Clayton (lejt), Sqn Lclr. D.J. Mattby and Lt.Martin (risht).

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pilot crouched in his cockpit. Desperately they firetheir carbines!

As the giant shadow roars ouer the dam, a hugewater waue rushes oaer the wall. The noise is ear-splitttng but, as the water subsides, the German guncommander watches in horror as a crack becomesaisible in the wall;it widens rapidly and water startscoming through.

From his hiding place Tony Burcher sees it too; thegreat column of water is now rushing through thebreach in the wall and, with the air full of foam andspray, it cascades in a giant waae down the ualley be-low. The Mohne dam is breached...

Above, Gibson watched in fascination. Diving toget a better view, he circled once more before order-ing his wireless operator to send the message of suc-cess to base. It was 00.56 a.m.

On the ground a catastrophe developed as millionsof tons of water went gushing down the peacefulRuhr valley, spreading wider all the time. Completevillages disappeared; cars coming along the road,mainly military transport from the nearby bases, wereflooded and turned over - their headlights dimminguntil they flickered out. Dense fog covered the wholearea as Gibson ordered the remaining aircraft to theEder dams - the second objective for the night.

But there was a third target. Only twenty kilo-meters to the south of the Moehne dam was the


The attack had by now been going on for quite a

long time with aircraft circling the confined targetzone continuously. The danger was mounting as Luft-waffe night fighters reached the area, scrambled fromnearby airfields by sector control. However, they didnot dare venture down to low level, where the Britishbombers operated. In fact the'German air defence

command had little information as to what was going

on, as the local telephone network was disruptedsoon after Hopgood's attack.

As for the British, as each aircraft dropped itsbomb, a coded message was sent to No. 5 Group atGrantham. The last received was the message tappedout by Sgt. Nichols, "Dingby" Young's operator. Itwas also the last ever heard from the crew, as Lan-caster ED 887 crashed in the sea after being hit byflak west of Amsterdam on its way home.

J-Johnny, with Flieht Lieutenant David Maltby atthe controls, was next to attack.

On the ground the German gunners haue trouble:the reqnaining 20mm gun has failed - breech stop-page! The gun position is coming under heauy firefrom aircraft on the flanhs and the gunners on thetower are without coaer.

Down below a single gun is still firing as Maltby'sbomber races towards the dam wail - it is so close

that one of the German gunners has a glimpse of the

14

":FNn*

A view of the Eder dam before the attack {I}, holding 202millian tons of water aboite the Eder valley. The dam was

breached by the bombs (2) which led to the gteat desmtcdonofsvast drea (3).

Sorpe, a concrete core earth dam. Containing some

70 million cubic meters of water, it required a differ-ent method of attack. Originally the Sorpe dam was

the objective for the second attack formation led bySquadron Leader Joe McCarty, DFC, with four air-craft setting out with him from Scampton. By bad

luck, however, McCarty reached the target alone.

Unknown to him, Sergeant Byers, flying LancasterK-King, crashed in the Waddensee off the island ofTexel, shot down by a l05mm flak. Flight Lieute-nant Barlow's Lancaster crashed after hitting a high

tension cable south of Emmerich on the German-

Dutch border. The bomb was found later intact bythe Germans, although they did not, at the time,understand the Wallis principle. Les Munro and GeoffRice had to abort the mission.

Joe McCarty found the Sorpe lake with difficultyas low morning mist had begun to creep into the val-

ley. Once it was identified, he made his first run inacross the dam's length, encountering no opposition.Realising that, being alone, he had only one chance,he made ten runs until he finally released the bomb.It hit precisely in the planned spot, crumbling thedam wall. Squadron Leader McCarty reached Scamp-

ton after an uneventful return trip at 3.23 a.m.Unknown to him, Flight Sergeant Ken Brown,

flying in the third and reserve group, also receivedorders to go for the Sorpe, which he reached around


3 a.m. The target was completely enshrouded withmist. After dropping incendiaries and setting the trees

on both sides on fire, he identified the dam, already

damaged by McCarty's attack of two hours before.

Running in, he released his bomb, enlarging the gap inthe wall.

Meanwhile a new drama developed as Gibson and

four of his remaining Lancasters, three of them withbombs, raced for target Y - the Eder dam, seventy

kilometers to the southwest. This dam, situated south

of Kassel, held over 200 million cubic meters ofwater; 400 meters long and almost fifty meters high,it acted as a regulating reservoir for the strategic in-terior waterway, the Mittelland Canal connecting the

Ruhr with Berlin.

As Gibson reached the Eder lake area around 1.30a.m. the morning mist had already set in, makingidentification most difficult. The Eder dam was hid-den deep in the river valley amongst wooded hills.According to the plan, the attackers were to maketheir run along the lake - the only way to allow suf-ficient space for a bombing run. Gibson, coming inlow, eventually made out the dam wall and radioedFlight Lieutenant Dave Shannon, DFC, who hadreached the target a few minutes later. At 1.39 a.m.he started his dive over the 300 meter high WaldeckeCastle, overlooking the reservoir below, which actedas a clear ground identification.

t5

The attack had by now been going on for quite a

long time with aircraft circling the confined targetzone continuously. The danger was mounting as Luft-waffe night fighters reached the area, scrambled fromnearby airfields by sector control. However, they didnot dare venture down to low level, where the Britishbombers operated. In fact the'German air defence

command had little information as to what was going

on, as the local telephone network was disruptedsoon after Hopgood's attack.

As for the British, as each aircraft dropped itsbomb, a coded message was sent to No. 5 Group atGrantham. The last received was the message tappedout by Sgt. Nichols, "Dingby" Young's operator. Itwas also the last ever heard from the crew, as Lan-caster ED 887 crashed in the sea after being hit byflak west of Amsterdam on its way home.

J-Johnny, with Flight Lieutenant David Maltby atthe controls, was next to attack.

On the ground the German gunners haue trouble:the rernaining 20mm gurn has failed - breech stop-page! The gun position is coming under heauy firefrom aircraft on the flanks and the gunners on thetower are without couer.

Doun below a single gun is still firing as Maltby'sbomber races towards the dam wail - it is so close

that one of the German gunners has a glimpse of the

14

pilot crouched in his cockpit. Desperately they firetheir carbines!

As the giant shadow roars ouer the dam, a hugewater waue rushes oaer the wall. The noise is ear-splitting but, as the water subsides, the German guncommander watches in horror as a crack becomesuisible in the wall; it widens rapidly and uater startscoming through.

From his hiding place Tony Burcher sees it too; thegreat column of water is now rushing through thebreach in the wall and, with the air full of foam andspray, it cascades in a giant waae down the ualley be-low. The Mohne dam is breached...

Above, Gibson watched in fascination. Diving toget a better view, he circled once more before order-ing his wireless operator to send the message of suc-cess to base. It was 00.56 a.m.

On the ground a catastrophe developed as millionsof tons of water went gushing down the peacefulRuhr valley, spreading wider all the time. Completevillages disappeared; cars coming along the road,mainly military transport from the nearby bases, wereflooded and turned over - their headlights dimminguntil they flickered out. Dense fog covered the wholearea as Gibson ordered the remaining aircraft to theEder dams - the second objective for the night.

But there was a third target. Only twenty kilo-meters to the south of the Moehne dam was the


Only a few people below in the Eder valley wereawake at this hour. By sheer coincidence. some hoursearlier a regular local civil defence meeting had raisedthe issue of an eventual air attack on the Eder dam,only to receive a calming response by the authoritiesthat this was highly unlikely. However. at 1.15 a.m.the warden was rudely awakened by the noise of 1ow-

flying aircraft, which he identified in the rnoonligirt.In fact tire bornbers were so low that he saw tire pilotof one of them looking out of the open cockpit win-dow.

The Eder dam itself was completely defenceless.the only Flak unit guarding it having been witl-rdrawnsome weeks earlier.

By now the attack had started, Shannon airning forthe dam wall. levelling out after a steep dive from 350to 20 meters a difficult manoerivre with a heavily-laden four-engined bomber. requiring the highestflying skill. The first run-in failed and Shannon pulledthe Lancaster in a steep turn. climbing harcl to regainheight. He made five mns over the castle. diving intothe dark valley below. until Gibson ordered him totake a break and called Squadron Leader HenryMaudsley to try. Maudsley started his run, flingingLancaster Z-Zebra into the valley and rtrnning straightfor the dam. Tr.vo more attempts lollorved until he

dropped tire bornb. Gibson and Shannon sarv hinrclearly as a red Very light sirot out. indicating tliat he

had dropped the bomb. It bounced and overshot.hitting the parapet and detonating as the aircraft flewlow overhead. Maudsley, his Lancaster hit mortally,struggled fbr height and set ont for home. only to behit by light Flak near Emmerich. cfashing not farfrom the place in which Barlow had been shot downearlier. Gibson and Shannon. rvatching lrom above.were convinced at the time that Maudsley had actuallycrashed on the Eder dam itsell.

By now the population in the Eder valley rvas wideawake. many racing for cover as the heavy bombersrepeated tl-reir attack runs. actnally scraping theirchimneys. The noise was terrifying and explosions litthe night sky. The German sector air defer-rce was stillLlnaware of what was actually going on: conflictingreports saturated the network and caused confusion.

Jr-rst before 1 a.m. Dave Shannon tried again, anddropped his bomb. resulting in an enormous pillar ofwater. A gap was seen in the dam but, with tirnertinning short now, Gibson ordered Fiight LieutenantLes Knight. the last bomb camier. to attack. Afterone dummy mn - with Gibson flying right alongside

- Knight's bornb bounced and hit the dam wall ex-actly in its intended spot. It exploded and a large

to

breach was achicvcd. causing a huge tidal wave of wa-ter to gush into the valley below.

On the road leading up the Eder valley a convoy olmilitary vehicles advanced. their blr,re black-or-rt head-lamps groping into the morning log as they crossed a

nearby village. A despatch rider rode througJr themain street. screaming for an irnmediate evacuation -the dam was breached. Soldiers and civilians frantical-ly set off for the high ground as the deluge of waterpoured down the valley. flooding cellars whicliminutes before had been refuges and had now be-

come death traps. The village and the vehicles on the


Amsterdam

Today: Jaguars of RAF Germany over the No. 20 Laarbruch

Mohne dam.

main road all vanished as the flood engulfed them;total chaos raged.

From above, Gibson and the remaining crews cir-cled, watching the gushing, swirling water wall tearing

down the steep valley, sweeping all in its wake. It was

a terrifying and magnificent view that presented itselfin the haunted hours of this fateful moming. Afterhaving spent almost two hours over the dams, theDambusters - those who survived - set off for home.Operation "Chastise" was over.

Military Enthusiast 30 17

INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO 1983

by

C.O. BROOKS(.of AEROPIIOTO)

The Greenham Common International Air Tattoo has

long been recognised as one of the world's largest

military airshows, and this year's event held over theweekend of 23rd - 24th July proved to be no excep-tion.

Since the last Air Tattoo in 1981, Greenham Com-mon has virtually become a household name due tothe presence of "the peace women" and the variousanti-nuclear campaigns. However. they played littlerole in the weekend's activities and were vastly out-numbered by thousands of aviation enthusiasts andmembers of the public.

The action really begins at Greenham on the Wed-

nesday prior to the weekend as this heralds the startof aircraft arrivals, and the runway approaches are

thick with photographers all eagerly awaiting the nextexotic aircraft. The previous six weeks of glorious hotand sunny weather gave way to a more unsettledperiod over the airshow weekend although in general

the rain kept off and there was still a considerableamount of sunshine to make the photographers'taska little easier.

This year's central theme celebrated the 25th Anni-versary of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom and

t8

25 such machines formed an impressive static displayline-up, headed by XT 59J, from the A & AEE, oneof the first received by the RAF and specially pre-pared in 25th Anniversary colour scheme.

Another commemorative event was a tribute to SirDouglas Bader, who, sadly, died during 1982 havingbeen President of the International Air Tattoo since1976. Sir douglas, of course, flew Spitfires prior tothe fall of France in 1940 and after the Battle ofBritain he also used one to lead the Battle of BritainFlypast over London on 15th September 1946. Atotal of eight airworthy Spitfires and two Hurricanesfomred a most impressive display as a tribute to thisgreat man.

As has now become customary at Greenham, theworld's top aerobatic teams were much in evidence.The Italian Air Force National Aerobatic Team I1

Frecce Tricolori debuted their new Aer-macchi MB339 mounts in England, and were joined by seven

other national aerobatic teams. These included theRAF I Vintage Pair - a Meteor T-7 and Vampire T-1 1, recalling the early days of jet fighters, the colour-ful La Patrouille de France flying Alpha Jets, the sixT-37Cs of the Asas de Portugal, and the Royal Neth-

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.facing page: The RAF Red Anows

(XfS97) with 25th atmiversary markings painted onitsfuselage

Alouette III "Grasshoppers", the Dutch RNLAF helicopter aerial demonstratiotl teatt in actiott

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Jorclanian Air Force Mirage F-1EJ lontlirry at Greertlnmcomrnort

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Bombs exploding in San Carlos waters near thesecond beachhead at Bluff Cove.

One of the war's most outstandingly flown missionswas the attack on the British landing forces at Pleas-ant Bay. It was undertaken on June 8th by a relative-ly small number of aircraft dispatched to bomb land-ing craft thought to be in the Fitzroy area. Involvedwere A-4 Skyhawks, IAI Daggers and Mirage IIIs.

Two flights of A-4Bs from V Brigada Aerea depar-ted Rio Gallegos at 11:50 hours. Mission leader wasCapt. Caraballo, who also headed "Dogo" flightwhich was made up of 1st Lts. Rinke and Cachon and2nd Lt. Carmona. "Mastin" flight consisted of lstLts. Filippini, Galvez and Autiero, and 2nd Lt.Gomez. The aircraft climbed to flight level 100( 1 0,000 ft) to rendezvous with KC-I30 tankers.

At 13:00 hours, two three-aircraft flights of Dag-gers from VI BA took off from Rio Grande. Missionleader was Capt. Rohde, heading up "Perro" flightwhich was also made up of 1st Lts. Ratti and Gabari.The second flight was designated "Gato", and consis-ted of Capt. Cimatti, Maj. Martinez and lst Lt. Antio-netti. Lt. Antonietti soon turned back to base due toa cracked windscreen. The remaining five Daggersformed up on a civilian Lear Jet 35 pathfinder.

The SAF command then ordered a diversionaryflight of Mirage IIIEAs from Rio Gallegos. These air-craft would hopefully draw CAPs consisting of thedeadly Harrier/AlM 9L combination, thus leaving theway open for the attacking Skyhawks and Daggers.

22

Continuous attacks drove the British tosk .force to establislt the

Meanwhile, the A-4s had by now rendezvousedwith the tankers half way between the mainland andthe islands. It was then that two pilots, Capt. Carballoand 1st Lt. Autiero, discovered their refuelling probeshad frozen. At the same time, 1st Lt. Filippini's en-gine oil pressure began fluctuating. The three Sky-hawks were forced to retum to base. Capt. Carballotumed over the leadership to "Dogo" flight's 1st Lt.Cachon with the words "Take charge of the forma-tion and lead it to glory".

After the in-flight refuelling was completed,Cachon ordered his wingmen to form up in an arrow,with two planes on either side of his aircraft. Atabout 140 km before the target area, the leader usedhand signals in ordering his men to follow him downto wave-top level in hopes of avoiding enemy radar.

When the Skyhawks neared the islands, the Mirageswent into action, or rather "inaction". They flew to-ward the beachhead from the north at a deliberatelylow altitude so as to be picked up by the Britishpicket ships' radar. As was expected, Harriers weresent to intercept the Mirages, thus freeing the south-em approach route to be used by the incoming Sky-hawks.

The five A-4s flew through a number of short rainshowers on their way to the Fitzroy target area. Theyflew at about five meters over water, and once they


reached land they climbed, however barely, to 10.

Three minutes before reaching the target area, 1st Lt.Cachon signaled his wingmen to increase their speed

to 900 kph. At two minutes from the target area, theflight turned and successfully eluded a Sea King heli-copter which was probably acting as a surveillanceplatform. At fifty seconds out a Lynx helicopter was

sighted but also successfully evaded. When the flightfinally arrived over the internal end of Fitzroy Bay.no British landing ships were to be found! lst Lt.Cachon decided to fly on over the body of waterlooking for the shipping that was supposed to have

been there. The formation continued but saw nothing.When the leader decided to egress the area, the flightwas to tum right. Since turns can be dangerous in thearrow formation at low altitude, the aircraft man-oeuvred into a left echelon before initiating theirright turn. The outermost pilots, climbing to keep

formation in the turn, then saw what they had missed

at the lower level - the antennae and masts of Britishlanding craft. The LSTs were found in Pleasant Bay, asmall inlet south of Fitzroy and separated from it bya narrow peninsula. 1st Lt. Cachon gave the order toattack, and since the targets were already so near thebombing run was commenced immediately. The air-craft approached perpendicular to the targets, whichturned out to be HMS Sir Galahad and Sar Tristram.Cachon assigned the former to himself and his num-bers 2 and 3, and the latter to aircraft 4 and 5. Thefirst section commenced their attack on the Sir Gala-

/rad. Number I dropped three 500lb Mk. 82s right on

Sir Gallahud cruising to the landing zone on East Falkland's Pleasast Bay, south of Port Stanley

target. Number 2's bomb ejector mechanism failed,and the pilot was forced to jettison his load on theway back to the mainland using the emergency re-

lease unit. Number 3's bombs skipped off the ship'sstern and ended up on shore where they explodedamid personnel and cargo. The second sectionlaunched their bombs successfully but were unable toascertain whether there were any hits due to thespeed of their exit from the scene. Their bombs man-aged to damage the S# Tristram so that the vessel

ended up being towed to Port Stanley for'use as a

floating barracks. HMS S,r Galahad, on the otherhand, was so badly damaged that it was scuttled seve-

ral days later. The attack was carried out at 13:50,exactly two hours after takeoff.

The two flights hurried away from the area, widen-ing formation. KC-130s were loitering nearby to assist

any aircraft with fuel problems. The tankers were in-formed that all was well and their services would notbe needed. The Skyhawks flew their return trip at1ow level, climbing to 35,000 ft some 500 km fromthe mainland in order to conserve fuel.

Shortly after the Skyhawks departed the targetarea, the two flights of Daggers arrived. The diversionby the Mirage was still keeping the area free of CAPs'

The aircraft located a Type 12 figate - HMS P/y-

mouth - and dropped their bombs. None of the ord-nance dropped by "Perro" and "Gato" flights that hitthe target exploded. The pilots said at least four1,000 lb Mk. 83s hit the vessel. The Dagger's DEFA30mm cannon also registered. hits, with one of the

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rounds setting off a depth charge that caused seriousfire damage below decks. Contrary to British reports,all the Daggers got away safely and returned to base.

While the "Dogo" and "Mastin" Skyhawk flightswere on their way back to base, the SAF commanddispatched another two flights of Skyhawks - A-4Bsand Cs - to mount further attacks against the Britishlanding forces at Pleasant Bay. "Mazo" flight consis-ted of 1st Lts. Bolzan, Arraraz and Sanchez,and2ndLt. Vasquez flying B model Skyhawks. Capt. Caffa-rati, lst Lts. Zattara and Paredi and2nd Lt. Codring-ton flew C models in "Tigre" flight.

"Mazo" flight arrived over the target first, findingand attacking a large landing craft (LCU) which wasferrying stores. The vessel later sank due to heavydamage. But by this time, Harriers were back in thearea, having recovered from the diversionary MirageIII "attack". The British jets jumped the 'oMazo"Skyhawks and scored hits with AIM-9Ls. I st Lts. Bol-zan and Arraraz were killed when their aircraft ex-ploded. 2nd Lt. Vasquez was seen to eject, but wasnever found and was listed KIA. 1st Lt. Sanchez wasable to jettison his extemal fuel tanks and bombracks, and outdistanced the pursuing Hariers on thedeck. The pilot used up most ol his remaining fuelduring his low-altitude getaway, and had to hook upwith a KC-130 for a mid-air refueling in order tomake it safely home. In this attack, the British er-roneously reported that they had shot down threeDaggers.

The A4Cs of "Tigre" flight appeared over the tar-get area at 15:45 hours just as the winter sky wasdarkening. Their reception was most spectacularowing to the twilight - red tracers criss-crossed the24

Argentinian Nav1, a4 Skyhawk being refueltetl in fligltt",Tltiscapabilitl' enablecl the FAA to attack tltc L'asr Falktands andreturn home sofeb'.

sky while the exhausts of Rapier and Blowpipe SAMslit up the area. Two of the aircralt were damaged, butall were able to drop their bombs on defensive instal-lations erected on shore by the British landing partiesbefore returning safely to base. This attack waveended one of the FAA's most successful days in theSouth Atlantic war, leaving ships and shore positionsburning brightly into the night.

AIRCRAFT LOST BY THE FUERZAAEREAARGENTINA AND THE CAUSES

A4Bs of V BA12 May1st Lt. Bustos (KlA)lst Lt. Nivoli (KlA)Lt. lbarlucea (KlA)lst Lt. Gavazzi (KlA)23 May1st Lt. Guadagnini (KlA)25 MayCapt. Palaver (KlA)27 Mav1st Lt. Velasco (eiected)8 June1st Lt. Bolzan (KlA)1st Lt. Arraraz (KlA)2nd Lt. Vasquez (KlA)

A4Cs of lV BA9 MayLt. Casco (KlA)

Lt. Farias (KlA)

21MayLt. Lopez (KlA)Lt. Manzotti (KlA)24 MayLt. Bono (KlA)25 MayLt. Lucero (ejected/POW)Capt. Garcia (KlA)30 May1st Lt. Castillo (KlA)1st Lt. Vasquez (KlA)

Seawolf SAM - HMS Brilliantsamesameown AA over Darwin

20mm AA - HMS AnteloPe

Sea Dart SAM - HMS CoventrY

40mm AA - HMS lntrepid

Harrier/AlM-9 Lsamesame

crashed due to bad weather overW. Falklands.same (Note: British claimed twoSkyhawks at this time by SeaDart SAMs from HMS Coventry)

Sea Harriersame

Blowpipe SAM-HMS Sir Percival

Rapier SAMRapier SAM (? )

4.5 in AA - HMS Avenger (? )

Sea Dart - HMS Exeter

Lt. Bean (KlA)

1st Lt. Luna (ejected)Maj. Piuma (ejected)Capt. Donadille (ejected)1st Lt. Senn (ejected)Lt. Volponi (KlA)Lt. Berhardt (KlA)

24 MayMaj. Puga (ejected)Capt. Diaz (ejected)Lt. Castillo (? )

C-130 Hercules of I BAI JuneCrew missing")

Sea Cat SAMs - HMS lntrepid/PlymouthSea Harriersamesamesamesame

Sea Wolf SAM - HMS Broad-sword

Sea Harriersamesame

Sea Harrier

Mirage lll EAs of Vlll BA1 MayCapt. Garcia-Cuerva (KlA) own AA over Port Stanley1st Lt. Perona (ejected) Sea Harrier

Daggers of Vl BA1 May1st Lt. Ardiles (KlA) Sea Harrier21May

Sea King helicopter delivering supplies ashore, seen over the"Sir Tristram" landing support ship, still pouing smoke afterthe Argentinian raid.

Canberras of ll BA1 MayCapt. Gonzales (KlA) Sea Harrier (Note: both crew-Lt. lbanez (KlA) men ejected and two good

chutes were seen, but they werenever found)

13 JuneCapt. Pastran (ejected/POW) Sea Dart - HMS ExeterCapt. Casado (KlA) same

Pucaras of lll/lX BAs1 MayLt. Jukik (KlA) direct hit by cluster bomb from

Sea Harrier while taking offfrom BAM Condor

2l MayMaj. Tomba (ejected) Sea HarrierCapt. Benitez (ejected) Stinger SAM28 MayLt. Cruzado (ejected/POW) Blowpipe SAMLt. Giminez (KlA) same(Note: earl ier figures released by the FAA listed five Puca-ras as being destroyed in the air. The ground destruction ofLt. Jukik's aircraft revises that number to four. Ten otherPucaras were destroyed on the ground, while another 11

were abandoned in varying states of damage during theBritish landings. A continental-based Pucara also crashedinto the sea during a wartime surveillance mission, killing itspilot, 2nd Lt. Valco)

* Vicecomodoro Meisner, Capts. Martel and Krause, andNCOs Lastra, Abelos, Cardona and Cantezano.

Lear Jet 35A of ll BA7 June (crew KIA*) Sea Dart - HMS Exeter* Vicecomodoro de la Colina, Maj. Falconier, Capt. Lotufo

and NCOs Luna and Mariza

25

", f"" Y4.€kftdw%&*rt*

. REGIMENTEXERCISESWITHARMOURED VEHICLES

Far from the sunshine of Cyprus, No. 34 Sguadron,

Royal Air Force Flegiment began their annual exercise inNorthern Germany, with their Scorpion and Spartan

light armoured vehicles. The Squadron is normally based

in Cyprus for the defence of RAF Akrotiri airfield, butthey spent a weekend "digging in" around RAF Wii-

' denrath, in preparation for a station exercise recently.The full strength of the Squadron is:

RAF Regtment Scorpion tunk, anned with 76mnt. gm.

6, each with a 76mm gun and a

7.62mm machine gsfl. with a

crew of three. Called the SupportFtight, it provides the fire sup-port for the Squadron,15, an armoured per$onnel car.

rier. The squadron has 3 CambatFlights, each of 5 Spartan. eaeh

holding a,cr€w ol ? and a Sectionof 5 men, fach Spartan has a

7.62mm machine gun.

1, an arntgured command vehiclefor the Commanding Offlcer ofthis squadron. with crew and a

7 .62mm machine gun.

1, an armoured recovery vehicle,

fitted with e special hydraulicwinch, spades and recovery equip-

meilt. lt also rnounts onb 7.$2mm machine gun.

Scorpion

Spartan

Sultan

Samson

Before they returned to Cyprus, the eguadron wentto the BsrEen-Hohne ranges for field f iring of the 76mmgu n.


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%,8L755 cluster bombs being toacled by Eager Beaver fork lift tntcks Jbr delivery to Hariers hidden in the woods.

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Harrier GR3, 3 Sqn, RAFG, ta-x.ies out of its hiding place for a sortie duing art oJJ:base deployment.


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FIRST STEPS

The last few years preceding World War I showedcontrasting developments in military aviation inEurope, which had long-lasting effects.

Prior to 1914, both French and Geman militaryaviation surpassed Britain's first efforts. The Frenchhad almost 200 combat aircraft by 1914, and thehuge number of French aviation terms which passed

into the English language (fuselage, elevator. aileron,etc.) speak for themselves. They had also developedrotary engines (the Royal Flyirrg Corps also was todepend upon the Gnome-Rhone for some years)while the Germans had also produced powerful en-gines for their elementary aircraft - one reason whythey were to forge ahead with fighters. beginningwith their revolutionary Fokker in 1 9 I 5.

These developments alfected British military think-ing. The higher commanders would recognise only -and grudgingly - that aeroplanes might be usefulfor reconnaissance - as a new form of cavalry whilethe younger generation realised that. however ill-armed at first, the aeroplane must soon become a

fighting weapon.In 1914, war burst upon the world. The Royal

Flying Corps - only two years old as a separate en-tity, having absorbed Britain's very first aviation unit,the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers - fielded its90 first-line aircraft in France, and tlie French andGerman Annies sent aloft their fleets of elementaryreconnaissance planes.

All three armies proved the immediate value of airreconnaissance, covering the massive German advanceand the British and French retreats in the early days.

After exchanging fire from rifles and a few mach-ine guns, and dropping primitive bombs by hand,fighting in the air became more practical. The Frenchfighters now mounted a machine gun to fire forwardthrough the propeller, with wedges on the blades todeflect bullets - a rough and dangerous device.

One such aircraft captured by the Germans ledthem to call in the services of a young Dutch engin-eer - Anthony Fokker. He produced a much moreeffective interrupter gear for a gun to fire betweenthe propeller blades while in motion. The famousdeath-dealing Fokker fighter was bom.

The basic armament for a fighter - to remain con-stant for many years - thus became the machine gun.

After the Allies had suffered great losses from the"Fokker Scourge" the British also adopted an inven-tion: effective, forward-firing, Constantinesco gungear. The battle initiative then depended again uponsuperior aircraft design.

30

WltI air combat: Germatt Hetutoveraner CLII being hit by twoBritislt SE 5As, with a secottd Gennan joining in the melee.

Witlt an intercuptor geor errubling tlrc pilot tct "sltoot through"the propeller, tlte SE 5A and its counterparts were the firstrcal cornbatattts oJ lllttl.


"The Jackals". Air tactics dingram dated April 1918: "The im-

portance of keeptng formation cannot be too strongly im-

pressed upon the pilot. Loss of position is likely to lead to an

adventure with the iackals".

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Larger numbers of aircraft became involved and,

finally. whole high-flying "circuses" now roared over-

head locked in battle, while others were perfectinggronncl-strafing. hitting at advancing armies, covering

retreating ones, and blasting communications.When the last big German advance in Spring l9l8

broke up trench warfare, the British retaliated witllan unrecognised minor blitzkrieg - tanks operating

closely with aircraft in quantity for the first time topush the Germans back. Like many of their pioneer

efforts before and since, they failed to exploit this

technique fully at the time, subseqttently neglecting

after 1918 the lessons learned about arrnour plus air-

craft, and paved the way for Dunkirk 1940.

Before the guns of the Great War roared for the

last time, howevet, from elementary wood and stringaircraft in primitive battle, the skies had seen Zep-

pelins, and then the first real heavy bombers, Gothas,

raiding London and carrying enough bombs to do real

damage, while, over the Western Front, fleets of fight-ers fought the armies and each other.

Tactics had advanced, from dealing with single

fighters duelling, to units of 30 to 40 aircraft each

patrolling and challenging.Yet, from 1919, the rival war machines were de-

molished overnight, almost as rapidly by victors as bydefeated. Years of economic penny-pinching wouldthen curtail development until the new warlike de-

cade beginning in the mid-1930s.31

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The first Fokker type was improved and, in sllcces-

sion, the Fokker triplane (Richtofen's celebrated

machine), Taube, Albatross andPfalz aircraft battled

against the manoeuvrable French SPAD fighter, the

British SE5 and Sopwith Camel.

Air combat evolved from single aircraft dog fights.

in which brilliant individual pilots built up top scores

of aircralt destroyed, while less fortunate ol1es.

pushed too rapidly through training, survived only

days or even hottrs in the air.

6 o'clock defence wss avqilable to two-seaters with the ob-

server's machine gun as tvitlt this Bristol fighter.


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r;.: .i .

A large formation of Hurricans seen during the "Battle of

1935 heralded a revolution in aircraft design. First,the Spanish Civil War 193611939, to which Germanyand Italy sent "volunteer" formations which wereentirely composed of regular airmen and soldiers,gave the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion in particular aircombat experience. The result was that they aban-doned their last biplane fighters, and brought the newmonoplane ME109 into immediate service. TheItalians failed to learn their lesson: Caproni biplaneswere excellent aircraft, but later no match for theSpitfire and Hurricane in World War II.

Secondly, the RAF expanded, and their newmonoplane fighters and bombers reached the frontline squadrons.

The Luftwaffe gained one advantage by perfectitrg,from Spain's Civil War onwards, their close support ofthe Army, but failed to develop heavy, long-range,strategic bombers - which the RAF did.

WORLD WAR IIThe stage was now set for the first real blitzkriegs.After 1918, under the greatest difficulties and deniedall military aviation, Germany had secretly created,and preserved, the nucleus of new air power - initial-ly in the 1920s, with the help of Soviet Russia, whopermitted the use of an airfield near Moscow fortraining the first pilots. Then, so-called "sports clubs"were created in Germany for light aviation. and, final-

32

Britain".

ly a commercial airline, Lufthansa was founded,which enabled the General Staff to build a reserve ofairmen.

In 1935 open reaffnament provided. within thespace of four years, a fully expanded Luftwaffe.

From constant trairring and experiment with Armyarmoured and mechanized units, the Luftwaffe devel-oped close support to a degree which neither Francenor Britain achieved. and soon this new weapon hit atPoland and France with revolutionary effect.

Messerschmitt and Focke Wulf fighters equalledthe Spitfire in many respects, and were slightly supe-

rior to the Hurricane, while France's flrst modernmonoplane fighter, the Dewoitine 520, took to theair just too late.

The British fighters had two decisive advantages,irowever: armour to protect the pilot, and the razor-like effect of eight machine guns firing simultaneous-ly to slice through a wing or cause an engine to ex-plode. These won the Battle of Britain. but with onlythe slightest edge.

Tactics again altered. VIC formations were replacedby line abreast in combat. Still the ideal firing positionlor a victory - on the enemy's tail, and often comingout of the sun. derived from World War I.

In one respect, 191 8 was repeated larger andlarger formations of fighters and bombers became therule, and 1945 gave perhaps the last opportunity for

MilitarY Enthusiast 30

k

commanders to handle huge air formations. First, thechange to jet propulsion, and then conditions peculiarto localised wars since 1945, caused a reversal.

KOREA _ THE TURNING POINT

In Korea, for the first time, jet fought jet in quantity.Their speed, and the limited time for aiming weapons

which resulted. showed that jet fighters needed tight-er tactical control, and to operate in smaller units.A finger-four formation, two to aim forward, theother two flying higher and guarding their tails fromflank and rear, came into use.

VIETNAMIn Vietnam, US aviation faced the problems of ( 1) ac-

curate and heavy flak and missile fire, (2) the Army'sneed for close support on a large scale, and (3)

stronger opposition from the Communist air forces

armed with a first-class fighter, the MiG-21 , with pilotswho proved better than their predecessors in Korea.

Army Attack aviation found that jets effected less

damage on enemy troops and ground targets than

older types of slower but manoeuvrable piston-

engined aircraft. Helicopters and helicopter guns ships

played a big role, but their losses ttuder sophisticatedmissile and flak attack were considerable. It appearsprobable that a localised war in Europe would reveal

the hidden weaknesses of helicopters. At the moment,perhaps too much reliance is placed upon them by allservices !

Spitfire

i#,, .t:ll.r'.t-: ': r1,:, ',1


First of the "Century" fighters, the F-L00 Super Sabre, firingu Sidewinder AIM-9A missile.

To neglect rugged fixed wing light aircraft, moreexpendable and easily replaced, and which can carryan equal amount of weaponry, may represent shortsightedness. The losses in a localised air war nearerhome could be colossal in the first battles - witnessthe massive anti-airbraft and fighter opposition avail-

able in Europe!

IIiG-15

33

LOCALISED WARS AND THE FUTURE

Vietnam, the Arab/Israeli wats, especially the YomKippur war of 1973, tt'e Indo-Pakistan wars, and even

the Falkland battles, have brought out the followingpoints for serious consideration.

1. Missiles have not, as was sometimes believed, pre-

saged the end of manned aircraft. It is the humanfactor which can still give a split-second advantage

in evasion and making a counterattack.2. On the other hand, aircraft losses against today's

anti-aircraft fire can be sudden and massive.

The Israelis suffered very serious losses in 1973,calling for quick aircraft replacement. Also, farmore ammunition was used up in such battles thanwas anticipated.

3. The real need in close support flying is for a mass

of light aircraft, heavily armed for their size, notfor relatively few high-performance but high-costsophisticated weapons systems.The Harrier may be the best aircraft of its type,but against both bad weather and a 700% effectiveanti-aircraft defence, could suffer prohibitivedamage, while a simpler, cheaper aircraft, in quan-

tity and carrying adequate fire power, could com-plete the same missions equally well.

4.When Air Force is battling Air Force, small fighterformations remain the best to exploit fully modernspeed and fire power.

First model of the radar-guided Sparrow missile (AIM-7A) un-der a F-7U wings.

The first British-made heat-seeking missile, the Red Top,

loaded on a Javelin (RN fighter) and Lightning (RAF fighter).

SI.]MMARYWe may now review the vital requirements of an airpower fit to fight and win campaigns likely to emergeeven in the next ten years, having regard also to theway in which largers powers are even now organisingand experimenting.

First, types of warfare possible or likely:

Situation 1A - Conventional Forces against Conven-tional Forces and/or GuerrillasThis often means localised war between compara-

tively developed Third World countries using non-atomic weapons;

OR

One such country, or a medium Western power,fighting a counter-insurgency campaign against guer-

rillas.The Arab/Israeli wars, the Iraq/Iran war, the Indo-

Pakistan conflicts. plus the war between Ethiopia andSomalia, and the independence wars in Zimbabwe,Angola, and Mozambique, are all varying examples.

In such wars, there may be (a) little or no airopposition (Zimbabwe, Angola).

(b) Moderate, equal, or heavy opposition - Indo/Pakistan, Israeli/Arab, Ethiopia/Somalia - when regu-lar forces only engaged - Iran/Iraq.

Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique -The need was

for attack aircraft, plus transport, air ambulance, re-connaissance and similar missions. (Parachute medicalteams were a feature, and helicopters used for searchand destroy and many different missions.)

MilitarY Enthusiast 30

Currently, the RAF figltter interceptor force is armed with the

radar-guided "Sky Hash" missile.

Indo-Pakistan, etc. - Each side possessed fightersand bombers, and some capacity for airborne mis-sions. The need was to contend with air oppositionand to carry out both close suppofi and interdiction.

Points which emerged from studying these cam-paigns were:

(l) India made excellent use of aircraft numericalsuperiority in two ways:

(a) The GNAT light fighter, manufactured onlicence for quite some yeam, plus India's ownHindustan light tactical fighters, operated suc-cessfully against more expensive Pakistan air-craft in lesser quantity.

(b) The Indian generals proved expert at Ar-moured/Air cooperation, producing a blitz-krieg in East Pakistan (since Bangladesh).

(2) Iran/Iraq - The Iranians made a surprising recov-ery from the political disorganisation which hadharassed their Air Force, and their pilots provedskilful.Iraqi bombers and fighters, however, both provedeffective, and slowed down what looked like be-coming a devastating Iranian counterattack andinvasion.

Situation 1B -A conventional localised war between two industrialcountries of medium power. This might occur inSouth America or as a new conflict between Greece/Turkey. Both call for medium size air and land forces,and neither is immediately likely.

Situation lC -Preparation by power blocs for large scale conven-tional warfare plus limited use of tactical atomicweapons only.

A sudden .Soviet political move coupled witharmed force in Europe could produce this.

So could a Soviet-Chinese armed confrontation, ora new Indo/China one (similar to 1962).

In all these cases, the airpower available on bothsides comprises:

1 Some kind of strategic bomber force with long-range capacity, varying in size.

Z.Important taclical forces of attack aircraft air-bome and troop capacity (at present using manyhehcopters).

While this air power exists, shared between nationalair forces and army aviation, a final larger develop-ment is in progress.

While in the West paratroops have more often thannot since 1945 been employed as elite corps incounter-insurgency (Alergia, Northern Ireland, An go-

la, etc. etc.), the Soviets still believe in carrying out

35Military Enthusiast 30

large paratroop operations, and the US lTas also heldsome large scale training exercises. The Indians a-

tempted one big air drop in the last Pakistan war but,due to very adverse weather conditions, it was not a

success (while their air/armoured cooperation wassplendid).

Rather than using paratroops alone, we are movingtowards the complete air portable army (the US AirMobile Division in Vietnern was one example). so thatfnture aerial warfare can be in two layers, i.e.

1. The Air War proper, at high altitudes and long dis-tarlces, waged by strategic fighters and bombers.

2. The tactical Air War carried orit by ground attackfighters and bombers (Air Force responsibility). Rmass of light, simply constnicted. ivell-armed air-craft used elastically as the tactrcal situation de-mands, to reinforce the tactical Air Force squad-IONS.

Paratroops and a complete air{anding force - air-bome infantry with artillery and support services -medical. signals. etc., entirely airborne.These combined air and air-portable forces. whenadequate, could not only neutralise opposing airforces and anti-aircraft defences, but seize strongpoints, and hold small advanced areas ready to linkup with the advancing armoured thrusts of themain army.

A new, updated, and effective blitzkreig can beborn. due to this wide and elastic use of air power

- the air power which has evolved from such anelementary basis in comparatively such a short spaceof Earth-time - 1914 to the 1980s!

RAF Regintent soltliers takittg positiorts arotincl q Harier dispersal, during a field deptoyment of No. 3 Sqn, RAFG.

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37o Copyright Eshel dranrit Ltd.

NEW - Book Order Form - Winter 198314

AII prices include packing and surface/seagoing mail)

Handbooksfl H!1 Modern Airborne Missiles

fl HS2 Israeli Air F-orce (Gunsron)fl HS4 Modern Naval Aviationn HSs Modern Soviet Air Forcen HS6 Modern Soviet Navyn HS7 Modern USAFtr HS8 Modern US Navytl HS9 Modern US Army! HSlo NATO Fightersn Hs11 Spyplanes

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fl O35 Naval Warfarc

Combat (A)

Combat (C)

fl A56 Who Dares Wins - SAStr A57 SAS: The Jungle Iirontier! A58 How to Make War (Dunnigan)n A59 Russian Front (Dunnigan)fl 4.60 SBS: Invisible Raiders (Ladd)n 'q'61 This is the SAS

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Combat (B) Middle East WarsZ A42 Arab Israeli Wars (Hezog) 2nd $ 30.00

Rcvised editionfl ED43 Isracl Army (Eshel)n ED44 Yom Kippur War (Eshel)fl ED45 Isracli Armor (Eshel)fl ED46 Israeli Airborne (Dshel)

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I ED48 The Israeli Army (Luttwack)fl ED49 IAF Arbum (Mod/rAF)n HS50 Beirut (Nlc{ullin)! OSt MidEast Conflicts (Pimlott)fl ED52 Isracl Army 48-73 (Laffin)fl ED53 Arab Armies 48-73 (LatTin)! ED54 Armor in the Mid-East Warsfl ED55 Israeli Tanks and Combat Vehiclcs

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Soviet Armed Forcesn OP71 Aircraft of the Soviet Union (Gunston)$ 65.00J A72 Guide to rhe Sovier Navy (Polnier) $ 60.00a A73 Red Navy at Sea (Watson) $ 35.00a A74 Soviet Naval Developments $ 20.00n J75 Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet

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BOOK REVIEW

FIGHTER PILOT TACTICSThe Techniques of Daylight Air Combatby Mike SpickPatrick Stephens Limited, Cambridge,176 pp.

This book starts with a detailed and diagrammed descrip-tion of the Gulf of Sidra action of 1 9 August, 1 98 I , in whichtwo US Navy F-14s downed a pair of Libyan Su-22s. Theauthor then returns to early World War I and the first ever air-to-air combat in which a French Voisin Type 3 destroyed a

German Aviatik on a recce mission over the battle iines. In thisway, Mike Spick effectively contrasts the intricate science ofpresent day air warfare with the touch-and-go,learn-on-the-jobmethods of the very first combat pilots, and sets the stage fora very comprehensive, readable work on the subject at hand.

FIGHTER PILOT TACTICS pays homage to the romanceof the early days by describing how the dashing, silk-scarvedyoung men went up to learn by doing, and then shares with us

the lessons gleaned from their trlumphs and tragedies. The

Readers'Letters

Dear Sir,In Vol. 2 No. 2 of the "Milltary Enthusiast", there is a

photo of a CF-l04 Starfighter in tiger stripes and marking ofthe Canadian Air Force. I have decided to paint a model ofmine in this striking colour scheme. However, I cannot makeout the markings on the craft and their exact position on thebody. Have you any fulther graphic information on this sub-ject that is available? (page 20, second from top)

. Yours sincerely,Jason Walford

Dear Mr. Walford,We traced our photo library back to 1980 and eariier, to

find more photos of the Tiger Squadron (439th, RCAF). We

found several frames of tlie F- 1 04s , but as these are transparen-cies they cannot be reproduced due to budgetary reasons.However, we bring here a left side view of the same Starfighterwe published in issue 12, which gives a good view of the in-scriptions and tiger insignia. We pass your request to our read-ers. If anyone has further information regarding the TigerSquadron, please send us photos, etc. and we shali be happy topublish it. We shall also continue to look for further informa-tion on this subject.

We invite our readers to send material or questions. We shalltry to answer all of them in this column.

The Editor

book moves on to between-the-wars progress, then to the test-

ing ground of 1936137 Spain, the conflagration of World War

II, the "police action" ol Korea, the Vietnam conflict, various

local wars and the Falklands. In this way the reader can notonly absorb the advancement of air warfare tactics, but also

come to understand how the whole reaim of air combat has

evolved from derring-do to a cold science and prof-essional

business.

The reader is helped along by detailed, yet simplified dia-

grams of specific air-to-air combat manoeuvres, as weil as selec-

ted individual combats of such personalities as Ball, McCudden ,

Godlrey, Gentile and Olds.The author bemoans (as do all military correspondents and

writers) the elficiency of the Israeli ceusors, but manages topresent a short victory narrative of an Israeli F-15 pilot whotook part ln the June, i982 Lebanese operation, a narrativehrst published, by the way, in BORN IN BATTLE No. 27.

L.D.R.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!NOTICE FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND BOOK ORDERS

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MILITARY ENTHUSIAST MONTHLYEThe popular companion magazine, depicting mod-em military events and armed forces in full colour;illustrations specially selected for enthusiasts on allmatters pertaining to )ircraft, arrnoured vehiclesand ships. Special feafures on the Israeli, Arab andSoviet armed forces are published frequently.Subscription for 12 issues, 1983 - $26 includingsurface mail.

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'"l,illfr"THE T{AR IN LEBANON 1982by Lt. Colonel David Eshel,IDF ret.

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Military Enthusiast Vol V No 30

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Transcript of Military Enthusiast Vol V No 30