Background Part 1

Although the devastating effect of the German 'Blitzkrieg', the welding of armour, artillery, infantry and air power for common purpose, had been witnessed in Poland, in other countries in central Europe and in Scandinavia, it was not until British forces faced it in May l940 that the seriousness of situation was fully appreciated. The Air Staff’s philosophy at that time was that the role of the air forces was to engage the enemy 'beyond the range of the army's artillery' and that the German 'model' represented a 'gross misuse of air power'. Air power should be used to interrupt the flow of enemy supplies and reinforcements to the area of the ground battle and should intercept enemy aircraft on their way to the battlefield. This view was still held by some senior air commanders up to June 1943 when planning for 'Overlord' was underway and it was clear that the Air Staff had still not fully taken in the lessons learned in the Middle East.

After the evacuation from Dunkirk demands were made for the RAF to introduce dive bombers and for the Army to have its own air force. Both demands were rejected but Army Co—operation Command was formed and 2 (Light Bomber) Group was tasked specifically to provide close support for the ground forces. At that time the only aircraft in the air force inventory that could possibly support the ground forces were light bombers. At that time a German invasion of England was expected and that concentrated the mind. Exercises were conducted; procedures tried; equipment tested and ground rules formulated.

Meanwhile in North Africa, as soon as Italy declared its hand, British Army and Air Forces were in contact with the enemy and it was in this environment that the ground rules were applied and refined. But in a short time three powerful aero engines had been sufficiently developed to go into production and these would change forever the concept of air support of the ground forces. The first of these was the Bristol Hercules radial engine (14 cylinders, 1,600hp) which made the Bristol Beaufighter possible. Their power enabled the Beaufighter to lift a significant load. A standard fit of 4 x 20mm cannon and six rifle calibre machine guns was a potent cocktail. Add the ability to carry a 2,100 lb torpedo (nearly a ton), or up to 1,500 lbs of bombs or rockets and suddenly the answer to air support is not a light bomber but a pugnacious fighter-bomber.

 The power of the Merlin engine was also significantly increased (Merlin XX,12 Cylinder 'V' developing 1,260hp) enabling the Hurricane to carry bombs and 20mm camions but the most brutal engine of the trio was the Napier 'Sabre' engine (24 cylinder 'H’ configuration, developing 2,200 hp) that was to power the Typhoon and enable that aircraft to lift a prodigious weight of bombs and other weapons for its size.