WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 2 May 1929, Page 2

WAR STORIES

ATTACKS 13Y TANKS AND AEROPLANES. (liv “ SIGN A 1,8,’’ in the “ Daily Mail.”) Crawling tanks and swift-living aeroplanes seem ill-assorted companions, hut they co-operated successfully in the war. Towards the end of June 1918, No. 8 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was placed at the disposal of the G.0.C., Tanas Corps, to investigate the possibilities of combined action. Hitherto there had been no co-opera-tion in actual operations. No. 15 Squadron had experimented with signalling to tanks by means of black discs lixed to the end of an iron arm swung out at right angles from the fuselage. No. 22 Squadron also had experimented with wireless telephony communication with tanks, and No. 42 Squadron with smoke flares and Very lights. No. 8 Squadron started to work on the basis of these experiments. To establish a close liaison between the two corps, tank officers made flights in the aeroplanes and the pilots went for rides in the tanks. On July 4, when an attack was launched with Hamel as its objective, co-operation between the two arms •vas given a particular test. CONCEALMENT BY NOISE. Although the morning was dark, with clouds at 1,000 feet, a number of machines loft the aerodrome at l’ouiainville between 2.50 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. Captain Quick, with Lieutenant T. .M. Doley as observer, left at 2.50 a.m. and Captain' Wilson, with Lieut. L. W. Norman as observer, left at 3 a.m., and during the later phases of the advance flew low over the lines, so that the roar of their engines might drown the noise of the advancing tanks —tactics which were adopted on many subsequent occasions. The results of this co-operation yore very promising. Further tests with wireless telephony showed that communication could be carried out with great limitations but was not at that time practicable. Wireless telegraphy was tried very satisfactorily, but there was not time to adopt this system before the opening of the Battle of Amiens on August 8. In these operations aeroplanes were 1 used to drown the noise of the tanks and to keep the tank units continually informed regarding the progress of the battle by dropping messages at definite points marked by a ground sign in the form of a letter. . While heavy mist interfered with the aeroplane work in the early hours ol August 8, it cleared later in the morn ing and much vhluable work was done by the machines which dropped messages containing vital information. In one instance an aeroplane attacked and silenced enemy machine-gun nests which were holding up tanks. Later aeroplanes were used more and more on anti-tank gun work, and helped their lumbering brethren of the ground by attacking anti-tank guns which were impeding their progress.