HOW STRONG ARE GERMANY'S PLANES?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 30, 19 January 1940, Page 4

HOW STRONG ARE GERMANY'S PLANES?

(By 27/762)

s* 4 RE the big German fighting ’planes much superior to ours?" I asked one of the senior officers of our Air Force a few days ago. He laughed. "I'll tell you this: So far I don’t think we have used any of our new fighters-we'’re running all over the Germans with our old machines. When we do begin to use them, I think the Germans will be surprised. The Allies are evidently saving their best and latest ’planes for future use." And he should know, for he is in constant touch with friends in the Royal Air Force. He told me that so far only British standard ‘planes had been responsible for bringing down enemy raiders over the Firth of Forth and the North Sea. Since then I have done a little searching for particulars of the German fighting and bombing aircraft. C. G. Grey, editor of " All The World’s Aircraft," is my authority for much of the information contained in this article. Used in Spain First of all the German bombers. Pride of place, because of experience, goes to the Heinkel He 111, which was used in Spain by German airmen fighting for the Nationalists. It is a two-

motor ’plane,. with liquid-cooled motors of 1,070 h.p. It has a top speed of 260 miles an hour, which can be beaten by the British Blenheim, and is slower than most of the fighters of other nations. Next comes the Dornier Do. 17, which is newer than the Heinkel. Known as the "flying pencil,’ because of its slim body, the Do. 17 has two liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz motors with an official speed of 292 miles an hour. Mr. Grey is of the opinion that this machine, like many of the British machines, is capable of far greater speed. Huge Flying Fortress By far the biggest of the German bombers is the Focke-Wulf Condor, a huge flying fortress with four 720 h.p. motors and an official speed of 230 miles an hour. These machines can also be converted into passenger liners. By changing the motors they can be made to do 300 miles an hour. General Udet, who was in charge of German technical development when war broke out, was not in favour of using the huge Condors, and told the designers that they could sell these machines to foreign countries as passenger liners. They did not sell any, however. Mr. Grey states that these " flying