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1.	Rotol Variable Pitch Airscrew.

2.	Rolls-Royce Merlin II Motor.

3.	Bullet-proof glass panel.

4.	Pilot’s cockpit.

5.	Oxygen bottle.

6.	Radio.

7.	Machine Guns.

8.	Retractable undercarriage.

9.	Rudder.

10.	Tail planes and elevators.



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I HE continual progress of aircraft design
i necessitates a vast amount of theoretical
research. The designer may have on his
drawing board a “ fighter ” intended to fly at a speed
far higher than any yet achieved. But before the
plane can be built, he must know just how it will
behave in practice.

Models offer a solution. A miniature plane can be
constructed and then placed in a “ wind-tunnel ”
which will reproduce exactly flying conditions at this
increased speed. Super-sensitive instruments will
chart the behaviour of the model, and from their
readings can be established whether the design is
sound or faulty.

Picture (i) shows one of the “ wind-tunnels ”—a giant
affair where not merely models, but full-sized aeroplanes,
can be tested. Behind the dwarfed workmen is a huge fan
which causes the “ wind,” the speed of which can be
regulated from a gentle zephyr to a howling gale.

Picture (2) shows the sort of model which is used in
preliminary tests. Note the exquisite care taken to see
that it reproduces exactly the lines of its grown-up brother.
In (3) the model is in the wind-tunnel undergoing test.

Pictures (4), (5) and (6) show the same principle as applied
to ships. In (4) a miniature “ Queen Mary ” is being
subjected to wind and wave effects. The length of the
wave can be varied at will in this testing tank, so that the
designer can soon find out exactly how the great liner will
react to the Atlantic rollers.

Picture (5) shows how efficiency of hull form is established.
The huge gantry moves the model through the water, while
th£ man on the gantry observes the effects of the water on
the hull by means of a battery of instruments.

Picture (6) illustrates the testing of ships’ propellers. Again,
many instruments come into play before one type of
propeller can be proved scientifically to be better than
another.

In these ways Britain’s weapons of war are planned and
tested. Is it any wonder that they are the best in the world ?Tradition + Experience

HEN the Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd., produced
the Supermarine S4 (picture 1), the line of brilliantly
successful high-speed machines which led up to the
Spitfire had begun. This machine, which achieved a speed
of 226 m.p.h. on 700 h.p., was the first fast aeroplane to be
built with no external bracing whatever. Further development
led to the S5 (picture 2) which, flown at Venice by the R.A.F.,
won the Schneider Trophy at an average speed of 281 m.p.h.
But R. J. Mitchell, designer of these wonderful aircraft, was not
satisfied. He wanted to build a land plane, for that would be of
more use to his country. So in 1934 he brought out the F7/30 (4).
It was a good plane, so good that the Nazis copied it almost slavishly
in their Junkers 87. But it was not good enough for Britain !
Mitchell forged ahead, and in 1936 created the prototype of the
modern 400 m.p.h.-plus cannon-firing “ Spitfire ” (7).

His work completed, tragedy overtook him, and he died of a painful
and lingering disease before seeing his creation sweep the Messer-
schmitts and Junkers out of the sky. But Mitchell’s first Spitfire is
essentially the same as the latest model.

Picture (5) shows the cockpit of the 1941 version.

(6) illustrates how Spitfires were armed before
cannon made them even deadlier. Eight
machine-guns were focused at 250 yards
range, so that their 9,600 bullets a
minute hacked their way through Nazi
aircraft like a circular saw. The am-
munition belts were fed into the
wings from below (8).

It is not too much to say that had
Britain not possessed the Spitfire,
she might not have won the Battle of
Britain. Instead, thanks to the
inspiration and vision of Mitchell,

Britain won one of the most impor-
tant battles of all time.Britain adds a third

EFORE this war, naval battles were two-
dimensional, fought out in sea space alone.
Britain had always ruled this sea space, but so
that she could do so even more effectively she
exploited a third dimension—air space.

These pictures show how it is done.

(1)	shows a spotting plane being catapulted off the deck
of a cruiser. That plane will sweep hundreds of square
miles of sky, looking for an enemy far beneath.

Then, when the enemy is discovered, the reconnaissance
plane signals his position to the aircraft carrier.

(2)	From the vast deck of the carrier swarm up torpedo-
carrying planes which sweep in formation far beyond the
horizon to attack the enemy.

Now comes the important, the crucial part, of a modern
naval action. The torpedo planes close in ! They sweep
down to 50 feet above sea-level and release their deadly
“ tin fish.” And if the enemy ship is not sunk it is crippled

and unable to manoeuvre. Then come the mighty ships
of the British Fleet to administer the coup de grace.

The moment for fleet action has arrived. On the flagship’s
bridge (3) men sweep the horizon ceaselessly. In the
engine-room (4) expert engineers carefully control the
speed of the great turbines. Then the enemy is sighted !
The gunlayer (5) sets the range for the colossal cannon in
their armoured turrets (6).

At the word of command the guns roar, tons of explosive-
filled steel howl across great distances.

Now the enemy receives a final battering. Smashed, listing
dangerously, and helpless, and finally holed by torpedoes
from a British destroyer, down she goes—just as the
“ Bismarck ” (7) a new ship, pride of the German navy,
was sunk in her last engagement. The Battle of Taranto,
of Matapan, the sinking of the “ Graf Spee ” and the
mighty “Bismarck”—all these triumphs prove that British
naval strategists are realists—men who know every trick of
sea warfare.hh

dimension to naval warfareThese three pictures allow you to work out the
diverse and innumerable signals that have to be
made during an operation involving land, sea and
air forces. Not only do tanks, ships and planes
have to be ordered into action, but supply ships
have to be informed where they can take their

cargoes, as soon as new ports have been occupied.
Added to all this, a swift advance—such as the
British advance in Libya—means that operational
headquarters (indicated by a black rectangle)
have to be moved forward day by day as the
battle develops.Radio network

i HE fog of war appears almost impenetrable to
the lay observer, but for the officer commanding
an operation by land, sea or air that so-called
fog is pierced by an amazing network of radio
transmitting and receiving sets, which allow him to
get up-to-the-minute details of the battle, and to
transmit orders in a matter of minutes.

The large picture (top left) shows an airman at his radio set.
He will use it when he has finished his bombing to inform
his aerodrome that he has accomplished his mission. Then
comes “ radio silence ” until he is near home, when he will
use his directional apparatus to pick up ground signals and
correct his navigation.

The two pictures (bottom right) show a sailor standing by
for orders ; and soldiers setting up a portable transmitter
in a field. The function of radio at sea is well known ; but
less is understood of the elaborate network of stations
utilised by an army while in action. There are several sorts
of sets in operation—static stations at the base, mobile sets
in lorries, and even smaller outfits which can be carried
and operated"by one man.

Yet even modern science may fail men in battle. That is
why the homing or “ carrier ” pigeon is still widely used,
as you can see from the picture (top right). It really is
surprising how these birds manage to dodge shells and
bullets and get home safely, and their morale is excellent.
One of them laid an egg in a bomber on the way to Germany.

One interesting fact emerges from the study of communica-
tions in war. They work at their highest pressure after
the battle. For then a mass of administrative orders have
to be carried, supplies have to be organised, the return of
prisoners and wounded to the rear has to be arranged./

Every bombing raid a

SPITFIRE

BLENHEIM

BOSTON

WHITLEY

HAMPDEN

WELLINGTON

LIBERATOR

STIRLING

	RANGE	
		 Jill	
		mini	
		uiiiiiiii	
		muni	
	UIIIIIIII		
		 iiiiiiiiiiii		
	IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!		Oproblem in applied logic

UT yourself in the position of Britain’s Air Chief
of Staff. How would you plan the devastating
raids which are made on Germany?

Some of the available types of British planes, their
range and their bomb loads, are in the diagram on the
top of the left-hand page. There is your data.

Make your own decision !

Here is a concrete problem for you—organise a raid
on Berlin!

First, shall it be by night or by day ? By night, since
bombers flying by day over enemy territory would
have to be escorted by fighters, and no fighter has the
requisite range—1,200 miles there and back.

What bombers shall we use ? Blenheims ? No, the
bomb load is too small. Blenheims, being fast and
manoeuvrable, are the very planes to use for a
sudden short-range daylight sortie. But they are no
good for this Berlin trip. ... Well then, what
about the Whitley—or the Wellington ? These are
the machines for long-range, devastating work.

Suppose they are intercepted by night fighters ? Who
cares ? Whitleys and Wellingtons are heavily armed,
they will cope with the night fighters well enough.

Or perhaps the new giant bombers—Stirlings,
Halifaxes, Manchesters—might be used. “ Bombed
up ” with heavy high-explosive bombs, the squadrons
take the air. Berlin is going to get a taste of British
bombs.

And there in Picture (3) you see those bombs, carried to
their targets inside the fuselage of the bomber, and released
through the open trap-doors at the correct moment.

On the left (2) you see the torpedoes that Britain’s Beauforts
of the Coastal Command launch at enemy shipping.

Below that is a study in tactics.

(4) shows a map of the objective : railways, gasworks,
factories, and a bridge ; (5) the pilots and their observers
pore over this map, and what they decide is shown in (6).
A stick of bombs dropped in a diagonal run will dispose of
three objectives. The other four must be dealt with by
another couple of sticks dropped at the correct points in a
wide circular sweep.

The men who fly have to be as logical as the men who
command.

The large picture on this page shows a Blenheim bomber.
Of its constituent parts (1) is the aft gun turret; (2) is
the pilot’s cockpit (the photograph shows the now modified
nose, accommodating the bomb-aimer’s position) ; (3) the
retractable undercarriage (the wheels tuck up neatly into
the engine nacelles); and (4) is the engine with its
“ variable-pitch propeller ”—a device by which increased
speed of the aircraft is obtained without increasing the
engine revolutions beyond a certain maximum./

Radiolocation-how an echo

^ Pr°t>leni in British scientific research
tj » i has been more intensively studied than
that of the detection and location of
enemy aircraft. Long before a plane arrives
within the range of even the most powerful
field glasses, its position must be known if
measures for its destruction are to be
successful. When raiding planes approach
under cover of night, or screened by cloud,
the problem becomes increasingly difficult,
and detection by vision has to be abandoned
in favour of other methods. For many years
past, unceasing efforts have been made to
increase the sensitivity of detecting apparatus
to a point where accurate knowledge of the
approaching aircraft is obtained over the
widest possible range.

The early types of sound locators (2), while
proving invaluable when enemy planes
were near but invisible, relied entirely on
sounds made by engine exhaust and air-
screw. Even the later types, developed to an
astonishing degree of sensitivity, were
limited in range. Furthermore, some
method had to be devised for the detection
of aircraft “ gliding ” in, the pilot having
shut off his engines at a great height so that
he could approach in silence from a con-
siderable distance away.

Means other than sound have also been
successfully applied to this problem, and
great advances have been made in many
types of apparatus, but the untiring efforts
of a number of British scientists resulted in
one of the greatest achievements of all time—
“ radiolocation.”

Radiolocation was born as long ago as 1935.
One morning in that year, in a motor van in
Kent (3), certain observations were made by
Mr. G. Watson Watt (1), who later collected about
him the most outstanding electrical engineers of
to-day, and developed to a very high degree of
efficiency what has proved to be the most effective
weapon against the frenzied, indiscriminate Nazi
bombing of Britain.

Ether waves, filling the sky and entirely unaffected
by atmospheric conditions, are echoed back by
any solid object in their path (4). In this way
the enemy aircraft cannot avoid betraying its
presence and its position. Radiolocation is
effective and accurate over far greater distances
than any previous system.

Naturally, a large and complicated system of
auxiliary apparatus (5, 6, 7 and 8) is needed to
supplement the radiolocator itself, and thousands
of thoroughly trained experts, many of them
women, maintain day and night this powerful
weapon in the defence of Britain.beats the Nazi bombers

lb jit #.Killing-and curing

iii

(1)	These scientists are engaged in the study
and analysis of soil from various parts of
Britain. In wartime it is clearly of the
utmost importance that the best use should
be made of the resources of the land. But
this side of Britain’s scientific war effort is
the reverse of destruction. Efforts are
continually being made to improve the
quality of Britain’s agricultural produce.
The men in this picture may make a
discovery about soil and its properties from
which everyone will derive great benefit
once the Nazis have been crushed and
peace-time economy re-established.

(2)	Hundreds of thousands of men and women
“ donors ” cheerfully give their blood for the
succour of soldiers wounded in battle, or civilians
injured in air raids. Great advances have recently
been made in solving the problems of storage.
Two years ago, blood could not be stored for long
periods without deterioration. Now a significant
development has taken place. The blood is
converted into “ plasma.” In this picture of the
“ Sterile Room ” at the Headquarters of the Army
Blood Transfusion Service, bottles of plasma are
being assembled for storage. In this form blood
can be sent abroad over long distances and stored
for long periods. In this form, too, it is ready for
use at any instant to save life. The fine work
done by British scientists and doctors for the
ultimate good of humanity goes on unceasingly.
Blood storage will no doubt play a great part in
medical science after the war.

(3)	The grimmer side of science in war. In these
test tubes new experimental explosives are being
prepared. The men watch them intently, know-
ing the danger of even the slightest slip. It was
in laboratories like this that the new deadly
explosive used in Britain’s latest bombs was
developed, and newer, more powerful ones are
continually being developed by the best brains in
British science. Men like these are directly
responsible for the havoc in Nazi centres of
industry. But remember, the destruction they
cause is the destruction of the bad, the evil;
when that is done all science will co-operate to
build a better world.

(4)	A secret process. Who knows what is going
on in this formidable array of pipes, valves and
retorts ? But you may be sure that somewhere in
that complicated apparatus is an unpleasant shock
for Hitler.

(5)	A new industrial lamp is being subjected to a
final test in the laboratories where it was devised.
British scientists have perfected a tubular fluores-
cent “ daylight ” lamp which gives an almost
shadowless light, and will save war workers from
eye strain. Thus their efficiency will be increased
and their health and spirits will be improved.-start in a test tube



Mathematics takes

A The “ Boche Buster
B The 25-pounder
C The 18-pounder
D Anti-aircraft Gun
E Mortar
F Anti-tank Gun

✓

✓





N these pages graphs come to
life.

Picture (1) shows the path traced
by shells fired from various types
of gun used in the British Army.

Many anti-aircraft guns (D) can fire
several miles high.

(E)	is a special weapon, the mortar,
which fires a relatively large shell but
has a very short range. It is very light
and is a favourite infantry weapon.

(F)	, the anti-tank gun, is also really
an infantry weapon. The speed of
the projectile (the muzzle-velocity as
it is called) is so great that its trajectory
is almost a straight line. High muzzle-
velocity is essential if anti-tank shells
are to penetrate the tank’s armour plate.
Picture (2) shows all the missiles in use
from the tiny machine-gun bullet,
capable of killing a man, to the colossal
armour-piercing shell, capable of sink-
ing a battleship.

To pick out the position of a particular
enemy gun amidst the din of heavy fire,
the “ sound-ranging ” system is em-
ployed. A number of microphones
arranged along the front, pick up sound
waves from the unseen gun and record
them as lines on a film. The “ interval”
between the arrival of sound wave “X”
and sound wave “Y” as in the diagram

below is applied to a simple geometrical
principle. By means of a number of
readings the “ sound-ranger ” thus
determines the exact location of the
enemy gun.

The picture at the top of the right-hand
page shows the use of bombs. The
interesting thing here is that the higher
the aeroplane flies the sooner it must
release the bomb. Flying at 30,000 feet,
for instance, the bomb must be released
2 miles before the objective is reached.
But in every case the aeroplane is
roughly over, or just past, its objective
as the bomb bursts, as indicated by
the white silhouettes.

Britain’s precision bombing is able to
cope with these complicated calculations.
The Nazis pin their faith to crude dive-
bombing (white dotted line); but dive-
bombing can only be done by day.
Picture (3) dissects a shell, (a) is the
propellant charge—a slow-burning
explosive which forces a shell out of a
gun without shattering either. (b) is
the charge in the shell itself, quick-
burning, so as to detonate violently
when the clockwork fuse, inside the nose
of the shell (c), sets it off. The steel of
the shell (d) is brittle, made to splinter
easily—very unlike the gun-barrel
which has to withstand terrific internal
combustion without warping or cracking.

SOUND WAVES

SOUND WAVES

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the offensive





Variations in temperature play a big
part in the calculation of British
precision bombing. Hot air is much
less resistant than cold air, and so
in East Africa the R.A.F. had to
release their bombs while still a
considerable distance short of their
objective. When bombing oil tanks
in snowbound Norway the bomb
must be released some seconds later.

	
	
	
	

xuu

ID

10,000

A BRITISH BOMB
Note the ring (A) which
welds the fins firmly to-
gether, obviating flutter,
and the fine streamlining
indicated at (B) and (C).
Compare this bomb with
the drop of rain (shown top
right) which as it falls is
forced into that shape by
air pressure. The British
bomb is obviously designed
for high-precision bombing.

A GERMAN BOMB

The fins (A), at the
high speeds reached
when bombs are
dropped from a great
height, tend to wobble
or flutter, thus making
the bombing inaccu-
rate ;	(B) and (C)

illustrate the crude
streamlining which
makes precision bomb-
ing impossible.

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.../

/

Creating

ISE men do not use the word “impossible.” The
imaginative visions of the future we reveal on these
two pages may become concrete reality.

Indeed, the curious boat (i) is of the present. It is one of the invasion
barges used by British and Norwegian troops in their famous raid on
the Lofoten Islands. The heavily armoured, square-cut “ nose ” of
the barge is run up the beach and then falls forward on a hinge to
allow the men and tanks inside to make an easy landing. Maybe
the Nazis have barges like this, too. But the British have so far
seen nothing of them. . . .

The pictures beneath, (2) and (3), show two versions of an idea
which would be of enormous value in warfare. (2) is a floating
aerodrome, complete with hangars, barracks, and a slipway for flying
boats. (3) is a floating fortress, which could be towed out to any
position at sea, there to form either a defensive point d’appui
against raiders, or an advance battery of heavy guns, with a secondary
armament of anti-aircraft guns, which might act as a spear-head for
Britain’s invasion of the Continent.

It is known that experimental models of such “ floating platforms ”
have actually been made and tested. How do we know that research
in this direction has not already gone a long way ?

Pictures (4) and (5) illustrate a new use for the submarine. Is it not
possible that tiny submarines no more than a few metres long, and
wireless controlled, should be sent ahead of a battle fleet, to blast a
way through the enemy minefields ? Some of the “ submarines ”
would be blown up, of course. But they would be inexpensive toys
compared with the seven million-pound battleships whose path they
were making safe.

The streamlined battleship (6) is a perfectly feasible proposition.
Compare it with the actual photograph of a modern high-speed
torpedo boat—the difference is merely one of scale.

(7) is a gigantic land fort—the logical development of the trend in
tank design which makes for even bigger and bigger machines.

This Leviathan has aeroplanes which can be catapulted from the roof,
and carries inside batteries of guns which can be deployed through
hinged doors. The four “ port holes ” in front are loudspeakers
either for propaganda purposes or to create such a hideous din that
the nerves of the opposing army will be shattered. For remember,
noise is a very potent weapon, as the French learnt to their cost
when the Nazi dive-bombers screamed down upon them.

But one thing is certain. Whenever new devices appear in modern
war you may be sure to find them being introduced by the British.
The tank was a British invention. Britain’s scientists are working
night and day to perfect a new and better means of beating the Nazis.
Hitler will get some unpleasant surprises before this is over.

. ^



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m HE continual progress of aircraft design
I necessitates a vast amount of theoretical
research. The designer may have on his
drawing board a “ fighter ” intended to fly at a speed
far higher than any yet achieved. But before the
plane can be built, he must know just how it will
behave in practice.

Models offer a solution. A miniature plane can be
constructed and then placed in a “ wind-tunnel ”
which will reproduce exactly flying conditions at this
increased speed. Super-sensitive instruments will
chart the behaviour of the model, and from their
readings can be established whether the design is
sound or faulty.

Picture (i) shows one of the “ wind-tunnels ”—a giant
affair where not merely models, but full-sized aeroplanes,
can be tested. Behind the dwarfed workmen is a huge fan
which causes the “ wind,” the speed of which can be
regulated from a gentle zephyr to a howling gale.

Picture (2) shows the sort of model which is used in
preliminary tests. Note the exquisite care taken to see
that it reproduces exactly the lines of its grown-up brother.
In (3) the model is in the wind-tunnel undergoing test.

Pictures (4), (5) and (6) show the same principle as applied
to ships. In (4) a miniature “ Queen Mary ” is being
subjected to wind and wave effects. The length of the
wave can be varied at will in this testing tank, so that the
designer can soon find out exactly how the great liner will
react to the Atlantic rollers.

Picture (5) shows how efficiency of hull form is established.
The huge gantry moves the model through the water, while
the man on the gantry observes the effects of the water on
the hull by means of a battery of instruments.

Picture (6) illustrates the testing of ships’ propellers. Again,
many instruments come into play before one type of
propeller can be proved scientifically to be better than
another.

In these ways Britain’s weapons of war are planned and
tested. Is it any wonder that they are the best in the world ?

the unknown "X"Tradition + Experience

o

= Spitfire!

T|? HEN the Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd., produced
the Supermarine S4 (picture 1), the line of brilliantly
successful high-speed machines which led up to the
Spitfire had begun. This machine, which achieved a speed
of 226 m.p.h. on 700 h.p., was the first fast aeroplane to be
built with no external bracing whatever. Further development
led to the S$ (picture 2) which, flown at Venice by the R.A.F.,
won the Schneider Trophy at an average speed of 281 m.p.h.
But R. J. Mitchell, designer of these wonderful aircraft, was not
satisfied. He wanted to build a land plane, for that would be of
more use to his country. So in 1934 he brought out the F7/30 (4).
It was a good plane, so good that the Nazis copied it almost slavishly
in their Junkers 87. But it was not good enough for Britain !
Mitchell forged ahead, and in 1936 created the prototype of the
modern 400 m.p.h.-plus cannon-firing “ Spitfire ” (7).

His work completed, tragedy overtook him, and he died of a painful
and lingering disease before seeing his creation sweep the Messer-
schmitts and Junkers out of the sky. But Mitchell’s first Spitfire is
essentially the same as the latest model.

Picture (5) shows the cockpit of the 1941 version.

(6) illustrates how Spitfires were armed before
cannon made them even deadlier. Eight
machine-guns were focused at 250 yards
range, so that their 9,600 bullets a
minute hacked their way through Nazi
aircraft like a circular saw. The am-
munition belts were fed into the
wings from below (8).

It is not too much to say that had
Britain not possessed the Spitfire,
she might not have won the Battle of
Britain. Instead, thanks to the
inspiration and vision of Mitchell,

Britain won one of the most impor-
tant battles of all time.

oBritain adds a third

EFORE this war, naval battles were two-
dimensional, fought out in sea space alone.
Britain had always ruled this sea space, but so
that she could do so even more effectively she
exploited a third dimension—air space.

These pictures show how it is done.

(1)	shows a spotting plane being catapulted off the deck
of a cruiser. That plane will sweep hundreds of square
miles of sky, looking for an enemy far beneath.

Then, when the enemy is discovered, the reconnaissance
plane signals his position to the aircraft carrier.

(2)	From the vast deck of the carrier swarm up torpedo-
carrying planes which sweep in formation far beyond the
horizon to attack the enemy.

Now comes the important, the crucial part, of a modern
naval action. The torpedo planes close in ! They sweep
down to 50 feet above sea-level and release their deadly
“ tin fish.” And if the enemy ship is not sunk it is crippled

and unable to manoeuvre. Then come the mighty ships
of the British Fleet to administer the coup de grace.

The moment for fleet action has arrived. On the flagship’s
bridge (3) men sweep the horizon ceaselessly. In the
engine-room (4) expert engineers carefully control the
speed of the great turbines. Then the enemy is sighted !
The gunlayer (5) sets the range for the colossal cannon in
their armoured turrets (6).

At the word of command the guns roar, tons of explosive-
filled steel howl across great distances.

Now the enemy receives a final battering. Smashed, listing
dangerously, and helpless, and finally holed by torpedoes
from a British destroyer, down she goes—just as the
“ Bismarck ” (7) a new ship, pride of the German navy,
was sunk in her last engagement. The Battle of Taranto,
of Matapan, the sinking of the “ Graf Spee ” and the
mighty “Bismarck”—all these triumphs prove that British
naval strategists are realists—men who know every trick of
sea warfare.

dimension to naval warfareThe invisible

These three pictures allow you to work out the
diverse and innumerable signals that have to be
made during an operation involving land, sea and
air forces. Not only do tanks, ships and planes
have to be ordered into action, but supply ships
have to be informed where they can take their

cargoes, as soon as new ports have been occupied.
Added to all this, a swift advance—such as the
British advance in Libya—means that operational
headquarters (indicated by a black rectangle)
have to be moved forward day by day as the
battle develops.

Radio network

ffiHI HE fog of war appears almost impenetrable to
^ the lay observer, but for the officer commanding
an operation by land, sea or air that so-called
fog is pierced by an amazing network of radio
transmitting and receiving sets, which allow him to
get up-to-the-minute details of the battle, and to
transmit orders in a matter of minutes.

The large picture (top left) shows an airman at his radio set.
He will use it when he has finished his bombing to inform
his aerodrome that he has accomplished his mission. Then
comes “ radio silence ” until he is near home, when he will
use his directional apparatus to pick up ground signals and
correct his navigation.

The two pictures (bottom right) show a sailor standing by
for orders ; and soldiers setting up a portable transmitter
in a field. The function of radio at sea is well known ; but
less is understood of the elaborate network of stations
utilised by an army while in action. There are several sorts
of sets in operation—static stations at the base, mobile sets
in lorries, and even smaller outfits which can be carried
and operated^by one man.

Yet even modern science may fail men in battle. That is
why the homing or “ carrier ” pigeon is still widely used,
as you can see from the picture (top right). It really is
surprising how these birds manage to dodge shells and
bullets and get home safely, and their morale is excellent.
One of them laid an egg in a bomber on the way to Germany.

One interesting fact emerges from the study of communica-
tions in war. They work at their highest pressure after
the battle. For then a mass of administrative orders have
to be carried, supplies have to be organised, the return of
prisoners and wounded to the rear has to be arranged.



**:

Every bombing raid a

SPITFIRE

BLENHEIM

BOSTON

WHITLEY

HAMPDEN

WELLINGTON

LIBERATOR

STIRLING

RANGE

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I problem in applied logic

|PfcUT yourself in the position of Britain’s Air Chief
of Staff. How would you plan the devastating
raids which are made on Germany?

Some of the available types of British planes, their
range and their bomb loads, are in the diagram on the
top of the left-hand page. There is your data.

Make your own decision !

Here is a concrete problem for you—organise a raid
on Berlin!

Or perhaps the new giant bombers—Stirlings,
Halifaxes, Manchesters—might be used. “ Bombed
up” with heavy high-explosive bombs, the squadrons
take the air. Berlin is going to get a taste of British
bombs.

And there in Picture (3) you see those bombs, carried to
their targets inside the fuselage of the bomber, and released
through the open trap-doors at the correct moment.

On the left (2) you see the torpedoes that Britain’s Beauforts
of the Coastal Command launch at enemy shipping.

Below that is a study in tactics.

First, shall it be by night or by day ? By night, since
bombers flying by day over enemy territory would
have to be escorted by fighters, and no fighter has the
requisite range—1,200 miles there and back.

What bombers shall we use ? Blenheims ? No, the
bomb load is too small. Blenheims, being fast and
manoeuvrable, are the very planes to use for a
sudden short-range daylight sortie. But they are no
good for this Berlin trip. . . . Well then, what
about the Whitley—or the Wellington ? These are
the machines for long-range, devastating work.

Suppose they are intercepted by night fighters ? Who
cares ? Whitleys and Wellingtons are heavily armed,
they will cope with the night fighters well enough.

(4) shows a map of the objective : railways, gasworks,
factories, and a bridge ; (5) the pilots and their observers
pore over this map, and what they decide is shown in (6).
A stick of bombs dropped in a diagonal run will dispose of
three objectives. The other four must be dealt with by
another couple of sticks dropped at the correct points in a
wide circular sweep.

The men who fly have to be as logical as the men who
command.

The large picture on this page shows a Blenheim bomber.
Of its constituent parts (1) is the aft gun turret; (2) is
the pilot’s cockpit (the photograph shows the now modified
nose, accommodating the bomb-aimer’s position) ; (3) the
retractable undercarriage (the wheels tuck up neatly into
the engine nacelles); and (4) is the engine with its
“ variable-pitch propeller ”—a device by which increased
speed of the aircraft is obtained without increasing the
engine revolutions beyond a certain maximum.Radiolocation-how an echo

TjkT O problem in British scientific research
has been more intensively studied than
that of the detection and location of
enemy aircraft. Long before a plane arrives
within the range of even the most powerful
field glasses, its position must be known if
measures for its destruction are to be
successful. When raiding planes approach
under cover of night, or screened by cloud,
the problem becomes increasingly difficult,
and detection by vision has to be abandoned
in favour of other methods. For many years
past, unceasing efforts have been made to
increase the sensitivity of detecting apparatus
to a point where accurate knowledge of the
approaching aircraft is obtained over the
widest possible range.

The early types of sound locators (2), while
proving invaluable when enemy planes
were near but invisible, relied entirely on
sounds made by engine exhaust and air-
screw. Even the later types, developed to an
astonishing degree of sensitivity, were
limited in range. Furthermore, some
method had to be devised for the detection
of aircraft “ gliding ” in, the pilot having
shut off his engines at a great height so that
he could approach in silence from a con-
siderable distance away.

Means other than sound have also been
successfully applied to this problem, and
great advances have been made in many
types of apparatus, but the untiring efforts
of a number of British scientists resulted in
one of the greatest achievements of all time—
“ radiolocation.”

Radiolocation was born as long ago as 1935.
One morning in that year, in a motor van in
Kent (3), certain observations were made by
Mr. G. Watson Watt (1), who later collected about
him the most outstanding electrical engineers of
to-day, and developed to a very high degree of
efficiency what has proved to be the most effective
weapon against the frenzied, indiscriminate Nazi
bombing of Britain.

Ether waves, filling the sky and entirely unaffected
by atmospheric conditions, are echoed back by
any solid object in their path (4). In this way
the enemy aircraft cannot avoid betraying its
presence and its position. Radiolocation is
effective and accurate over far greater distances
than any previous system.

Naturally, a large and complicated system of
auxiliary apparatus (5, 6, 7 and 8) is needed to
supplement the radiolocator itself, and thousands
of thoroughly trained experts, many of them
women, maintain day and night this powerful
weapon in the defence of Britain.



beats the Nazi bombersKilling-and curing





(1)	These scientists are engaged in the study
and analysis of soil from various parts of
Britain. In wartime it is clearly of the
utmost importance that the best use should
be made of the resources of the land. But
this side of Britain’s scientific war effort is
the reverse of destruction. Efforts are
continually being made to improve the
quality of Britain’s agricultural produce.
The men in this picture may make a
discovery about soil and its properties from
which everyone will derive great benefit
once the Nazis have been crushed and
peace-time economy re-established.

(2)	Hundreds of thousands of men and women
“ donors ” cheerfully give their blood for the
succour of soldiers wounded in battle, or civilians
injured in air raids. Great advances have recently
been made in solving the problems of storage.
Two years ago, blood could not be stored for long
periods without deterioration. Now a significant
development has taken place. The blood is
converted into “ plasma.” In this picture of the
“ Sterile Room ” at the Headquarters of the Army
Blood Transfusion Service, bottles of plasma are
being assembled for storage. In this form blood
can be sent abroad over long distances and stored
for long periods. In this form, too, it is ready for
use at any instant to save life. The fine work
done by British scientists and doctors for the
ultimate good of humanity goes on unceasingly.
Blood storage will no doubt play a great part in
medical science after the war.

(3)	The grimmer side of science in war. In these
test tubes new experimental explosives are being
prepared. The men watch them intently, know-
ing the danger of even the slightest slip. It was
in laboratories like this that the new deadly
explosive used in Britain’s latest bombs was
developed, and newer, more powerful ones are
continually being developed by the best brains in
British science. Men like these are directly
responsible for the havoc in Nazi centres of
industry. But remember, the destruction they
cause is the destruction of the bad, the evil;
when that is done all science will co-operate to
build a better world.

(4)	A secret process. Who knows what is going
on in this formidable array of pipes, valves and
retorts ? But you may be sure that somewhere in
that complicated apparatus is an unpleasant shock
for Hitler.

(5)	A new industrial lamp is being subjected to a
final test in the laboratories where it was devised.
British scientists have perfected a tubular fluores-
cent “ daylight ” lamp which gives an almost
shadowless light, and will save war workers from
eye strain. Thus their efficiency will be increased
and their health and spirits will be improved.

t -start in a test tnbe

Mathematics takes the offensive

N these pages graphs come to
life.

Picture (i) shows the path traced
by shells fired from various types
of gun used in the British Army.

Many anti-aircraft guns (D) can fire
several miles high.

(E)	is a special weapon, the mortar,
which fires a relatively large shell but
has a very short range. It is very light
and is a favourite infantry weapon.

(F)	, the anti-tank gun, is also really
an infantry weapon. The speed of
the projectile (the muzzle-velocity as
it is called) is so great that its trajectory
is almost a straight line. High muzzle-
velocity is essential if anti-tank shells
are to penetrate the tank’s armour plate.
Picture (2) shows all the missiles in use
from the tiny machine-gun bullet,
capable of killing a man, to the colossal
armour-piercing shell, capable of sink-
ing a battleship.

To pick out the position of a particular
enemy gun amidst the din of heavy fire,
the “ sound-ranging ” system is em-
ployed. A number of microphones
arranged along the front, pick up sound
waves from the unseen gun and record
them as lines on a film. The “ interval”
between the arrival of sound wave “X”
and sound wave “Y” as in the diagram

below is applied to a simple geometrical
principle. By means of a number of
readings the “ sound-ranger ” thus
determines the exact location of the
enemy gun.

The picture at the top of the right-hand
page shows the use of bombs. The
interesting thing here is that the higher
the aeroplane flies the sooner it must
release the bomb. Flying at 30,000 feet,
for instance, the bomb must be released
2 miles before the objective is reached.
But in every case the aeroplane is
roughly over, or just past, its objective
as the bomb bursts, as indicated by
the white silhouettes.

Britain’s precision bombing is able to
cope with these complicated calculations.
The Nazis pin their faith to crude dive-
bombing (white dotted line); but dive-
bombing can only be done by day.
Picture (3) dissects a shell, (a) is the
propellant charge—a slow-burning
explosive which forces a shell out of a
gun without shattering either. (b) is
the charge in the shell itself, quick-
burning, so as to detonate violently
when the clockwork fuse, inside the nose
of the shell (c), sets it off. The steel of
the shell (d) is brittle, made to splinter
easily—very unlike the gun-barrel
which has to withstand terrific internal
combustion without warping or cracking.

SOUND WAVES



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SOUNDWAVES

A

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B

Variations in temperature play a big
part in the calculation of British
precision bombing. Hot air is much
less resistant than cold air, and so
in East Africa the R.A.F. had to
release their bombs while still a
considerable distance short of their
objective. When bombing oil tanks
in snowbound Norway the bomb
must be released some seconds later.

A

A GERMAN BOMB

The fins (A), at the
high speeds reached
when bombs are
dropped from a great
height, tend to wobble
or flutter, thus making
the bombing inaccu-
rate ;	(B) and (C)

illustrate the crude
streamlining which
makes precision bomb-
ing impossible.

A BRITISH BOMB
Note the ring (A) which
welds the fins firmly to-
gether, obviating flutter,
and the fine streamlining
indicated at (B) and (C).
Compare this bomb with
the drop of rain (shown top
right) which as it falls is
forced into that shape by
air pressure. The British
bomb is obviously designed
for high-precision bombing.

	—►  	.w
w	  m—	w r 4  •*- yCreating

^IgFISE men do not use the word “ impossible.” The
W imaginative visions of the future we reveal on these
two pages may become concrete reality.

Indeed, the curious boat (i) is of the present. It is one of the invasion
barges used by British and Norwegian troops in their famous raid on
the Lofoten Islands. The heavily armoured, square-cut “ nose ” of
the barge is run up the beach and then falls forward on a hinge to
allow the men and tanks inside to make an easy landing. Maybe
the Nazis have barges like this, too. But the British have so far
seen nothing of them. . . .

The pictures beneath, (2) and (3), show two versions of an idea
which would be of enormous value in warfare. (2) is a floating
aerodrome, complete with hangars, barracks, and a slipway for flying

Britain’s invasion of the Continent.

It is known that experimental models of such “ floating platforms ”
have actually been made and tested. How do we know that research
in this direction has not already gone a long way ?

Pictures (4) and (5) illustrate a new use for the submarine. Is it not
possible that tiny submarines no more than a few metres long, and
wireless controlled, should be sent ahead of a battle fleet, to blast a
way through the enemy minefields ? Some of the “ submarines ”
would be blown up, of course. But they would be inexpensive toys
compared with the seven million-pound battleships whose path they
were making safe.

The streamlined battleship (6) is a perfectly feasible proposition.
Compare it with the actual photograph of a modern high-speed
torpedo boat—the difference is merely one of scale.

(7) is a gigantic land fort—the logical development of the trend in
tank design which makes for even bigger and bigger machines.

This Leviathan has aeroplanes which can be catapulted from the roof,
and carries inside batteries of guns which can be deployed through
hinged doors. The four “ port holes ” in front are loudspeakers
either for propaganda purposes or to create such a hideous din that
the nerves of the opposing army will be shattered. For remember,
noise is a very potent weapon, as the French learnt to their cost
when the Nazi dive-bombers screamed down upon them.

But one thing is certain. Whenever new devices appear in modern
war you may be sure to find them being introduced by the British.
The tank was a British invention. Britain’s scientists are working
night and day to perfect a new and better means of beating the Nazis.
Hitler will get some unpleasant surprises before this is over.

boats. (3) is a floating fortress, which could be towed out to any
position at sea, there to form either a defensive point d'appui
against raiders, or an advance battery of heavy guns, with a secondary
armament of anti-aircraft guns, which might act as a spear-head for

'i

the future

j BH