The Aim of Bombing
IN THE BAD OLD DAYS, soldiers used to line up and face the enemy, expecting to be attacked man to man, on foot, or with horses, and later, to mow each other down with machine guns. The soldiers were maimed, bled and died by their thousands on behalf of civilians.
World War 2 changed that as it was the first major war where more civilians died than soldiers. This continues today - at risk of stirring up a hornets' nest - I reckon that the Israel-Hamas war is primarily a massive public relations stunt by Hamas to make their citizens unwilling martyrs and make Israel a pariah. At time of writing (8 April 2024), wiki says that over 34,000 civilians (33,091 Palestinian and 1,410 Israelis) have been killed. In stark contrast, Hamas claims to have lost 6,000 'fighters' while the IDF claims up to 12,000 Hamas combatants killed. The point is, civilian casualties are three to six times higher than soldiers.
The reason I venture into this minefield is that I recently watched the Oppenheimer movie, and am sporadically watching the Netflix series, Masters of the Air, which is a semi-serious attempt to dramatize USAAF B-17 bomber crews who, contrary to claims, indulged in area, and not precision, bombing. Only the leader aimed his bombs, the others released theirs when they saw the leader's bombs drop.
The Oppenheimer movie is about Dr Robert Oppenheimer, who headed the Manhattan project, whose two atomic bombs killed 129,000 -200,000 civilians - and 'just' 10,000 soldiers. The atomic bombs had the desired effect because the cost in human life was just too much, even for the Japanese Emperor.
Which raises the question of whether bombing with conventional high explosive bombs was ever really a useful strategy in the WW2. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died on the ground in horrors such as the RAF's Dreden firestorm and the USAAF's Operation Meetinghouse Tokyo raid.
Morale Bombing
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2024 من SA Flyer Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2024 من SA Flyer Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
PIPISTREL'S ELECTRO VELIS
THE FUTURE IS HERE!
LIVING THE DREAM-HEADING OFFSHORE
I dearly miss the mountains of the Western Cape, but I'm soon reminded that my \"office\" offers one of the best views, regardless of where I happen to be located on this planet. Today is no different, as ocean, clouds, and sunrise all conspire to produce a breathtaking vista while we settle down in the rhythmic gallop of the big Sikorsky.
CANADIAN C152 spin
Jim’s Note: The SACAA seem to have lost all but the newest and oldest accident reports. This is not a bad thing because I have found Canadian reports are excellent and have selected this one, because it deals with issues very relevant to South Africa – particularly density altitude, spinning, and post maintenance test flight
SPECIAL RULES AREA CHARTS
Imagine a chart that doesn’t rely on batteries that unexpectedly let you down. Imagine one that covers a large area in detail, yet that weighs a few grams.
FLIES ON THE CEILING
Allow me for a moment to explore one of the great mysteries of aviation with a subject that has been around ever since Immelman rolled his Fokker rightway up at the top of a loop over the shell-holed killing fields of World War 1.
INTERESTING AVIATORS I HAVE MET
I remember back in 1960 being in Nairobi West (where Wilson Airport is situated) standing with my mother watching a train pass by, filled with refugees from the Belgian Congo. The train was full, with many of the people dressed in pyjamas, or whatever they could find to wear in their haste to leave.
EVACUATOR
I have had a lot of fun during this past few years of flying. I have sneaked a Twin Otter out of Algeria, over Libya, to Tripoli and thence, across the Mediterranean, to the historic twinkling jewel box of Malta, at night.
WHY AIR POWER IS KEY in the Ukraine War
There is evidence that with 'borrowed' F-16s and the recent arrival of French Mirage 2000s, improved Ukrainian air superiority may be the deciding factor that brings the Russians to the peace talks table.
JANUARY 2025
The new year is off to a good start with 15 aircraft having been registered.
FLYING AROUND THE KZN AIRFIELDS
In less time than it takes to drive from one side of Johannesburg to the other, you can fly to beautiful KZN to experience amazing scenery and some fantastic airfields and hospitality.
