THE AEROPLANE

(October 6^th1944)

Front cover:

Advert:  Ransome & Marles – Ball & Roller Bearings

In this issue:

Trade Follows Transport  (Editorial)

Matters Of Moment  (Mr Churchill’s war review, Ubiquitous Air Transport Auxiliary, British reaction-propelled fighters in service, Royal Observer Corps and Air Circus, More American types, Pathfinders’ Club.  Includes a large photograph of the Gloster reaction-propelled [jet] fighter prototype and an artist’s illustration of the Me 262)

The War In The Air  (Italy, Russia, Far East and Pacific, Offensive operations of the Allied Air Forces based on Great Britain from September 24^th to 30^th 1944.  Includes photographs of two destroyed Me 110s on a French airfield, the Potez 63-II and two small photographs of the damaged U-boat pens at Brest)

Aeronautical Engineering – Retaliation Weapon I  (Design and development, Construction, Propulsion unit.  An excellent 4-page review on the German V1 Flying Bomb.  Well illustrated with photographs, diagrams and detailed drawings.  To be concluded in a later issue)

Camouflage  (Camouflage in the field, Aerodrome camouflage, Deception by dummy, Hiding the Tactical Air Force.  An interesting 2-page illustrated article)

R.A.F. Photographic Reconaissance  (A double-page photo-montage illustrating, with descriptive text, the work of the RAF’s Photographic Reconnaissance Unit.  Includes photographs of a Mustang I, a Supermarine Spitfire P.R. XI in “shiny” camouflage and a Spitfire XI in sky-blue)

Maintaining RAF Transport  (Active Service, Mobile Workshops, Present Problems.  A 2-page illustrated article)

Aircraft Recognition  (The Bell P-63A Kingcobra and the North American P-51D Mustang.  Includes photos and artist’s drawings from three views of each aircraft together with detailed artists’ illustrations of interesting features)

Air Transport – K.L.M.’s 25^th Birthday  (Includes small photographs of a Fokker F.XVIII, a Douglas DC-2 and a Fokker XXII in flight)

Air Transport  (The November conference, In brief)

News Of The Week  (Brief snippets plus small photographs of a Boeing B-17G Fortress and a Vickers-Armstrongs Warwick carrying airborne lifeboats)

The Royal Air Force  (The Roll of Honour – The 421^st, 422^nd and 423^rd Casualty Lists, Royal Air Force Awards, plus small photographs of a line of Grumman Hellcat naval-fighter bombers on board HMS Emperor, a Hawker Typhoon and a 1,000 lb bomb being slung under the fuselage of a Fairey Barracuda in preparation for an attack on the Tirpitz)

Adverts include:  Boulton Paul Turrets, the Curtiss Commando, Field Aircraft Service, Blackburn Cirrus Engines, the Miles Master, Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah Engines, the De Havilland Mosquito, the Percivla Proctor, Ferodo Brake Linings, Irvin Air Chutes, The British Power Boat Company Ltd., Smith’s Aircraft Instruments, Marconi Radio, Short Brothers – Canopus and the Bristol Hercules

This magazine is in very good overall condition considering its age with no torn, creased or significantly marked pages other than some age-related discolouration to the page edges.  It should be noted that the staples were removed and replaced with a strong twine.  This was often carried out to prevent the poor-quality wartime wire staples rusting and staining the pages and as this example shows it was very successful.  The cover page shows some wear to the edges and spine in the form of minor knocks and rubbing (see photograph).