Strana 7
USS Block Island CVE-21, Part 2
History / Vladimír Šulc
Although the entry of the United States into the war was a decisive mo-
ment in its development—a strategic turning point—it did not immediately
manifest at the tactical level. At the time of entering the war, the U.S. Navy
had little direct experience with modern naval warfare or anti-submarine
warfare, but it could have drawn on the extensive experience of the British.
However, it did not. Admiral King, commander of the U.S. Navy, under whose
direct authority fell both the protection of shipping in American coastal wa-
ters and anti-submarine operations, ignored British recommendations, such
as implementing a convoy system for merchant ships sailing in American
coastal waters. There was also no consistent coastal blackout, which made
it easier for enemy submarines to launch nighttime attacks on ships.
Crucial coordination between the Air Force and Navy in anti-submarine war-
fare was lacking, and there were not enough resources available for convoy
protection. Despite these issues, the Allies are approaching a pivotal mo-
ment in the Battle of the Atlantic. However, as the second part of our article
shows, the road ahead will not be easy.
Emergency landing
of the Gruppenkommandeur
Model & Story / Peter Kaššák & Marek Žatkovič, Paolo Portuesi
Bf 110 C-4 from Stab II./ZG 76 (“M8+KC”, W.Nr.3285), photographed on the
beach at Etaples. The emergency landing was masterfully executed by
Gruppenkommandeur Hptm. Erich Groth on 11 September 1940. However,
the aircraft was a personal machine of Hans-Joachim Jabs from the period
of the Battle of Britain. At the time when Jabs flew with it for 6./ZG 76, it had
the code “M8+KP”. He flew with the aircraft for most of August and Septem-
ber. The plane was temporarily withdrawn from service, and Jabs received
a new one in September 1940. The aircraft, however, returned to the service
sometime later as a part of Stab II./ZG 76. The code was changed from
“M8+KP” to “M8+KC”. The letter C indicates the connection to the Stab
II./ZG 76. The repainting of the letter is very noticeable in the picture.
It is interesting that the Bf 110 also retains the symbols of its previous
owner´s achievements within Stab II./ZG 76.
Just-a-Snappin’
History / Jan Zdiarský
The TV Series Masters of the Air, Episode 5: …Thorpe Abbotts is recovering
from the shock of the first days of October 1943 that will soon come to be
known as ‘Black Week’. Of the nineteen aircraft that took part in the raid on
Bremen on October 8th, 1943, eight did not return. Nine more were damaged,
three of them seriously. More than eighty seats in the dining room were left
empty. The crews Bill of De Marco with Bucky Cleven, Herbert Nash, Willi-
am MacDonald, Frank H. Meadows, Arthur Becktoft, Tom Murphy with Alvin
Barker, Richard Gormley and Everett Blakely with Jack Kidd did not return …
among the lost men were three officers from the unit’s senior command.
The mournful mood on the base was overwhelming. And then suddenly
came the news that brightened that despair a little. Blakely and Kidd are
alive, and so is Crosby… they crash-landed somewhere on the coast
of England! They are beaten up, but alive! Thus begins, or rather ends,
the story of the Flying Fortress named Just-a-Snappin’…