Suicide Fighters

Last week the British revealed that they were using a new weapon in the battle to keep Britain supplied. The weapon: fast Hurricane land fighters, carried on the foredeck of merchant ships and catapulted into the air when enemy bombers attack.

If they survive air battle, the pilots have three chances to get through: 1) to make land, if near enough; 2) to crash-land on the sea near a ship; 3) to bail out carrying a rubber raft and hope for a ship. In mid-Atlantic none of the chances is very good.

Even when first tried, with only one plane to a convoy (now more and more ships are being equipped), the suicide fighters proved their effectiveness in catching by surprise German bombers who thought they were too far from land to worry about air attack. For some time the British kept their new weapon secret to confuse the German bombers, lead them to think an aircraft carrier must be near.

Eventually the British may get small aircraft carriers to escort their convoys. Meanwhile they sacrifice planes and pilots. Having reduced sinkings by U-boats, they still have to beat the bomber menace to their convoys.

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