Word: armadas
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Most daring was a raid against the Foggia air, rail and road junction on Italy's Adriatic flank. Reconnaissance had shown that the Luftwaffe had dispersed a fleet of Junkers 88s across Foggia's main drome and ten satellite fields. A carefully coached armada of more than 100 Lightnings raced across the Mediterranean and the Italian boot, roared across the dusty plain around Foggia, at hedgehopping altitude, caught the Germans by surprise. Their strafing fire raked at least...
Then the storm abated. The armada crept under the lee of Sicily's shore. Just before the hour, all the ships were at the "transport area." Every single ship of the thousand had been accounted for. At a signal, the invasion began...
...hour battle above the Russian rail center of Kursk, 80 mi. south of Orel, Russian fighters fought a 500-German-plane armada to a standstill, forcing the Luftwaffe to dump its bombs at random. German losses to Russian anti-aircraft fire and fighter planes were 162 planes; Russian plane losses...
These ships had yet to go into concerted action. Allied observers thought it possible that they might be used for a carefully coordinated air-surface-submarine campaign against the convoy lanes, or otherwise be held in readiness to strike directly at an Allied invasion armada...
...ready for the test, airmen can blame themselves as much as the officers they accuse of having old-fashioned views. Even Göring, with the resources of his country behind him, overestimated the potency of his new weapon and therefore underestimated the needs of his air armada. In the U.S., where economy, not battle, was the goal, the U.S. Air Corps as late as 1937 asked for only 108 of the new Flying Fortresses (and got 19).* Even Britain, with an independent air force, had too few aircraft when war came. Only in fighters was the R.A.F. strong enough...