FILM STAR

摘要

With the outbreak of the Korean conflict in June 1950, plans to expand British armed forces were rushed through. There was an urgent need to offload, or postpone, second-line tasks to release personnel and assets for combat. A vital element of training for active duty was target practice for anti-aircraft gunners on land and at sea, and for the diminishing number of turret gunners in Avro Lincolns and Shackletons, and Boeing Washingtons. Providing gunnery instruction was a well-established function of the RAF and Fleet Air Arm (FAA). In those days what is known as target facilities comprised towing cloth sleeves for live firing or acting as the 'enemy' in passive exercises. To meet this need, tug versions of the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito had been developed. The previous feature in this series (published in last month's issue) outlined the origins of the latter.