La Guerre Aerienne Isolement Prolonge Sur Le Theatre D'operations

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La Guerre Aerienne Isolement Prolonge Sur Le Theatre D'operations 230 2 ° Partie : La guerre aerienne isolement prolonge sur le theatre d'operations de la Mediterranee, !'application et la poursuite de la politique de canadianisation prirent un ton particulier pour le 417e. Les remplacements, en particulier, sous la forme de pilotes experimentes pour servir de commandants et de seconds d'escadrilles, furent parfois difficiles a obtenir. Paradoxalement, a d'autres periodes, le probleme etait inverse, alors que les officiers d'etat-major devaient traiter le cas de Canadiens surqualifies pour lesquels il n 'existait aucune possibilite de promotion sur les theatres d'ope­ rations, a mains de les affecter a des escadrons OU des formations de la RAF. Un commandant d'escadrille experimente du 401e, par exemple, pouvait assez facilement etre promu au commandement d 'un autre escadron de chasse de I' ARC au Royaume-Uni, mais son alter ego du 417e n'avait qu 'une seule possibilite s'il voulait rester dans une unite de l 'ARC : ii devait attendre que son propre comman­ dant d'escadron soit affecte ailleurs ou soit abattu. Le 417e etait encore en Angleterre et s'exen;ait pour atteindre Jes normes operationnelles quand, a la mi-fevrier 1942, la Luftwaffe se joignit a la Kriegsmarine (marine allemande) pour realiser la« percee de la Manche »des croiseurs Scharnhorst et Gneisenau et du cuirassier lourd Prinz Eugen, a partir du port de Brest, de l 'Atlantique vers la Mer du Nord. L'echec de la RAF areagir rapidement et de maniere adequate, en depit de !'existence d'un plan de crise detaille pour !'operation Fuller, signifiait une occasion perdue pour Bentley Priory, qui doit accepter une part importante du blame. Quelque 280 avians, Me 109, I IO et FW 190 travaillant par equipes, servirent de chien de garde a la flottille allemande. L'echec, quant aux vols de reconnais­ sance du Coastal Command et du Fighter Command, permit a l'ennemi d'entrer dans le Pas-de-Calais, a mi-chemin du retour, avant que Jes Britanniques ne soient capables de lancer leur premier raid execute par six biplans desuets Fairey Swordfish, de la Fleet Air Arm, armes de torpilles, et de cinq escadrons de chasse designes pour assurer leur protection. L'escadre de Homchurch, se composant des 64e et 41 re Escadrons, devait voler en escorte rapprochee et essayer d'inter­ dire tout tir antiaerien, tandis que les trois escadrons de l'escadre de Biggin Hill, qui comprenaient le 40 le, devaient servir de couverture. Toutefois, un seul de ces cinq escadrons reussit son rendez-vous avec les Swordfish et une importance excessive donnee a la securite fit en sorte qu'aucun d'eux ne comprit reellement !'importance de la tache qu'ils devaient accomplir et que seuls quelques-uns 2 etaient au courant de cette tache4 • Le 4ue Escadron, dirige par le commandant d' Aviation R.B. Newton de la RAF (qui venait tout juste de prendre le commandement), decolla en retard a cause de « conditions meteorologiques defavorables ». Peut-etre semblait-il ne pas y avoir grande urgence, puisque Jes Canadiens avaient re9u I' ordre de ne rechercher que des navires ennemis. La patrouille que l'escadron effectua ne l'amena pas en contact avec le principal convoi ennemi», bien qu'il ait « fait l'objet de tirs de navires antiaeriens sans dommages pour nous-memes ». Une seconde mission, en milieu d'apres-midi, les trouva protegeant le retrait des bombardiers, qui avaient vainement cherche l'ennemi au milieu d'une couver­ ture nuageuse importante43. Le 401e Escadron echoua aussi dans son rendez-vous, retarde par de la confu- Le passage a l'offensive 231 sion quant a la securite, ce qui aurait ete comique s'il n'y avait pas eu des consequences tragiques. Le plan de bataille de Fuller etait enferme dans un coffre­ fort a Biggin Hill, mais l 'officier du renseignement de la station avait pris un jour de permission, oubliant de laisser la combinaison a son adjoint. Ce ne fut qu'au moment ou l'etat-major du groupe s'informa impatiemment quanta l'absence de reponse de l'escadre que les pilotes revurent l'ordre de decoller « pour intervenir dans une bataille entre des navires ennemis allemands et des batiments de guerre britanniques ». Un ciel bas, du brouillard et une pluie battante rendirent tout contact visuel impossible avec les Swordfish, tandis que le fait que la Fleet Air Arm et le Fighter Command utilisaient des frequences radio differentes empechait toute communication air-air. Laissant les Swordfish a leur destin- ils furent tous abattus par la Flak et des chasseurs, et seuls cinq des dix-huit membres d'equipage survecurent - les 401e et 128e Escadrons effectuerent une patrouille au nord de Calais et« de nombreux combats aeriens s'ensuivirent, lorsqu'un nombre conside­ rable de Me I09E et F, et de FW 190 engagerent le combat »44. Le 403e Escadron, en tant qu'element de l'escadre de North Weald, revut l 'ordre d' assurer « la superiorite aerienne entre I 4 h 30 et I 5 h, tan dis que l'attaque principale par des appareils du Coastal et du Bomber Command etait en cours »45. L 'escadre decolla a I 4 h IO, comptant se joindre a l 'escadre de Debden, au-dessus de Manston, mais Jes nombreux nuages firent apparemment echouer le processus. En fait, les Canadiens se trouvaient alors a agir de fa~on independante, en trois sections de trois appareils chacune - qui rappelaient la formation en « vie » maintenant discreditee! - menees par leur commandant britannique, le commandant d' Aviation C.N.S. Campbell. Campbell se trouva isole des autres, au-dessus des cotes fran~ai s es, mais apres avoir toumoye brievement avec trois Messerschmitt qui attaquaient deux bombardiers Hudson, ii fut rejoint par deux Spitfire de sa propre section rouge et trois d'un autre escadron. « Les rn9 continuaient a sortir de la base des nuages, mais lorsque [les Spitfire] se dirigeaient vers eux, ils y plongeaient a nouveau. » Pendant ce temps, les sections bleue et jaune revendiquaient un avian ennemi abattu et un autre endommage, dans le desordre de combats a petite echelle dus a une mauvaise coordination des efforts dans un ciel tres couvert. Plusieurs autres pilotes se battirent brievement contre des Messerschmitt alors qu'ils jaillissaient des nuages pour y rentrer a nouveau a basse altitude, mais ne revendiquerent aucune victoire. A la fin de lajoumee, le Fighter Command avait perdu douze pilotes et dix-sept appareils, alors qu' il avait abattu dix-sept chas­ seurs ennemis et revendique la « neutralisation » ou la mort de onze aviateurs allemands. Mais si la bataille tactique se terminait sur un match nu!, il ne faisait aucune doute quant a celui qui avait gagne les batailles strategique, operation­ nelle et publicitaire. Le « Channel block » (blocus de la Manche) avait echoue de maniere honteuse46. Le fiasco de Fuller etant derriere eux et la W ehrmacht passant de nouveau a !'offensive a l'est, les chefs d'etat-major britanniques, une fois de plus, envisa­ geaient la question de savoir comment leurs diverses forces pourraient aider au mieux !'Union Sovietique en 1942. La Royal Navy faisait tout ce qu 'elle pouvait pour s'assurer que les approvisionnements nord-americains atteignent Mour- 232 2 ° Partie : La guerre aerienne mansk. En Afrique du Nord, la Huitieme Armee, depassee et mal dirigee, poursui­ vie par I' Afrika Korps, etait en retraite vers El Alamein et le delta du Nil. Maltese battait pour sa survie et utilisait des ressources en chasseurs. Le Bomber Command s 'employait main tenant ( avec tres peu de succes) adetruire la base industrielle et le moral du peuple allemand. La proposition de l'etat-major de l' Air au Fighter Command etait d'accroitre I'offensive. Ses services de renseignements estimaient que « des pertes totales de 200 chasseurs de jour [ennemis] par mois, dues a n'importe quelle cause, sur le front occidental, entraineraient a long terme un declin de la puissance ennemie et qu'un total de 250 necessiterait un renfort a l'ouest, aux depens de la force de chasseurs monomoteurs allemands en Russie »47. Surles 250 pertes esperees, la moitie devrait etre infligee en combat, tandis que l'autre moitie pourrait provenir d'accidents arrivant au cours des operations ou de l'entrainement. Toutefois, amener l'ennemi a se battre posait le probleme le plus ardu: qu'est-ce qui obligerait le chasseur a venir se battre? Les nouveaux reservoirs largables auxiliaires entraient en service; leur rayon d'action avait augmente d'environ 190 milles (304 km) a partir des terrains d'aviation du I Ie Groupe et dans cette limite, la priorite etait attribuee aux objectifs potentiels des Circus, en fonction de leur importance economique et des dommages qui pouvaient leur etre infliges par une assez petite force de bombardiers. Les centrales electriques avaient la priorite et six industries principales venaient en second; il y avait en tout cinquante-huit objectifs : quarante et un en France, douze en Belgique et cinq aux Pays-Bas48. II restait a savoir si l'un d'eux presentait suffisarnment d'importance pour amener la Luftwaffe a se battre. Une comparaison des capacites de chacun des adversaires semblait favoriser les Allemands. « Cette annee, nous sommes dans une situation pire qu'en l94I dans le domaine des chefs de formation et des pilotes experimentes », declaraient des analystes de Bentley Priory. Ils poursuivaient en speculant qu'a «cause du nombre considerable qui avait ete envoye outre-mer ... ii semble raisonnable de supposer que le Fighter Command a ete plus vide de pilotes experimentes que les forces de chasse ennemies sur le front occidental » - une supposition qui ne tenait pratiquement pas compte des pertes allemandes a !'est.
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