1937 in aviation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1937:
[edit] Events
[edit] January
[edit] February
- March 5 – Imperial Airways opens a new flying boat base at Hythe, Hampshire, England.
- March 8 – A Nationalist offensive begins against Guadalajara, Spain, with support by Italian forces, including 50 fighters and 12 reconnaissance planes.[6]
- March 17 – Amelia Earhart flies a Lockheed Electra from Oakland, California, to Wheeler Field, Territory of Hawaii, on the first leg of an attempted circumnavigation of the world, making the flight in 15 hours 47 minutes.
- March 20 – As Earhart tries to leave Hawaii for the second leg of her around-the-world flight, her Electra is severely damaged in an aborted takeoff from Luke Field on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, bringing her circumnavigation attempt to an end.[7]
- March 22 – Spanish Nationalist leader Francisco Franco orders his National Aviation (Aviación Nacional) force to begin a bombing campaign against the Basques in northern Spain.[8]
- March 22 – The 71-year-old English aviatrix and ornithologist Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, dies in the crash of her de Havilland DH.60GIII Moth Major into the North Sea off Great Yarmouth, England. Her body is never recovered.
- March 31 – A Spanish Nationalist ground offensive begins against the Basques, supported by 80 German aircraft based at Vitoria-Gasteiz and 70 Spanish Nationalist and Italian aircraft based elsewhere in northern Spain. Opposing them are 20 to 30 Basque aircraft. On the first day, German Junkers Ju 52s conduct the first terror bombing and strafing of an undefended town in Europe, killing 248 people in Durango.[9]
- March 31-April 4 &ndaash; Supporting Nationalist forces, 40 to 50 aircraft per day bomb Ochandiano, Spain.[10]
- April 6–9 – Masaaki Iinuma (pilot) and Kenji Tsukagoshi (flight mechanic and navigator) fly the Mitsubishi Ki-15 J-BAAI Kamikaze 15,366 km (9,542 statute miles) from Tachikawa, Japan, to Croydon Airport in London in a record 94 hours 17 minutes 56 seconds, of which 51 hours 17 minutes 23 seconds is spent in the air at an average speed of 162 km/hr (101.2 mph).[11] It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
- April 12 – Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at the British Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby, England.
- April 20 – A new Nationalist advance begins in Vizcaya province in northern Spain, supported by a preliminary aerial bombardment.[12]
- April 26 – Four Heinkel He.111 and 23 Junkers Ju 52 bombers of the German Condor Legion attack Guernica, Spain, in the first example of "carpet bombing" to demoralize a civilian population. Over three hours, the bombers drop 45,000 kg (99,207 lbs) of bombs, destroying 70% of the city and killing at least 1,000, and perhaps as many as a third (over 1,600 people) of its inhabitants. Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Heinkel He 51 fighters also strafe the town to kill any inhabitants they see. The town burns for three days. The damage shocks Spanish Nationalist military leaders, and the Condor Legion engages in no further area bombing during the Spanish Civil War.[13][14]
- In the Spanish Civil War, the Republicans have the technological and numerical superiority in the air, with about 450 aircraft, including 150 Soviet and 50 other fighters and 60 Soviet and 40 other bombers; they have lost about 150 aircraft since the war began in July 1936. The Nationalists have a little less than 400 aircraft, with about 150 flown by Spanish pilots, about 100 in the German Condor Legion, and about 120 in the Italian "legionary air force."[15]
- May 6 – The Hindenburg disaster occurs when the German dirigible Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed at the end of a transatlantic flight while attempting to dock with a mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Of the 97 people on board, 35 are killed, as is one member of the ground crew.
- May 8 – Lieutenant Colonel Mario Pezzi of Italy sets a world altitude record of 15,655 meters (51,362 feet) in a Caproni Ca.161.
- May 22 – The Spanish Republican Air Force sends fighters on a risky flight across Nationalist-controlled territory to Republican bases in northern Spain to support the Basque defense against Nationalist forces there; seven of them arrive safely. Over the next several weeks, 50 more Republican aircraft – Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters and Polikarpov R-5 light bombers – will make the trip, with 45 arriving safely.[16]
- May 24 – A Spanish Republican air raid against Palma, Majorca, hits the Italian armed merchant cruiser Barletta – a unit of the non-intervention patrol around Spain.– killing six of her crew.[17]
- May 26 – Spanish Republican air raids by Soviet pilots narrowly miss the German patrol ship Albatross at Palma and damage the German "pocket battleship" Deutschland off Ibiza, killing 31 and wounding 66 aboard Deutschland.[18]
- July 3 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific Ocean on a flight from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, and are never seen again.
- July 3–6 – Pan American World Airways and Imperial Airways flying boats conduct joint survey flights over the Atlantic Ocean in preparation for the commencement of regular services.
- July 6 – A Spanish Republican offensive against Brunete begins, supported by 300 aircraft; the Republicans will use Polikarpov I-15 fighters at night for the first time during the battle, opposing night-bombing German Heinkel He 111 bombers. The Nationalists redeploy German aircraft of the Condor Legion from north to central Spain to support Nationalist ground forces around Brunete.[23]
- July 7 – The Marco Polo Bridge Incident begins the Second Sino-Japanese War.[24][25]
- July 7 – Curtiss receives the largest order placed with an airplane manufacturing company since 1918 when the United States Army Air Corps orders 210 P-36 Hawks[26]
- July 11 – The Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy agree that if a full-scale war breaks out with China, the army will have the responsibility for operations in northern China and the navy in central and southern China.[27]
- July 11 – German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters appear over the battlefield around Brunete, Spain, proving themselves much more effective than Republican Polikarpov I-15 fighters, although outnumbered by the I-15s.
- July 12–14 – Mikhail Gromov, A. B. Yumashev, and S. A. Danilin establish a new distance record of 10,148 km (6,306 mi) from Moscow to San Jacinto, California, USA via the North Pole in a Tupolev ANT-25, covering the distance in 62 hours 17 minutes.[28]
- July 18 – Supporting Nationalist forces, German fighters of the Condor Legion begin to dominate the air over the Battle of Brunete, shooting down 21 Republican aircraft during the day. The Nationalists will hold the advantage in the air over central Spain for the rest of the Spanish Civil War.[29]
- July 21 – Arbitrating the Royal Navy's request that control of British naval aircraft be transferred to it from the Royal Air Force for the first time since the dissolution of the Royal Naval Air Service in 1918, Sir Thomas Inskip recommends to the British Cabinet that the Royal Navy have full control of its aircraft. His decision, which becomes known as the "Inskip Award," will take nearly two years to implement.[30]
- July 25 – The Battle of Brunete ends. During the 20-day-long battle, the Republicans have lost about 100 aircraft, while the Nationalists have lost 23. The appearance of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter and Heinkel He 111 bomber and the Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bomber in numbers during the battle signals the end of Republican air superiority in the Spanish Civil War.[31]
[edit] August
- August 6 – In response to a request by Spanish Nationalist leader Francisco Franco for the Italian armed forces to attack ships in the Mediterranean Sea bringing aid to the Republicans, Italian aircraft based on Majorca bomb a British, a French, and an Italian merchant ship near Algiers.[32]
- August 7 – Italian aircraft from Majorca bomb a Greek ship in the Mediterranean Sea.[32]
- August 12 – Majorca-based Italian aircraft sink a Danish cargo vessel in the Mediterranean Sea.[32]
- August 14 – On the second day of the Battle of Shanghai, Nationalist Chinese aircraft attack Imperial Japanese Navy ships anchored in the Whangpoo River during the Second Sino-Japanese War.[27]
- August 14 – Vice Admiral Kiyoshi Hasegawa orders Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers to begin strikes against the coast of China, beginning several months of such operations.[33]
- August 14 – A Nationalist offensive in northern Spain against Basque forces defending Santander, begins, supported by 70 German – including the latest models, being evaluated in combat for the first time – 80 Italian, and 70 Spanish Nationalist aircraft. Republican forces opposing them have only 33 fighters – only 18 of them modern Soviet aircraft – and 11 reconnaissance planes. The Nationalist aerial bombardment will overwhelm the defenders of Santander, which will fall to the Nationalists on August 26.[34]
- August 14–15 - Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi G3M bombers based at Taihoku on Formosa and Ōmura on Kyūshū conduct over-ocean raids on Nationalist Chinese bases 400 to 500 miles (644 to 805 km) inland, demonstrating an operational range that astonishes both foreign observers and those of the Imperial Japanese Army.[33] It is the first transoceanic bombing raid in history.[35]
- August 15 - Luft Hansa begins seaplane services between the Azores and New York with the assistance of seaplane tenders stationed along the route.
- August 24 – The Republicans launch an offensive against Nationalist in forces in Aragon, supported by about 200 aircraft; the opposing Nationalists have only 15 Heinkels. The Nationalists redeploy 20 Fiat CR.32 fighters commanded by the ace Joaquín García Morato, 20 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers, and 20 cargo aircraft from northern Spain to the area to bolster the defense.[36]
- August 26 – Majorca-based Italian aircraft bomb a British merchant ship off Barcelona, Spain.[32]
[edit] September
- The Mitsubishi A5M (Allied reporting name "Claude") fighter enters service, allowing the Imperial Japanese Navy to gain air superiority in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese soon gain control of the skies over Shanghai.[37]
- A French military leader tells the British that "a veritable forest of guns" over the Maginot Line will prevent the German Luftwaffe from intervening in a land war between France and Germany.[38]
- September 1 – Supported by 250 aircraft, Spanish Nationalist forces begin an offensive against Republicans inn Asturias. The absence of the Condor Legion, which is deployed in Aragon, is felt; Nationalist progress is slow for the first six weeks.[39]
- September 1 – Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, began operations.
- September 17 – At a conference at Nyon, Switzerland, to address Italian attacks on merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea attended by Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Turkey, delegates agree that a British and French naval patrol in the Mediterranean west of Malta previously authorized to sink submarines suspected of attacking merchant ships also will be authorized to attack aircraft suspected of engaging in anti-shipping strikes. The agreement is in response to Italian attacks on merchant ships by aircraft based at Majorca.[40]
- September 19–22 – Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A5M ("Claude") fighters conduct a successful campaign to eliminate Chinese air resistance over Nanking.[41]
[edit] October
[edit] November
[edit] December
- Major air battles take place between Imperial Japanese Navy and Nationalist Chinese aircraft over Nanchang on December 9 and December 22, during which the Japanese claim the destruction of 29 Chinese aircraft in the air and 25 on the ground.[42]
- December 9 – During combat over Nanchang, an Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A5M ("Claude") fighter loses a third of its right wing when it is rammed by a Nationalist Chinese Curtiss Hawk, but flies 200 miles (320 km) back to base without further mishap.[41]
- December 12 – The Panay Incident occurs, when Imperial Japanese Navy Yokosuka B4Y (Allied reporting name "Jean") bombers and Nakajima A4N fighters sink the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Panay (PR-5) and three nearby Standard Oil tankers on the Yangtze River near Nanking.
- December 15 – A Spanish Republican offensive in the area of Teruel, Spain, begins. The ensuing Battle of Teruel will last until February 22, 1938, and involve 120 fighters, 80 bombers, and 100 other aircraft on the Republican side and 150 fighters, 100 bombers, and 110 other aircraft on the Nationalist side.[47]
- December 29 – A Spanish Nationalist counteroffensive against Republican forces during the Battle of Teruel begins with the support of German aircraft of the Condor Legion. The Condor Legion has had to redeploy in order to support the counteroffensive, and its personnel are becoming weary of the constant changes of front required by Nationalist military operations.[48]
[edit] First flights
[edit] January
[edit] February
[edit] August
[edit] September
[edit] October
[edit] December
[edit] Entered service
[edit] February
[edit] August
[edit] October
[edit] November
[edit] December
[edit] Retirements
[edit] References
- ^ Hardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 978-0-87474-510-8, p. 49.
- ^ Scheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987, ISBN 978-0-87021-295-6, p. 201.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 21.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 583, 585.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 594.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 596-597.
- ^ Aviation Hawaii: 1930-1939 Chronology of Aviation in Hawaii
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 612.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 614, 616-617.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 617.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 151.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 623.
- ^ Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2006, ISBN 978-1-84476-917-9, p. 269.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 624-625, 627.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 678.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 680.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 683-684.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 684-685.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 689.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 690.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 691.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 692.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 710-713.
- ^ Wikipedia Marco Polo Bridge Incident article.
- ^ Wikipedia Second Sino-Japanese War article.
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 155.
- ^ a b Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, p. 103.
- ^ Hardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 978-0-87474-510-8, p. 48.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 714-715.
- ^ Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87021-026-2, p. 27.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 715.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 740.
- ^ a b Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, p. 104.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 717-718, 721.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 353.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 725-726.
- ^ Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, pp. 110-111.
- ^ a b Murray, Williamson, Strategy for Defeat: The Luftwaffe 1933-1945, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Air University Press, 1983, no ISBN number, p. 14.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 728-729.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 741-742.
- ^ a b Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, pp. 111-112.
- ^ a b Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, p. 112.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 720.
- ^ a b The Main Events of the Spanish Civil War
- ^ Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-55750-432-6, p. 114.
- ^ Hardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 978-0-87474-510-8, p. 53.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, pp. 789, 794.
- ^ Thomas, Hugh, The Spanish Civil War, Simon & Shuster: New York, 1986, ISBN 978-0-671-75876-9, p. 791.
- ^ a b Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 60.
- ^ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 61.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, pp. 412, 568.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 166.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 90.
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 161.
- ^ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 32.
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, ISBN 978-0-517-56588-9, p. 436.
- ^ Swanborough, Gordon, and Peter M. Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, London: Putnam, 1976, ISBN 978-0-370-10054-8, p. 204.
- ^ Boyne, Walter J., "Unfettered Turkeys," Aviation History, July 2008, p. 50.
- ^ Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6, p. 49.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p.344.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 103.
- ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-87021-313-7, p. 489.
- ^ Swanborough, Gordon, and Peter M. Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, London: Putnam, 1976, ISBN 978-0-370-10054-8, p. 464.
- ^ Crosby, Francis. The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day, London: Anness Publishing Ltd, 2006, ISBN 978-1-84476-917-9, p. 21.
- ^ Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, ISBN 978-0-517-56588-9, p. 134.
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