Coquimbo Bombing
Air Commodore Ramón Vergara, Commander-in-chief of the Air Force, and brother of the Minister of War, concentrated all his air power in the city of Ovalle, near the port of Coquimbo where the fleet was gathered. He amassed 2 Junkers R-42 heavy bombers, 14 Curtiss Falcon and Vickers Vixen light bombers, 2 Vickers-Wibault Type 121s and 2 Ford 5-AT-C transports (modified as light bombers). Their original mission had been to intercept the Southern fleet to prevent it from joining the rest of the mutineers in Coquimbo. This was considered easy to do, since the Southern fleet did not have anti-aircraft artillery. However, the Air Force was not able to find the fleet at sea and could not prevent it from arriving safely.
Since the effectiveness of the Air Force had been placed in question by its earlier failure, Commodore Vergara insisted on attacking the fleet. This raid took place on the 6th at 5 PM. The plan was to concentrate the bombing over the battleship Almirante Latorre, but the result was only one hit, on the submarine Quidora, resulting in one fatality and one wounded. Five planes were hit by fire from the fleet but were able to return to base, while one Curtiss Falcon was so seriously damaged that it went down over La Serena. Its two pilots survived, with only minor injuries.
Read more about this topic: Chilean Naval Mutiny Of 1931, The Mutiny
Famous quotes containing the word bombing:
“There is a “sanctity” involved with bringing a child into this world: it is better than bombing one out of it.”
—James Baldwin (1924–1987)