NIGHT BOMBERS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 39, 26 November 1940, Page 3

NIGHT BOMBERS

PROBLEM BEFORE BRITAIN. “NO SUDDEN SOLUTION.” (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, November 24. The third stage of the great aerial battle may be said to be still in an indeterminate stage. The first stage, consisting of an endeavour by the Nazis to apply an overwhelming weight of ' bomber attack to Britain which had succeeded so well against a numerically inferior fighter opposition -when carried out in close co-operation with gromid forces, appears to have been at last recognised as a failure when the army was unable immediately to follow in the path of the bomber. This lesson caused Germany not only the loss of a great number of aeroplanes and an even greater number of most valuable airmen, but also imposed on her the necessity of learning a new conception of the use of the air arm.

In this she had the advantage of a practical demonstration .given by the Royal Air Force which carried out extremely destructive night raids over industrial Germany some months before the Nazi Air Force had sufficiently

trained crews .to be able to venture forth in darkness.

What may be regarded by future military historians as the intermediate phase shows signs of coming to an end. The attack on civil populations, either by propaganda or violence, as occasion serves, is a common form of Nazi technique and this, coupled with the vast area of London as a target, may have given the Luftwaffe Higli Command the idea of endeavouring to combine a serious offensive against the civil will, which, after all, is the foundation of military power, with the secondary object of training crews in the difficult operation of night bombing, knowing from its own experience so far that the advantage still rests with the attacker, and that this form of warfare training could bo carried out in comparative safety.

The events of the last two weeks may show that the Nazis jiave realised that their endeavour to break London’s morale has failed, but having in the process got together at least the nucleus by a trained night bomber force, a. long-term policy of attacking war industry at its sourqp has been ■adopted. Some observers consider the attack on Coventry may be the first manifestation of this policy being put into operation and l cite subsequent attacks on selected towns in support of the contention. However this may be, both sides are virtually concerned with finding an adequate defence to night attacks by bombers, and for tho moment the problem has passed more into the hands of scientific and engineering experts than those of the combatant air commands.

Many competent observers regard the solution of this problem as being the same decisive answer given the Giernian daylight bombers—by efficient and ■well-liandled fighter aeroplanesWhile admitting that anti-aircraft fire has forced the raiders to fly at great altitudes and also that the gunnery is becoming more , and more, accurate, these circles contend that ground defence by itself will not accomplish very much more. They say the principle of success hes in “seeking put the enemy and destroying him,” and for this purpose ihe must be tackled in the element in which ho is operating—in, other v r ords, fighters by night is the .answer to the bomber by night. The initial part in finding tho ideal aeroplane for this work lies with the technician and the problems facing him are these of visibility, range, armament, and ability to attain very high speed in. the air, and also a sufficiently slow landing speed. The final problem, and probably the most difficult, one to solve, is that of finding the enemy at night. It is sometimes not realised, especially by dwellers in the towns and those used to well-illuminated vehicles, how extremely difficult it really is to see in the dark. A blind man, how r ever, relies a great deal an sound and in this direction it is probable that the solution lies. A long time, however, stretches between theory and practice and an even longer one between the prototype and production. The problems of aerial warfare are many find arise as the fight proceeds. Defence -will be a gradual process and no sudden or soon solution can be expected.—British Official Wireless.