ALLIED AIR POWER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 193, 17 August 1942, Page 3

ALLIED AIR POWER

CRIPPLING GERMANY

Britain And America Building

Great Bomber Fleets

Rec. 11.30 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 16. ''The time is not very far distant when British and American bomber squadrons in England will be able to destroy the industry and power of Germany at a rate which outstrips repair," says Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, Chief of the British Air Staff, in an article in a special Royal Air Force issue of the Chicago magazine Flying and Popular Aviation.

„ "When that time comes," he asks, 'will the average German long resist the conclusions that war is no longer profitable and that the Fuehrer is no longer worth following?"

Sir Charles, in a review of some of the problems which faced him and his predecessors, stresses the fact that we began the war with a numerical inferiority of one to four against the Luftwaffe and only now had we reached- numerical parity with the Germans. Our air resources had never approached our requirements, and in view of that we could not be strong everywhere. All we could do at first was to ensure that we were strong at essential points, and this could only be achieved at the expense of weakness elsewhere. As a result we had met many grave reverses, which had given rise to severe criticisms of the Royal Air Force.

"I am glad to say, however, that the situation is now quickly improving," Sir Charles said, adding that the time was rapidly approaching when the United Nations would have decisive air superiority over the Axis in all parts of the world.

A Washington message states that the lease-lend administrator, Mr. Howard Stettinius, has disclosed that all lease-lend commitments are being rechecked with a view to diverting exports to the most vital needs determined by British-American strategy. He explained that the purpose of this measure was to ensure that critical raw materials were allocated wherever they could most effectively be used for the war.