METHOD OF CHECKING NAZI AIR LOSSES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 282, 23 August 1940, Page 10

METHOD OF CHECKING NAZI AIR LOSSES

Description By Minister

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 21.

Giving details of tlie method of counting and reporting enemy aircraft losses, the Secretary of Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, said today that enemy casualties were classified under three main headings--those certainly destroyed, those probably destroyed and tiiose damaged. An enemy aircraft was deemed to have been certainly destroyed if it had been seen to hit the ground or break tip in the air or descend in Hanies. It was counted as probably destroyed if it was seen to break off combat in circumstances leading, to the conclusion that it must become a loss. The third category included cases in which enemy aircraft were considerably damaged; for example, if an under-carriage dropped, if an engine stopped, or if parts of an aircraft were shot away. On returning from combat pilots were interrogated by the station intelligence officer and when the reports from ail of them were received tin) intelligence officer interrogated them again in eases where any doubt existed. The numbers of enemy aircraft in eacli of the three categories wore then transmitted by each squadron to group headquarters, and from there to lighter command headquarters and then to the Air Ministry. Only those in the first category were included in tlie . official communique. There was a. strict instruction to pilots to exercise the utmost discretion in their reports. They were on their honour and the honour of the squadron as well as that of tlie R.A.F. was involved.

It could be said with confidence that pilots erred on the side of under-state-ment. It was known that numbers of enemy aircraft in tlie second and third categories frequently failed to reach home. No credit was taken of losses inflicted on the enemy by those of our pilots who failed to return. On several occasions during tlie last fortnight the total enemy aircraft in tlie second and third categories exceeded those in the first. Ind-pendent persons having access to oflicial records had been impressed by the reserve with which tlie results were announced.