ENEMY AIR RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 138, 7 March 1941, Page 6

ENEMY AIR RAIDS

Unlike the British air forces, which had been given extensive training in night operations, war found the Germans unprepared in this respect. Their airmen had to learn in the hard school of experience, and paid dearly for it. But it was not long, after this form of attack had been launched, before enemy aircraft began to make the great centres in South Wales their objectives, and there have been numerous raids, especially in the last few weeks. Great damage has been done in both Cardiff and Swansea, and many people may wonder why the Germans have selected those places when larger targets were available closer at hand. The explanation given is that the enemy is trying desperately to damage, or destroy, the coal industry in Wales. There are also powerful generating stations there, using steam, and they too, doubtless, are being sought by these night-raiders. The vital naval dockyards, the innumerable factories making arms and military equipment, indeed, to a large extent the whole industrial activity of the Mother Country, are dependent upon adequate supplies of power in some form, and as hydro-electricity is not available to any great extent steam-driven plants are used. It follows that if the enemy can cut off, or reduce, the supply of coal then it has dealt a most severe blow to British activities, and that probably is why so much attention is‘being given to the mining centres in South Wales. As usual the Germans have not given their attention solely to what may be termed semi-military objectives. They have pursued their characteristic policy of widespread destruction, aiming at breaking the morale of the civilian population. In that respect they have shown a marked lack of knowledge of the Welsh people. The miners know how vital is the supply of coal at the present time, and that, with the usual sea transport limited, if not actually suspended, the output'must be maintained and sent by rail wherever it is needed. The loss of foreign orders will have made the domestic supply the one big market available, and air-raids or no air-raids the mines will continue to operate. The sailors say: “The convoy must go through,” and the miners say: “The coal must go out.”