FAILED TO SHAKE BRITONS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 227, 22 June 1944, Page 5

FAILED TO SHAKE BRITONS

Robot Bomb Campaign RELATIVELY SMALL DAMAGE (British Official Wireless.) (Special Correspondent.) LONDON, June 20. The good, plain common sense of the English people, hardened by the blitz experience and the excellent frankness of the Home Office and the Air Ministry in giving the public the fullest information possible and as far as censorship will permit, have robbed the Germans, of any hope they may have had of undermining morale by the use of the pilotless aircraft, or robot bomb. Of course, it had been known for some time that the Germans intended to use some such weapon, and it must be admitted that when the first announcement was made last week of the robot bomb there seemed to be something unpleasantly uncanny about it. But the full information given and the confidence that an answer to this new weapon would soon be found, as in previous cases, has calmed any uneasiness there might have been, so that the flying bomb is now already taken more or less as a matter of course. Whereas, however, the public since 1941 has been used to raids chiefly at nights, with the use of the new bomb they must now accustom themselves to hearing alerts at any time, night or day. While the people go about their business normally in the daytime, they are tending to return at night to their former shelter-taking habits. Some find this type of haphazard, aimless bombing more trying than the ordinary “straight” raid which lasts for a fairly definite period, but in which, once the “all clear” is sounded, they know it is all over for that night. There is also something not quite pleasant in watching flying bombs, wondering where they are going to drop. Propaganda Boomerang. Others do not regard this form of bombing as half as bad as that by a fleet of bombers concentrating high-explosive and incendiary bombs on a specified area. Certainly it is an unpleasant experience when incendiaries set fire to a building and act as a beacon and target indicator to incoming bombers. It is obvious that if the Germans continue to send over to England these flying bombs there must be damage and loss of life, but the fantastic nonsense which the German propaganda system is putting out, indicating the great hopes they set on it, has had a boomerang effect, and is helping people to take the flying bomb less seriously than they might otherwise. The Germans no doubt set great store by this new weapon, not only hoping that it will cause widespread damage and demoralization, in addition. to diverting the attention of the Allied air forces. But the steady bombng of their installations which reduced the potential striking force by three-quarters, and the common-sense reaction of the English people have undermined the German, intentions, and as the R.A.F.’s answer develops and the liberation of France proceeds it. can be expected that the flying bomb will soon become something in the nature of a tendays’ wonder. Called “Doodle-bug.” One of the puzzles so far has been what to call this new weapon. Some favour “buzz bomb,” and others “bumble bomb.” It is likely that the R.A.F. term “doodle-bug” will probably stick. New Zealanders visiting England have different reactions to the results of the German bombing. Some say it is worse than they imagined, and others say that it is not half so bad. Others says that a true picture has never been given to NewZealand. Till the end of 1941 important centres in Britain had suffered severely from bombing and there were many thousands killed, but in the last two years, apart from isolated incidents, Britain has not been seriously affected by bombing, nor has its war effort been harmed. , It will take years to rebuild certain ruined parts of London and certain provincial cities, where‘the bombing has had an effect like an earthquake. But the bombing of Britain has been nothing like as severe as the bombing of Germany, and these “doodle-bugs” are only a pin-prick compared with the terrible night bombin"- of the R.A.F. and the precision bombing by the U.S.A.A.F. . The average person, if he was offered the alternative of experiencing an R.A.F. raid or a “doodlebug” raid, would have no doubt which he would choose.

CASUALTIES IN ENGLAND LONDON, June 20. Eleven people, including a doctor and his wife, were killed when a pilotless machine demolished a number of houses in southern England early today. Eleven others are missing. Rescuers are using shovels and bare hands to remove debris under which missing persons are believed to be trapped. Several early morning workers were killed ami others were injured when a robot crashed on a road. I ive Home Guards were killed last night when one crashed o na school used as a Home Guard post. Ten others were injured. A robot plane which was caught by a night fighter hit a house and completely demolished it. wrecking also a number of other houses. Only three people were slightly injured.

SQUADRON’S SUCCESS (Bv Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) LONDON. June 20. The New Zealand Typhoon squadron, which is flying the latest types of aircraft. had considerable success in shooting down robot planes. Figures cannot at present be given, but the squadron destroyed what may be considered a substantial number.