AIR PARITY WITH NAZIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 89, 11 October 1941, Page 9

AIR PARITY WITH NAZIS

TIME APPROACHING

I POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE

AERIAL WARFARE

RUGBY, October 9

For the first time Britain is ajH proaching aerial parity with Germany* This was stated by Group Captain HeW more in a broadcast war commentary^ Group Captain Helmore explained that^ viewing the war in the air as a whole, there had been no "lulls," and though the British skies for the moment were less infested by enemy bombers, it did not mean that in other skies the aii^ war was not rising in a .crescendo; which sooner or later might return 1 here. Hitler was operating from . interior* lines, and was pushing the : advantage, which that position gave. Thoughf his air force was strung out on a pen*' meter of 8000 miles stretching from Norway.to Greece and back again to: Russia, he was respecting the rule oft war which enjoined concentration of hh force to attack one enemy at a time^ Germany had lost thousands of mach-* jnes in Russia, but it would be fboW hardy to suggest that he would ; bar unable to replace these losses rapidly^ Group Captain Helmore spoke of ther ; RA.F. wing which had been sent to Russia at short notice, and said he had received a glowing report from the commander about the Russian pilots. Speaking of the air war of the lm-*, mediate future, the group captain re-.* ferred to the advantage which would} accrue to the Air Force which could use the, stratosphere—the upper layers of air beyond which an increase _itt height brings no further corresponding fall in temperature—for both attack or defence. "It is an eerie world, this low-pressure region in which the temperature is 70 degrees below zero and the blue sky becomes black,- petrol vaporises and blocks the pumps, fuel oil becomes solid, and the nitrogen in the pilot's blood, begins to bubble," he said. ', . "The physical effect on the crew M the greatest obstacle to high stratosphere flying. The oxygen supply begins to be unavailing, and without pressure applied to the body through a pressure cabin or other means unbearable muscular pains affect the crew. Above 35,000 feet their skin begins to itch;, they. break out in a sweat and either become; languid and incapable of action of any kind or pass out altogether."