RAID ON BERLIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 19, 23 January 1943, Page 5

RAID ON BERLIN

OPENS NEW PHASE IN AIR

NAZIS STRIKE WITH LIMITED PLANES

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) (Rec. 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 22. The bombing of Berlin has begun a new phase m air warfare in the „ European theatre. The intention of the R.A.F. raids is, in addition to striking at German industry, to attempt to divert the Luftwaffe from Russia to other theatres and against Britain, and thereby also test the Luftwaffe's strength. In numbers, the German raid on London was paltry compared with the days of the blitz, while it was also far below the strength of the R.A.F.'s night-bombing attacks on Germany. It therefore will be interesting to see how the Luftwaffe has switched to daylight use of fighter-bombers. It is known that there is a fairly large force of fighters kept in Western Europe to counter the R.A.F.'s sweeps and daylight bombings and also to be used for night-fighting. It seems likely that the limited bomber force used against Britain had a bad mauling over London and that many were probably damaged or crash-landed in addition to those shot down, and that, therefore, to maintain propaganda the Luftwaffe switched to fighter-bombers. They approached England flying at "nought" feet (very low) to deceive the defences—in the same way as the R.A.F. approaches Europe in the daytime—then climbed when they crossed the coast and prepared for bombing. 130 MACHINES USED. It is estimated that 130 enemy machines participated in the raid and that 30 made a dash for London while the others patrolled over the sea awaiting their return. The fact that 14 were shot down and that only six reached London indicated the strength of the defence. By not allowing the fighter escort to accompany the fighter-bombers, the Germans showed how they must still conserve their rationed forces facing Britain. The raid achieved no military object, but by hitting a school and killing children it roused intense anger.