SUPERIOR FIGHTERS

Evening Star, Issue 23553, 17 April 1940, Page 2

SUPERIOR FIGHTERS

' THE ROYAL AIR FORGE NAZI NUMBERS ALSS EXAKERATEI . LONDON, April 8. Air fights in the last few days have been most encouraging, as proving the high quality of British planes and tha skill and aggressiveness of the British! fighter pilots. Our fighters have brought down several of Germany’s much-vaunted JUBB bombers, which Germany hoped would be too fast and manoavrable for the Allied fighters to cope with. They have also brought down Messerachmitt 110,two-seater fighters. German i reconnaissance bombers ever the North' Sea, ’ the Orkneys,; and' the East Goarii have also been getting m very rough handling lately. Senior Air Force officers consider* however, that it is early to offer sweep- ■ ing conclusions about the relative effectiveness of the opposing air forces* planes and , personnel, although.. thia much can be said; First, the quality of the’ British fighters so far has proved better than Germany’s. Secondly, there is increasing evidence that it was Germany’s policy before the war to exaggerate the numerical strength of her air force for diplomatic reasons. It was part of her campaign of bluff. Pre-war estimates of; the German strength made by some of the moist - cautious experts who were 'escorted round the German factories and aero- . dromer are now admitted to have beentoo high. _ 1

Probably when the war broke* out the British and French fighter and bomber . forces were ' approximately equal numerically to the:German fighters and bombers; ; Leaving out of id ■. count the British and French oversea!. forces and the Fleet • Air Ann, Ger- ■ , many probably is still stronger in army co-operation squadrons. SPECIAL FUEL.USED.

Both sides have discovered since the war began' that certain types are not) as useful as expected,-while other types are unexpectedly valuable. It is now possible to reveal one stej» which was taken to increase the Britisb fighter’s efficiency, namely, the employment of “ hundred octane fuel,” which, .’with' ■ specially ’ built engines, is able to increase, speed* up to ,20 miles hour. Spitfires using this'fuel are unquestionably still the fastest fighters actually serving with any air force. - Senior Air Force officers consider that the real effectiveness of the three air . forces will -not be tested until the air war becomes much more 1 intense than at present, although much has been learnt already about tactics' and design. So far the hardest fighting'has been ,done by a comparatively lew .squadrons. At the same time flying- 1 training schools are now turning out big numbers of' pilots,, for whom there are not enough " squadrons to. ■ accommodate them because the expansion of the R.A.F.’s front line has not been as fast as the :expansion of training. 1 .Consequently there' are suggestions that there will be large-scale exchanges of pilots and crews between - squadrons which are- seeing' fairly, constant fight* ing and the less active squadrons. It is also suggested that while the air war is relatively inactive, long periods of leave should-be given to a proportion of the men in the front-line E irons, enablingr their; places to be by newly-trained men* who would thus be able to gain active’service experience, which, would top off their training. This would improve the quality of the growing force of pilots, gunners, and observers, who to fill the gaps which will occur if the air war is intensified.

Another suggestion is .that: a large ¥ number of young “ veterans ” should be sent to the Dominion ' training schools in exchange for- Dominion pilots. • • f