THE WAR IN THE AIR

Evening Star, Issue 23834, 14 March 1941, Page 8

THE WAR IN THE AIR

INTENSIFIED BOMBINGS NEW TYPES OF CRAFT EMPLOYED SOME BRITISH ADVANTAGES [By Senf.x.] The intensification, of bombing attacks now reported is an indication of the fact that the war in the air is approaching a new phase. Ibis, with the advent of better weather, will take the form of a trial of strength between the rival air fleets and will be fought by new types of machines and the new personnel which has been trained during the winter months. That the struggle will be intense is only to be expected. The Nazis are able to use air bases from Trondheim to Bordeaux, they have been accumulating machines and men at a rate which much outstrips their losses of recent months, and they must make a desperate effort to snatch victory this year. Britain, on the other hand, has also enjoyed a period of recuperation; she has piled up big reserves of airmen and war planes, and she has now the assurance that in a few months the efforts of the United States may be turning the scalp in air superiority. Two things may be expected, therefore: First, that the German attacks will be on a bigger scale than hitherto, and, second, that the defence will be even stronger. The result in view of the proved quality of the R.A.F., may be awaited with confidence. In this struggle, however., new factors must be studied. The first of these is the effort made by both sides to develop a new long-range fighter, the need for which was realised early in the war. The pre-war fighters used up fuel at a great rate when in action, and their extreme range of from 500 to 800 miles was calculated on a slow cruising speed which had no relation to realities. The effort to give fighters more endurance has been consistent, and the side which first succeeds will have a marked advantage in the air. The next development, to the disadvantage of the Nazis, is going to be much greater use by Britain of longdistance bombing planes. The big bomber will be employed against the Reich in a manner to dwarf all previous raids; a beginning may have been made with the recent _ Cologne and Hamburg attacks.' Flying fortresses, the big 20-ton Consolidated bombers, and the re-engined Whitleys will carry the burden of the work which will bring the war to Nazi cities. In recent weeks the Air Ministry s insistence, in communications to the United States, has been on the fast bombing planes needed to carry out this long-range bombing plan as the_ nights in Europe grow shorter. It is important for a raiding plane to leave Britain and return again before the dawn, and thus be shielded from fighters. This is the strength of the' 20-ton Consolidated ships which the R.A.F. has dubbed the “ Liberators,” and which can bomb targets 800 miles away and be back at their base before darkness lifts. The new Short Stirling, now it is in service, will add to the strength of this force. Meantime the British ’fighter force grows increasingly formidable. Not only have the familiar Hurricanes and Spitfires been improved and given greater speed, but the new 14-gun Hawker Tornado has been turned out, the Westland Whirlwind has been added to the list, the Curtiss P-40 is being produced, according to the recent admission of Mr Burdette Wright, general manager of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, at the rate of eight a day, and will be up to 30 or 35 a day by the end of the year, and the Lockheed P-38 is also attaining production figures. The fighter position is evidently considered satisfactory, for the recent emphasis of Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft production, has always been on the need for more bombers. How to aohieve this output at home has been Britain’s problem. The design of the great Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers, which are Britain’s heaviest machines in service (unless the Short Stirling has gone to the bomber stations in any numbers yet) does not lend itself to the flow of mass-produc-tion methods. The plane is built around a huge box-spar of corrugated duralumin which forms the backbone of the 84ft wing span. Expansion of output therefore had to be sought by such means as the expansion of plant, the employment of more workers, especially women, and the dispersal of the manufacture of parts among sub-contractors. New assembly shops have therefore been built, and others are in course of construction, and the effects of these extensions should be felt during this summer. But most of all, the development of the sub-oontracting system should add to output. Tail assemblies, for example, used to occupy a good deal of space in the fuselage shop, but are now taken to the flight shed complete. Duplication of contracts also prevents the output from being held up because of the misfortune of one contractor. A number of recent news despatches may be linked up to form a picture of the increased air strength which is being used against the Reich. The intensity of the recent raids on German cities, in favourable conditions, was apparently greater than anything that went beforehand. The concentrations of planes used have been larger, and their hitting power appears to have been greater—that is, more of them were heavy bombers. The use of fighter-bombers to adapt the French innovation of the World War and ‘ sit ” over the enemy aerodromes to pick off bombers may be another indication of surplus strength.

Also there is news of one or two things which indicate that whatever the German people expect from the pro'■mised offensive they may be doomed to disappointment. One of these things is the fact that British bombing has interfered with German research to such an extent that the develoment of new high-performance ships has been impeded, and consequently the Nazis have not been able to use the industrial capacity of the conquered countries to the extent expected. A the end of January, Mr Frank Knox, United States Secretary of War, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that “ if our figures are correct,” the combined aeroplane output of Britain and the United States exceeded the German in December. This, he said, was due to the “ desperate search ” of the Nazis for a new and better type of machine.

Another heartening piece of news is the foiling of the German effort to establish aerial blockade over the sea lanes to the west of Ireland. Over this Atlantic “ graveyard,” where merchant ships have been sunk in some numbers, the Nazis attempted to create a system of patrols to block the passage of supplies to Britain. In recent weeks the losses of shipping have fallen despite this effort’ and though other factors

may have come into play, one of the reasons is believed to have been the energetic counter-attack of the Royal Air Force,