AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 January 1941, Page 7

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

PASSING TO BRITAIN HAMMERING THE ENEMY [BY TABLE —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, January 14. The Royal Air Force is now engaged in the gigantic task of moving the air frontier. That is the meaning of the remarkable operations undertaken in the past few days, says the “Daily Telegraph.” Every day and every night, the enemy must now expect a hammering from the air such as no nation in history, has had to withstand. The air frontier, With every fresh assault, will be pushed farther and farther over and into Germany. The Royal Air Force, because of its numerical inferiority, was on the defensive in August and September, fighting mostly over Britain., It was able only at night time to assume the offensive. The position is now different. After being over the south coast and over London, the air frontier is moving to the French coast and German bases beyond. “This,” the newspaper says, “is the clearest and most positive sign of our growing air strength. We shall lose more heavily; that is almost certain and must be accepted as the price of a sustained offensive. But the total effect on the German war effort will be far more marked in our favour than our successes in defensive operations. We shall employ a technical superiority greater than last year and a number approaching and soon exceeding the enemy’s.” BAD WjEATHER (Recd. January 16, 9 a.m.) LONDON, January 15. Bad weather, including fog and poor visibility over the Continent, prevented the R.A.F. from bombing Germany last night. Light snow was falling and there was a dense fog over the Straits of Dover this morning. German planes were reported in the vicinity of an East Anglian town this morning. RAIDS ON NORWAY. RUGBY, January 15. . An Air Ministry communique states: Last night, a small number of aircraft of the Coastal Command made attacks on enemy air bases at Mandal and Forfus and other targets in Norway. Bad weather made observation difficult, but bombs were seen to burst on the aerodrome at Mandat. One aircraft scored two direct hits on a motorship in Stavanger roads, and another bombed an important railway bridge. AH our aircraft returned safely. NO ENEMY NIGHT-RAIDS LONDON, January 15. Bad weather, which included fog, kept German raiders away from England last night. The absence of the German aeroplanes meant that the skies over London have been free for 36 hours, for no enemy machines appeared in daylight yesterday. ' British night fighters are beginning to show results in intercepting more raiders.'The number of .night fighter squadrons is steadily increasing. The Germans are copying British -tactics with this difference that some; German night fighters have‘been shot down, whereas no British night fighters have been lost. SCOTLAND VISITED. RUGBY, January 15. An Air Ministry and Home Security communique states: There has been little enemy activity over Britain during daylight, to-day. This morning, an enemy aircraft dropped bombs on the west of Scotland. Bombs were also dropped in one district in Kent. Little damage and no casualties are reported. PORTSMOUTH’S INCENDIARIES (Recd. January 16, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 15. It was revealed, at a meeting of the Portsmouth City Council, that the raiders dropped 25,000 incendiary bombs on Portsmouth, over the weekend. TRANS-ATLANTIC RECORD (Recd. Jan. 16, 12.20 p.m.). LONDON, January 15. Delivering an American bomber to Britain, the thirty-one-year-old former British Airways pilot, Captain Pat Eves, established a new transAtlantic record. The details are secret, but it is revealed that he breakfasted in America and had tea in England. He experienced terrific cold, but a peaceful trip. It is learned that R.A.F. pilots will shortly receive turns at transAtlantic ferrying, thereby securingvaluable experience in navigation, in addition to a rest from combat. Wingless fuselages of single-seater fighters may be loaded in the larger bombers. The Italians delivered fighters to Africa similarly.

SHELTER NEUROSIS. : . LONDON. January 14. The “Daily Telegraph” says that experience gained in the Spanish war is helping the Ministry of Health and the London County Council to combat cases among civilians of bomb shock and shelter neurosis. A Government pyschiatrist states that the Spanish war produced tenfold the number of neurosis cases in the same period, and adds that shell shock is far less frequent than in the last war. The Ministry of _ Health, after the outbreak of the war, organised a network of mind hospitals all over the nation. It found that one frequent cause of war neurosis is the fear of being thought to be afraid. Research shows that wardens, members of the auxiliary fire service and other defence workers are far less susceptible to war neurosis than those idle during air raids.

PLANES FOR, BERMUDA NEW YORK, January 15. Five twin-engined consolidated reconnaissance bombers, with a four thousand miles range, have gone to Bermuda with American crews. These machines are being handed over to British pilots SEAPLANE CREW RESCUED • MONTE VIDEO, January 15.A British seaplane crew of three, belonging to the South patrol service, ran out of fuel while they

were watching the movements of the ship Mendoza (which returned to Monte Video). They were forced to descend near Port Punta del Este, to which place they signalled for help with reflectors. A Uruguayan Navy launch came and towed the plane to the harbour. The crew were questioned at the Prefecture. It is uncertain whether they will be interned, or be permitted to depart in a way similar to the procedure with belligerent warships. It is not revealed from what seaplane the men were operating.

FRENCH BOY’S ESCAPE

LONDON, January 14. The Minister for Information (Mr. Duff Cooper) to-day told a story of a French boy who refused to submit to the German yoke. In a cowshed he secretly built an aeroplane for himself, and waiting for a stormy day when few German aircraft were about, set out to fly it across the Channel. By a miracle, he landed safely in England. He is now with the Free French forces in Libya. Britain owed a great deal, said Mr Cooper, to the men of the Free French Forces who had given up everything and gone into voluntary exile to continue the fight against Nazir--i they would return as the j of freedom to their people. “DISOBEDIENCE” REWARDED (Recd. January 16, 11.30 a.m.) - LONDON, January 15. Alfred Edward Bennett, of Chelmsford, an anti-aircraft gunner, has been awarded the Military Medal, as a result of disobeying regulations when an enemy raider appeared within easy reach of the guns. The regulations prohibit firing without permission from an officer, but Bennett fired on and brought down the raider. The Court of Inquiry decided not to punish Bennett.

’ AWARDS TO N.Z. AIRMEN. LONDON, January 14. The citation of the award of the D.F.C. to Flying Officer Guy Jerrold Menzies, of Christchurch, states that Flying Officer Menzies has carried out 17 operational sorties totalling 39 flying hours. As a pilot he possesses a keen sense of duty and makes every endeavour to reach his target except when forced to return because of adverse weather. He has displayed great courage and determination. The citation of the award of the D.F.C. to Acting-Flight Lieutenant Ernie Clark states that Acting-Flight Lieutenant Clark has been in command of a reconnaissance unit flight since July 1. During this period he has carried out 25 reconnaissances over occupied territory, and the results obtained have been of inestimable value to the intelligence staff and squadrons concerned. He has displayed exceptional devotion to duty and splendid leadership.