REVERSING THE TALLY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 177, 28 June 1941, Page 7

REVERSING THE TALLY

LOSSES IN THE AIR. SILLY NAZI THICK. 1 (United Press Association—Copvright.) (llec. 11 a.m.) RUGBY, June 29. j It lias been noticeable in tlie j Past that when the Luftwaffe suffers particularly heavy defeats the ! official communique in which it • accounts for the day’s fighting* adopts the expedient of raversing • the British and German losses. | Yesterday’s High Command communique can be taken to indicate the seriousness with which the Nazis view i their air losses during past weeks, ! since over tlie period ot ten days from' i June 15 to June 25 it almost reverses ! | exactly tlie totals of air losses. j The Germans claim to have destroy- j led 135 R.A.F. aircraft, suffering only j 35 losses themselves. The correct totals | are, as stated in tlie Air Ministry communique, 136 German and 10 British planes destroyed. I It is to be presumed that this device of reversing the air losses has been in-j dulged in to persuade the world that’ Germany, in spite of her terrific on-1 slaught against Russia, is able to con-; tinue her heavy raids on Britain. To the same end Germany stated that over 2000 tons of bombs were dropped on Southampton on Tuesday night, when in reality no more than fifty aircraft raided the city. A very small number of enemy aircraft crossed the coast last night. A few bombs were dropped on East | Anglia, also the South Coast. No seri-j ous damage was done and no casualties I are reported.—Official Wireless. ; GROWIN(i~ VIGOUR. :

OFFENSIVE NOT YET AT PEAK. LONDON, June 27. The Royal Air Force continues to take drastic advantage of German preoccupation with Russia and is now Cropping on German territory at least thrice tlie weight of bombs released last autumn. It is believed that the offensive has not yet reached its maximum.

The Daily Telegraph aeronautical correspondent says the R.A.F. attacks arc part of an accumulating assault which will only slacken under the compulsion of the weather. The day offensive is designed to test the nulncrahility of enemy delejices to day bombers escorted by large formations of fighters: The next step in daylight raids will he beyond the reach of fighter escorts, hut the Air Staff is waiting until the skies are cleared up. The offensive will steadily gather momentum until it has reached a. pitch where it may vindicate the theory that wars may be won by bombing attack alone, provided it is sufficiently sustained and intense. A significant feature is the noticeable decline in the percentage of R.A.F. casualties contrasted with the growing proportion of casualties of German raiders over Britain. Germany is making an effort to counter the lull in her own offensive by claiming that ihe Luftwaffe is using new heavy bombs. Results do not substantiate this:

The Daily Mail says that in the Battle ol Britain tlie R.A.F. inflicted three-to-one Josses. Now the R.A.F. is taking the offensive the Germans are losing fighters in the same ratio, which is a magnificent tribute to the quality ol the men and tlie machines. This superiority will be more marked when the new super-fighters are operating. PLANNING FOR FUTURE.

Discussing Britain's bombing policy and the suggestion that the present is a golden opportunity to “send everything we nave got and bomb Germany out of tho war,” an air expert writes that British policy is planning ahead, it was dictated as much by the Ministry of Economic Warfare as by the actual war chiefs and its steady growth was being felt more and more by Germany: s war industries, says a British Official Wireless message.

I Niglit after night British bombers, i sometimes the new Stirlings, and per- ! flaps Manchester's and Halifaxs, roar j over the enemy’s territory to drop a ! weight of bombs which is now at least I three times as great as that dropped on Germany last autumn. With these new aircraft a much heavier bomb load is carried, and in proportion to the weight of bombs dropped lower aircraft arc required. Ii Britain threw everything that would fly into these raids her attacks would prove a tragedy in regard to the rate of loss »iie would be bound to sustain. As it is, j there is a noticeable falling oti in the 1 percentage of casualties, while those I German raiders which come over the; British Isles are suffering a far higher i percentage oi loss. .Because of Britain’s daylight sweeps 1 German fighter strength in Northern! France has had to be increased, and judging by the results there has been' a marked deterioration in the quality; of the enemy’s fighter pilots. On oe- j casions our niglit offensives compare j very favourably, in weight and num-! bers with some of the heaviest enemy! raids on Britain. Britain is now using; hundreds of planes where she used to! use tens. j