NOTABLE TRIUMPH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 241, 8 September 1944, Page 5

NOTABLE TRIUMPH

DEFEAT OF FLYING BOMB THRILLING~STQRY TOLD (N.Z. Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 7. The full story of the 80-day battle against the flying bomb, which is now considered ended, was told at> a Press conference by Mr D. Sandys, chairman of the Cabinet committee on operations and counter-measures against the flying bombs. He said the Germans launched 8000 bombs, of which 2300 reached the London region. Two thousand bombs came to grief in France, over the Channel or far afield in open country in England. Guns, fighters, and the balloon barrage brought down the remaining 3700The guns shot down 1300 and the fighters 1900, while the balloons brought down 500.

In the first week of the attack onethird of the bombs launched were brought down and one-third reached London. In the last week 9 per cent, reached London. The record day was August 28, when, of 101 launched, 97 were brought down and four reached London.

At the beginning there was one fatality for every bomb launched, and at the end one for every three. Ninetytwo per cent, of the fatalities occurred in the London region. Only 11 bombs brought down by the defence fed in the built-up area.' At one period it was found that the bombs were coming from the direction of Belgium and Holland, where it was known there were sites. It was soon discovered that the bombs were probably being carried pick-a-back by a specially-adapted Heinkel, which launched them from the air. Effective methods were found immediately for countering this danger, which disappeared almost overnight. HOW BASES WERE DETECTED. An Official Wireless message says: Describing the original "detection, of the . flying-bomb bases, Mr Sandys said that after much photographic reconnaissance attention was drawn to "a tiny blurred speck" which appeared to be a miniature aeroplane on an inclined ramp. Another photograph showed that the ground nearby was blackened with dark streaks such as might have been caused by hot blast. It was decided that the object seen must have been a pilot!ess, jet-pro-pelled aircraft. Doubts were removed when wo discovered iii November, 1943, that the Germans were- building over ICMJ sites along the French coast. The British and American Air Forces started attacking the sites in, December and continued throughout the winter and spring until all had been destroyed. As the enemy tried to repair them they were bombed again. Abandoning them, the Germans began in March to construct an entirely ,new. enormous, and simplified series of sites. These took only six weeks to construct and were so camouflaged that it was practically impossible to detect them from the ait until the bombs were actually fired. During the summer" detailed plans were made for the defence of London and within 24 hours of the start of the flying-bomb attack toll began to be' taken of the robots. Tho defences were adjusted according to requirements. The balloon barrage was rapidly thjVtencd from 500 to [nearly. 2000 and A.A. guns were moved up to new sites. BOLD DEFENCE STEP.

About mid-July the bold step was taken to move tlie whole A.A. belt —with tho mobile 3.7 in. guns replaced by static guns—to tho coast. Some 600 heavy guns and 500 Bofors guns had to be moved, and the re-deployment proved a

complete success. In the last fortnight only 45 per cent, of the bombs launched got across the English Channel, compared with 75 pel cent in June. Paying a tribute to the A.A. defences and fighters, Mr Sandys said that a bomb was eight times as hard to bring down as a bomber flying on a straight course. The top score for fighter pilots was GO, brought down by a squadron-leader flying a Tempest craft.

Mr Sandys mentioned that a special trial was arranged for Hitler in tho Baltic. A German fighter ace, (flying a captured Spitfire, demonstrated to tho Fuehrer's satisfaction that British fighters did not possess the speed to intercept the bomb. Mr Sandys said pickaback robot attacks could be carried out from the heart of Germany, and wo could not therefore assure the public that the attacks would cease altogether. We could, however, be reasonably confident that the scale of the attacks would be very small. The British and American Air Forces, in their continuous bnttlo against secret weapons., had lost nearly 450 aircraft and 2900 men. But for our interference, Mr Sandys concluded, the bombardment would have started early in the year and the winter conditions would have seriously affect'd the efficiency of the defences. London's ordeal might well have been many times more severe. MODIFIED BLACK-OUT.

"The be>t news of the war for the British home front" is how the Daily Mail describes an announcement by Mr Morrison that the Government intends to modify the black-out restrictions, says the Official Wireless. Tho Daily Mail says: "The black-out is half-lifted," and tho Daily Express describes it as a dim-out. It reveals that Mr Churchill personally gave tho order for the relaxation of the regulations as soon as the R.A.F. authorities considered it safe to modify the precautions. Tho War Office has announced that compulsory drills and training in the Home Guard, including assistance to civil defence, will be discontinued after next Monday. Such operational duties as are still required of the Home Guard will be carried out on a voluntary basis. The Minister of War (Sir James Grigg) paid a tribute to the work of the Home Guard during four and a-half strenuous and anxious years, and said that without it the Army now liberating one country after another could not have been spared to leave Britain.