AERIAL OFFENSIVE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 10 August 1942, Page 5

AERIAL OFFENSIVE

BRITAIN AND UNITED STATES REPORTED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION Nc w York, Aug. 7. The ‘‘New York Times” Washington correspondent says the widely advocated British-.Ymeri-can aerial offensive against Germany is not under way because of British-American inability to agree on methods and objectives. United States bombers have not yet participated in R A F. night raids on Germany. Furthermore such participation is improbable at least till the complete and separate United States air organisation is built up in Britain with American ground crews. Though American planes are faster and have higher ceilings than the Lancaster-Shirling four-engined bombers, they carry only three and a half tons of bombs, whereas the Lancaster carries eight. The Americans are also insufficiently armed for night bombing. An American Air Force spokesman agreed that the American bombers were not intended for night bombing. He added that the American Air Force was not as confident as the R.A.F. regarding the effects of night bombing attacks. It preferred precision daylight bombing. Britain and America, therefore, were divided concerning the proper use of air power, one of the most important issues of the war. The British want American bombers sent to Britain now for bombing Germany, pointing out that at present their attacks are restricted by their inability to replace losses from their own production. Also the British want America to build heavily armed bombers with a large load capacity, designed to operate in middle altitudes at night time under all weather conditions. The British have room for thousands of such planes and could service them with British service crews. The British argue that now is the best time for a sustained air offensive against Germany, since the Nazis are concentrating against Russia and cannot spare bombers for retaliation. The Americans reply that when Lieut.-General Arnold’s air force is organised, trained and sent to Britain it will launch a big offensive against Germany. Meanwhile American bombers have been sent to many parts of the world and are also being used for training at home. As for design, the Americans argue that their planes may have to fight in any part of the world, therefore cannot be built for the specific purpose of bombing Germany from England.

REPORT DENIED

Commodore H. N. Thornton, British air attache in Washington, denied this report. He admitted that the methods and the equipment of the R.A.F. and the American Air Force were dissimilar since the two countries developed equipment and technique from different viewpoints, but added: “To call these methods divergent is far from the truth. If the R.A.F. continues night-bombing and the Americans engage in daylight bombing, it would be advantageous since the defences would not receive a long period of rest. The methods are not divergent, but parallel.”—P.A.