NAZI AIR RAIDERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24635, 17 June 1941, Page 5

NAZI AIR RAIDERS

REDUCED NIGHT ACTIVITY A HEARTENING SURVEY GROWING MORE CAUTIOUS CRec. 7.30 p.m.) RUGBY, June' 15. The reasons for the relatively reduced night activity of German bombers over Britain during the past month were examined by Air Commodore Goddard in a broadcast war commentary. “ Do you imagine,” he asked listeners. “ that the great bulk of the long-range bombers have gone to the Mediterranean? That is not so. We know from our reconnaissance that a small proportion of the long-range bombers have gone south recently, but they are not sufficient to account for the reduction of the enemy bomber effort in the past month, nor do I consider misty' nights to have been the full cause for the night bombers staying at home since their last disastrous raid on London—disastrous to them, I mean. Now, jthis is not just wishful thinking—not the professional optimism, which the Germans say I suffer from. Those longrange bomber squadrons, I feel sure, have been recuperating—and they have “grown more cautious. They had to. Let us not be so modest that we can’t raise a cheer for that.

“.The substance of what I know abopt those night raids is well known to the enemy, so I can tell you. The percentage of night raiders brought down in January was a substantial improvement on that of the previous.six months. The new methods have begun to take effect. February and March both showed a further improvement, and April was more than twice as good as January. May, although the total number of night raiders had fallen off, gave a percentage of success four times better than January. Remember, I am dealing only with averages, and they cannot be gainsaid. But we must, of course, beware of big surprises. Nevertheless, in the long run it is percentages, that tell. Air battle is quick at the time of combat, but air victory is slowly won. I would ask you to hold your courage firmly for future night blitzes, and try to welcome, at any rate, the chance they give us of deciding who is master of our night skies.”