AIR OFFENSIVE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25173, 13 March 1943, Page 5

AIR OFFENSIVE

BRITAIN’S OBJECTIVE EASING RUSSIA’S BURDEN RUGBY, Mar. 11. The Government’s decision to establish an R.A.F Transport Command was announced by the Secretary for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, in introducing the Air Estimates in the House of Commons. The new command will control the operations of the R.A.F. transport squadrons at home and will be responsible for the organisation and control of strategic air routes for all overseas ferrying and for reinforcement moves of squadrons to and between overseas theatres. The Minister said British Overseas Airways would continue as a civil organisation and work in close collaboration with the Transport Command. After detailing the scope of widespread R.A.F. operations in the past year, from North Russia to the east coast of the United States, from the South-west Pacific to Iraq, as well as in the main theatres, Sir Archibald Sinclair went on to speak of German air dispositions and strategy in Europe. He" said it would be a great mistake to suppose that the strength of the German striking force in Western Europe could be measured by the size of the raids attempted on Britain. Throughout the past year there had been a formidable German bomber force in Western Europe. The soundness of Britain’s air defence had been a deterrent. In the last three months, of the 392 aircraft which crossed our coast by day, 46 were destroyed. In addition, a large number were probably damaged. The recent increase in German promiscuous day-time tip-and-run raids was designed tO'Stir up agitation in Britain to compel the Government to divert forces from offensive action, but they had under-estimated civilian fortitude. Smallness of Reprisal Raids

Sir Archibald said the smallness of the so-called reprisal raids against London was largely due to German preoccupation in the Russian and African campaigns, but also to the pulverising offensive of the Bomber Command, which was compelling the Germans to switch a proportion of their capacity from the production of bombers to defensive fighters. Sir Archibald said in the past two years the R.A.F. in all theatres had sunk or seriously damaged over 1,250,000 tons of enemy shipping. There was no doubt also that the new mines, of which nine times as many were laid in 1942 as in 1941, were doing a great deal more damage than we knew. _ The main objectives of the offensive air operations from Britain in the past year, said Sir Archibald, had been to take the weight off the Russians. The fighter sweeps and daylight raids had been an important paft of this policy. We had lost 500 fighters, but in the same period the enemy had lost 655. Of 2500 escorted bombers fewer than 50 were lost. The attacks had compelled the enemy to keep his finest fighters and pilots in Western Europe, although the German Army was clamouring for fighter support. The speaker told of the great advance in R.A.F. bombing methods, and of the improvement of bombs. With the delivery of 10,000 tons of bombs in February, including 3000-ton raids, the Bomber Command dropped over half as much again as in any previous month. In the first 10 days of this month over 4000 tons had been dropped. One hundred and sixty acres had been destroyed at Essen, and it was estimated that there was a total of 450 acres where at least 75 per cent, of the buildings had been demolished. At Wilhelmshaven 118 acres had been devastated, including the utter destruction of the arsenal; at Rostock 130 acres at Mainz 35, at Lubeck 200, at Karlsruhe 260, at Dusseldorf 380, at Cologne 600. , , . .. He added that he was not yet able to assess the results of the great raid on Berlin. Damage in Germany In all it was estimated that the Bomber Command'had destroyed .or seriously damaged about 2000 factories and industrial works, and over 1,000,000 people had lost their homes, not counting the large number evacuated. The direct damage to steel works in the Ruhr and the Saar had caused the loss of 1,250,000 tons of steel. The output of coal had fallen 20 per cent. “ Let no one under-estimate the strength of the enemy,” he concluded, “or the power and variety of his resources. This is no time for relaxing in any direction of the concentration of our effort for victory. The fighting strength and exertions of the R.A.fc. have increased, and in the coming year will mount.”