FEW COMBATS IN AIR

Southland Times, Issue 23946, 12 October 1939, Page 5

FEW COMBATS IN AIR

Nazi Planes Not Operating FUTILE GERMAN SHELLING (British Official Wireless) (Received October 11, 10.50 p.m.) RUGBY, October 11. During the last few days there has been no marked air activity on the Western Front, writes “Eye-witness.” British and French aeroplanes are constantly busy on reconnaissance flights but there has been little fighting and toe German Air Force has only barely been in evidence.

It is a long time since the cities behind the Maginot Line have had an air-raid warning. Both sides behind their lines are preparing for the next step. ' Working in the closest co-operation, the French and British Air Forces are daily improving their positions and corroborating plans for dovetailing their activities.

Several pilots tell how the Germans chase them by sound and send shells screaming up through the clouds .al them. This is indiscriminate shooting

with no result and it is thought that it must have a very alarming effect on the German civilian populations hearing it. Some pilots tell how other German aircraft have appeared in the sky without apparently taking any notice of the British planes. Airmen on night reconnaissance pay a high tribute to the German black-outs, though nothing can be done to conceal the red glare of blast furnaces in the Ruhr. R.A.F. ACTIVITIES REVIEWED COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC MAP OF DEFENCES (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, October 10. A statement about the activities of the British Air Arm was made in the House of Commons by the Secretary for Air (Sir Kingsley Wood) who said that day and night, reconnaissance aircraft had been entering into enemy country, testing the defences and observing troop movements and concentrations. A complete photographic map of the Siegfried Line had been made and many photographs taken from only a few hundred feet up had gone to the composition of the map. The distribution .of messages to the German people over large areas of the enemy territory had been combined with successful reconnaissance work. It was interesting to note in the interest taken by the German people that a number of messages had recently been found in the possession of German prisoners notwithstanding the pains and penalties threatened against persons in Germany who picked up the communications. Sir Kingsley added: “I observed that a German official bulletin, in acknowledging a flight over Berlin the other night, would have the world believe that the Berlin citizens slept quietly during its progress. 'Our airmen, on their return, spoke of the firing and of the searchlights they encountered so that we can only conjecture that the people of Berlin must be very heavy sleepers. The next day we may hope they were wakeful enough to peruse what Herr Hitler describes as ‘these wretched leaflets’.”

Sir Kingsley said that Britain’s latest fighters had been found to be superior to their German counterparts. Describing the work of the Royal Air Force in the war he paid, a tribute to the speed and efficiency with which the mobilization and the assembly at war stations had been completed and to the spirit and morale of the force as , exemplified no less in the fighter squadrons, who were for the most part still waiting in instant readiness to meet the enemy which had not yet come, than in the successful raid by the bombers on the German Fleet, in the engagements with the enemy in Germany and on the Western Front, and in the unremitting and strenuous activities of the coastal command. ATTACKS ON U-BOATS During the first four weeks, submarines were sighted by aircraft on 72 occasions and 34 attacks were delivered, some of which were undoubtedly successful. The value of the work must not be gauged by the attacks alone, he said. There was an important preventive factor. Prisoners’ statements confirmed the fact that the mere presence of aircraft was sufficient to make a submarine remain submerged and that an air escort often prevented a submarine commander from attacking a convoy. Sir Kingsley Wood, also made an encouraging statement about British aircraft production. “At the outbreak of the war,” he said, “aircraft production represented an achievement unprecedented in this country in peace time. Immediately war broke out our carefully prepared plans for greatly increased production were put into effect. They will mean, in due course, that the rate of production will be more than twice the considerable figure we have now reached. “Not the least in this expansion programme is the part to be played by Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which have agreed in principle to an outline of the arrangement submitted last month by the British Government for rapid expansion in the training of personnel and the production of aeroplanes. “A British mission, headed by Lord Riversdale, is already on its way to Canada to meet corresponding missions from Australia and New Zealand and they will discuss with Canada’s authorities all steps for the institution of the new organization.” Referring to German reports about the number of British aeroplanes shot down, Sir Kingsley gave an instance of the way in which these reports were i frequently grossly exaggerated. Ac- ]

cording to early German reports, eight French aircraft were destroyed in the course of an alleged attack on Friedrichshafen. “No doubt the German defences were in action on this occasion,” said the Minister, “but it is less clear against what they were in action, for most certainly neither the British nor the French were responsible for this mythical raid.” IRON CROSS AWARDED TO NAZI PILOT DECORATION CONFERRED FOR BOGUS FEAT (Received October 11, 10.50 p.m») BERLIN, October 11. The official German news agency announces that Leading Aircraftsman Francke has been awarded the Iron Cross and promoted to Lieutenant for “successfully destroying a British aircraft carrier.” He also received a congratulatory letter from Field-Marshal Hermann Goering. Lieutenant Francke in a statement said that after dropping a bomb on the aircraft carrier, he saw a cloud of black smoke. The fleet was seen the next day but the aircraft carrier was not among the ships and could not possibly have reached port. It is stated in London that the decoration was presumably conferred for the alleged bombing of the Ark Royal which it has already been made clear, never occurred.