AIR STRATEGY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4275, 3 May 1940, Page 7

AIR STRATEGY

AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER "There is in Germany just now a noted meteorolgical expert who claims that he can make accurate forecasts of the weather eight days ahead. Even under normal conditions his fellow-experts in this country take leave to doubt his success, and in the present state of affairs, with all climatic details carefully kept a secret, they are certain that he cannot make good his boast,” says the London correspondent of the “Glasgow Herald.” “One of the main reasons is that in Europe most of the weather comes from the west and goes to the east. In other words, Britain is in a favoured position. “The meteorologists here can discover by various scientific methods whqt is coming over the Atlantic, and can forecast accordingly, but under war 'conditions, with this country standing in the way, the Germans are unable, or only parttally able—to learn anything of what- is approaching. “Even when .. particular type of weather reaches Britain the Nazis learn very little about it, because no official information is now published here, and in France, Belgium and Holland the same meteorological reticence is maintained. “On the other hand, our experts can, with comparative ease, deduce the conditions which Germany is likely to experience, as this country goes through them first. “The value of this from the point of view of air tactics is obvious, and it is very apparent why every care must be taken to avoid giving the Nazis information of any kind upon which they might be ?,ble to base weather calculations. “It is possible for them to learn something either from the pilots of their own raiding aeroplanes, from agents here who wireless information to Germany, or through the civ ;i air services flying between Britain and Neutral States. “The first means is not very valuable to Germany, as pilots can observe only local conditions over areas which they cover, and then only in a very general way. “The second would be very valu-

able if nation-wide statistics were collected in such a way as to make them available to spies or were revealed through the Press or in conversations, but every precaution is taken to avoid that. The result Is that German meteorologists are believed to have at their disposal less than half the details they require before they can arrive at any reliable conclusions about the weather approaching or being experienced in Britain. “When summer does come it might be possible for a week’s total of sunshine to be made public, as from * meteorological point of view such knowledge would not help Germany; but information about excessive rain, gales, fog, frost, or snow would enable a Nazi expert to draw a weather map covering Britain and I'ooo miles around. “For instance, if he were to hear that there was a certain type of gale raging off the north-west coast of Scotland, that would be as good as letting him know that there were anti-cyclonic conditions halfway across the Atlantic, and from throne fact he would be able to deduce an astonishing amount of other information of vital importance to air strategy. “Something more than usual might have been reveale'd to the Nazis of our recent weather because of the impossibility of keeping complete secrecy about traffic delays throughout the country, but even with that they will not be absolutely sure of the precise state of affairs. “Germany is able to get important information from Iceland, where weather statistics are still published, and it would be to the advantage of Britain if that were not so, but it is not a matter in which Britain can interfere. “It is also true that, although Eire does not issue weather statistics, the Nazis have a Minister in Dublin, and he can convey to Germany a certain amount of information. His knowledge, however, is very localised and he has no access to official figures, so that anything he may convey will not be of very material use.”