The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1941 British Bombing Activity

Timaru Herald, Volume CL, Issue 22066, 12 September 1941, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1941 British Bombing Activity

THIS we?k, and apjHopriately ou the anniversary of the first full-scale Nazi “Blitz” ou London, Berlin was subjected to the worst raid it has so far suffered. Now comes the report that the Royal Air Force, aided by the lengthening hours of darkness, has made its first attack upon Northern Italy since last winter. However, in the summer months the Royal Air Force kept ou striking at Germany, first through the ports of occupied France, and then deep into the interior of Germany itself. The raiders for many weeks have ventured far beyond the Rhine. One of the explanations of this steadily increasing air activity is the arrival in Britain of good supplies of heavy American bombers. The production of new type British fighter aircraft is a further helpful factor in offensive operations. These new machines, with larger range and more powerful armament, have been giving better protection to the long-range American bombers.

Nazi preoccupation with the eastern front has naturally increased the vulnerability of Germany in the west, but long before the ill-considered attack upon Russia Germany was feeling the striking power of the Royal Air Force. A brochure issued early this year listed the achievements of the Royal Air Force up to the end of December. It showed that 370 target areas of military and strategic importance in Germany had been bombed. And this in spite of Goering’s foolish boast to the workers of the Ruhr that they would not be exposed to a single bomb from enemy aircraft. Fifteen months after Goering had spoken Hamm, the Ruhr’s railroad centre, had been bombed 82 times; Essen, heart of the armament industry, 82 times; Cologne 53 times; Gelsenkirchen and Duisberg more than 40

times, and Dusseldorf more than 20 times. The key cities of German war industry and shipping had been battered in 1500 major attacks. The sole gim of the British air offensive has been to strike at the industrial basis of Germany’s war effort, and thus to sap the effectiveness of the Nazi armies by creating shortages of essential commodities. That was the early objective and it still remains the major objective. Although there was natural clamour for reprisals after til? murderous raids on British cities, the Royal Air Force adhered to its policy of hitting unceasingly at German industry. From the long-term standpoint this was wise. The British objective was to defeat Germany and this desired end could not be brought closer by attacks upon essentially civilian areas. Nevertheless, it may be that the war will have to be taken still closer to the German people so that they will understand more readily the extremity to which they have been reduced by the fanatical ambition of the Nazi leaders. It is evident that the violence of the Royal Air Force attacks has increased in the past two months and as the winter approaches they will became more merciless still. Mr Churchill last year promised that the Nazis would be more than repaid for the bombs they had dropped on London, Coventry,

Plymouth and the other British cities. That was Bo boast; it was a threat and this winter the Germans will learn that it can be fulfilled. Hitler is going to have what all German strategists have always dreaded: a war on two fronts.