AIR STRATEGY

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22202, 20 February 1942, Page 8

AIR STRATEGY

Too Many Big Bombers Fighters Needed For Victory SYDNEY. February 10 A press campaign urging a recasting of the Air Council’s policy, which it has maintained since the ’” ir began of concentrating on building up a monster bombing force with which to beat Germany to her knees is gaining momentum, reports th» “Sydney Morning Herald's” London correspondent. There is no inclination to underestimate the value of the bombing of the Ruhr heavy industries and similar military objectives, but the question is asked whether Britain is revolutionary enough in the uses to which the most important air weapon is capable of adaptation. ”he "Daily Express” publishes a forthright, critical article, the point of whi-h is: “The Air Marshals’ longterm strategy was planned before Hitler broke France, before Russia s entry into the war. and before Japans adventure. and has not been much altered to fit these new facts. It is the war’s greatest exploded myth, and is a military mis' alculation equal to Passchendaele.” Defeat of Luftwaffe The article states that the threat W use bombers won many victories, notably Munich, but bombers alone hav< not won a single battle. The German blastings of Rotterdam and Belgradt were not victories, but massacres. When the Luftwaffe for the first time was challenged during the Battit of Britain it was defeated. It Inflictec widespread distress and damage, bu! it did not achieve its military objective. Yet what the Luftwaffe failec to do Britain is planning to do U Germany. The article points out that bccaust of the weather a large proportion ol Britain's recent aircraft productionbig bombers—have been comparative!; idle at a time when extra fighters wert urgently needed for Malaya, when divebombers might have enabled the Com-mander-in-Chief in the Middle East General Sir Claude Auchinleck. to rou' Field-Marshal Rommel’s retreating army, when more dive-bombers mlgh have enabled the Russians to recaptur, the Crimea, and when the Prince o Wales and Repulse were lost becaust they lacked proper air support. Fact of Geography The article adds: The Air Marshal: still cry ‘Give us bombers and we wil finish the job.’ When they regaled th) public in this way during Britain’, agony under aerial attack, it was par donable propaganda, but it is ridicu lous strategy now.” Working out the proposition !1 terms of arithmetic and geography, th, article shows that enemy territor; covers 321.500 square miles, with th: centre about Prague. 600 miles Iron Britain; whereas Britain covers 83.70! square miles, with the centre abou Derby. 200 miles from the French coast Britain would, therefore, need an ai force four-fold as large as the Luft waffe to inflict industrial damage equa to that which the Luftwaffe has in i flicted on Britain, and which event ’ have shown had not decided the wat ■ The periodical "Aeroplane” com ments: “We need a land equivalent o : the aerial torpedo used by naval aircraf in order to knock out land battleship! ’ Ve have to revise our ideas and 'noun ; aeroplanes with the largest anti-tanl weapons. The Russians appear to hav ' found the secret of success agains tanks—k rocket-fired bomb. We hav to learn f-—n them.”