ENEMY AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1942, Page 6

ENEMY AIR FORCE

FAILURE IN RUSSIA & LIBYA DUE TO OPERATION ON THREE FRONTS. BRITAIN’S RELATIVE POSITION. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, January 7. Failure of the German air force to achieve superiority on the Russian and Libyan fronts is regarded in London as a consequence of the attempt to operate on three fronts at the same time and also in the Atlantic. The Germans themselves now ascribe their failure in Rusisa to the inadequacy of the Luftwaffe. Part of the German air force is operating in Russia and nearly another third is immobilised in central Germany for re-equipment after the strain of the Russian campaign. About onefourth, including 500 fighters, is probably on the Western Front, guarding against British attacks, while at least one-seventh is now in the Mediterranean. Air Marshal Keselring’s fleet has moved into Italy, with headquarters near the frontier, presumably to protect the Germans’ southern front against the possible extension of British attacks.

It is known that Germany is oven more hampered by lack of crews and more than once has had to delay the offensive in order to accumulate what the air staff considered a sufficient quantity of aircraft. Russia at present is able to concentrate greatly superior forces against the Germans, but Britain, like Germany, has to spread her air force between several fronts, over even greater distinces. Air force duties now include the defence of Britain against the threat of an invasion, which would probably be air-borne, attack on industrial targets in Germany, Italy and occupied countries, protection of merchant shipping and co-operation with troops in Libya and the Far East. In consequence Japan, which is able jo concentrate large forces against Malaya and the East Indies, enjoys more advantages in that sphere, where, moreover, American aircraft must operate at great distances from their bases. To match the Japanese air forces numerically Britain would have had to send to the Far East more first line aircraft than she possessed in September, 1939.