The Wanganui Chronicle. THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1944 THE WAR IN THE AIR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 93, 20 April 1944, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1944 THE WAR IN THE AIR

yn E launching of thousand-bomber raids on successive days and nights from the United Kingdom means that the strength of Allied air power has been brought to a new high level. The building of machines was part of the task accomplished: airfields had to be organised to a high degree of efficiency to permit of their being employed both day and night. Personnel is still personal: and persons are human beings who must sleep ami eat, and while they are doing so they cannot be at work. That round-the-clock bombing has been operating for some time at the thousand-plane level indicates that the ground organisation has been brought to the required standard. It has by now been thoroughly tested. The Luftwaffe has been compelled to make its dispositions in accordance with this increasing air strength to the west of the Reich. More than half of the freighter force has been placed on the eastern front. This is a great advantage to the Russians. Not only have they been comparatively free from enemy bombing activities, but they have been enabled to increase their own observations of the enemy, and to attack by aeroplane his lines of communication. With the enemy in retreat the Russian superiority in the air is an advantage of greater value than it is in static warfare. It is reliably reported that Hitler decided two years ago to switch production from bombing to fighter-plane production. With stocks of parts then in hand the production of bombing planes would continue for some time after that decision was made. It does, nevertheless, bespeak Hitler’s belief that he was destined from then on to fight a defensive war, particularly in the west. His intuitive judgment in this instance did not play him false. With the eastern front being defended under adverse air fighting conditions and a mounting offensive from the west, the task of the Luftwaffe has become more and more burdensome. Yet nothing could be done to stave off the attacks which were being concentrated against the aircraft factories and the manufacturing centres of aircraft, components. Success for the Allies here could not affect the immediate result; but as these factories are smashed the ordinary operational enemy losses cannot be made good and it appears that he is now taking great care of his air resources. It is only a question of time that the Luftwaffe will be unable to draw sufficient replacements to enable the German force to keep in the air. The defenders of Germany are doing their best under present conditions to meet raiders along the line of route, but in this they are meet ing with further fighter escort strength with each raid. It would appear that, whereas the Germans lost most whe they sent the largest numbers to attack London the experience ol the Allies has not. been parallel. The larger the number of machine: that has been sent over Germany, the greater is the amount of damage inflicted without any commensurate loss of machines. There are several happenings to be observed that indicate tin assault on fortress Europe will not be long delayed, and one of the most important of these is the attention which is being paid to enemy communications in the Pas de Calais area, and also in North eru Erance and in Belgium. The recent bombing of Aachen lifts the obscurity into which this town had fallen since the hectic German blitzkrieg days that followed the phoney war. It is to be assumed—because such an assumption is a prudent one—that the German High Command has kept a reserve of air strength unexpended so that it may be thrown in when file invasion effort is being pressed through its critical initial stages. On this assumption it is necessary for the Allied High Command to aim at depriving the enemy of the use of all airfields near to the coastal area so that his fighters will be compelled to consume a considerable portion of their cruising lime in journeying from their distant air bases to the scene of eombat. It is this process which appareaffly is now going on. concurrently with the assault on the Reich proper. The Allies are succeeding in both departments of the campaign, which promises well for the success of the coming major attack. Even granting that the Germans have retained a reserve of ai: strength to throw in against the Allied assault effort, delay in the attack does not enable the Luftwaffe to build up its further strength, for this is being progressively destroyed at its source.