NAZI PLANE LOSSES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21192, 15 August 1940, Page 7

NAZI PLANE LOSSES

1257 TRAINED PERSONNEL BRITAIN’S GOOD POSITION

(United Press Assn.—Elec. TeL Copyright) (Received Aug. 15, 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 14 Between June 18 and August 13, a period of 57 days, 543 enemy aeroplanes have been brought down over Britain or British waters by the Royal Air Force, anti-aircraft fire and the Navy, while in the same area for the same period 120 Royal Air Force machines have been lost. The ratio of loss, therefore, is a little over four to one in favour of Britain. Expressed in terms of trained personnel these results are even more favourable, because while Germany has been deprived of 543 trained pilots 21 of the 120 Royal Air Force pilots brought down were saved. At the same time the German aircraft shot down were mostly bombers and many of her fighters were two-seater planes, while the British losses were all fighters, the great majority being single-seaters. Thus, to ascertain the total loss of German personnel the figure 543, being the number of aircraft destroyed, should at a conservative estimate be multiplied by two and a-half, giving a total of 1257 trained personnel lost by Germany. Missing Pilot Turns Up A communique issued at 10.45 p.m. states: It is ’now known that 20 enemy aircraft were destroyed in today’s fighting round Britain. Seventeen fell to the fighters and three to the anti-aircraft guns. One of our pilots previously reported missing is safe. The number of our pilots lost in today’s actions, therefore, is now three. It is reported that nine German raiders out of 34 which attacked a south-east town in today’s first big raid were shot down. 1