“DAYLIGHT MASTERY OF THE AIR”

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21218, 14 September 1940, Page 6

“DAYLIGHT MASTERY OF THE AIR”

Germany’s ability or inability to gain daylight mastery of the air—that, says Mr Churchill, is the crux of the whole war. And Mr Churchill is in a position to know. Much comfort can be taken from the fact that Germany has “ failed conspicuously ” to gain that mastery, and in fact has suffered heavy defeats whenever she has tried conclusions in aerial battles in daylight. At night warplanes can penetrate any known defensive system, though even in that regard the new British anti-aircraft tactics have apparently been fairly successful. Night bombing will not, however, win a war against Britain.

When he made his statement Mr Churchill probably had Germany’s threatened invasion in view. Because fighting and bombing aeroplanes are bound to play an important part in any method of invasion, in close co-operation with land and sea forces, mastery of the air in daylight combat is of first importance to the attacker. Night bombing can be only a terrorist weapon, capable of inflicting severe but not fatal damage. Night bombing will not be an effective covering for any scheme of invasion. When that test comes fighters must be able to meet fighters in mortal combat, or the attack must lose most of its sting. Germany has been taught that man for man and machine for machine the British Air Force is superior, and that, no doubt, is not the least of Hitler’s worries.

Exploiting the terrorist aspect of aerial bombing, the Germans have evidently determined that they will slaughter as many civilians as possible, thereby magnifying the apparent results of the onslaught. While Goebbels breathed fiery threats of more terrible slaughter of Londoners, Mr Churchill did not mention retaliation. The British policy is to use every possible bomb on military objectives, thereby concentrating upon undermining Germany’s physical strength rather than upon terrorising the people. On Germany’s own figures, British raids have been responsible for very few civilian deaths, which is proof that the bombers have confined themselves to military objectives, for there is no doubt about the severity and effectiveness of the raids. This war is far more likely to be won by smashing the weapons of war than by attempting to terrorise the people into surrender.