The Fight for Air Supremacy

Camp News, Volume 2, Issue 71, 2 May 1941, Page 2

The Fight for Air Supremacy

By Courtesy N.Z. Government Publicity Dept. Publication “Neptune.”

• German invasion of Britain becomes a most hazardous project without German air supremacy. Daily the Nazi bombers, changing their formations and increasing their fighter protection, are driven off Britain with crippling loss. At night, heavy and continuous gun barrages turn back most of the raiders. Meanwhile, British factories are turning out almost uninterruptedly a greater air-craft production than that of Germany, thus bringing British numerical superiority nearer with every, raid. The British repair organisation, operating upon the aicraft which fall on Britain in the fight, has reached a point of efficiency whereby it puts into the air every week an equivalent number of British aircraft to those brought down. Thus, all new aircraft production in Britain already constitutes a clear increase in numbers. w The majority of German losses on the other hand are total losses to the Nazis, and a contribution to British scrapheaps. ~ For every trained airman lost to Britain in the daily air fighting, at least a dozen are lost to Germany. British reserves of trained airmen are very much greater because of the Empire air-training schemes. From August Bth to the middle of September, the Nazis have lost over 4,000 airmen over Britain, against a total British loss of less than 600. In Germany, men only a few days out of hospital are being put back into the battle. The drain on Germany’s skilled air personnel has been extremely heavy. The number of flying-hours which can be given to the training of the average German pilot is already considerably fewer than a British pilot receives. The Empire training scheme, which is turning out its full quota of 20,000 fully-trained pilots a year and 30,000 other trained personnel, is proving a great success. An additional advantage Empire pilots possess during training is that their instruction is carried on far from interruptions by enemy action, on numerous training-grounds in Australia and Canada. A recent day of mass attacks on Britain’s South-East corner cost Germany 187 aircraft and over 500 airmen, whilst Britain lost 25 single-seater fighters and only 11 of their pilots. The damage to German airpower goes steadily on: the Nazis have been forced to keep out of Britain with their short-range divebombers—“after their very severe mauling,” as the British Prime Minister described it—although, this type of aircraft won them notable success elsewhere and was considered by Nazi propagandists certain to overwhelm British resistance. They have sent heavy bombers to the extent of an average of 400 every 24 hours without any significant results as far as military objectives are concerned. They have endeavoured to sow bombs from fast fighter-aircraft which can make shift to escape if tackled. Meanwhile, Britain’s Royal Air Force, in well over 1,000 raids, has systematically reduced Nazi war-strength by successful attack on German military, air and naval objectives.