LOST 1867 'PLANES SINCE AUGUST 8.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 223, 19 September 1940, Page 7

LOST 1867 'PLANES SINCE AUGUST 8.

HEAVY NAZI LOSSES.

Air Minister Reviews Recent Raid Activity.

British Official Wireless. .(Reed, noon.) RUGBY, Sept. 18. A comparison'between the purpose" of the Royal Air Force and that of the Nazi night bombing raids, was made in a speech by Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary for Air, who said that German bombers flew at about 20,000 feet, ■ carelessly unloading bombs on the dark mass of London beneath, while bombers of the Royal Air Force concentrated on specific military targets and, to .ensure hitting them, came down to low level —as low as 50 feet over one of the very important targets. "Some people," said Sir Archibald, "eay we ought to repay the Germane in kind for their attacks upon our civilians. The truth is that it would be a betrayal of our suffering people of London to divert any of our resources from military objectives. " If the air war resolved itself merely into a slogging match, with the advantages -which 6he possessed, both in numerical strength, and, above all, in the distance her aircraft had to fly, Germany would be bound eventually to win. " What we are doing is to use our available resources to smash tip the German transport system and thus slow down manufacture and the distribution of munitions of war of all kinds, to smash up the factories in which the Germans make their aircraft, or the instruments without which aircraft couldn't be flown here, or the power houses which supply electricity to factories, or the oil which supplies the motive power. But don't let us fall into the vulgar error of supposing that bombs fall any lees heavily on Germany because they are well and shrewdly aimed. "We received information of a very heavy fall in the industrial output of the Rhineland, and' the principal reason given for that is the workers' lack of sleep." After pointing out some of the difficulties of defence against indiscriminate night bombing, Sir Archibald Sinclair said it was yet by no means an insoluble problem. " The German airmen will find that their reception here is increasingly warm, as indeed they have already found over London," he said, "and I am able to look forward to the time when the pleasure of night bombing over Britain. ! and of blowing to pieces a number of humble London homes, will cease to be attractive to Goering and his aeriai minions." The Air Minieter concluded by giving details of German and British air losees [ since August 8, when the blitzkrieg 1 started. The R.A.F. had lost 621 ' machines of all types —fighters, bombers *• and general reconnaissance, 'planes. The ■ Nazis during the same period lost 1807, & while their losees in air crews amounted ' to over 4000. The R.A.F. air crew ! losses Vere less than 600. » In air fighting in the Middle East dur

ing the same period, the R.A.F. lost IS aircraft but destroyed f>o Italian 'planes.

These figures regarding enemy losses referred only to confirmed German and Italian losses, for the number of aircraft damaged was very large.