LONG DISTANCE STRIKING POWER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 42, 20 April 1942, Page 4

LONG DISTANCE STRIKING POWER

IF there have been any surprises handed out the Japanese in their victorious sweep through Malaya and the Indies, they must have occurred last Wednesday when a bomber flight from Northern Australia, penetrated deep into the. heart of the fighting zone and pounded the enemy establishments in the Phillipines. Eye witnesses accounts have provided; fleeting glimpses of the complete surprise, the panic and the shock created by the sudden appearance of a dozen 'Flying Fortresses' over the main Japanese targets. Retaliation was out of the question for the fiist two numbed hours when, bombs were rained down on the unsuspecting enemy. The exploit will give the Nippon High Command something* fresh to think about and "will, be an unpleasant shock for the Nazis who had hitherto, imagined their allies to be beyond any interference and who in the near future looked to them for a divertionary action on Siberian Russia in order to assist the desperate spring offensive now taking shape. Two thousand miles of non-stop flight with the loss of only a single 'plane is an achievement which may well mark the milestone of even greater and more venturesome exploits to shock the Japanese war constitution in future. War in the air is fast becoming the most decisive factor in the present conflict and it only remains for the huge Anglo.American programme to get properly uncier way to see possibly the dawn of the real turning point of the war. Coincident with the great thrust through to the Phillipines, the R.A.F„ made its most spectacular raid over the nerve centres of industrial Germany and occupied France. The combined effects of the intensified Allied air blitz must give the Axis strong food for thought. Particularly in view of pending spring offensive upon which Germany is preparing to stake her all. The sudden exercising and parade of such unsuspected air strength must have a very sobering effect upon the Axis heads and the possibilities of a second front being opened in France with the R.A.F. in whirlwind support is a thought scarcely to be relished by .them at such a crucial period. We are definitely on the verge of great events. Few there are who dare hasard the procedure likely to put into force, but it is universally understood and expected that the greatest offensive of the war will take place this European spring and the results, whether they take one year or ten will spell the destiny of mankind on this planet. Are these long-range, adventurous bombing raids but a preview of greater and sterner events to come?