SEVERE LOSSES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20075, 23 October 1939, Page 9

SEVERE LOSSES

NAZI AIR RAIDERS ATTACKS ON FLEET DISAPPOINTING RESULTS U-BOAT CAMPAIGN (Elcc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British OllichU Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY. Oct. 20. The recent German air attacks on (lie British fleet naval bases are interpreted by many shrewd observers as indications that the results of the U-boat campaign arc now recognised as disappointing in Berlin. By a new effort it was no doubt hoped to reduce the margin of British superiority in warships with a view to. breaking the stranglehold of the British Navy shutting off Germany from overseas supplies. Only the Baltic remains open to German shipping.

Judging by the outcome of the first raids—the small amount of damage done and heavy casualties suffered by the raiders —it is iikely that the hopes the Nazi leaders may have entertained of success for this method are going to be as greatly disappointing as those formerly held out to the German public in respect of the U-boat attacks.

Quality Under-estimated

It is clear that the accuracy of the bombing upon which the German Air Force may have counted is unobtainable under the conditions of antiaircraft gunfire which the German pilots have met. Furthermore, the German' command may have underestimated the quality of British interceptions.

It is interesting to note that the British pilots who shot down three of the four German aircraft destroyed in the raid on the Firth of Forth belonged to the Auxiliary Air Force and. until three weeks ago, were stockbrokers, lawyers and sheepfarmers. Not a single British plane was lost and actually only one hik which did no damage, was obtained by the German gunners in all the aerial combats over the Forth.

It is pointed out that the loss of 30 per cent of the attackers by Germans in the recent raids, like the loss of one-third of their submarines, is too heavy a wastage to be borne for long, nor are the results achieved in either form of attack commensurate.