The Southland Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1940. The Question of Reprisals

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 6

The Southland Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1940. The Question of Reprisals

MANY persons are now asking why Britain refrains from bombing the civilian population of Berlin. They are finding it hard to understand why the common people of Germany should be spared the horrors that their rulers are inflicting on London. It is surely reasonable to suppose (they argue) that in a contest of this kind the regimented and deluded Germans would be the first to show signs of a weakening morale. Common justice demands that the people whose war madness has left a trail of desolation across Europe should now be given a liberal dose of their own medicine. Moreover, what is the use of exercising forbearance if the. enemy regards it as just another form of British weakness? These, and similar, thoughts come very easily into the mind while reports are coming in of fresh examples of Nazi savagery. It is difficult not to feel that, if the Germans want total warfare, they should be taught exactly what it means on their own soil and in. their own homes. In a cooler mood, however, the average person may remember that it is the innocent who suffer most severely under an indiscriminate punishment. Force can reply effectively to force; but in the long run evil can never be cancelled out by other evils. These moral questions must be answered by every man according to his own convictions, and in a war of this kind it is impossible to know what actions may later become necessary. But from a strictly realistic point of view there are several good reasons why reprisals at this stage would be a foolish, departure from, sound tactics. Planned Raids

Although the Royal Air Force * is strong in fighter squadrons, and is rapidly improving in other branches, its bombers are still much fewer than Germany’s. To a certain extent the numerical disadvantage has been overcome by the scientific precision of the nightly raids. Bomber I strength has been used effectively, I but with a necessary economy. Under present conditions, with the Nazis making frantic efforts to create a breach through which invading forces could stream into England, it is vitally important that every British bomb should reach a military target. The latest list of objectives raided in German territory includes barge concentrations, and indicates that preparations are being made to attempt a landing at the first sign of disorganization in Britain. By attacking these targets, the Royal Air Force is completing the defence system, and possibly preventing, or at least delaying, the expected invasion. Other z raids, against aerodromes, factories and fuel dumps, are reducing the number of bombs which Hitler’s airmen can rain upon London. Thus, vzhile the Nazis are hitting blindly and savagely, the Royal Air Force is working to schedule, and with results far more valuable than the terrorizing of civil populations. It is not always easy, in times of great emotional strain, to prefer a scientific coolness to an explosive fury. But every boxer knows that the fight is half won as soon as his opponent loses his temper.