IN THE AIR.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 28 June 1917, Page 3

IN THE AIR.

A MONTH'S AIR BATTLES.

HUN'S PREPOSTEROUS CLAIMS.

A HOPEFUL SIGN.

LONDON, May 14

One of the many encouraging signs of the times on the western front is the persistency with which the German authorities are issuing flagrantly untruthful bulletins. Since the present offensive began the Hun newsmakers have strayed far from the narrow path of- truth so many times that it is impossible to tabulate the tale of their lapses. Bulletins proclaiming British repulses at plaees Sir Douglas Haig's men have never even attempted to attack have been, so to speak, a standdish. But it is In connection with the aerial side of war that the German official news furnishers have made what we may call in Fleet Street parlance their "biggest scoop." During 'April both sides had a very hot time in the air and suffered very considerable losses in machines and men, but viewed through official German spectacles, the war in the air, though disastrous to the Allies, was more or less one month's Tather exciting picnic for the German fliers. The Hun statisticians inform the Fatherland with glee that, whereas during April the Belgian, French and British lost 362 machines, only 7.4 German aeroplanes were destroyed by the Allies. The former figure is, perhaps, no great exaggeration. We know for a positive fact that 147 British machines which flew over the German lines during the month failed to return, but what the French losses were in the period we are not permitted to know. Where aeroplane losses are concerned our usually rather communicative Allies imitate. Brer Rabbit —''lay down and say nuffink." But we do know this much—that the Hun figures regarding their own losses are nothing short of grotesque. The British alone destroyed 269 German machines within the month. And Sir Douglas Haig's fugures have a unique claim on the world's credence, because along among the belligerent's he states day by day his own losses as well as the enemy's and in the case of the latter distinguishes carefully between machines unquestionably destroyed and those only driven down. Scores of these machines were noted as being "out of control," and the odds are that a very big percentage of them crashed to earth and were utterly destroyed, but Sir Douglas only includes in his figures of German losses those machines which were brought to earth under circumstances which preclude the notion that they escaped destruction Taking the British official figures and adding to them from the daily communiques, the German losses which the French and Belgians claimed, we get a which 269 were inflicted by the British) and 348. Allied losses" (of which grand total of 369 German losses (of the British suffered 147.) These figures are certainly not unduly unfavourable to the Germaas.

During the early days of April the Germans undoubtedly inflicted very severe aerial losses on the Allies, and' especially on the British; indeed, our losses were so large that the old shrieks and moans about our" lost air supremacy" roee agaift louder than ever. Apparently the pessimists could not, or would not, perceive that our avaitors were constantly flying Tn droves over and far beyond the German lines, taking twenty risks where their German rivals took one, for it was but seldom that the Hun avaitors ventured to come far over our lines.

To the grand work done by our aviators Sir Douglas Haig has paid handsome tribute, as also have our artillery officers, and infantry commanders, who are ever warm in their admiration for the work done by our flying service, and frankly admit that their observation work and photographs of enemy dispositions and defence works have been inestimable value during the attack on the Hindenburg line, and have saved thousands of casualties. We suffered severely in the air, undoubtedly but the results achieved by our aviators were well worth the cost The enemy also suffered very badly, our fliers exacted such a toll from the Hun air service that to-day on both British and French fronts the strength of the enemy aloft has diminished to a very sensible degree, and our successes in aerial combats have become more marked. Thus, for instance, in the five days ended on Sunday last 59 German aeroplanes were accounted for as against 11 British, and from May. Ist to May 7th, the French verified the destruction of 25 German machines, and in addition sent down 52 enemy planes, which they claim to have damaged to such an extent that destruction is more than a probability.