HITLER’S AIM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 September 1940, Page 5

HITLER’S AIM

AS S'EEN IN BRITAIN ATTEMPT TO GAIN EARLY VICTORY. DEFENCE BECOMING MORE STUBBORN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 9. An Air Ministry spokesman yesterday told the Associated Press of Great Britain that the present “reprisal” attacks on London appear to be a diversion from the Germans’ main purpose, namely, to endeavour to cause Britain to use up her fighters, thereby paying the way for unlimited bombing attacks as a prelude to an invasion. The German bombing, he says, appears to be limited by the fighter strength available for escort, for which reason, if the necessity to send heavy fighter escorts is reduced, Germany will be able greatly to increase the number of bombers. If this hypothesis is correct it explains why, during Saturday’s attacks against London, when nearly 700 German planes were estimated to have visited the whole of Britain, the activity outside the capital was comparatively slight. In this endeavour to subjugate the British fighter strength the Germans counted on suffering considerable losses, but they did not expect to face such a stubborn resistance, which well-informed quarters believe will be more stubborn as the month proceeds. It is pointed out that Septembei- is likely to be a very critical month in which Hitler, engaging in a race against the English weather, hopes to gain air superiority in a week or so. The air operations are in a crescendo, but the top note has not yet been reached. Answering queries as to why formations of bombers on Saturday were able to reach central London, the Air Ministry spokesman stressed it is not possible for fighters to prevent a proportion penetrating the defences. The German night-bombing so far has been largely indiscriminate, though apparently they are endeavouring to copy the British attacks against rail communications. “The Times” in a leading article, says: “Many of Saturday’s casualties were caused by the attacks falling on men of the services. The enemy attempted a crushing blow to reassure the Germans and strengthen the world’s rapidly waning estimate of his power and fatally injure England. The raid, however, has not impaired the strength of the Royal Air Force; it has not seriously damaged the national war effort, and emphatically it did not shake the civilian morale, which was a large part of the enemy’s purpose. The verdict of the victims was that the experience was a mere incident in the process of winning mastery over a ruthless enemy.”