HIGHER THAN EVER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 October 1940, Page 5

HIGHER THAN EVER

MORALE OF LONDONERS AFTER FOUR WEEKS’ BOMBING DEFENCE AGAINST NIGHT RAIDERS. BECOMING MORE EFFECTIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, October 6. Four weeks ago the bombardment of London began. The Germans in that time have employed a great variety of tactics, but they have met more than their match in the air. There has been a considerable amount of damage and thousands of people have lost their homes, but the morale of Londoners is higher than ever. u • An American commentator sums up the position by saying: "The daylight skies over London still belong to the Royal Air Force.” Continued attacks by the enemy were made over Britain yesterday and last night. Because of the continuance of bad weather over enemy territory our bombers did not carry out any night bombing on the previous two nights, but daylight attacks were made on the enemy coast. Last night, however, the British bombers were again attacking over Germany. In London today (reports the Press Association) a spokesman stated that the British problem of night interception was well on the way to solution. The details could not be released, he said, but he confirmed the impression that the reduced effectiveness of the German night bombing this week had been due' more to the greater practice by the anti-aircraft gunners with their new predictor and consequently their increased accuracy than to such a factor as fear of the weather, which, judging by the demeanor of the prisoners, finds no place in the German airman’s make-up. “The morale of the German air force,” he said, “shows no sign of breaking, though the great losses have made them more wary, particularly of the British eight-gun fighter.” He added that the R.A.F. found the Berlin anti-aircraft defences a tough nut to crack, the gunners being accurate and their fire usually constant. The spokesman, incidentally, rated the Italian air force at “25 per cent, good, 50 per cent mediocre, and 25 per cent rubbish.” The Italian machines were not as manoeuvrable as ours and were vastly inferior in armament.