NO WEAK LINK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 January 1941, Page 9

NO WEAK LINK

NAZIS' SEARCH OF BRITISH CHAIN

I EVERV TRICK BEING TRIED. CURE FOR NIGHT BOMBING Germany is still groping for a weak link in the chain of the British defences. By day as well as by night new tactics are being tried, writes the "Sunday Times” air correspondent. The enemy’s heavy losses in daylight raids have shaken his preconceived ideas of victory through numbers. Yet he must cling in desperate optimism to his belief that if he could gain mastery in the air over Great Britain by day his biggest battle would be won. In that forlorn hope every trick and every possible variation is being tried. Thus, during the past month, the German High Command has sought by two different methods to succeed when previous daylight raids have failed. In the first instance a big force of some 180 fighters was sent unaccompanied by bombers. The intention was probably to lure our fighters into action and destroy them by sheer weight of numbers. That failed because. although our fighters took up the challenge, they shot down eleven of the enemy. Eleven British machines, from which eight of our pilots escaped, wore lost. The honours went to us. Then again the object was probably an effort to draw off the greater portion of the local fighter strength so that bombers might slip by unimpeded. The fact that the bombers did not come when battle had been joined by the fighters is proof of lack of success in this part of the scheme. Heavily outnumbered as they were, our own fighters deliberately led on the Germans over Kent, where, if we suffered casualties, our pilot losses would be minimised but those of the enemy fully exploited. The second change in tactics has been the use of even bigger fighter escorts to accompany closely-packed wedges of bombers. That in itself is an admission of the inferiority of the German machines. An examination of a Messerschmitt Me 109 shot down almost intact in Southern England confirms this opinion. The standard German fighter is far less adequately equipped for its particular task than are our Hurricanes and Spitfires. ,The instruments are comparatively few and of inferior type. There is no protective armour for the pilot. There is no bullet-proof windscreen, which has saved the lives of many of our pilots, The armament gives a lower fire power than that of our eightgun fighters. There is no doubt that the man-hours expended in the production of an Me 109 are markedly less than those expended in the production of a Spitfire. The superior destructive power of the British fighter more than outweighs this fact. NIGHT BOMBING DIFFICULTIES. Driven into deeper desperation by the continued and expensive failure of the daylight attacks and by the intensified attacks on military objectives in Germany by the Royal Air Force, the German High Command has increased its night raids on London and other parts of Great Britain. Indiscriminate as has been the major part of the German bombing, the moonlight nights have made possible the selection of certain targets such as railways at which to aim. Although misses are more common than hits, much inconvenience has been caused and we must rxpcct more. No really effective cure for the night bomber has yet been found. Orthodox methods have proved relatively ineffective, yet wo are evidently on the eve of big developments in counter-measure evoked by the intensity of the night war. EFFECTIVE ANSWER. Even if we could mention the nature of such developments, to do so would be foolish, not only in providing information for the enemy, but also in claiming potency for methods yet to be proved in action. Yet so urgent a need in warfare has never failed to provoke an effective answer. Just as the long-bow overcame the heavy armour, the depth charge the submarine, and the tank trench warfare. so w'll the effective answer to the night raider be forthcoming. Public optimism, so admirably maintained, will doubtless continue steadfast until ideas, only rudimentary three weeks ago. are ttanslnled into destructive action.

.A great dcttl of ingenuity is being devoted to this subject—since .scientists have had their own rest, convenience, and comfort to consider’ Germany. by ;,s ent and brutal attacks on i-oiidoii, may find that it has stimulated a reply to this form «>f warfare which will cost it dear Dur-

ing all this time of trial our own attacks arc growing m intensity against Germany and German-occupied invasion ports tri the strength of the Royal Air Force increases day by 'day Hy occupying those bases so close to our shores th.e enemy has solved one of mu major prooiems We can iiuw escort bombers with our existing fighters or. daylight raids. While (>•■: in,my '■ m.un bases wen m Gcrmimy <-ur fastest !;qht"; ■■ jjad m?t sutficient "ii'ir’e t<> i.iiny the bomlH-rs on their visit.-- to them Nnw that Nazi objectives are almost on our doorsteps, our bombers can'.count, on the attend.rice of fighters which have proved th enselves superior to those of the enemy In th.e ndoptiun of new methods of tiny light bombing attacks agamst th.e enemy, thus escorted. can be -levn evidence of the Roy.d /tn Force's tamfidtmre in 1U increasing strength :md in the superairily of its maehmes That fact means th it we can ; fGrd to take risks with importtiiit bomber any tighter force., m danfterous day iqwrations As '.hr days grow th*long .a in >■; our (Memwc grows longer and e-nifitii‘i!cv soars m the ability of the H'.rv.ii Air Force t*> cm the measure 1 of the enemy