NIGHT RAIDING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 June 1941, Page 6

NIGHT RAIDING

DECLINE IN LUFTWAFFE ACTIVITY AN OFFICER DISCUSSES REASONS. INCREASE IN ENEMY LOSSES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. June 15. Reasons for the relatively reduced night activity of German , bombers over Britain during the past month were examined by Air Commodore Goddard in a broadcast war commentary. “Do you imagine,” Air Commodore Goddard asked his listeners, “that the great bulk of long-range bombers has gone to the Mediterranean? That is not so. We know from our reconnaissance that a small proportion of long-range bombers has gone south recently, but not sufficient to account for the reduction of the enemy bomber effort in the past month. Nor do I consider that the misty nights have been the full cause for the night bombers staying at home since their last disastrous raid on London—disastrous to them, I mean.

“Now this is not just wishful thinking—not professional optimism, which the Germans say I suffer from. Those, long-range bomber squadrons, I feci sure, have been recuperating —and they have grown more cautious. They had. to. Let us not be so modest that we can’t raise a cheer for that. “The substance of what I have known about those night raids is well known to the enemy, so I can tell you. The percentage of night raiders brought down in January was a substantial improvement on that of lhe previous six months. New methods had begun to take effect. February and March both showed a further improvement, and April was more than twice as good as January. May. though the total number of night raiders had fallen off. gave a percentage of success four times better than January.

“Remember, I am only dealing with averages. They cannot be gainsaid. But we must, of course, beware of big surprises. Nevertheless, in the. long run it is percentages that toll. “An air battle is quick at the time of combat, but air victory is slowly won. I would ask you to hold your courage firmly for the future night blitzes and try to welcome at any rate the chance they give us of deciding who is to be master of our night skies.”