FOOLISH QUESTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1941, Page 6

FOOLISH QUESTION

BRITAIN NOT YET DONE WITH BOMBING DEFENCE COMMISSIONER’S WARNING. PLANS FOR COMING WINTER. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 7. Tn a broadcast on possible Gorman air attacks on Britain next winter, General Sir William Bartholomew, commissioner for the north-east-ern civil defence region, said: “I have heard people in some places which have not experienced the full heat of the battle ask the question, ‘Have we done with the heavy bombing attacks at night?’ It is a foolish question. “I say: Go to London, go to Plymouth, go to Hull and a few other place's and see what answer you will get. The Prime Minister told Hitler that we were going to intensify our attack, and he is no bad prophet. Does anyone suppose that the Germans are not going to try to hit back when they can, and as hard as they can? “Do not let us deceive ourselves. So long as Germany has an efficient heavy bombing force we must expect an attack on our cities. The methods of our active defence in finding the enemy at night and destroying him are improving, and he will find, if I am not mistaken, that night raids this winter will be a costly business. But we have not yet ’reached the stage where we can stop them, and we must prepare to meet the most determined attacks. “That is an unpleasant thought, but if any false sense of security lulled us and we became slack the awakening would be grim indeed. We are not going to be caught off guard. We have learned a good many hard lessons, and the civil defence machine has profited by them. It has been constantly tuned up as the Germans have increased the weight of their attack and as we have found that our defences needed strengthening. “The Government and the regional commissioners and local authorities are working hard. When the raids come we shall be in a faribetter position to meet them, even if they are heavier still than before.” Greater successes for anti-aircraft gunners when the Germans again attack Britain were predicted by General Sir Frederick Pile, speaking on a gun-site near London. “As the nights grow longer 1 you will once more be faced with German raids,” he said. “Your successes have increased in a most gratifying way, and the training which is everywhere so much in evidence cannot fail to result in even greater successes.”