AIR WARFARE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 October 1941, Page 5

AIR WARFARE

AXIS OUTCLASSED IN DESERT EVEN WHEN NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR. ACHIEVEMENTS OF IMPERIAL FORCES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY,. October 5. Interesting facts relating to air activity in the Western Desert from the entry of Italy into the war till the present time were recently made known in London. The whole period may be divided into four stages, first, from June, 1940, till the Italian advance in September; secondly, General Wavell’s historic campaign which destroyed the Italian army; thirdly, the German advance which retook the whole territory to the Egyptian frontier, with the exception of Tobruk; and, fourthly, the period of relative stability which has not yet ended. During the whole of this period the R.A.F.'has been active , both in bombing the enemy supply organisation, his lines of communication, his troops and his shipping. During the great part of this period the British and Imperial air forces have been outnumbered, sometimes as heavily as three to one. Yet during the whole campaign effective air power has been in British and Imperial hands because, though outnumbered in quantity, superiority of quality, both of men and machines, has told over mere numbers.

Evidence of this is given both in actual operations and the results of battles. Thus between June, 1940, and July 31, 1941, while 275 machines of the British and Imperial air forces were shot down the Axis lost 421 aircraft in combat and a further 513 on the ground.

The accuracy of the R.A.F. bombing attacks had a quaint testimonial from a captured Italian officer who said that neither he nor his friends used to leave their cafe in Benghazi during the raids because they knew that all the bombs would fall into the harbour among the, shipping and docks. But, on the other hand, he said he was never able to run from his mess to his post without being machine-gunned from the air.

A lull in hostile air activity took place in the autumn of 1940, which was attributed to persistent raids on the enemy, coupled with news of how the Luftwaffe was faring in the Battle of Britain. The Italian air force was early reinforced by German machines and pilots, and this stiffening of one of the weak parts of the Axis reached its peak in February, 1941, about the time of General Wavell’s maximum penetration.

The British and Imperial forces were considerably reduced during the Greece and Crete operations, and at that time were in their greatest minority.

The Fleet Air Arm has played an important part in many operations and the work of the Australian, South African and New Zealand Air Forces has been magnificent. Squadrons of the Greek and Yugoslav air forces have also been in action with great success.

When the full history of the war comes to be written, one of the greatest triumphs of the Allied cause will be seen to be the masterly work done by these airmen in the face of superior odds.