AIR LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1941, Page 6

AIR LOSSES

FANTASTIC GERMAN CLAIMS REBUTTED IN LONDON. ■ IMPRESSIVE FACTS STATED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, Noon.) RUGBY. November 28. A German statement that Britain has not only failed to do any important damage to Germany during the Russian war, but has lost 2,501 aircraft since the beginning of 1941, compared with a German loss of only 602 is regarded in London as a flagrant attempt to sow discord between the Allies.

Hitherto unpublished figures of British and German air losses, now made available authoritatively in London show from January 1 to October 31 this year, the Germans lost over Germany and occupied countries 1,426 aircraft, while the British lost 1,311. In the Middle East, the Germans lost 617 and the British 378. Thus the total German losses in both theatres, during the •ten months, were 2,053 and the British 1,689. In addition, a very large number of German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Moreover these figures disregard enemy aircraft which were unlikely to return to their base, but were not definitely seen to crash and also enemy, aircraft lost in crashes when returning from operations. It will be seen that the German statement reduced German losses by twe-thirds and multiplied the British losses by fifty per cent. ..Furthermore, while no bombing of any importance has’taken place over Britain since May, the R.A.F. during the last six months has dropped more than 20,C00 tons of bombs on Germany.

The number of German aircraft destroyed from the beginning of the war to the beginning of November is 6,266, excluding losses in the Middle East, Poland and at the hands of Dutch, Belgian and French forces during the Western campaign.