WEIGHT & EFFECT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 September 1942, Page 3

WEIGHT & EFFECT

OF R.A.F. OFFENSIVE EMPHASISED BY MR EDEN. ASSURANCE OF INCREASING EFFORT. - (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 26. Speaking of the R.A.F. bombing offensive over Germany, the Foreign Secretary, Mr Eden, said it would be a grave mistake to underrate its influence on the course of the war. Our offensive, he said, was at last developing weight and sustained power. The German blitz failed in 1941 because of the failure of the Luftwaffe in both these respects. Photographs and other sources of information were beginning to show that our raids were hitting the Germans hard, and even Dr. Goebbels had dropped the attempt to suppress the effect of the damage. Last month he visited Cologne, Dusseldorf and the Ruhr, and, in a subsequent broadcast, said the population of the regions threatened by air attack were at present bearing a particularly heavy part of the burdens and sacrifices of Germany. In June and July, 1940, said Mr Eden, the R.A.F. dropped 3500 tons of bombs on Germany . In the same two months of 1941 the total was 8500 tons and in the first 14 days of September this yeai no less than 5,000 tons were dropped in nine raids, an average of more than 500 tons in each raid. In the Cologne raid we dropped 1000 tons in 90 minutes.

After referring to the strategic value of bombing Germany's industrial centres, Mr Eden added: “I can assure you we fully understand the importance of maintaining the bombing offensive and further strengthening its weight week by week and month by month. That will be done.”