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Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1943, Page 4

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IN WEST EUROPEAN AIR WAR SOON TO BE TAKEN BY AMERICANS GENERAL EAKER’S SURVEY. PREPARATIONS TO SUPPORT INVASION. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) RUGBY, June 10. The rapid expansion of the United States Eighth Air Force in Great Britain was indicated by Major-General Eaker, its commander. “Roughly I should say the size of the force has increased from 15 to 30 per cent monthly,” he observed. “It has more than doubled since March and the size of the present force will be doubled between now and October. It is becoming a considerable force and we can look forward with great assurance to the happy day coming, during the present summer, when we will be able to bear our full

share cf the load.” General Eaker suggested that the Allies had been engaged in the early phases of testing the effects of aerial bombardment and that before the summer was over the Allies would have enough air strength to draw the experiment to a close. During May there were 4,100 Allied sorties against enemy or enemy-oc-cupied territory. General Eaker stated. About two-fifths of the sorties were by heavy bombers, slightly over half by fighters and the remainder by medium bombers and miscellaneous planes. A total of nineteen targets were attacked by heavy bombers and 2,800 tons of bombs were dropped. The United States losses were 62 aircraft and they destroyed 359 enemy planes, probably destroyed 93 and damaged 176. In addition, nine fighters were lost, compared with 35 enemy fighters destroyed or damaged. The United States Air Force was able to put about 200 planes out on each raid. In the largest raid, which was the maximum United States effort to date, about 300 heavy bombers were engaged. General Eaker said the Americans desired to continue day bombing, which they considered more effective because of increased accuracy. The Eighth Air Force, in addition to its heavy bomber force, had a tactical air force which must be ready to support an invasion of the Continent. He added that they would never operate at a rate which would bring about losses faster than they could be replaced .until some critical situation arose, requiring an all-out effort, such as a landing on the Continent, when, he said, “we will throw in all we have —hour after hour and day after day if necessary—until it is used up to support an over-all successful land, sea and air battle.”

The initiative was with the Allies, General Eaker continued, and they would launch their attacks under the conditions most desirable to their own purposes and most embarrassing to the enemy. It had been found that a small formation of heavy bombers could saturate an area and carry through the destruction of anything within a circle of 1,000 feet diameter. Such a formation could defend itself, with normal losses of five per cent or less. They would, therefore, launch as many plan? assaults as there were targets requiring destruction.