AIR WARFARE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 June 1943, Page 3

AIR WARFARE

ON THE EASTERN FRONT DECIDED ADVANTAGE NOW WITH RUSSIANS. ACCORDING TO SOVIET EXPERT. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, June 25. While the world still awaits an eruption on the Eastern front, the Red Air Force is systematically raiding the Luftwaffe’s first-line and second-line aerodromes, where the Germans have great concentrations of planes.

These attacks, says Reuter's Moscow correspondent, have been maintained practically daily since June 9. The damage done to German aircraft is to a considerable extent unknown, but Lieutenant-Coolnel Denisov, a Russian air expert, points out, firstly, that the Germans in the Kuban area, during May, failed to attain air superiority and lost three-quarters of their operating fighter squadrons: secondly,- that the Germans are having exceptionally heavy losses in the mased raids. Lieu-tenant-Colonel Denisov attributes the Germans’ heavy losses to the fact that the Red Air Force is stronger and that the quality of the Russian fighters has improved. Lieutenant-Colonel Denisov added that the Focke-Wulf 190 had been countered by large numbers of Yak 7s and Lavochkin ss, which are new Russian fighters now being mass produced. “With Spitfires and Airacobras,” he added, "they unquestionably are superior to the German fighters.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Denisov revealed that 112 attack planes had been perfected and that the Tupolev 2 had been added to the Russian bomber force. "The Germans, on the other hand,’’ he 'said, "are still flying old machines. Their attempts to modify the Junkers 87 by fitting two cannons and using it for attack have not produced a significant improvement. Our smashing up of many aerodromes has compelled the Germans to avoid concentrating a large number of planes in any single district. They now form raiding forces in the air, during the flight to a target. Also, our strong fighter force simply does not allow the Germans'to appear in small groups. Thus the massing of air forces which the Germans are employing must be regarded as arising from necessity rather than choice.”