CHANGED TACTICS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21208, 3 September 1940, Page 5

CHANGED TACTICS

GERMAN AIR FORCE INCREASE IN ESCORTS SUPERIORITY OF BRITISH (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 3, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 2 The aerial warfare over Britain : reached its most intense pitch during the w T eek-end, but in the view of informed observers the peak has yet to come. Meantime there is close discussion in the press of the enemy’s change in tactics. On August 8 Germany opened her intensive air attack on Britain. The date may have been chosen in the hope, possibly considered by Germany as a certainty, that the anniversary of the day in 1918 described by Ludendorff as “ a black day for the German army ” might be a redletter day for the German Air Force 22 years later. The tactics employed by the Luftwaffe, however, failed to fulfil expectations, and the method of mass attacks by bombers was soon found to be so costly that the week from August 8 to 15 may now be said to have been a black week for German bombers. The technique adopted during that week, although different in degree, was the same in kind as that so successfully put into operations when the Luftwaffe was working, as it was extensively trained to do, in close co-operation with the German Army. The result was entirely different. It almost appeared as if, deprived of the army, the German Air Force was put ofT its strike. It was a fresh experience for this force to work as an independent arm, employing new tactics, which, as shown by the Royal Air Force, depend for success on a nice balance of team work and individual initiative. Nazis Change Plans As a result the German Air Command appears to have hurriedly changed its plan of operations, and there followed comparative quiet. The aerial campaign re-opened with a series of night attacks—a method hitherto rather decried by German air strategists. These attacks would seem to have a triple purpose—(l) inflict damage on industrial plant; (2) give much-needed training in flying by night, which up till then had been thought largely unnecessary; and (3) disorganise civilian life by robbing the population of ‘sleep. For this last purpose a small proI portion of bombs was dropped nightly on or near the centres of ; highway concentrations and populaj tions where there were no military j targets of first-rate importance, i Daylight raids in mass were also ■ resumed, but the number of bombers ! was reduced, while escorts were greatly increased. For instance, in a raid early this morning a formation of 20 bombers, which included two big four-engined machines, was, according to press reports, accom- ; panied by an exceptionally numer- ! ous escort, including many twoi engined fighters thought to be new ; Messerschmitts Jaguar. ! It remains to be seen whether this ■ new method will have greater sucj cess than the previous ones. The raids of the last few days have so | far resulted in a reduction of the | proportion of enemy machines shot down to those lost by the Royal Air Force. Numerically the Royal Air Force losses are no greater than hitherto, but the German Luftwaffe losses are less. In the view of experts, however, the German Air Force seems no nearer being able to pierce the British defences and it is confidently expected that the increasing co-operation between fighters and anti-aircraft guns, coupled with improvements in machines, will shortly once more result in three or four to one losses which marked the first phase of this quite new type of warfare.

Meanwhile the proportion of losses in personnel remains about seven to one in favour of the Royal Air Force.