OBJECTIVE OF BRITAIN
SIR A. SINCLAIR EXPLAINS HARASSING THE GERMANS (Omclal Wireless) (Received Sept. 19, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 18 A comparison between the purpose of the Royal Air Force and Nazi night bombing raids was made in a speech by Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air, who said: "German bombers flew at about 20,000 feet, carelessly unloading bombs on the dark mass of London beneath, while bombers of the Royal Air Force concentrated on specific military targets, and to ensure hitting them came down to a low level—as low as fifty feet over one very important target. “Some people say we ought to repay the Germans in kind for their attacks upon our civilians. The truth is it would be a betrayal of the suffering people of London to divert any of our resources from military objectives. If the air war resolved merely into a slogging match the advantages which she posessed, both in numerical strength and above all in the distance her aircraft had to fly, Germany would be bound eventually to win. “What we are doing is to use our available resources to smash up the German transport system and thus slow down the manufacture and distribution of munitions of war of all kinds, to smash up the factories in which the Germans make their aircraft, or the instruments without which aircraft could not be flown here, or the power-houses which supply electricity to the factories, or the oil which supplies motive power. “But don’t let us fall into the vulgar error of supposing that bombs fall any less heavily on Germany because they are well and shrewdly aimed. We have received information of a very heavy fall in the industrial output of the Rhineland and the principal reason given for that is the workers’ lack of sleep. 1867 Nazi Planes Lost After pointing out some of the difficulties of defence against indiscriminate night bombing, Sir Archibald said: “ It is yet by no means an insoluble problem. The German airmen will find that their reception here is increasingly warm, as indeed they have already found over London, and I am able to look forward to the time when the pleasure of night bombing over Britain and of blowing *to pieces a number of humble London homes will cease to be attractive to Goering and his aerial minions.” The Air Minister concluded by giving details of German and British air losses. Since August 8, when the blitzkreig started, the Royal Air Force has lost 621 machines of all types, fighters, bombers and general reconnaissance planes. The Nazis during the same period have lost 1867 planes, while their losses in air crews have amounted to over 4000 and the Royal Air Force to less than 600. In air fighting in the Middle East during the same period the Royal Air Force has lost 15 aircraft, but has destroyed 56 Italian planes. Further, these figures of enemy losses referred only to confirmed German and Italian losses, for the number of aircraft damaged was very large.
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Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21222, 19 September 1940, Page 7
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507OBJECTIVE OF BRITAIN Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21222, 19 September 1940, Page 7
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