Evening star., 1939-10-19
Reich Given Offensive
Lead on Land, in Air
And at Sea >
Honors Declared With
U-Bouts So Far as F.,
Compared to Planes
by COL. FREDERICK PALMER

6y COL. FREDERlCh PALMLh,
Noted Military Expert.
Prime Minister Chamberlaln'S
1--WE have made a good beginning" :"
as spoken in the House of Commons
yesterday, refers to the defensive
which is the present allied policy.
Since the Germans attack on the
western front they have the offen-
sive lead on land, in the air and at
sea.
The British public. reported as
being more worried about the sub
marine menace than air attacks,
had reminder from Mr.. Chamber
lain that the air attacks had been
"few and on small scale" All air
and naval commanders will agree
with his sit would be unWise to as
sumo that we shall always be sue
cessful as we have been in our first
exchanges"
Just how much more do we know
about the efficacy of air power than
we did before the raids on the Firth
of Forth and Scapa Flow? The
honors are so far with the sub
marine, as compared to the plane
The first. German hero of the war is
not an aviator, but Submarine Com
mander Prien, who sank the British
battleship Royal Oak.
Joyous crowds, hailing his ride
through Berlin streets to receive the
personal encomiumS of the Fuehrer
himself, also rejoiced in headlines
which told them of the sinking of
the British aircraft carrier Ark
Royal and damaging of the battle
-cruisers Hood and Repulse.
British Admit Losses.
The British deny the three were
damaged They admit the loss of
the Royal Oak and two-thirds of her
personnel, and admit 16 killed, IL
seriously wounded and 33 slightly
injured in the air raid on the
cruisers in the Firth of Forth. They
say there were no casualties on the
Iron Duke, which, therefore, must
have been little damaged.
The outstanding fact is that the
bombers have not yet been In the
war in earnest and in mass. while
the submarines have. Mr.. Cham
berlain reports that 12, possibly
more, bombers were in the Firth of
Forth raid and about four in the
Scapa Flow raid. Grant there were
Is, and5, as reported, were brought
down. That leaves 13 which re-
turned to their bases for any needed
repairs and to be refueled and re-
loaded for another raid.
Suppose we make the total Ger
man loss 30 bombers, including any
brought down on the western front.
We do not have to accept the Ger
man boast of building capacity of
1000 planes month-make it 500
to realize that. in the month since
the bombing fury was practically
over in Poland. the German produc-
ton has far exceeded the average
pre-war estimate of wastage, about
SO per cent a month.
Last August the Germans said
they had 800 bombers It is likely
they have more now. The British
apparently sent u bombers on the
Wilhelmshaven raid and 10 on the
Helgoland raid, and apparently lost
6 altogether. So far, they and the
French have evidently expended
few, If any, bombers on the western
front, and the loss of fighters and
reconnaissance planes has not been
large. Both sides must have more
planes of all types than at the start
of the war.
Pre-War Estimates High.
Now let us turn to the results
of the two attacks at the Firth of
Forth and Scapa Flow. Neither the
bombers nor the anti-aircraft guns
made half the enthusiasts pre-War
estimate of hits 1t is one thing to
make a hit in peacetime trials and
another to make hit in battle; one
thing to direct a plane in the midst
of shell bursts and another to make
hit firing gun in the midst of
bomb bursts. Pursuit planes ac-
counted for all the German bombers
brought down except one downed by
q gun.
Why don't the Germans send more
out of their armOry of bombers?
Probably they will when they start
their 'blitzkrieg" in earnest. Max
ing the most of surprise, after these
exhibition samples, they may send
hundred bombers against British
naval objective in wave after wave,
and keep repeating the attack.
Both sides are holding to their
planes. not to say fondling them.