The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-26
Air
Superiority
BY THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON
NEA Service Military Writer

w. oS'"0 Nihii'dit WRITER
The Yanks may not be coming
but their planes are.
The word reaching Europe NAV
well change the course of the war
News that American combat plane,
that can fly 400 miles an hour will
Don be shipped to the Allies NAV
bring on the worlds greatest 2r
battles-battles that will decide The
outcome of the war in the north
Germany apparently has lost 81
much naval strength already ta.
she must resist Franco = British
naval superiority mainly thrcsb
her formidable air force. Air bomb.
ing attacks are now the greatest
threat to Allied control Of the seas
Should the Allies lose that con.
troll, then from western Norway
the Nazis could not only bomb
Scotland and northern Britain, but
after that bombing had sunk
enough British warships, they
could invade Scotland.
Against that danger the Allies
best defense is also aircraft, and
they have not enough.
The French especially have con-.
siderably fewer than the Germans,
but with today's news from this
country the Allies can draw on
heir reserves, knowing there will
De reinforcement at least equalias
anything in quality the Germans
have.
But before these reinforcement
can arrive the Germans will be
likely to shoot the works. Audac-
ity-alWays a Frenchman's word
has just been put into astounding
deeds, first by Germans and now
by Britons.
For Churchill is gambling little
less than Hitler.
The British ships that steamed
into Oslo harbor to cut the main
troop ferry for the Nazi invasion
of Norway certainly took a risk.
They dared mines and torped0es
in the narrow seas. To stay they
dared attack by Germany's capita.
ships and a%irplanes.
Yet the British allowed these
foemen more time by p~ostponins
Smelling Oslo to save its civilians,
But the risks the British take
are those calculated risks that
must be taken in a war so dazzling
as this new war in the north, and
in this region Britain's stakes are
more vital than anywhere on the
continent save the low countries.
Once let Germany establish her.
self on the western Norwegian
coast 800 North Sea miles from
Scotland and her submarines and
planes could attack British com.
merce, naval bases and cities with
violence and persistence to make
previous raids look like a peck on
the cheek.
Right now spring weather is re-
moving two projections Britain ha:
enjoyed all winter-a 40-mile ht11
wind and a thick, low-lying Clou
bank.
If German bombers can white
down the British fleet, German
transports could bear troops across
those 800 miles from Norway 70
invade Scotland.
The British must show audaclT
that whole 1000-mile Ncf'
Weglan seafront before the Ger
mans can link hands with large
md probably mechanical armoTe'
forces trying to push northWaT1'
Warships attacking fixed la1.
notifications always are handicaE'
ped, but the British cannot IL.
niserly count the cost. They ar
lighting primarily not to sain MOI
way as a sprineboard II inTa-,
Germany, but to push Germany q.
/ springboard whence she mls"'
invade Britain.
The British have their backs " |
he wall-in effect, that seaTs'
hat hitherto has been their ram
part. But the wall may best L
defended from the air by the YanN;
planes that now at the cruG'"
moment are coming.