The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-02
Tide Turns
 For R.A.F. In Air War
By H. L. PERCY United Press Staff COrrespondent)

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 London, Sept. 2. (UP)-The open ing of the third war year found a complete turn about in the war in the air compared to a year ago.
 Then, the Battle of Britain was nearing its peak with the luftwaffe hordes hurling themselves against a numerically inferior R.A.F. m almost inceSsant day and night raids.
 Now the initiative has almost en- tirely passed to the British.
 Since June the aerial battlefield has shifted some 60 or so miles east ward from Britain to Northern France and Germany. The "heavi- est yet" night raid on Berlin on Aug. 2 was heralded as the opening of the British autumn campaign.
 Parity Seen by December
 And, by the end of the year, the long predicted numerical supremacy has a good chance of being achieved, it is believed here.
 Two factors lead to this belief in aviation circles here, namely Amer ica production and the Russian war.
 American aid, of course, is the principal factor. From 8 trickle this time last year the flow of planes now has become a steady and in- creasing stream. Harry Hopkins re- gently declared that thousands of American planes have been sent over in the past few months. By the end of the year the flood of con- tracts placed in May and June, l940, will begin to arrive.
 While these supplies coupled with all-out British production might be expected to equal German produc- ton, the second factor, the Russian war, it is believed, makes 1t almost certainly that production parity soon will be achieved.
 Luftwaffe Hard Pressed
 The German invasion of Russia necesSitated the transfer of 8 large part of the luftwaffe to the Eastern Front. This left the R.A.F. in prac- tically uninterrupted possession of the western skies, able to attack plane factories and other military objective with little or no opposition. In addition, the Russian air force has been inflicting severe demage on the luftwaffe-to the extent of some 30 or 40 planes daily 1t is esti- mated by neutral sources.
 And aviation experts here do not believe that the German output, hampered by the fierce British raids and drained by the Russian war, can maintain the average of 1000 planes monthly it was said to be achieving a year ago.
 With British numerical suprem- acy, a German invasion of Britain will become even more prohlematical than it has been hitherto, while, conversely, the chances of a British invasion of continental Europe be- come much better-although the weight of numbers is hardly likely to be sufficient until toward the end of 1942.
 Raid Tempo to Be Raised
 For autumn and winter, however, British plans appear to be ever-in- creasing raids, by day and by night, on Germany's war production tn Germany and occupied countries.
 Hitherto a "heavy" British raid has generally assumed to mean any, thing up to 300 planes participating, but the coming months probably will see as many as 800, or even 600 of the long, distance bombers, both British and American, which have made their appearance in the last year. taking part in single raid.
 With the lengthening winter nights. they will be able to be over their objectives for as much as seven hours continuously,
 As Prime Minister Winston Churchill recently warned, heavy German raids on this country also may be expected to be resumed during the winter nights. Whether or not, as Churchill suggested, they will be worse than Britain has SO far experienced is open to doubt. At least, so long as Germany is oc' eupled on the Eastern Front, it IS felt that the raids will not be more severe, And even fl the Russian war should end, Germany will obviously need time to FeoFganl2e the battered, f not crippled, MGtwaife'