Evening star., 1941-03-15
British Air Offensive

Britain has taken the offensive in
the air on formidable scale. Her
initiative is the more impressive be-
cause OF the moment chosen for
! launching it when Germany is
| making a supreme effort to win the
battle of the Atlantic and preparing
for her long scheduled attempt at
invasion of the British Isles. On
two successive nights this week new
long-range bombing planes of the
Royal Air Force have made devaStat-
ing raids on Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen
and Emden, and Showered deStruc-
ton on military objectiveS as widely
separated as Norway, the Neither
lands, Belgium and occupied France.
The attacks on the three German
cities were the heaviest which enemy
territory has suffered during the war
Besides extensive property damage,
they caused large numbers Of cas-
ualtieS. The NaziS at length have
had a deadly dose of the medicine
they have been administering from
British skies more or less necessarily
since last summer.
Apart from the convincing evil
dence that the British are enabled at
this critical hour to undertake an
air offensive OF major dimensions,
Americans note with special gratifi-
cation that the r. A. F.'s aggressive
campaign is said to be the result in
large degree of the enactment of
our lease-lend legislation. London
reports emphasize that the assur-
ance of unlimited American aviation
supplies marks a definite turning
point in British bombing strategy,
hitherto necessarily restricted. The
days of "penuriouSly defensive"
tactics are now described as being
over, and the guarantee of a steady
and mounting stream of replace
ments from the United States is
heralded as giving the signal for "a
really offensive war in the Skies
British good cheer on this score is
fully justified by the proposed appro-
priations for implementing the lease
lend bill. Of $1,000 100000 earmarked
for that purpose, no less than 81
054,000,000 is allocated to aircraft,
a sum estimated to be sufficient to
provide 10000 heavy bombers, or
10000 pursuit planes. There could
hardly be more earnest evidence of
the intention of this arsenal of de-
mocracy" to devote adequate funds
and energy to providing the R. A. F.
with the Sinews for a successful bid
for mastery of the air. In February
our plane output slumped slightly, as
compared with January, due to
Shortness of the month, but last
months total of 972 machines is due
for steady augmentation.
But the outstandingly heartening
fact is that Britain's air fighters have
determined to anticipate Hitler's
spring blitzkrieg by one of their own
and are now subjecting German ter
ritory to the fercest punishment it
has ever undergone. The Luftwaffe
is retaliating in kind, and Liverpool,
Hull, Glasgow and Clyde shipyards
this week were victims of severe at
tackS, too. 1t is encouraging to learn
that while the R. A. F. is intensifying
its offensive, it has evolved improved
methods of defense against night
assaults on British objectives. Many
German planes have been brought
down in consequence. Altogether,
thanks to her own skill and daring,
plus the psychological effect of
knowledge that American resources
are now unstintedly at her disposal,
it is evident that Britain feels able
at length to give the air campaign
an effective turn in her favor That
is war development of inspiring
possibilities.