The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-09-20
rms BUSINESS or BOMBING

4
THIS BUSINESS or BOMBING
ApporentIy there is O greet Otter
ence bweteen the bombs which the Ger
mon Luttwoffe drops, or used to crop,
& ~ Britojn and those which the British
Royol Air Force drops on 0ermony: AZ
leost the Germon press treots tne"
very differently.
After the Raj raid Of September 9
/ an the Germon copitol the Berlin pres:
sounded unsupported depths OF n,oro'
indionotion over the number OF eiv'''on
casualties in workine-closs residentio'
sections. The newspaper Nochtous9ooe
I ossoiled the ottock as especially low
down and contemplate"
To Americans it must seem that the
Y iornv of this reaction, OTTER the
moss air ottocks endeovorins to demo'.
IL London more than year ooo. would
only make q Nozi newspaper ridiculous
n the eyes Of it's German readers. But
outsiders need to remember that Ger
mans oenerolIy have seen nothing but
Maxi newspapers since the war began.
Williom L. Shirer in his Berlin
Doirv" records under date Of September
7, 1910:
Not hint here-and the German people
do not know it-that the Germans have
been dropping bombs in the very center OF
London for the last two weeks
The German people have no inklins- be-
case the Nazi press and radio nave car1euny
euppressed the story-that in August alone
more than one thousand English civilians
were killed by the Luftwaffe's attacks on
British military objectives.'
That doy the Germon High Com
nond issued comnuniQue thot os
q retaliation" its air force had "ot-
toeked the city and horbor Of London
for the first time with stronger forces.
Actually the principal change thot had
token ploce wos that the luftwotte,
having foiled in daylight ottocks. wos
switching over to MIG hit roids combin-
ina explosives with incendiory bombs.
But most Germans at home knew
only toot der Fuhrer three days earlier,
n his appeal for the winter relief cam
poion, had drawn hystericoI applause
from his audience, mainly young
women nurses and social workers, with
announcement thot when the British
air force drops two or three or four
thousand Kilograms Of bombs, we will
In one night drop $50, 900, 2OO. 600,
300, 900 or 100000 Kilograms Of
bombs" and thot IF they increase
their ottocks on our cities, we will roze
theirs to the grounds"
This wos very much like the orou-
nnent Of the small boy who asserted
thot Jimmy storted the fight" because
"he hit me back"
But from this point on, since it wos
"reprisol," the Gerron press could
print exuItontIy the descriptions by re-
turning pilots Of the "oceon of flames"
I billowing through the smoke beneath
them as they poured thousands Of tons
81 bombs on London. They now pub
tishod as an index Of success British
figures telling OF thousands of cosuoI-
ties onsong civilians. including chill
dren.
Bombing is inescopobIy beostIy
business, by whomever it may be cor
red cut. Bombs dropped from high oIti-
x5t,6es or at night. even il aimed at rail
tood yards or untiIity plant. ore opt to
'Ioke q civilion toll. 1t is no pleosonter
5(Son men Get blown to bits in trenches,
nutuwrition dumps. or other "mIitory
65ocflv0s."
a.4 husnone persons look with ob-
no On any phase OF war, especially
nsetion Of relatively dsfenseIess
l1otlons. including women ord
H. most hopeful way Of re-
orrofs Of osrioI bombing
pptin0 To- I'D the present
1T M scourooe and
- ~ stovtino Of fu-
o1e0 fpr ti,e sf{octs o.