Evening star., 1942-03-04
British Plan 10 Time
Blows al Reich With
Nazi Spring Drive
U. S.-BuiIt Fighters and
Dive-Bombers to Aid
In Air Offensive
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, March Sir Archi-
bald Sinclair, Air Minister, declared
today that the r. A. p. will syn
chronise hard blows at German in
dustry and transport with the ex-
pected Nazi spring offensive in Rus
sia and, aided by United States
built fighters and dive-bombers, will
demonstrate superiority over the
German air force "in the not distant
future"
At the same time, ne served notice
that Britain would not allow Ger
man production of tanks and tank
engines, aero engines and lorries to
60 on unhindered merely because it
is situated in occupied territory of
France"
Last nights attack on industrial
targets in the suburbs Of Paris, in
which he said some buildings were
blown hundreds Of feet into the air,
represented no change Of r. A. r.
policy, he said.
For five months r. A. r. bombing
has curtailed industrial work in a
wide area" about Lille in Northern
France by as much as 50 per cent,
the air minister told the House of
Commons.
BSitain's spring bombing offensive
will be aided, he said, by new British
Lancaster bombers, the most pow
erful in the world" which are COM
ing into service in increasing num-
bers" and will be loaded soon with
bombs of greatly enlarged size and
devastating power.
The r. A. F. and Royal Navy nave
virtually closed Dover Strait to
enemy ships which formerly went
through at rate Of Is a month, he
asserted
Significantly, Sinclair asserted
that the Germans in recent months
had greatly reduced the percentage
Of dive -bombers in their air force
because this type is only useful
where air superiority already has
been established
Britain now is able to re-equip her
tactical reconnaissance squadrons
with new-type aircraft described
as the best of American fighter
planes. declared Sinclair.
U. S. A. Sends Dive Bombers.
He declared the United States also
was going to send dive bombers to
the r. A. F. and that a type mark
edly superior" to the German
Junkers 81 dive bombers will soon
be available.
Sinclair asserted that the Brit
iSh intend to resume the bomber
offensive against Germany ION the
largest possible scale at the earliest
possible moment"
He disclosed that further new
types of British aircraft, some of
revolutionary design. are ripening"
The r. A. F's biggest task since
last June had been to give the
utmost possible help to our Russian
allies in their gigantic battle against
the main German armies" Sinclair
said
Promises More Aid to Reds.
Promising further aerial co-opera-
ton with the Russians, he said
Hitler is preparing his spring
offensive It's impact will fall
upon Russia. We shall not stand
helplessly aloof. The bomber COM
mand will strike hard at the vital
centers OF the German war industry
and transport"
He predicted that the r. A. F., "in
the not distant future" would re-
move all doubt about its superiority
over the Germans.
With the aid of the Royal Navy,
he added. the coastal command had
driven the U-boats right out of the
western approaches" to Britain.
East coast conveys were so we'll
protected between Harwich and New
Haven, he said. that they came
through with clocklike regularity"