Evening star., 1942-06-03
Bombings Eliminate
Need for New Front,
Flyers Declare
Soy Germans Can Be
Crushed Without Aid
OF Land Assault
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Enthusiastic American airmen,
hailing Britain's massive bomb
Ing attacks on Germany as dem
onstration of the true meaning
of aerial warfare, predicted to-
day that the growing might Of
BritiSh-American air forces could
reduce the Nazis to virtual mill
tary impotence without the open
ing of a second front on the con-
tinent.
The flaming devastation dropped
on Cologne and Essen, these experts
said, were only the preliminary to
a campaign of strategical bombing
which would cripple the German
war machine without the aid of
land assaults.
Military men holding more ira
dltlonal concepts of warfare did
not go nearly so far in their ap-
praisal of results, although they
agreed that attainment of some
immediate ObjectiveS by the use of
air power alone was entirely feas-
1ble.
Relief for Russia.
Mainly, these were:
l. Some relief of pressure on the
Russian front by diverting Luft-
waite strength to the protection
of industrial cities.
2. Destruction of industrial CEN
tiers, such as the great gun works
at Essen and the metal plants at
Cologne. so as to make it increas-
ingly difficult for the Nazis to re-
place their front line war machines.
Beyond these objectives, theories
as to how to conquer Germany are
split between those who claim that
American and British air power can
do the whole job and the more
traditional StrategiSts who see it as
an undertaking for cooperating air
and ground forces.
The airmen argue that if the job
is left to them the ground forces
need move in against little more
than nominal resistance. This
weakening of the enemy, they say,
can be achieved by strategical
bombing which they describe as an
entirely new method of attack that
the Germans only approached in
their assault on England in the
fall and winter of 1940-1
Probable Method.
AS unauthoritatively described,
the method works like this:
Suppose it is decided to interrupt
enemy production of heavy bombers.
Plants in which bomber parts are
made and assembled are plotted
and the most vulnerable point in
the construction process is deter
mined. Perhaps it is found that
only four plants make undercar-
riages. These are selected for at
tack, and either damaged or de-
stroyed.
Since bombers cannot fly without
landing gear the enemy must either
repair or rebuild the plants before
his production lines can roll again.
Similarly devastating raids may be
concentrated on oil refinerieS, stor-
age tanks and warehouses, shipping
centerS and railway yards.
PTLme Minister CnurcnlllS calm
unfolding of plans to intensity these
attacks in the months ahead give a
clue as to how many thousands of
planes the British have in reserve.
Still to be heard from in Germany
are the American Air Forces being
concentrated in Britain Several
explanations were suggested here as
to why they have not made their
appearance in action so far.
First of these was that the British,
with many score to settle, must
have wanted to show both their
own pepole and the Germans what
they could, do-to give the Nazis
strong dose of their own medicine.
Another was that the high COM
rand may be building up the Amer
lean force for some special mission.