The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-10-04
Interpreting
The War
Nv ELTON C. FAY

The Nazi propaganda minister
told the German people yesterday
Sunday, in talking about Allied
air raids, that I'VE must reckon
upon severe setback in the fiji
tire Raids during the past few
weeks. he said, have slackened
because of adverse weather,
Improved weather is only one
of the factors which will make the
Doktor's prediction come true.
First among the others is the
steady day-by-day, week-by-wees
growth of Anglo-American bomb
er power. Along with that factor
(and in a large measure because
of IT'D there is a corresponding de-
terioration of the Nazis defense
against attack from the skies.
The pounding that the ground de.
lenses take from the British and
American raiders blast away ~
ti-aircraft gun positions, destroy
aircraft dedector units and para,
I'VE fire combating systems.
And in the air, the heavily armed
bombers. sometimes escorted by
long-range fighters, take grow
ing toll of the enemy's fighter
plane strength.
Air bases from which big raids
can be launched are being pushed
closer to the war plants and trans
portation routes of the Nazis' In
ner fortress. While England-based
raiders give the western and cen
trail enemy-territory continuous
poundings, new bomber bases ap.
pear in captured Mediterranean
islands and follow the armies
north along the Italian peninsula
The expanding Allied bomber
power, the diminishing German
air defenses and the closing ring
of bomber bases are existing fac.
tors which Goebbels must reckon
with, even if he prefers to invoke
only the weather in his eXplena-
ton to the herrenvolk.
| Perhaps he should give some al,
tention, too, to recent reports
from London concerning a forth,
coming American British-Sovet
staff discussion in advance of the
horsepower diplomatic meeting.
Any meeting of spokesman ia.
the high military commands of the
three great powers is certain to
include discussion of use and dis
position of that formidable arm of
war, aviation. The question of
fundamental air war policies must
be involved.
The Russians to date have ex-
hibited no extreme enthusiasm ov-
er the value of the Anglo-Ameri-
can strategical bombing. 1t hag
been suggested that this attitude
is explained by the fact that the
Soviet aviation problem is some
what different than that of Rus
sia's western allies.
Russia, like Germany, originally
built her air force mainly for the
purpose of tactical bombing -
the hammering of the enemy
actual fighting line and the sup
ply routes at and not very far
back Of the front. Aviation, used
that way, is super-long-range ar
tillery, assigned to the primary
task of aiding ground forces.
Germany, unlike Russia, howev.
er, departed at one stage from the
fundamental policy of tactical air
war and built bombers for the
specific job of blasting English
cities and morale. The bomber
branch of the Luftwaffe blasted
cities for a time but failed in the
morale reducing enterprise. When
the blitzkrieg phase OF the war in
western Europe ended (becauSe
mere was no more territory to
bhtzkrleg with armored forces
covered by an air umbrella Ger
many still needed tactical aviation
Tor the war in North Africa and.
much more urgently, for the op-
erat1ons on the eastern front. And
SINCE the Allies opened their all
out air bombardment of Nazi war
plant cities, the Luftwaffe finds
fighter plane defense even more
vital than tactical operations with
ground forces.
Russia, however, has adhered
to a basic policy of tactical avia-
ton, making comparatively few
long distance forays. Except for
one instance, the good targets for
strategical bombing have been far
removed from Russian bases. The
exception is Rumania and its oil
fields. American bombers recently
battled their way over enemy ter.
rltory to the Ploesti fields where
they knocked out u per cent OF
the refineries, but at heavy loss
to themselves.
i. IL seems possible, therefore.
mat when the Anglo-American mil.
ltary chiefs sit down with the So.
wet army men there may be sorae
disposition on their part to inquire
II Russia might consider adoptio,
OF a StrategicaI bonhino nroo,,,,7,