Evening star., 1943-06-06
Test of Air War
Effort to Blast Axis Nav
Save Manpower
BY Paul J. G.. Friedlander.


down on Dortmund, Dusseldorf and
Essen, residents of Germany's devastated
industrial cities can have the cold COM
fort of knowing they are participating
, in an experiment.
1t Is an Allied experiment to prove
finally whether air power can by itself
blast strong country out Of this war.
A similar experiment is being conducted
over Italy.
German bomb victims have Prime Min
lister Churchill's word for the expert
ment. Opinion is divided" he told Con-
gress, "as to whether the use of air mower
could by itself bring about the collapse
OF Germany or Italy The experiment is
we'll worth trying so long as other meas
ures are not excluded. There Is certainly
no harm in finding out"
Saturation raids, such as the Dussel-
dorf and Dortmund shows in which more
than 1000 tons of high explosives hit
each city, are part of Allied policy as set
forth by Churchill
ITO make it impossible for Germany
to carry on any form of war industry on
large or concentrated scale, either in
Germany, in Italy or in the enemy-occu
pied countries Wherever these munitions
centers exist or are developed they will
be destroyed
Out of the Frying Pan.
Heavy industries just cannot be moved,
British Ministry of Economic Warfare
spokesman explains, but light industries,
such as aluminium, aircraft works,
machine repair shops, and plants max
ing parts for assembly in heavier indus
try, can and have been scattered from
bomber areas to safer territory.
Instead of moving existing plants, the
Nazis seem to have concentrated on
building new and supplementary fac
tories IN Southern Germany, Austria,
Czechoslovakia. Galicia, Silesia and Po-
land. The unco-operative fates of war
placed many of the Polish and occupied
Russian factories in range of the revital-
lied Red air force.
Out Of the dust of the latest oblitera-
ton raids come reports that the Nazis
have been compelled to hasten their in
dustrial dispersion.
Reconnaissance photographs reveal the
Germans made no attempt to repsir
either the FockeWulf airplane plant
smashed at Bremen or the Paris Renault
Tank and Motor Works. also blasted bv
American daylight raids. New plants In
the southeast may have been able to pick
up the load from knocked-out plants,
for the German war machine is still
functioning.
In reply to Churchills address, Radio
Berlin explained that Germany's arm
ament industry "is distributed all over
Europe and the large districts are hardly
within the reach of British and American
bombers, so that even If air attacks were
considerably increased in intensity and
size, it would be impossible ever to strike
decisive blows
Long Range Possible.
But Maj. Gen. Ira c. Eaker. commando
ing the United States 9th Air Force, re-
Gently predicted his planes will be able
to bomb anywhere in Germany. Big
bomber raids from Africa deep into
Northern Italy established the ability
of Fortresses and Liberators to reach
equal distances across Germany from
Britain.
This is the battle of words and ideas.
Earlier in this battle Air Marshal Goer-
ing boasted Allied planes never would
bomb Berlin. When Allied bombs went
through the roof of the Nazi Air Ministry
in the heart of Berlin, actions once
again spoke louder
| In today's battle of bombs, Allied bonn
bardiers are playing tag with Nazi war
| plants and with Italy's outposts on Sicily.
| Sardinia and the toe of the mainland.
Vaunted air power is having its trial by
| fire In the laboratory of war.
Invasions Are Costly.
| Success in this test might conceivably
alter Allied strategy in Europe II air
power proves it can search out and
smash the plants feeding Germany's
war machine 50 completely that the
machine falters, why hurry to invade the
continent?
| 1nvaslons are costly in manpower.
Dieppe established that. Air power is
less prof1igate with such valuable re-
sources. In the eight months leading up
to the opening of the full-scale April and
May raids, the 9th Air Force lost nearly
1000 men and about $4,000 900 Of heavy
bombers in 50 raids on so targets.
| The other day an estimated 900 Allied
planes smashed in double offensives at
Dusseldorf in the Rhineland and Mes
sina in Sicily. The Raj lost q bombers.
the AAF II planes. Estimating 100000
for each bomber the equipment loss was
nearly s11 100000 Figuring 10 men to a
bomber crew, personnel losses were less
| than $50.
If early Allied claims to devastating
damage in these raids prove correct,
these losses are insignificant in compari-
son with results 1t might pay to hold
off the invasion while air power shakes
the enemy down, reducing the Nazi
power to inf1ict losses on Allied troops
when they finally step onto the conti-
nent