Evening star., 1943-05-27
Bombing Nozi Towns
Called Preparation
Major Eliot Discusses Need
For Invasion Of Europe
Without Undue Delay
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot

By Maj. George Fielding Eliot
The tremendous air offensive against
Germany continues, with Dusseldorf
suffering 5OO-plane raid only 48 hours
after Dortmund already threatened by
flood waters from burst dams, received
1000 tons of bombs This is the true
strategic use of air power, striking not
at the enemy armed forces, but at the
sources of his strength, at the industrial
plants which forge his weapons and make
it possible for him 20 fight at all. The
effects of the great air offensive must be
growing and spreading throughout West
ern Germany with every raid; and they
probably will continue to grow for a time
The mists of May in Northern Europe
give way to clearer weather in June,
which probably is the best month for
bombing in all the calendar of the North
European coastal plain, where Germany
is situated. This June, Germany will
suffer the torments of the damned
But it is necessary, in order to preserve
our sense of balance, to remember that
Germany will not suffer those torments
without seeking to do something about it.
There is only one thing to do about
bombing attacks and that is to build
fighters to shoot down the bombers.
The Luftwaffe already is concentrating
its fighter strength in Western Ger
many and the occupied regions in
France and the Low Countries, and this
concentration is showing results. For
example, q bombers out of 500 were los.
in the Dusseldorf raid. A greater pro-
portion of losses may be expected as the
German fighter strength increases. 1t
will increase, because, as German
strategy shifts more and more to the
defensive, German production shifts
more and more to defensive weapons.
There is no question that German air.
craft production, in particular, now is
turning to the manufacture of fighters,
which can be turned out more rapidly,
and more cheaply. than bombers
For the next few months therefore,
we may expect to see steady increase in
German defensive air power and there
fore slowlyrising curve of bomber
losses. During this time the bombers
Will be reducing the German capacity
TO build fighters or. indeed, any other
sort OF plane by attacking the industrial
centers where such things are produced
lhe real struggle will revolve around
the ability of the Allied air forces to
build up their scale of attack to such
a level that the Germans no longer will
be able to make an adequate reply. AS
long as the curve Of German fighter
production is rising, the bombers have
not Won
We must be careful not to expect too
much from the great air attacks. They
represent air power acting alone. but
they are-ln relation to the war as 2
"hole-reaHy preparatory in their nature.
Ihey are like the artillery fires of
PREPARATION in the last war. There was
always the question whether a short.
sharp barrage followed by swift infantry
assault was better than a long draWn-out
oarrage which did more damage but
gave the enemy longer to take defensive
measures IN areas beyond the reach of
the artillery
Just so with these aerial fires of prep
aratlon. They do vast damage but thev
are not likely to be decisive in them
selves. They prepare the wav for the
coming Of invasion. for the co-ordinated
action OF all arms which has as its OBJ
JecI the complete overthrow of the
enemy's will and power 1t may be argued
that the better their work is done the less
Will be the cost in lives and material
OF the decisive operations: but this is
true only In limited sense, and the
Aihltlng factor, as with the artillery
oomoaroments OF 1914-18, is the factor
OF Time The longer We postpone the
oeclslVe blow. the longer the enemy
VINO KNOWS 1t is comirg-has to make
MS preparations to meet it. Moreover
as long as only those elements of tho
enemy power which have to do with
an'laifcra1t defense actively are engaged
oy Anglo-American forces, the greater
lreeoom OF action the enemy has with
tlose other elements of his power land
forces and bombing aviation which he
can use against our Russian Allies bnt
cannot use against the United States
ana only to a limited extent aoainst
Great Britain
Inc questions of how much Of orr
toCal resources to pat into the prenara-
lory air attacks, and how long to con-
tlnue them before commencing onera
.lohs IN which We shall seek to enpaoe
M whole or in part. these other elements
ol German fighting strength, call for
tne most careful and considered i,,do
'hehV, weighing on the one hand tho
actual oegree to which the air attach.
',ay oe expected to reduce the enemvs
aolllty TO fight at all, On anv front a,,d
NJ any manner, and or the other tba
elec1 which such freedom of action ~
ne may continue to possess NAV be ,,saa
10 reduce Russian fighting strenotb or,a
mus the sum total Of United Nat,ons, ~
lgh1lng strength. In all such ca1c,1o
1lons, time and not power is tho feo+a.
"hlch demands primary consideration
'Copyright, 1913. n Y Tribu,o
Pence