Evening star., 1943-09-21


of the war.
This same year victory on land
has been accompanied by an ever
increasing mastery of the air by the
British, Americans and Russians
over the enemy in Europe.
Speaking particularly of our own
air power, the weight of bombs dis
charged by the Royal Air Force on
Germany in the last IL months is
three times that of the preceding
IL months and the weight of bombs
discharged in the last three months
Is half as great again as that of
the preceding three months. There
has also been great improvement
in accuracy. owing to technical de-
vices, The percentage Of loss for
the first three months of l943 is less
than in the same period last year
and the morale and ardor of our
bombing crews is very high.
1 The almost total and systematic
destruction of many of the centers
OF the German war effort continues
on a greater scale and at greater
pace. The havoc wrought is inde-
scfibable. '<-'.
The effect upon German war pro-
duction in all its forms and upon
U-boat building are matched by
those produced upon the life and
economy of the whole of that guilty
organization, There has been an
enormous diversion of the German
energy from the war fronts to inter-
nal defense against our attacks, and
the offensive power of the enemy
has been notably crippled thereby.
The German air force has been
driven increasingly onto the defen-
slve. The attacks we have had in
this island. though marked by occa-
slonal distressing Incidents are at
present negligible compared with the
vast scale of war. The enemy is in
creaslngly compelled to concentrate
on building fighter aircraft and
night-fghter aircraft for home de-
fense at the expense of his bomber
production, He is also forced to
save his strength so far as possible
on all the fighting fronts, and is
therefore restricted to far lower
rate of activity than we and our
Allies maintain. Thus he throws the
burden increasingly upon his fully
occupied ground forces.
The Royal Air Force is at present
maintaining in action throughout
the war scene in all theaters nearly
so per cent more first line aircraft
than Germany. That is, the Raj
alone, apart from Russia. On top
of his already have preponderance
comes the whole rapidly expanding
weight of the United States Army,
building up ceaselessly in this coun-
try and already in action on a great
scale both here and in the Mediter-
ranean.
The American system of daylight
bombing gives great accuracy on
specific targets and is also accom-
panied by very sever fighting, pro-
ducing heavy losses among the en-
emys fighting aircraft.
Many superb actions of courage
and daring have been fought by the
great American Air Force who is de-
veloping here and in the Mediter-
ranean high spirit of fellowship.
Generous emulation subsists between
them and their British comrades.
The British and American forces
! are fed by an ever-broadening and
improving supply of new aircraft
which altogether exceeds the corre-.
spending German aircraft supply by
more than to1.
The continued progress of Anglo-
American preponderance which can
certainly be- expected month after
month opens the possibilities OF sat-
uratlng German defenses both on
the ground and in the air in spite of
the desperate efforts which the enc
my is making and will certainly con-
tlnue to make to strengthen his
home defenSes in proportion to the
mounting weight OF our attack. -.
This word Saturation becomes to
have a particular significance in the
general field Of air war. If a cer-
tain degree of saturation can be
reached, and We can be sure that
this can only be won against an
increasingly hard foe and a bitter
struggle with enemy air defenses, a
reaction of the most far-reachins
character will be produced. We
shall IN fact create conditions under
which, with small loss to ourselves.
the actual methodical destruction by
day and night of the enemy military
target, of significance in the widest
sense, will become possible.
Warns of Belittling
Dangers Still Faced.
This destruction by the Anglo
American forces is not necessarily
beyond our seach even in 1914 with
consequences, II 1t is attained, which
cannot be measured and must GER
tainly be profound.
All this must be considered in re-
iation to the gigantic struggle which
is proceeding ceaselessly along the
1O00-mlle Russian front from the
White Sea to the Black Sea, where
the Russian forces are already at
many points superior in strength
to the Germans.
But we must not in these favorable
tendencies do anything to weaken
S~A SAAcA eo Vi w DtlltUle Lf1e CANCERS
That are facing us or believe that
the war is coming to an end.
On the contrary we must expect
that terrible foe whom we are
SO heavily shifting will make frenzied
efforts to retaliate.
The speeches of German leaders
from Hitler doWnwards contain
mysterious illusions to new methods
and new weapons which will pres
emily be tried against us. 1t would
be OF course only natural for the
enemy to spread such rumors in
order to encourage his own people,
There is probably more in it than
that. We have for example now
had experience on a new type of
aerial bomb which the enemy has
begun to use upon our shipping
at close quarters on our ships close
to the coast. This bomb may be
described as sort of rocket assisted
glider which releases It's bombs from
a height and Is directed towards