FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0430.PDF
222 FLIGHT MARCH 2XD, 194^ The Prime Minister's Review Russia Aided by Allied Raids from West : United Kingdom Casualties in Air War THE KT. HON. WINSTON CHURCHILL gave the House of Commons a somewhat lengthy review of the war situation on Monday, February 22nd. In the first part of his speech the Prime Minister laid the greatest stress on the Anglo-American bombing offen sive against Germany, and then went on to discuss other aspects of the war. We quote below the passages which gave especial prominence to the air side of the war. Mr. Churchill commenced by saying that he had never held out any expectation that the year 1944 would see the end of the European war, but likewise he had given no guarantee the other Way. He then proceeded: "It Is true that the results of our bombing have had a note worthy effect on German munitions production. In the people they have produced a dull apathy, which also affects munitions production and all A.R.P. services. The splendid victories of our Soviet allies on the Eastern front are inflicting immense losses upon the enemy. The fact that so many of the enemy's divisions have been drawn into Italy and into Yugo slavia, while other large bodies of his troops are held in France and the Low Coun tries by the fear of invasion, has been a help to these victories. " Moreover, the Anglo- American bombing of Ger many, absorbing as it does about 3,000,000 Germans, has drawn, together with other British and American activities, four-fifths of the German fighter force to the British and American front—four-fifths of the fighter force and, 1 believe, a majority probably even of the bombers are against us and our American allies. This also has been of assistance to the Soviet Union, and 1 think these statements should be made in justice to the Western allies. They in no way detract from the glory ot the Russian arms." Mr. Churchill remarked that the interests of the alliance might be prejudiced if its other members were left in ignorance of the British share, and also that the Dominions had the right to know that the Mother Country was play ing its part. He went on ; "For instance, since January 1, 1943, up to the present time—the middle of February- ships of the Royal Navy and aircraft of the Royal Air Force—that is to say, the forces of the Mother Country only—have sunk more than half the U-boats of which we have certain proof in the shape of living prisoners, and they have also destroyed 40 per cent, of the very large number of other U-boats of which either corpses or frag ments provide definite evidence of destruction." Air Casualties He also gave figures concerning naval successes against enemy shipping, and the losses of the Royal Navy an J Merchant Navy in the same period. He then proceeded to say: '' Turning to the air, the honour of bombing Berlin has fallen almost entirely to us. Up to the present we have delivered the main attack upon Germany. Excluding Dominion and allied squadrons working with the Royal Air Force, the British islanders have lost 38,300 pilots and air crews killed and 10,400 missing, and over 10,000 aircraft—that is, since the beginning of the war— and they have made nearlv 900,000 sorties into the North European theatre. " The Anglo-American air attack upon Germany mmt be regarded as our chief offensive effort up to the present time. Till the middle of 1943 we had by far the largest forces in action. As the result ot the enormous transpor tations across the Atlantic which have been made during 1943, the United States bomber force in this island now begins to surpass our own and will soon be substantially greater still, I rejoice to say. The efforts of the two forces fit well together, and, according to all past standards, our effort is in itself prodigious. Wearing Down Fighters Take the latest example. During the 48 hours beginning at 3 a.m. on February 20, four great raids were made upon Germany. The first was against Leipzig on the night ct 19-20 by the Royal Air Force, when nearly 1,000 machines were dispatched, of which 79 were lost. On Sunday morn ing a tremendous American raid, nearly 1,000 strong, escorted by an even greater number of fighters, American and British, but mostly American, set out for German w towns, including Leipzig, in broad daylight. The lossi^-' in this raid were greatly reduced by the fact that the enemy fighters had been scattered beforehand by the British operations of the night before. The fighters descend at bases other than their own and cannot be so readily handled on a second rapidly ensuing occasion, and the full effect of the American preci sion bombing was therefore realised. '' Following hard upon this, on the night of 20-21, an other British raid was delivered, this time on Stuttgart, in very great strength—600 or 700. The effect of the pre ceding 24 hours' bombing relieved this third raid to a very large extent. Finally, the American force went out on "Monday, again in full scale, and drove home in the most effective manner our joint air superiority over the enemy. Taking them together, these four raids, in which, over 9,000 tons of bombs were dropped by the two allied ami complementary air forces, constitute the most violent attacks which have yet been made on Germany, and they also prove the value of saturation in every aspect of the air war. That aspect will steadily increase as our forces develop and as the American forces come into their fu\)*~ scope and scale. '' The spring and summei will see a vast increase in the ioree of the attacks directed upon all military targets in Germany and in German-occupied countries. (Cheers.) Long-range bombing from Italy will penetrate effectively the southern parts of Germany. We look for very great restriction and dislocation of the entire German munitions supply, no matter how fai the factories have been with drawn. In addition, the precision of the American day light attacks produces exceptional results upon particular points, not only in clear daylight, but now, thanks to the development of navigational aids, through cloud. "The whole of this air offensive constitutes the founda tion upon which our plans for oversea invasion stand. Scales and degrees of attack will be reached far beyond the dimensions o£ anything which has yet been emploved or indeed imagined. The idea that we should fetter or further restrict the use of this prime instrument for shortening the war will not be accepted by the Governments of the allies. (Cheers.) The proper course for German civilians and non-combatants is to quit the centres of munition prodiy tion and take refuge in the countryside. We intend to make war production in its widest sense impossible in all Gerrnan cities, towns, and factory centres. " Retaliation by the enemy has so far been modest, but we must expect it to increase. Hitler has great need to exaggerate his counter-attacks in order to placate his for : NOTHING in Mr. Church H's speech to the House of \ ! Commons was more significant than the fact that he chose for l \ his background this time not the U-boat menace, which may be • i assumed to be under control, but the tremendous impact of the \ I Allies' air offensive. \ : Much speculation has been caused by the Prime Minister's \ • reference to the vast increase in the force of our air at ack >n I j "the spring and summer." Editorial comments on leader page.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
