It is too low for any anti-aircraft gun to fire at, and if it has the misforune to fly directly avera machine-gun nest the odds against a fatal hit being registered in the fraction of a second in which it is in rengo are extremely high. And if it is spotted by a fighter, it possesses the advantage of being able to train its guns on the fighter, which is restricted in its attack, by having to fire from a considerable height if it is to avoid Giving into the ground by pulling out of its dive too late.
The solution of intercepting the more probable high-flying raid is likely only to be found in the continuous patrol in the 30,000-foot level by squadrons of fighters. When I was in Spain last year I had several opportunities to discuss the lessons that were being learnt among the Italian pilots of fighter planes. They were unanimous in saying that this method of patrol only one which likely to me any success in intercepting the really fast modern bomber, which arrives. does its job, and is gone before fighters have a chance to climb up and intercept them. But such a thod involves a huge number of fighters to maintain this continuous patrol and they will have to fly well hove the raiding bombers in order to have the advantage of the preponderance of speed gained from a dive. The recent orders by the Air Ministry for vast numbers of fighters appear to be a pointer towards the future adoption of such tactics. in Wi Eu LI
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