If Germany goes "all out" in an air offensive against Great Britain, can the RAF. muster enough planes to dominate the sky over the island? In Norway, the R.A.F. was at a hopeless disadvantage because it had no bases for fts short-range fighters. In Flanders and France, two and later three fighter squadron: took the whole burden of defence until the front approached clos enough for Hurricanes and Spitfires to operate from home bases against the enemy.
Can German parachutists and air-borne infantry be used effectively against a nation fully awake to the dangers of this sort of attack? They have been used so far only against weak nations which had waited too long to re-arm, and which were taken completely by surprise.
The test will furnish the answer to these questions, but the R.A.F. thinks it knows it now. Attacks on convoys, unless given strong fighter protection against the murderous eight-gun barrage of Hurricanes and Spitfires, i suicidal—and no fighter operating from the European mainland can reach the present North Atlantic convoy lanes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.