London, Sept. 18.
In view of the experience of the past few weeks, air experts express growing confidence in the ability of the Royal Air Force to defeat any fresh tactics which the German force may attempt.
The Luftwaffe's night raids are incapable of doing any real military damage and it is now considered that there is a lack of skilled men. The enemy has failed to defeat the R.A.F. in daylight raids despite frequent clearly marked changes in the pattern of attack. High-fying bombers with layers of fighters escorting them were unsuccessful; mixed formations bombers and fighters were turned back with heavy losses and the few which actually got through were in insufficient numbers in any one area to undertake concentrated bombing.
The next change of tactics was the employment of large waves of bombers following one after another in quick succession. It was obviously hoped that the later waves would take British defence unawares, This has proved disastrous as the weekend engagement, including Sunday's colossal defeat, has shown. There in some speculation as to what new experiment will be made, but whatever form it may take, the RAF, will be ready to meet it. In a fortnight of bombing, the German Air Force has failed in its much advertised aims of disorganizing communications, and of terrorizing the civilian population.
Meanwhile, British fighter losses have been relatively small, while half of the pilots shot down have survived and are still in the fight. The authorities, it may be added, are well satisfied with the rate of aircraft production and with the progress of the Empire training scheme with its vast promise of a steady flow of personnel reinforcements.
The feature of the R.A.F.'s constant raids over enemy territory has been the low rate of losses; British bomber strength has scarcely been affected.
The effectiveness of the regular incussions into enemy territory is not open to doubt and the extent of the raids is most readily appreciated when they are reviewed over the period of a week.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.