is striking testimony to the growing strength of the R.A. that, even while paying attention to first things first, it has been able. to indulge in another raid upon German cities including a visit to Berlin where a substantial amount of damage appears to have been done. In this connection the manner in which the German radio commentator reporting the raid contradicted hiniselt ts interesting. He. started off with the usual Nazi lie that the. British bombers only reached the outskirts of the German capital, but later admitted that incendiary bombs had been dropped in the diplomatic quarter. That, of course, as is well known, is in the very heart of the city, near the Wilhelmstrasse Where most of the German government departments are housed. It Is interesting and gratifying to note that the Whitehall of Berlin, just as much a military objective as the same district in 'London, has been receiving the attention of the R.AF,, and while it may be some time' before the extent of the damage done is ascertained it may be taken as quite sure that British bombs are just as destructive as those of German manufacture.
British official quarters described the raid on Berlin as substantial, but not particularly heavy. That was because, following the accepted British policy, Berlin was not the only objective dealt with that night. Nightly, whenever flying is possible, there are dozens of targets for British bombers to attack stretching all along the coastline from Narvik to the Pyrenees, the huge industrial centres in northwest Germany and other manufacturing districts, few of which are now Out of the reach of the British aeroplanes, As the RAP. becomes stronger, as it will during the next few months, raids over Germany may be expected with ever in-'Already they are having a good effect. Thets sing frequency and in growing strength.
Success has obliged the Germans to evacuate many of their workers to fresh industrial areas, eben into occupied France, has' seriously damaged many essential plants specially in the Rhine district, wreaked Severe damage upon Cologne and many of Gils of atategical importance, and ones ally contributed towards dispelling any lingering belief in Goering's boast that the air of Germany would remain inviolate from British tacks, Blan fers have to go arcater isanees to this is being done despite the fact th
reach their objectives than have the Germans. 'Whereas the latter can inmost cases reach their destinations in the matter of a few minutes, British raiders have to fly hours instead.' Nevertheless this is being done with what appears to be a minimum of German interference, despite the fact that British bombers for a large part of their fights have proceed unaccompanied by defending. fighters, during which they should be parti-. cular vulnerable to German attacks if such gre made. The slight casualties attendant upon these raids indicate that the Germans are not too anxious to engage the British in the air over Germany, chiefly because even the bombers can be reckoned upon as being able to give an excellent account of them= selves.
Lord Beaverbrook, when he stated that Great Britain now possessed more fighters and bombers than at any time in her history, has enabled aerial experts to form a shrewd Idea of the present strength of the British air' force. It is known that Great Britain at the. end of the last war possessed no fewer than 20,000 machines. That figure has now been. exceeded, but Britain has to station her airleraft in so many different parts of the world, that the strength based upon the British Isles is not to be assessed by any comparison of the British figure of more than 20,000 with the alleged German total of 35,000. British inferiority over Europe is consequently much greater than those figures would suggest, and
equality and ultimately superiority will be will still be some months before, Yoeal sbiained. "in the meantime the RAS" mane ages to put in some very good work, and Sunday's raids are but a foretaste of what Great Britain will be able to hand out to the Germans when British and American efforts will have produced undoubted superiority in the air,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.