Among the many interesting publications which have recently come to hand is a bro-chute published by His Majesty's Stationery Office entitled "The Battle of Britain" covering that period last year from August to October when Goering sought to smash British resistance by daylight raids over the British Isles, in which the Germans were roundly thrashed and suffered the greatest defeat they have experienced up fo the present in this war. From one of its later pages the following inspiring passage is taken:—
To read the combat reports, written by the pilots immediately after landing from a fight, is to receive the impression of well-trained young men, conscious of their responsibility and fulfilling them at all times with resolution and high courage.
"Patrolled South of Thames (approximately Gravesend Area) at 25,00 feet," runs the report of one Squadron Leader in action on one of the "great" days, "Saw two squadrons pass underneath us in formation travelling. N.W. in purposeful manner, Then saw A.A, bursts, so turned Wing and saw enemy aircraft 3,000 feet below io the N.W. Managed perfect approach with two other squadrons between our Hurricanes and sun and enemy aircraft below and down sun, Arrived over enemy aircraft formation of twenty to forty Do.17: noticed Me.109 dive out of sun and warned our Spitfires to.1ook out. Me.109 broke away and climbed S. E. Was about fo attack enemy aircraft which were turning left-handed, i.e., to west and south, when I noticed Spitfires and Hurricanes engaging them, Was compelled to wait for risk of collisions, However, warned wing to watch other friendly fighters and dived down with leading section in formation on to last section of five enemy aircraft. Pilot Officer.took left-hand Do.17, I took middle one and Flightptenant......took the right-hand one which had lost ground on outside of turn. Opened fire ət 100 yards in steep dive and saw g large flash behind starboard motor of Dornier as wins caught fire: must have hi petrol pine or tank: overshot and pulled un steeply, Then carried on and attacked ar phar TAIT bit hed ta brea aum ta anid Entara The sy wac then fill of Snitfires and Hurricanes aneveing un and pi shine each other out of the wav to get at Dorniers which for once were outnumbered, I squined a: odd Dorniers at close range as they came into my sights, but could not hold them in my sights for fear of collision with other Spitfires and Hurricanes. Saw collision between Spitfire and Do.17 which wrecked both aeroplanes, Finally ran out of ammunition chasing crippled and smoking Do,17 into cloud, It was the finest shambles I've been in, since for once we had position, height and numbers. Enemy aircraft were a dirty looking collection,"
Men like these saved England.
Nor must the ground staffs be forgotten. Their tasks were to "service" the fighting aircraft and to maintain communications at any cost, Those attached to the fighter aerodromes, East, South-East and South of London, fitters, mechanics, signallers, telephone operators, despatch riders and the rest carried on under heavy and sustained bombing by day and by night, For the first time since William of Normandy set foot on these shores, men and women of England—the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was in the thick of it—found themselves in the front line, They did not fail and the list of awards they won bears witness to their bravery and their endurance, They made it possible by carrying out their duties, sleep or no sleep, bombs or no bombs, for the Fighter Squadrons to confront the enemy day after day until he was defeated.
This splendid feat of the British R.A.F. has been continued since that day. The German raids at night are being increasingly effectively dealt with, and while much more progress has to be made in the technique of dealing with them the fact still remains that the German attempt to secure supremacy over the British isles was foiled by those few to whom so many owe so much, Losses In Mediterranean Though the losses of the Royal Navy in the fighting around Crete have been serious, they have done nothing to alter the relative strength of the British fleet in that sea as compared with the Axis fleets it may be called upon to meet, if ever the Italians can bring themselves to the point of coming out of their harbours. In his review of the war situation, Mr. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, said: "The Mediterranean fleet is today relatively stronger compared to the Italian navy than it was before the battle of Cape Matapan. There is no question whatever of our naval position in the eastern Mediterranean being prejudicially affected." That is a clear statement. It is quite possible that losses in the Ægean may increase during the next few days, since it is vital that the Germans be prevented from landing a large force of troops on Crete by sea, if the British defenders, already hard put to it, are to hold out. But those in charge of strategy in that part of the world can be relied upon to decide what risks shall be taken in order to inflict a decisive defeat upon the Nazi army. Unlike the Nazi High Command. the British count the cost. With them it is no mere matter of prestige, or of being able to inspire banner headlines in their own press, as it is with the Nazis. H the defence of Crete proves to be more costly than it is worth, then the British can be expected to withdraw. On the other hand, the Nazis cannot withdraw. In their case it is literally conquer or die. So far they have not conquered, and plenty of them have died. But they seem to be entirely careless of their losses. More men are being poured in daily, with a large proportion of them being killed in the process. But the Nazis do not care. By preventing the landing of troops borne by sea the Navy has done a great piece of work, especially when it is recalled that this is only a part of the task they have on hand It woufd be fatal if, in the preoccupations caused by the battle in Crete, the Nazis and Fascists were permitted to reinforce their troops in the Western Desert to any large extent. That the Nazis are attempting to do this is proved by the incident at Sfax, where an Italian transport was chased into that Tunisian harbour, aíter having been found, along with an Italian destroyer escort, skulking in Tunisian territorial waters. The Navy's task in the eastern Mediterranean is an enormous: one, but there is every confidence that it will be able to carry it out. In addition to preventing the landing of Nazi sea-borne reinforcements, it has to convoy through difficult waters, the British reinforcements and supplies which are being sent to General Freyberg. Sea-borne troops cannot arrive with the same speed as those carried by air, but they can bring with them much more powerful equipment than can be sent by carrier planes. It is thus possible for Britain, inspire of distractions elsewhere, to assist very substantially the heroic r ance now being put up by the British an Greek troops who are attempting to preserve Crete for the democracies.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.