Now and then, when night conditions seemed favourable enough and our own men' have gone over Germany all right, the Ger~ man attacks have been fess than might have teen expected, 'This may be due to a part of the German force being diverted to the Near" East, or to the state of the French aerodrome'. The R.A.F. when in France a Year ago found that tore were many days between November and March when it was quite impossible to get off the porridge-like found, "Fog is also a great deterrent from night fying owing to the extreme danger of landing. Indeed experts think that more German planes may have been wrecked in Janding ofter a night fight than any other cause.
One respect in which we undoubtedly beat the Germans hands down is in the number of accidents in training. Although they have fever published their" flying accidents, Ienow that the Germans expect a casualty rate of one in four. No figures are published now fof ours but they are culhoritaively stated to be nothing even remotely Ike that. 'The secret les in preliminary' tests of the initiate's general abilities. 'These teste have been 'Worked out by tong experiment, until it has become perfectly possible to decide on a newcomer's aptitude for flying before ever he leaves the ground, sind even whether a man would do better' as fighter' of bomber. The RAT. claim that in these preliminary examinations we are fully we years ahead of the Germans, But naturally they are not Saying how it is done.
Several people have been warning us that Hitler will try to invade England before tong. There is usually no lack of days in the winter when fog, dead calm and a flat sea would Favour stich an attempt. Also the Germans have recently mounted several more. Tong~ range guns round the Channel ports and they are unlikely to have done this for fun. is not merely wishful thinking to believe that a short war is urgently. necessary. to Hitler, 'That is always the German prin~ ciple: they. believe in their ability to. win bya few hammer blows, but are not confident in their staying power. So Hitler must "do us in" as quickly 4s possible and ther only' way to do that Is by an invasion.
'These thoughts, were in Members' minds recently, when some very pressing questions were asked in the House as to whether the Government are using all the powers. they have for the complete mobilization of all our! industrial forces for the winning of the War. The fact that there are stil some hundreds thousands of unemployed men, and that many more women are available (and are Urgently, needed) for war factories, isnot reassuring. 'There is no doubt but that all our fighting men would welcome a German attempt to invade us, But what if it does' not fake place?
Having weathered the very serious, peril we wore in after Dunkirke—why Hitler' did did Hot attack us then Is the big, mystery—dnd having smashed the aerial blitzkrieg, axe we in danger of falling back into the com= place ney of last autumn when Ministers con= tinually assured us that time was on our side? Assuredly there is no risk of that in the Prime. Minister's office. But it may be) as welt that Parliament has begun to interest itself in. the matter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.