Collective - Dornier Do 335 Pfeil Full Illustrated

THUSfarthewarhasbeen,intheair,astrangeone.Ithasbeenstrangeinseveralways.

Peoplehadexpectedthe Blitzkriegtobreakinfullfuryinthewest,butasyetno thunderbolthasfallenthere.Polandfeltitsimpactandcrumpledunderthestroke,though conditionsthereseemed, primafacie,unfavorableforthesuccessfulconductofalightning war.Thecourseoftheconflicthasnot,infact,followedthebook.Therehavebeena numberofsurprises.Intheoperationsatsea,forexample,itwasconfidentlyexpectedthat aircraft,notthesubmarine,wouldbethechiefdangertomaritimecommerce.The airplane,weweretold,wouldharryanddragoonbelligerentandneutralshippinginthe narrowwatersintowhichthebusylanesofoceantrafficconverge.Actually,theairarm hasnotbeenparticularlyeffectiveatsea,thoughBritishaircrafthavetakenahandwith somesuccessinhuntingthesubmarine.That,however,hadbeenforeseen.

CertainlytheachievementsoftheGermanairforceinPolandfulfilledtheexpectationsof themostsanguineadherentsoftheblueskyschool.Inconjunctionwiththemechanized groundforcesitdominatedthesituationfromthefirst.Thelistsweresetforatourney betweentheoldorderofwarfareandthenew.Germanysstrengthlayinherpossessionof themostmoderninstrumentsofmechanicaldestruction.Polandwas,incomparison,a nineteenthcenturyPower.Hercavalrywasherpride.Onecouldimaginehergallant horsemengallopingwithJebStuartorSheridaninVirginia.Indeed,hergreatmassesof cavalrymighthavethunderedtheirwaytovictoryinthestillmoreappropriatesettingof themedivalera.Asitwas,theywereasheeranachronism.Confrontedbyarmoredcars andtanks,hammeredbyhighexplosivefromtheair,theywereonlyfleshforthe slaughter.Thetwentiethcenturywonallalongtheline.ThePolishdefeatwasatragedy, butaninevitableone.Intheeast,thewarintheairwaspracticallydecidedonthefirstday.

OnthemorningofSeptember1,theGermanbombersmadeavigorousattackonalltheair basesinwesternPoland,aswellasonstrategicrailwaysandjunctions.ThePolishaircraft, caughtintheirhangars,weredestroyedorseriouslydamaged.Thatfirstsuddenblow, deliveredtreacherouslyandwithoutadeclarationofwar,whilethePolishGovernment thoughtthatnegotiationswerestillpossible,crippledthePolishairarmfortherestofthe war.Agallantfightwasstillmadebytheremnantbuttheoddsagainstitweretoogreat.In anycasethePolishequipmentwasinferiortotheGerman.Germanyhadtheunquestioned masteryoftheair.

Atfirstthemethodsbywhichshewonitwere,apartfromthefactthattheaggression itselfwasutterlyunjustified,fairenoughinthemselves.HerrHitlerhadannouncedtothe ReichstagonSeptember1thathewouldnotwaragainstwomenandchildren.Hewas speaking,itwillbenoted,lessthanfourweeksbeforethetimewhenwomenandchildren weretobeslaughteredandmutilatedinWarsaw.Ihaveorderedmyairforce,hesaid,

torestrictitselftoattacksonmilitaryobjectives.ReplyingtoPresidentRoosevelts appealthatcivilianpopulationsbesparedthehorrorsofairbombardment,hedefinedhis attitudetothisquestionintermswhich,comingfromanother,wouldhavepresagedthe wagingofahumaneandchivalrouswar:thatitisahumanitarianprincipletorefrain fromthebombingofnon-militaryobjectivesunderallcircumstancesinconnectionwith militaryoperations,correspondscompletelywithmyownpointofviewandhasbeen advocatedbymebefore.I,therefore,unconditionallyendorsetheproposalthatthe governmentstakingpartinthehostilitiesnowinprogressmakepublicadeclarationinthis sense.Formyownpart,IalreadygavenoticeinmyReichstagspeechoftodaythatthe Germanairforcehadreceivedtheordertorestrictitsoperationstomilitaryobjectives.

ThattheGermanairforcedidconfineitselfmoreorlesstomilitaryobjectivesinthe openingphaseofthewarissupportedbyacertainamountofindependentevidence.Mr.

H.C.Greene,thecorrespondentoftheLondon DailyTelegraph,reportedinthatjournal fromCernationSeptember10thatmilitaryobjectivessuchasbridges,roads,railways andarodromeshadbeenaimedatalmostexclusively,thoughterriblelosseshadfallenon thecivilpopulationasaresultoftheattacks.OnSeptember6,Mr.Butler,the ParliamentaryUnder-SecretaryofStateforForeignAffairs,statedinreplytoaquestionin theHouseofCommonsthattheinformationintheBritishGovernmentspossession showedthattheGermanbombingattackshadingeneralbeendirectedagainstobjectives servingamilitarypurposeandnotindiscriminatelyagainstthecivilpopulation;buthe alsowascarefultoaddthatthelatterhadatthesametimesufferedheavycasualties.Soon, however,evidencebegantoaccumulatethatotherthanmilitaryobjectiveswerebeing attackedandthat,infact,methodsofterrorizationwerebeingadoptedbytheGerman Luftwaffe.

Itistruethatonemustalwaysacceptwithcautionreportsfrombelligerentsources concerningexcessesoroutragescommittedbytheenemy.Thereisinevitablyanelement ofpropagandainsuchreports.Further,newspapercorrespondentsonthespotareapttobe impressedbywhatistoldthemandarenotinapositionusuallytoknoworstatetheother sideofthecase.SomeofthePolishannouncementswerecertainlyexamplesof exaggeration,excusable,nodoubt,butstillunreliable.Forinstance,a communiquof September2statedthatindividualfarmsandfarmershadbeenbombedasomewhat improbableoccurrence.Ontheotherhand,itisevenmoreimprobablethatthereports frommanyquartersabouttheruthlessnessoftheGermanairforcewereentirelydevoidof foundation.Wehave,infact,unbiasedevidencesufficienttoconvictwithoutanyneedfor dependenceon expartetestimony.

Unquestionably,therewerenumerousinstancesofbombingobjectiveswhichbyno possibilitycouldbetermedmilitary.AmongthemwasthatofthevillageofTomaszow, whichwasthevictimofaparticularlyviciousbombingaccordingtoamessagetothe TimesofSeptember11fromitsspecialcorrespondentonthePolishfrontier.Other instanceswereattestedbyDr.OskarZsolnay,aHungarianofficialtradedelegatewhohad beeninLwwandwhodescribedinaBudapestpaperalargenumberofbombingraidson thatcity,nearlyallofthemdirectedagainstnon-militaryobjectives.Someofthemost importantevidencewassuppliedbytheAmericanAmbassadortoPoland,Mr.Biddle, whoonSeptember8furnishedtheStateDepartmentwithparticularsofcasesinwhich non-militarytargetshadbeenattacked:theyincludedhisownvilla,morethantenmiles outsideWarsaw,asanatorium,arefugeetrain,ahospitaltrainandahutforGirlGuides.

Itisalsoevident,headded,thattheGermanbombersarereleasingthebombsthey carryevenwhentheyareindoubtastotheidentityoftheirobjectives.Again,on September13,Mr.Biddlereportedthatthevillagetowhichhehadthenmovedandwhich was,hesaid,adefenselessopenvillagehadbeenattackedbyGermanbombers.On September20theParliamentarySecretarytotheMinisterofInformationsaidintheHouse thatreportsfromtheBritishAmbassadortoPolandsupportedtheevidenceofMr.Biddle onthebombingofopentowns.

Onemayperhapsfeelsomehesitationinacceptingwithoutreservationthestatementin thePolish communiquofSeptember15thatthebombardmentofopentownsbyGerman aircrafthadassumedthecharacterofasystematicdestructionofallbuilt-upareasor citieswithoutanyconnectionwithmilitaryoperations,buttherecanbenoreasonable doubtaboutthefactthatagreatnumberofnon-militaryobjectiveswerebombed.Beyond questionmanyvillagesweredeliberatelyattackedandanumberofthemdestroyed.In WarsawitselftheBelvedereandLazienkiPalaces,theSeym(Parliament)building,the SovietandRumanianEmbassies,theLatvianLegation,anumberofchurchesandsome hospitalshadbeenwhollyorpartlydemolishedfromtheairevenbeforetheintensive bombardmentfromairandgroundbeganonSeptember25.Thefinalstateofthecitywas stillmoretragic.ThecorrespondentofaDanishnewspaperwhovisiteditafterthe surrenderreportedthatscarcelyahousewasundamagedandinseveraldistricts,especially thesuburbofPraga,notonehousewasleftstanding.Thedevastationwasdueinpartto artilleryfire,butthebombsoftheaircraftcontributedverymaterially.Inevitablythe lossessufferedbythecivilpopulationwereheavyintheextreme.Itisperfectlyclearthat iftheGermansdidinfactattempttobombonlymilitaryobjectives,theyfailedinthat attemptmostlamentably.Themorelikelyexplanationisthatnosuchattemptwasmade.