Fights of the Week

The Royal Air Force conducted no major offensive operation last week, so there was no new argument over the efficacy of its bombers. But out of Britain, with assistance from the German radio, filtered reports of steps taken by the R. A. F. to keep its claims accurate. Two flying officers--D. P. C. P. Wood and Richard Blomfield--were secretly court-martialed. German broadcasters said their crimes were handing in false reports of spectacular air victories in which they participated. Wood was found guilty, dismissed. Blomfield, said to have fabricated a glorious account of a Helgoland raid, committed suicide before hearing the court's verdict on him. The British Air Ministry said neither man was charged with false reporting, that both were in fact groundlings never engaged in air fights in this war.

That the R. A. F. was still well satisfied with its estimate of results in last fortnight's raid on Sylt was shown last week when the man who planned that attack was promoted. Lean, hound-jawed Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt, 54, Commander in Chief of the Bomber Command, was made Inspector General of R. A. F. and one of its four Marshals. To make way for him, Sir Edward Leonard Ellington, 62, stepped out voluntarily.* Both men are air veterans of World War I, younger Sir Edgar having the more brilliant record as a fighting pilot. Sir Edward served from 1919 to 1921 as director general of the Air Ministry's supply and research but is now considered old-school.

> Germany provided the usual week's food for argument when a squadron of Heinkel bombers stooped to a British convoy near the Shetland Islands. The Nazi pilots claimed they scattered the convoy, hit six ships, set one afire, sank one patrol boat. The British denied any ship was hurt and described how one of the Heinkels, diving through clouds to escape a British pursuit squadron, came out below only to encounter other pursuits, craftily flying a lower level patrol. These shot the Heinkel down.

> As on the sea, both sides appeared to be taking greater liberties with the air over neutral countries. Anti-aircraft gunners in Belgium, Denmark, even in Norway, went into action against foreign war planes crossing their skies. Most extraordinary was an occurrence one dawn near Rotterdam. A big Armstrong Whitley bomber flew over the heart of Holland toward its base in Britain after a night's work over Germany. Lieut. P. Noomen of The Netherlands Air Force was called from his bed. Pulling his flying suit over his pajamas he leaped into his Fokker fighter and roared aloft, signaled the British ship to land. The British pilot plugged steadily along on his course toward home. Lieut. Noomen fired a warning burst of bullets. Straight ahead through the clouds plowed the Britisher. Duty obliged Lieut. Noomen to dive at the violator of Dutch neutrality, fire in earnest. Flames burst from the bomber, but still the British did not return any bullets. Instead the pilot made a forced landing and, with three crewmates, nipped out of the wreck before its fuel tanks and bombs blew up. A fifth member of the crew died when he tried to parachute from too low. When Lieut. Noomen landed, the Britons congratulated him on his gunnery, joined him in a cup of coffee at a tavern before going off to be interned.

* Another marshal is Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, 45.

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