AIR OFFENSIVE POLICY
SIR,—Your correspondent " Janus " discusses the question of what our air-bombing policy should be and whether this could be adapted to reduce air attacks on London. I suggest that we should keep clearly in our minds the two following objectives:
(a) To win the war quickly.
(6) To ensure that the German nation will not again wish to make a war.
To achieve these ends we must realise that, contrary to the attitude of the Government at the start of this war, we are, in fact, at war with the German people and that the morale of the enemy is a legitimate military objective in total war, where there is no clear-cut distinction in the war machine between civilian and soldier.
The natural conclusion from this consideration is that, in addition to our attacks on all production centres, transport systems, &c., we
should bomb German civilian centres ; not as reprisals or in revenge for German bombings, but as a policy most likely to achieve our two objectives. Those German civilians whom some people feel should be immune from air attack are the same people who have gloried in the destruction of Warsaw, Rotterdam and other civilian centres, and only by severe personal experience will they realise that these things are not glorious. If this policy appears barbarous I would say, that it is no more barbarous than trying to starve a nation into surrender, which is one of the objects behind our blockade, and far quicker in its results.
May I comment on another aspect of our present policy which Puzzles me. I am speaking as a civil engineering contractor, and on contract work we endeavour to keep all our plant efficiently employed. At the present moment we appear to be throwing on to the R.A.F. both offensive and defensive responsibilities while the Army and our coastal defences are idle and the Navy is largely engaged on what can be called routine duties. The Commander-in-Chief is reported to have said that he would welcome an attempt at invasion by the enernY, and, if we are in a position to resist this invasion, it should surely be encouraged so that our plant, in the form of naval and military guns, mines, torpedoes, &c., can be brought into employment while the bombs now being dropped on the invasion fleet could be used with more fundamental effect against the mainspring of the German war effort. Once the invasion fleet had been coaxed across to our coastline our bombing fleet could be diverted temporarily from the attacks in Germany to aid in its destruction.—I am, Sir, yours
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