Claims and Glimpses

Knowing that the British Isles were smothered by heavy snow, with temperatures the lowest in 46 years (see p. 29), the German Air Force last week set out to plaster enemy shipping in the North Sea. Down on merchantmen, trawlers, fishermen, lightships they swooped. The British Isles were indeed snowbound--but the Royal Air Force wasn't. The German press claimed frightful tonnage sunk, admitted losing three bombers. The British ridiculed Berlin's claims and announced a new pursuit plane called the Defiant with speed enough and ample fire-power to cut down Germany's new 315-m.p.h. Junkers bombers (Ju88). Berlin claimed the week's raids proved the British Isles "vulnerable." The British claimed their defense had proved itself ample to cope with a spring Blitzkrieg.

Meantime, the British censorship last week released for the first time (more than two months after they were taken) photographs made by Royal Air Force reconnaissance planes over Germany. For clarity and detail they suffered by comparison with what Germany has shown of its air views of Great Britain (TIME, Jan. i).

Included were views of Wilhelmshaven naval base and of Langenhagen airdrome ten miles north of Hanover (see cuts). Anti-aircraft fire kept the photographers of Wilhelmshaven (fast, long-nosed Blenhelms) at least 12,000 ft. aloft but the picture reveals at (1) a capital ship, the Gneisenau or Scharnhorst, in Jade Bay; at (2) a set of new locks under construction to connect the inner ship basin with the outer harbor proper, formed by a long new mole (between 1 and 2). Locks are needed because, in the spring, tides here rise 11 1/2 ft. A corner of Wilhelmshaven's great shipyards is just visible on the lower right.

In the Langenhagen picture, made at about 5,000 ft., several planes can be seen moving across the field around (3). There are apparently 23 Heinkel He 111K bombers, twin-motored with a 75-ft. wingspread, two Junkers transports and three others. Oil spots on the runways show where planes are regularly parked. The hangars around the upper edge of the field are staggered in position so that they cannot be lined up for bombing.

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