THE BATTLE OF FRANCE
'Absolutely certain. Of course, we don't know
what the Germans have in the way of secret reserves*
Anything is possible and they've got us used to
surprises. But if we take into account only what is
known, this much can be said about the present
position of the struggle in the air/
He paused a moment to weigh his words and then
went on:
"Firstly: although the German Air Force is
numerically superior, it is inferior to ours in
quality. .. . Secondly: if one compares the relative
figures of the two air forces, our position is better
to-day than it was at the beginning of the battle. . . .
Thirdly: Germany has lost in a fortnight so large a
proportion of her trained crews that she couldn't
continue for a month more at this rate without a
serious shrinkage in her air force/
'These are encouraging conclusions/
'Yes. Only, I would repeat, you've got to be
careful with these Germans and mistrust easy
victories. We must think the worst and work.« . /
He picked up the field telephone and gave his
orders for the night.
'Number N.. .. Squadron.. . . Your squadron
will provide five machines this evening. Objectives:
the stations at C------ and at M------, and the
chateau in A.L., six miles, 280 degrees from the
latter station. Take off at------/
His voice was quiet, slow, and clear.
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