The Pittsburgh Press (February 4, 1944)
Maj. Williams: Losses
By Maj. Al Williams
Of course, there will continue to be losses of men and planes in the war against Germany!
Among all the other fantastic impressions concerning airpower, its purpose, true objective and employment, we must never ignore the fact that air war is warfare, and warfare means loss of life and equipment.
I can’t understand why it should be difficult for anyone to realize that air war is only another means of waging warfare. Despite the fact that air war involves the use of weapons which can operate only from above the horizon, the same rules and percentages of profit and loss apply to it strategically and tactically that apply to war on the surface, on the sea or under the sea. The type of weapon means nothing when computing the success or failure of any kind of warfare anywhere. When a loss is out of proportion to the gain, then the strategy or tactics, or both, betoken poor thinking.
We at home cannot always expect to be informed immediately as to our exact losses. Such information would present the enemy with a cash register record of the efficiency or inefficiency of the latest tactics employed by our attacking forces or the latest expedient adopted by the Nazi defense. But we are getting out authenticated plane losses too far behind the claims made the Heinies.
“Probables” should be eliminated from reports. That “probable” field gives a rise to wishful thinking and lacks the accurate report the American people expect. Then, too, we must remember that the quick statement of claims by the Nazis may be only a device to sound out our military command.
As far as air losses are concerned, we can rest forever upon the consolation that they are infinitesimal compared with the manner of waging war in the 1914-18 episode, where 20,000 men were wiped out attempting to capture a quarter-mile advance on land.
But something must be done quickly about restoring the confidence of our people in official communiqués.
The accuracy of our communiqués on air losses are questioned. I find this question everywhere, and something must be done immediately by the responsible government agencies.