Testing Britain's Air Defences

Chronicle (Levin), 6 September 1948, Page 6

Testing Britain's Air Defences

Received Sunday, 7- p.m. LONDON, Sept. 4. Senior R.A.F. officers watching ''Operation Dagger" — the currentmock air war — have already co»#luded that the British air defences #(!e sound. They have been pleasantly surprised by the speed with which radar plotting enabled jet fighters to intercept. fast, .high-flying modern homhers. The jets .'claamed many kills q£E the cpas,t. ; - When/the" battie . . was resunied tlils ,afternoon, " Southlan^,." started" with a series ,of ,raids.?on East Anglia and then suddenly switched to a *uass raid by Super Fortresses and {^incolns crossing • tho Ohannel to Dungeness. Then caine ^ho.ther raid over the Lincolnshire coast. ,.The raidsj varied from "saturation" to single aircraft intrusion. At times the whole exercise area was dotted with Southwind bOmbers and Northland fighters,. Weather experts forecast that the operations tonight might have to be limited because of bad weather. An R.A.F. spokesman said the Antiaircraft Comniand was successfully testing new methods of an early warning system and engaging targets necessitated by the great speed of modern aircraft. The Defence Minister, Mr. Alexander, visiting Fighter Command headquarters at 'Stanmore, Middlesex, said:- ,"It is obvious that our communicatio,ns and working o? the early warning 'raider' system are in good trim. ' ' Mr. Alexander would neither confirm nor deny reports that American . Super Fortresses were coming to Britain in incre^sing numbers and probabiy remain|ng. a long time. The Peace^Pledge Union has issued a protest that the ' dreadfiql impiication in the practice Battie of Britain is thai our eountry would be used as a baso and battleground in World War Three. It is immoral to deceive the people into believing there is any defence against saturation bombing or any safety in the use of the atom. 'I •