OUR OUTNUMBERED AIR DEFENDERS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1927, Page 4

OUR OUTNUMBERED AIR DEFENDERS

(liy BRIG .-GEN. P- K- GROVES, C.B. 0.M.G., D. 5.0., Director oi Flying Operations at the Air Ministry in 191*. for three years British' Air Adviser to the Supreme Council, and now Sccretnrv-Geneial ol the Air League of the British Empire.)

Whether gas warfare is, as Mr J. B. S. Haldane, has contended, less cruel than bullets, bayonets and high explosives is a question.

But what is certain is that gas. as a weapon of war, lias come to stay, lot there is no single case in history of a weapon being discarded except for a better weapon. The late Field-Mrashal Su Henry Wilson wrote: ‘-‘No Convention, guarantee, or disarmament safeguard will prevent any unseupulous enemy from employing poison gas, especially if that enemy has discovered some new powerful’ agent, or possesses, as Germany does in her well-organised and strong chemical industry, a ready means for producing such chemicals in bulk at practically a moment’s notice.” The Continental view is that aircraft offer the ideal method of employing ga- on a great scale. For example. General von Altrock, the well-known Germ a n military author, writes in the 1 M.’litar Wcclienblatt ” : “ In future wars the initial hostii’o

attack will be directed against the groat nerve and communication centres of the enemy’s territory, against its large cities, factory centres, ammunition areas, water, gas and light supplies ; iii fact, against every life artery

of the country. . . . Entire regions inhabited by peaceful populations trill continually be threatened with extinction.”

Mr llaldanc, referring to the possibility of gassing Hie whole of Central London, says that the operation would require a fleet of several thousand bombing aeroplanes, and adds that n-> such fleet is in existence. I doubt whether this Tatter contention is justifiable. No up-to-date statisiics showing the actual numbers of military aircraft m Europe are available, but as far back as November 1925 the position, according to official American statistics, was as follows: Military ReAircraft. serves. Total. France ... 1,500 4,000 5,500 Italy 750 750 1,500

Great Britain 650 400 1,050 It is important to note that about half of our aircraft arc stationed abroad and therefore are not available for home defence. But in addition to military aircraft, it is necessary to take into account the largo numbers of commercial aircraft which are convertible to war purposes. The following facts are illuminating. There are at present nearly 29,000 miles of air routes in operation in Europe, including Soviet Russia. Of these Germany operates 12,762 miles, France 6,290 miles, and Great Britain 901 miles. German commercial machines are flying 35,00 ft miles daily as against our daily total of 3,000 miles.

There is one statement in Mr Hal-

dane's interesting article with which, I believe, no ono who is familiar with the immense development of air power since tiio Armistice would agree. It is that: “Tho air defence of London is a military probi'em only second in importance to the defence of our shores and food supplies.” London is the centre of the Government, administration and finance of this country and of the Empire. fts adequate defence is therefore the first condition for our national security. It is of primary and not of secondary importance. At present London is, to all intents and purposes, undefended in the air, although the last report of the Committee of Imperial Defence, published in 1924, states: “ The most important result of this part of the inquiry was to confirm the vital need for a great increase in our Air Forces which had been established in previous inquiries.” Despite this portentous statement, the Government has since slowed up our totally inadequate Air Force programme. It lias also continued to neglect the. development of commercial aviation, so that we possess to-day a total of on by twenty commercial aeroplanes, whereas our neighbours are rapidly expanding.