ROYAL AIR FORCE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1931, Page 2

ROYAL AIR FORCE

MIMIC WARFARE. LONDON, February 19. Again this year, the Royal Air Force will engage* in mimic war, devised to test the Home Defence system, For » number of days and nights in July the fighters and bombers ot the R.A.F, squadrons, divided into opposing forces, will dispute again the age-old battle of defence and attack in an effort; to get. further data about the many problems of efficiently defending Britain from possible future air raids, amT to exercise machine' and men in war-like operations.

Last year tile opposing forces, lighting for mythical land entitled respectively Red Colony and Blue Colony, worked out campaigns which considerable light on air tactics find might he necessary, in certain circum stances, in some parts "" the F.mpir' Incidentally, the 250 aeroplanes cm ployed during the 034 hours ot Mi “war” demonstrated beyond d«B«v*t the trustworthiness of British aero planes and engines. They flew a 1 aggregate of 2,908 hours, much of i by night, and sometimes in condition of poor visibility during the day covering a distance equivalent to moi< than twelve times round the Equator Yet not a single serious incident marred the “war.” Not a machine was seriously damaged or a man hurt. This year the exercises, rovertin« 1o the practice of earlier years, are like!' to be concerned more directly with the actual defence o.sinm of London Air and ground defences will he tested ; not only the defending fighter* butt the network of listening and observation posts, searchlights, and perhaps, guns, are likely to be called into action. The speed of preso n t.dav noropln-r.es means that raiders which cross the English coast- can he over London in less than twenty-five minutes even in still nir; tlm magnitnd r of the job before the defenders mnv he gapped from the brevity of thr interval in which all the organisation pf defence- must he thrown into gear. The task involves a most hlghlv c 1 fieiont system of intelligence and requires defending fighters, which can reach operational heights, of perhaps 20,000 feet or more above the ground in a very few minutes after leaving the aerodrome.