DEFENCE OF N.Z.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 March 1933, Page 6

DEFENCE OF N.Z.

NEED FOE (ADEQUATE AIR FORCE

KINGSFORD SMITH’S VIEWS

NEW PLYMOUTH, March 25.

O.n several occasions during his public speeches in New Zealand Air 'Commodore' Sir Charles Kings ford ■Smith emphasised the importance o f full consideration..being given to 'the deve\>pment °f an -adequate New Zealand Air Force, .as tho one means within,,,the,-pur-,so. of the Dominion .which in the event-.of emergency in the future .could- meet the position and [carry-, through: ■<tile task set- “For. the cost of. one. batle s hip 500 modern e>er-jvic©,-aeroplanes,-can 'b©'.purchased, and ■ service .aircraft are essential, for. the (protection - of my country and of your.s,” was the-text 0 f hie. remarks. While in Wellington, Sir Charles was .asked .to .expand th e text, but owing Ito the many- calls on his time ..was, unable. to do ®o before leaving. To-day,.’while the final touches were being: given- the Southern Cross in preparation for the return flight, across ..the Tasman' from the Ninety Mile Beach,- Sir Charles discussed ft he ,1 subject in a , sP ec i a 'l interview. /‘Should the day eve r come when •New .Zealand its forced on to the defensive,”- said Sir Charles, “it wiil be upon the air arm of the defence, as much as upon the naval arm, that the 'first responsibility ■will -fall, " and New Zealand, probably to a greater ■extent than any other British Dominion, is a country the defence of which 'can most effectively be un-dertaken.-by means of aircraft. 'This is eo. becaus© in warfare nuch tps .has been made -poeeible by the ~ advances made gince 1914-18 an attempt to land a force in a country far removed from the invader’s base, or from bases established in .frieneby areas, in the face of an effective air force resistance, can succeed only by a terrific/.. effort.

ADVANTAGES WITH; DEFENDING AIR FORCE.-'

“In any, future. attempted landing of forces, if there is defence , against that landing, . aircraft wiU play an important part, and, though there its no actual precedent, with which to clinch the point, a study of the theory of such ,au., operation and counter-measures leads definitely io the .conclusion that all the advantages will ie with the defending air arm-—if ■ the invader is operating .so far .from ,-his bases that he' can employ only aircraft, a com dition-- which applies .absolutely to New Zealand, to Australia, and to many . P.udfic -islands,- - separated from the .nearest land by miles of ocean.” , Not for a moment did he depreciate the ■ value of the Navy, said. Sir Charles, for the Navy had definite functions to perform, and it alone could -pexfotm them,, -but a /Navy adequate to safeguard the shores of even so email a country as N°w Zealand ini, caße of. possible emergency was utterly beyond the purse of the country, and--though the welfare" of every Dominion was of vital 'importance to the Empire, it might, be. that there would be greater' fish" for the British Navy to fry. ' “A force of aircraft adequate to prohibit a threat is not beyond the j purse of the country maintaining it until thg Navy oan bring dow.n its weight. -.For the cost of one battleship 500 service aeroplanes can he j purchased,” Sir Charles repeated.

SIX MAIN POINTS. *

Tile main points in support of his contention Sir Charles stilted as follows : —•

. Tit the country threatened is (altogether ■defencekl’s (home forces, coastal, land,, and air; naval division or assistance from the Mother Navy) surprise ns to the point of attack i-5 a main weapon of attack. Aircraft would be of first importance in killing this element of surprise.

. Aircraft, alone of defensive land forces, are capable of rapid concentrator!, rapid temporary dispersal, and rapid reconcentration at any effective point.

'Their defensive value is ooiitinuous (from the moment of detection of 'a convoved or other sea force.

j Aircraft with land bases arc far less vulnerable than seaborne aircraft (i.e., seaplanes with necessarily limited range or. machines flown from aircraft carriers or other, units—aircraft carriers are particularly vulnerable).

Tijrpjets for iseaborne aircraft are scattered and,difficult to find. The targets of defending aircraft are massed, vulnerable, and open to determined attack, for it is established that air attackers can, and will, penetrate anti-aircraft defence even when most ,fully developed, as about the capital cities of the older countries, to a completeness impossible in sea and shore operations. Of two air forces, equal machine ■for machine, that force which operates, from land lias undoubted (advantages over a seaborne force.

DEVELOPMENT SHOULD STAIU* , NOWs.

“[ have not .discussed. the naval aspect at ialh” said Sir Charles. “It is. of course, a vital aspect, but as an airman I do wish to insist upon the importance of the air aspect of defence (as an essential part of the whole.,. And. I .will repeat that it is in, tho Pacific Dominions, with . great ocean distances about them, that defensive, air. arms start out with definite advantages over any possible operation«of .aircraft from the eea. The building up of an air arm is not the work of months j it is. the work of

years. New Zealand is late in making a serious, start. WHAT LIES AHEAD? “Gallipoli could never Lave been had the Turks possessed an effective air arm.. Samoa could never have been taken over so simply by New Zealand, and the Australian Forces could" never have landed at Rabaul as they did had Germany then had the. means to harass effectively the few cruisers and numerous troopships employed. Probably Gallipoli will be for all time impossible again, for in any part of the old, world to-day so great a defensive force of aircraft could be concentrated in such ;1 brief time that the cost of another Gallipoli would IjO prohibitive. But there can he mote annexations, parallel to those of Samoa, or New Guinea, or the Carolines, if isolated countries ignore the possibilities »f the years jabond. 1 am no. war-monger; the. world is sick of war and ..at the,..same time talks. Avar a'*d fears it, but who knows what is ahead,? Insurance is great business if the premium is not too high. Air force insurance is not too high for. my country and for yours. 5 '