AIR STRENGTHS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 117, 16 April 1940, Page 3

AIR STRENGTHS

SCANDINAVIAN LANDS. NORWAY’S SEAPLANE FORCE. That Sweden was the leading air power of the Scandinavian countries was revealed in an investigation made of tile comparative air strengths of those countries, before the Russian invasion of Finland. The results were summarised recently in an article in “L’Aquilone” and reprinted in the magazine Aeronautics. Sweden is the most important of the Scandinavian countries, if only because of bur maritime trade, and although her policy has always been pacifist and the country has not been involved in a war for 130 years, the trend of recent events decided her Government on a policy of rearmament, the article states. The Swedish Air F’orce in 1925 did not comprise more than 8U firstlino machines. To-day it numbers more than 201). Tins force is under the Ministry of Defence, but is not subordinate to either the army or the navy. The rearmament programme provided for an increase of 237 machines by 1943, when the composition of the force would bo as follows : —Two heavy bomber groups of three squadrons, containing .12 machines apiece; total 72 machines. Two similar groups of light bombers, comprising another 72 machines. One fighter group of three squadrons of lo machines each, total 45 machines. One reconnaissance group of three squadrons of 12 machines apiece for land reconnaissance; total, 3C5 machines. One group of two squadrons of torpedo aircraft of 12 machines apiece and one reconnaissance squadron of eight machines. Norway is the most sparsely populated of all the Scandinavian countries. Hep Air Force, numbering 125 machines, is composed mainly of seaplanes, which had the task of patrolling an immense coastline broken by countless fiords. These fiords offer good harbourage for seaplanes. Norway had no Ministry of National Defenie, but only a Defence Department comprising miliary and naval administration bodips, together with an aeronautical council composed of representatives from military, naval and civil aviation. 'The Air F’orce is divided into fighter and reconnaissance formations. Hawker, Armstrong Whitworth and F’okker types were being built, at the time of writing, in. the Government factories of Lillcstrocm and Harten under license. In addition there were several native types in employment, the best of which were tbe M.FII (reconnaissance), D.T.2 (torpedo aircraft) and FJa 28 (school machine). Arrangements had been concluded with the Italian Government for the construction under license of several Caproni light bomber types, but at the time the article was written Norway had no bombers. Finland had devoted much attention to her Air F’orce, and the 230 first-line machines she had before the Russian invasion were of excellent quality. The Finnish Air Force was under the Ministry of National Defence and was stationed at six principal bases. The national factories at Helsinki and Tampere were not large enough to cope with all requirements and many machines were imported, including the Avro Anson and Bristol Blenheim bombers, the Hawker Hart reconnaissance machines and the Hawker F’ury and Bristol Bulldog fighters. Instruments, armament and equipment were mainly imported. There were excellent training schools for pilots and observers at Kauhava.