ATTEMPT TO SMASH AIR FORCE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5304, 17 January 1947, Page 5

ATTEMPT TO SMASH AIR FORCE

(Press Assn. —

ARMY-NAW LINK FORTHRIGHT BOOK BY C.I.C. BOMBER COMMAND

Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Jan. 16, "For nearly 20 years I watched the Army and the Navy, both singly and in concert, engineer one deliberate attempt after another to destroy the Royal Air Force. Time after time they were' within a- hairbreadth of success. Time after time Lord Trenchard and Lord 1'renchard alone saved us." This is one of many forthright statements made by Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arth-ur Harris, former Conimander-in-Chief of the Bomber Command, in his hook "Bomber Offensive" just published.

"If they had succeeded,"" he declares, "they would have abolished our air power as they suceeeded in abolishing our tank power, while retaining the Camberley drag hunt, and as the pinnacle of our sea power those searceiy more qseful battleships whose bones now lie where air power so easily consigned them, littering the floors of the ocean or obstructing the harbours of the world. "And had they suceeeded in suppressing the Air Force we should have entered the war with one fighter, as we entered it with one tank, we

would have lost the battle of Britain, and the Nazis would have ruled Europe — ii' not the world— -for eenturies." Eyehrows May Raise Sir Arihur, in whoni routroversy centred during the war, and continues now that he is in South Africa without having received an honour in | reeoghition of his services. reeounts the vaj'ious stages and many difficulties experienced in the bomhing of Germany. It is a hook which, while it may cause many in Whitehall occasionally to lift their eyehrows in pained surprise, will be read with interesr, especially by the crews of the Bonibev Command, who were deeper in Sir Arthur's heart than many of them may have supposed. "There is no parallel in warfare," he says of them, "to such eourage and determination in the faee of danger over so prolonged a period, danger which at times was so great that scareely one man in three eould expeet to survive his tour of 30 operations."

He regrets that thej- were relused a bomber eampaign medal, although every elerk, hutcher or baker in the rear of the armies (;verseas had a eampaign medal. The hook is peppered with such phrases as "sailors heing complete amateurs in air matters."' and he makes the striking claim: "The fact that the Air Force was sinking more suhmarines than the ^lavy never seemed to get published at all, just as tlie fact that Bomber Command sank more German naval ships has never got out." c, He refers io batfleships as the "most expensive and mosf utterly useless weapon employed in ihe w lu le of ihe las't war." He eriticises the "cavalry" mind of the Army, its love of horses, and declares: ."Unfortunately they are too apt to develop the mentality of the animals they are so enthusiastic about." He makes no exception where Lord Montgomery is coticerngd and quotes fully a message of congratulation he received from tlie FieldMarshal after the ..attack on Caen. Tkree-in-Gne Looking ahead, Sir Arthur ag'rees with the priuci-ple of co-operation "but only on the lines of abolishing all thrqe servkes and 'having one Defence Force," and he adds "the whole key to our defence is ihe eiicouragement of science and scientists. Whoever gets far enough ahead in science will prevail — for the time heing." Sir Arthur sees in atomic energy end of air warfare, not heeause it is too terrihle to use, but because it can be used with infiniteW greater effect without aircraft at all. He believes the rocket, in all its forms, is already an out-of-date weapon. Sir Arthur is a frank and openhearted admirer of Mr. Winston Churchill and men like Field-Mai'S'hal Smuts, and he has a special word of praise for Air Marshal R. A. Coehrane, former • Chief of Staff of the R.N.ZA.F., whom he said wasv "a most brilliant, enthusiastic, hardworking leader of men." "Bomber Offensive" is • stimulating and forceful. It is described as, in some respeets, the most controversial war hook since the Hiroshima Atom Bomh whieh will "make a lot of people angry and provoke them into writing solemn Ietters to The Times.