WONDER WEAPON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 November 1938, Page 5

WONDER WEAPON

BEST ANTLAIRCRAFT GUN IN WORLD POSSESSED BY BRITAIN OFFICIAL SECRET ESCAPES (Independent Cable Service). LONDON, November 1. The “Daily Express,” under the heading, “Big Defence Secret Out, Britain has World’s Most Powerful Anti-air-craft Gun,” says that the report of the Select Committee on Estimates reveals the existence of a 4.5-inch anti-air-craft gun. Military circles are surprised to find this mentioned as it was regarded as an official secret. Field Marshal Goering’s newspaper, “Nazional Zeitung,” recently stated that Germany’s 3.46-inch anti-aircraft gun, with a ceiling of 26,000 feet, was capable of firing 20 shots a minute. It was stated to be a “weapon which foreigners paid special attention.” Britain’s gun is now known to be of revolutionary design, its performance far surpassing that of the recent 3.7inch gun which has a 30,000 feet ceiling, and is capable of firing 12 shots a minute. REARMAMENT PROGRESS STATEMENT BY SECRETARY FOR WAR (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON, November 1. The Secretary of State for War, Major the Rt Hon L. Hore-Belisha, in the House of Commons said the production of Bren machine-guns was proceeding at a maximum rate in Britain. He added that if some facts could be revealed, there would be less cause for disturbance in the public mind. The Parliamentary Under-Seer tary to the Home Office, Mr Geoffrey W. Lloyd, stated that the air raid precaution personnel enrolled now numbered over 1,000,000. ’