OPERATIONS IN FRANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 March 1940, Page 5

OPERATIONS IN FRANCE

The Minister revealed that British fighters in France had taken off more than 2000 times for patrol, pursuit, and combat, while the Coastal Command had flown more than 5,000,000 miles on its multifarious duties, including the successful escort of more than 700 convoys, as well as anti-submarine work and patrols, all of which were carried out daily, even during the Arctic weather of January, which provided the most severe flying conditions ever known. For obvious reasons, details of personnel did not appear in the estimate, “but 1 can safely give a figure which provides a general indication of our progress,’’ he said. "When I intro' duced the Air Estimates in 1939 I told the House that as a result of recruiting efforts the total strength of the R.A.F. was approaching 100,000. Today the strength of one R.A.F. command alone has nearly reached that figure.” The quality of the recruits was equal to the highest peace time standards. After explaining the system of training, the Air Minister pointed out that all officers were now taken from the ranks and that every recruit had a chance of gaining a commission. THE EMPIRE SCHEME Dealing with the question of training, he said: “When in full operation, the schools in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand under the Empire training scheme will produce no fewer than 20,000 pilots and 30,000 air crews every year. In addition, the Government of South Africa has most helpfully offered to train pilots for the R.A.F., and there will also be schools in Rhodesia and Kenya. “I am also glad to tell the House with the ready agreement of the French authorities, that we are establishing a number of flying training schools on French territory.” . The Minister then reviewed production. Though the 1918 peak figure of labour employed was passed a very few weeks after the outbreak of the war, the enormous programme required an even greater effort. “This country owes much to the hundreds of thousands of men and women in the factories.” he said. “These have made and are making a great contribution to our air defences.” New factories and existing factories had been extended, while with every month new plant was coming into production. The objective of air mastery should be obtained “with something in hand.” Summing up this part of his speech, the Minister said: “The progress made in production to meet R.A.F. needs gives cause for confidence. Nevertheless, at this stage of the war we must husband our resources and use them in the fullest support of the military effort.” CIVIL AVIATION Referring to civil aviation, the Minister said that the plans naturally gave place to war needs, but in conjunction with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand a weekly service across the Tasman would be started in

April, thus linking New Zealand with the Empire air route.

The resumption of ihe successful North Atlantic service depended on military needs, but the difficulties which so far had prevented a regular service to Lisbon would, he hoped, shortly be overcome. Neither had the post-war needs been overlooked, and the Minister announced, the creation of a strong advisory committee and the appointment of a small body of experts to keep in touch with all phases of development in civil aviation. Dealing with the achievements since the last presentation of the Air Estimates, Sir Kingsley Wood said that not only was the numerical production doubled, but the effective increase in output had been even greater. Each new type of aeroplane involved an increase in the number of man-hours of construction. For instance, the Spitfire represented double the man-hours spent on the Gladiator. The increases were justified by the advantages in operational efficiency, and “in speed, bomb load, and armament, and in the aggregate of all these factors I would sooner have a hundred Wellingtons or a hundred Spitfires than a much larger number of their German counterparts.’’