FLYING FORTRESSES.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 October 1940, Page 4

FLYING FORTRESSES.

A REPORT that at the weekend conference between President Roosevelt and the Governor-General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone, an agreement was concluded for the sale of flying fortress bombers to Britain admittedly is without confirmation and a cablegram yesterday stated that White House officials denied knowledge of such an agreement. There have been other reports recently, however, that some flying fortresses may be made available to Britain and it is certainly not inconsistent with current American policy that this should be done. The flying fortresses are large and powerful bombers said to have a longer range and to be capable of carrying a heavier weight of bombs than any other land planes in existence. Exact details of their performance are a military secret, but they are fitted with four engines, require a crew of five to seven men and are said to have a maximum speed of about 250 miles an hour anjcl a cruising speed of 200 miles an hour. At a recent date the United States Army was reported to possess about 53 flying fortresses. Britain, it was stated recently in some American newspapers, had asked to be allowed to acquire at once a small number of flying fortresses and to share equally with the American Army in those turned out from now on. The importance of these machines to Britain is in their extended range According to one correspondent, an arc running roughly through Berlin represents the range of the present British bombers flying with an effective bomb load. Knowing this (he adds) the Germans are setting up vital war industries east of Berlin, even in Poland, and are known to be transferring many vital plants to the eastward from the much-bombed Ruhr district. The flying fortresses can effectively bomb anything in Germany or Poland and fly home again. Nothing the British or anyone else now has can do this. Whether these particulars are or are not in all respects accurate, there is not much doubt that the acquisition of flying fortresses would be of considerable value to Britain and would give her increased striking power in her air offensive against Germany.