AIR COMMAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 November 1940, Page 5

AIR COMMAND

CO-OPERATION WITH ARMY ANNOUNCEMENT MADE IN BRITAIN ACTION BASED ON LESSONS OF EXPERIENCE. SOME DETAILS OF PLAN. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 17. The importance of co-opera-tion between the air and land forces is one of the lessons learned from the present war, and an .Air Ministry and War Office announcement, which states that these Service departments have to “consider how best to secure the most effective basis of co-operation between the Army and the Royal Air Force,’’ is an important contribution to pre-sent-day tactics.

The announcement continues: “The principal feature of the new arrangement is a decision to set up a command of the R.A.F. to be called the Army Co-operation Command, which will comprise all squadrons allotted to Army formations in the United Kingdom, together with associated training units.

“The primary function of this command will be to organise—experimental in all its forms —co-operation between the two Services. The operational employment of the squadrons will rest, as hitherto, with the commands of the Army formations to which they are allotted. “The Army Co-operation Command will be under an air officer commanding in chief and a senior army officer is to be appointed as head of the air staffs. The air staffs of the command and the subordinate formations will consist of Army and R.A.F. officers in roughly equal proportions.

“The formation of this command is the outcome of a system of co-opera-tion which has been steadily built up between the two Services over a long period and the new organisation has been designed in accord with the lessons of recent operational experience. “The Army Co-operation Command, with its joint staff, will work in constant association with the Army and Air Force commands concerned. It

will ensure rigid development of Army co-operation. The new plan, which carries with it some changes in command, was foreshadowed by the Secretary of War, Mr Eden, in the House of Commons last Tuesday, and is a policy advocated in the past by Lord Trenchard and other experts. The new command is to start as from December 1.

SEVERAL CHANGES YOUNGER MEN ADVANCED. APPROVING PRESS COMMENT. LONDON, November 18. The changes in the Royal Air Force commands to ensure greater co-operation with the army are warmly welcomed in the newspapers. Almost all stress that experience has shown the need for greater co-operation between the two services. The chief of the new command is Air Marshal Sir Arthur Barratt. He has had many years of experience, and was in command of the British Air Force in France. His staff will have equal representation from the R.A.F. and the Army. A change in the Fight Command was made at the request of Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production. Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding is seconded for special service in the United States. He has had a particularly long association with the Fighter Command, having been in charge of it since July, 1936. He was responsible for the methods of day interception of enemy raiders, which proved so brilliantly successful.

The new Chief of the Fighter Command is the present deputy-chief, Air Marshal W. S. Douglas. Speaking of his appointment, the “News Chronicle” says his appointment is on all four: with that recently of Air Marshal Portal, the Chief of the Air Staff. He is one of the younger men now being given the opportunity to take the initiative after the splendid preparatory work of older commanders.

Several other changes have also been announced. All those appointed are men under 50 years of age.

APPOINTMENTS MADE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. (Received This Day, 9 a.m.) LONDON, November 18. The following Air Force appointments are announced: —Air Marshal Sir Arthur Sheridan Barratt becomes officer commanding-in-chief of the army co-operation command. Air Vice Marshal W. S. Douglas succeeds Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding as chief of the Fighter Command; Air Vice Marshal A. T. Harris becomes assistant chief of the air staff, in place of Vice Marshal Douglas. Air Commodore J. H. Dalbiac becomes commander of the British forces in Greece; Air Vice Marshal O. T. Boyd becomes Deputy Chief Officer in the Middle East, with the acting rank of air marshal. Air Marshal E. L. Gossagc take Air Marshal Boyd's place in command of the balloon barrage. Ail Vice Marshal Babington take Air Marshal Gossage's place on the Air Council, as a member of the personnel, with the acting rank of Air Marshal. Sir Hugh Dowding has been seconded to the Ministry for Aircraft Production, for special duty.