IN THE AIR

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 95, 18 April 1941, Page 3

IN THE AIR

How Strong Is Germany You have probably seen German air strength estimated at anything from 3,000 airplanes up to about 50,000. The reason for this enormous discrepancy is that different people makes their estimates in different ways, says Major Oliver Stewart in "London Calling." An air force consists of a first-line strength or, as some people like to call it; an operational strength; and a_ reserve strength made up of immediate and of stored reserves. Some of those who have given us their views as to Germany’s air strength have undoubtedly confused first-line strength with total strength. First-line strength is the strength that can be put into battle at any moment. It is reached by adding up all the aircraft in the operational squadrons which have their crews and equipment and stand ready to go into the air. But that does not mean that all the aircraft in the operational squadrons must be included. There are also the immediate reserves. They are aircraft which are also ready in all respects, but which are not used by the squadrons except as replacements for aircraft lost in action or by accidents. Between these immediate reserves and the stored reserves the division is a little blurred. But, generally speaking, one may say that the stored reserves consist of complete aircraft on which a certain amount of work would have to be done to fit them to take the air. The work might be nothing more than fitting two or three instruments, but it serves to give some sort of dividing line between immediate and stored reserves. So on the operational side of the air force there are these three divisions. But that does not mean that they include all the aircraft in the force. There are also the enormous numbers of training aereplanes. It is the first line strength which can go into battle at any given moment, but it will be clear from what I have said that first-line strength, when correctly understood, must be a very small proportion of the total strength, including training aircraft, of an air force. The person who says that Germany’s air strength is-3,000 airplanes is obvie ously thinking of first-line strength in the narrowest interpretation, whereas the one who says it is 50,000 machines is obviously thinking of total strength. The

sort of proportions 1 would expect would be a total of 30,000 airplanes for a firstline strength of about 5,000. And now for a guess at German air strength. I would not like to try and give a precise figure, but I would say that the total is below 35,000 and that the first-line strength is slightly above 5,000. I think it doubtful if the German firstline strength is above 6,000. You will appreciate that I am basing my guess on very incomplete information. I am going on the strength the Germans deployed in August and September, and before that, in France, And I am assuming that some German units are held always somewhere within easy reach of the Russian frontier.