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THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 20, 1989.
"STRIKING POWER GREATLY INCREASED"
Air Minister Replies To Critics Of R.A.F.
BIGGER RESERVES FOR COUNTER- BOMBING FORCE
1
For forty-five minutes Sir Kingsley Wood, the Air Minister, talked to me about the R.A.F.'s expansion and the difficulty that the public must inevitably experience, at a time like the present, estimating the comparative strengths of the world's air forces, when all countries were refrain- ing from full disclosures, and many giving no in- formation at all, writes group-Captain Payne in the London "Daily Telegraph."
QUEEN BEE SHOT DOWN
Gunners of the 80th R.A. Ter- ritorial anti-aircraft brigade from Reading and Slough brought down a Queen Bee, wire- less-controlled. 'plane.
It was caught about 7,000 feet up by almost vertical fire from two guns, and dropped on the shore half a mile from the gun position.
ment of all units with modern machines of high preformance,
Increases in the establishments of various squadrons accounted chiefly for the additional 250 aero-
Sir Kingsley began by inquiring what ques-planes. Both the defensive and tions I should like to ask. I replied that I thought offensive powers of the R.A.F. had
gramme.
TURKEY STUDYING BRITISH A.R.P.
London, To-day.
Sir John Anderson, Lord Privy Seal, as Minister for Civil Defence, yesterday received the Türkish military mission which is visiting Britain for the purpose of studying active and passive defence against
attacks from the air.
The mission, which consists of three staff officers of the Turkish Army, headed by General Husnu had interviews with Kilkis, has officials of the Air Raids Precau-.
there was some anxiety concerning the slow in-been greatly increased by this pro- tions Department, and visited the crease in the number of squadrons in the home de- It would, of course, have been fence Air Force.
ARP. Staff School in London and the London regional control room. To-day the mission will inspect A.R.P. arrangements of the City..
possible to use the productive capa- Ministerial statements, and comparisons be-city of the aircraft industry in another way. A number of squad- tween the Air Force Lists for various months, rons could be left with obsolescent of Westminster and the head- showed that in nearly two years the regular and or obsolete auxiliary flying squadrons in Britain had increas-tional, new units could be formed
ed by only two squadrons.
According to the Air Force Lists cient guide. the figures were:
123
R.A.F. POWER INCREASED Flying Squadrons, ›› The 1935 programme, he explain-. Regular. Auxiliary. Ttled, had aimed at a first line strength July, 1937
104... 19
at home of 1,500 aircraft, and was 105 June, 1939
20 125 actually completed by July, 1937. Sir Kingsley Wood said that the number of squadrons was only one and certainly not the best criterion of a nation's strength in the air. An increase in number of squad- rons alone was obviously an insuffit
OFF THE RECORD
3-22 and fring
The augmented programme of 1936, which aimed at a total of 1,750 first line machines, excluding the Fleet Air Arm, in this country, was completed last March. This pro- gramme provided for the re-equip
"Do you
stand,
By ED REED.
machines, and addi-quarters of the London Fire Bri- gade. and they will also be guests at an official luncheon.
and supplied with the latest types of aircraft emerging from the fac- tories. This method did not appear to be a sound one.
BRITISH AIR POLICY The object of British air policy, and one that Sir Kingsley believed to be right, was, in the first ins- tance, to ensure that every R.A.F. Squadron was fully manned, pro- perly trained, and supplied with the latest and most efficient aircraft available.
What had been promised was not
On Friday the mission will visit the A.R.P. school for instructors at Falfield,
near Bristol.. Wireless.
"WE CAN ALL
DRAW
that there would be a certain num- CONCLUSIONS"
ber of squadrons by a given time, but that the latest programme, which was announced in May,1988, would be completed by the date orginally indicated-March, 1940, and Sir Kingsley was confident that this promise would be more than
fulfilled.
This 1998 programme had now been extended to provide a first-line strength at home and abroad, ex- cluding the Fleet Air Arm, of some 3,000 'planes. There will be 2,870 first line machines Inthe squadrons at,home, plus a 30 per cent, addition to our fighter strength and an in- crease in the reserves of our coun- ter-offensive bombing force.
FUNERAL OF PILOT OFFICER CRASH VICTIM
The funeral of Pilot-Officer D. H. Bryangow ■ RAF, who, was, kill- ed in the aeropiafie crash in Tytam Bay a kékgas will be hold, this afternoon, the cortege leaving the Nayal Hospital at 4.80 p.m.
British
London, To-day.
The Marquess of Clydesdale asked in the House of Commons yesterday on information available to the Foreign Secretary whether he thinks that Herr Hitler would prefer war to settling his demands: by a scheme such as that which is operating in South Tyrol.
Does he also think, asked the Marquess; that Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini have initiated a new principle for solving racial problems by negotiation rather than by war, or on the other hand am I to understand that Herr Hit- ler for expediency's sake has shown himself as treacherous to his own people as he was to the Prime Minister at Berchtesgaden.
"
"I think we can all draw con- clusions from the actions taken,' was the Government answer. British Wireless.
PORTUGUESE
Patachments from the R.A. ARMY STUDY TOUR
will
Here's Luck..
EWO BEER