1940-12-24 — Page 7

Do

Britain's Anti-Aircraft

Gunners

от

is no doubt, for in the opinion of department experts there is no of military science in which de- velopment has been so remark- able as in anti-aircraft gunnery.

was a feeling that its tre- Mr. Winston Churchill, asked, inward borders of the ARied coum-half of Europe, What kind of in--power in its hands to deter or Secondly, that we intend fernational order? In order to quell aggression within or with- ..mendous challenge had about British war alins, has said tries.

not only to restore national free-answer that question, we must out, and direct responsibility from that we must not been met.

"Perhaps in effect

comedom to those countries for that take a look at our maximum as- the authority wielding that power the representatives of the closer to winning the war before by itself would be useless but piration, and make our "first ap-to there is no solution.'

proximation" between the most people, we can sensibly declare what we

and the least that We can Could nobody find an ade-intend to do with our victory. This

hope for. Undoubtedly, if we The difference between the most had the ordering of the and the least is wide. It may be quate answer to this de-is sound sense, and has been ac-

in our hands, cepted as such by the mass

wea gap in time as well as in scale. would establish somé system The solution may lie in. so order- "featist doubt? Are the eco-people of Britain. Those who still ing it for the future.

which cut at the roots of national |ing the least that it leads op to nomic factors that drive grumble at the lack of définition

in turn, that wenovereignty. Call this system the the most. But somewhere," in our war aims are for the most seek some form of international super-state, federal union, inter- some medial line, between those men, women and children part concerned with the effect of order and common security which national government, an interna- two limits lie the war aims which a declaration upon neutral will embrace at least the British tional police force, or what you we shall in the end not merely into hunger, slavery and such

opinion. Yet here, too, first things Commonwealth and the northern will, it must have two essentials adopt but achieve. despair, entirely beyond must come first, and what human control? It has wavering neutrals most want

know is that we can and will win been complained that not the war. The victories of the one Christian has had the Royal Air Force in August

September have done more to ral- courage to say that they the neutrals to the Allied cause solution for the

tragic than could possibly have

done by any manifesto of the problem depicted in the

rights of man, or covenant of the story of the Joad family post-war society of nations. was found nearly two! thousand years ago.

We in the British Empire have was enshrined in what

It didn't take long for them to always been confident of ultim-

show what they were made of and that "enemy of all reli-ale victory, because we have al-

lack of actual ways been resolved never to give gions," Mr. H. G. Wells, To-day our confidence is more

that in spite of

at the shooting of real has described as "one of tmmly rooted than ever. Yet even

targets in the heavens they quick- the most revolutionary we cannot foretell enough of the

their aim was good and that they conditions of victory to be

Nearly all the laurels for bring-would provide an important link doctrines that ever stirred to ix our war aims, whether for

ing down German machines were In the defence of the island for- and changed human ourselves or for Europe or for the being collected by the Royal Airtress from air attack.

world society of nations, with any Force, although

many of their Thus it was that when the "tar- thought." It was "no less definiteness. We do not know i successes

were unquestionably gets" were available in the shape than a bold and uncom-who will prove to have been our

due to the couperation of the of German heavy and light bomb- enemies and who our allies. We search lights. promising demand for a do not know what will then be

ers the anti-aircraft guns in a restricted zone This went on week after week, comparatively attitude change

of the and the

American complete

people towards their responsibili-

month after month, and the public found their mark 57 times in six cleansing of our strug-tes in establishing and defending

score in one day We do not gling race, an utter clean-a new world order.

know where Soviet Russia or Jaately known all over Britain-in was 22. Every battery in Britain is sing, without and within.'

that they had out to beat that score as soon as pan will stand-whether perhaps spite of the fact This simple and profound a breakdown of German power in been keeping the raiding machines opportunity occurs.

That they can do the job there well away from vulnerable spots." Europe doctrine of the universal Central

our hands loving Fatherhood of God might not give rise to fresh wars and the coming of the of liberation or of aggrandisement Kingdom of Heaven swept away all tribal patriotism In brief, though the assumption

It

""

Eastern

and a defeat at through

or of ideology in that area.

it would

ximation to our

able

Britain's anti-aircraft gunners came right into the news when the German big-scale raids on Eng- land began,

Then came the moment for real action.

This is all the more remarkable since, less than three years ago, Britain had only one 3.7 anti-air- craft gun

In the whole of the country.

had been waiting for with inex-practice

They got the opportunity they haustible

craft defences. patience for nearly ↑ ly gave convincing proof that

year.

heard very little about the ack-days.

The highest ack" boys-as they are affection-

After The War

that can be made

|

This type of gun

forms the backbone of the island's anti-air- There is the more powerful 4.5 gun which is also being used in greater num- bers, until to-day the whole of Britain can be said to be bristling with anti-aircraft guns, manned by keyed-up crews eager for a chance to come into action.

It is not easy to imagine the terrific range which the best A.A. guns have, but it serves to illus- trate the point that some of the their shells at guns could fre the rate of 12

a minute over the top of Mount Everest- with plenty of room to spare! Bursting of the shell increases the range by about another 300 yards as metal splinters hurl themselves through the air.

The 4.5 guns are emplaced on fixed mountings, while the 3.7 gun which is the more favoured fixed may be on a mobile or mounting.

the nations of the woria | to restore freedom to our allies~ {of economic organisation, at home with all our minds how much of mously and new gun crews train-

International Trade

and lesser loyalties; con-will extend over our enemies, we of victory implies that our power

England, confident of victory, ment spending, all private forms In its mobility the anti-aircraft of the long und of capital expansion being sus- battery finds one of its main ad- demned all private wealth do not know how much further though aware

intense for after an topended; and this, too, is a process vantages, extend, and how far,painful road to be traversed and proud possessions; therefore,

already thinking of which cannot continue indefin-action it is possible to pack up and we could implement reach it, is and sought to set

remove to another site so, as one up what we might to-day promise as

Her post-war problems. She thinksitely. of them as problems of recon- We are, therefore, faced with authority puts it, "they may live

to shoot another day." something in men's hearts our war aims.

struction, and looking at her dam- the certainty that, in default of a of our

The "ack-ack" men are

all that would revolutionise Yet it is not impossible to ob- aged cities she naturally plans in complete reconstruction

terms of building up. Yet, strange-nancial and economic system, specially selected for the. import- the outer world and maketain, if we seek it, a first appro-

war aims, by ly enough, some of the most ur- some part of the fraction of the ant job they have in hand. When it new. So wrote Mr. striking a rough median between gent and difficult problems that national income now being used the necessity for creating a de- our maximum will face, not only England, but by the State for State purposes fence force against air attack be- Wells in his survey of our minimum and

aspirations. Our minimum aspira- the whole Commonwealth, after will return to channels of private came a vital and urgent necessity, world history.

tlons have already been declared: victory is won will be problems of enterprise. This is not a change it was to the Territorial Army.

suddenly or In the world at large, to

that Great Britain turned. secure pulling down.

In the year or so before war It would not be present- against assault by a tyrannous We shall not then be faced with without danger of serious disloca

tion. We know this all too well broke out, they had been getting a clean slate on which to write ing a jarring note for this barbarism the great realm of free- dom, co-extensive with the

our plans of economic and social from our memories of boom and accustomed to their new duties.

Since that time the number of Christmastide, when half world's oceans, to which we be reform. In the course of the war Moreover, we have

slump after the last world war.

to consider batteries has been multiplied enor- long; on the continent of Europe,

a great and revolutionary fabric'

toed, but attached to nearly every this State controlled effort is are at war or under

the Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway and internationally, has been set remain in the hands of the State unit there is a seasoned veteran conquerors' heel, to sug-maximum

Holland, Belgium, France. Our up to cope with the problems of and to what purpose this residue from the ranks of the former ter-

aspirations, on the the war itself. It cannot be swept is to be devoted.

ritorials-embodied on the bul gest that the thought is other other hand, are those which away by a stroke of the pen, nor

Alongside these purely economic break of war-whose experience specially worth ponder-we would turn into reality if we can we revert by a painless pro-

those of like mind with us cess of smooth demobilisation to problems are vital social problems and advice has done much to give ing to-day. Many Christ-could have the ordering of the conditions as

they were before of town planning, educatich, family the gunners that high efficiency ·

which it has been proved they, ians will not accept the whole world under our influence. September,, 1989.

Many of our allowances and many others.

Pottsess. most formidable and most vital: Wellsian interpretation of What Kind Of...

problems of reconstruction 'emérge

It has claimed that Britain's anti-aircraft defences are the most the teaching of Jesus.

International Order?

directly from a study of our war-

In international economic af- up-to-date in the world. There time fabric. How much of it is to: They may even shudder at

many factors which go to The minimum implies two remain, and by what means is the fairs, the outstanding problern are

which will face us after the mo- make them so.. the suggestion that the First, that our power to rest to be demolished or rebuilt?

ment of victory is that of Wade in There is, for example, the pre- ultimate solution for the apply our own decisions will ex-

The State And

raw materials and essential food-dictor, "the wonder eye," a de- modern world's ills must tend at the moment of victory not

stuffs. At present, this is domin-licate instrument that not only only over the oceanic area 'but also be socialism on a Christ-ever the whole northern and west-

at by three factors: the thortage calculates the position of a raider of shipping, the disappearance of but passes. information electrical- ian basis. They will re-en fringe of Europe, as far as the

At home, the outstanding fact blockaded markets, and the Weetly to the anti-aircraft batteries. Is the diversion to State purposes, ing of our essential Wat require- It is uncanny the way in which member the saying that

of an immense portion of the' ments by mass buying. In many it gives height, direction and no State can exist for

preserve the speed of a raiding aircraft, thus both capital and labour, which economic life of producing coun-giving the gun all the information twenty-four hours if it is truly Christian to-day, is economie effort of the country, cases, in order

produce has been It requires. run on the principles of to translate the teaching was formerly conducted by pri-tries, raw

vate enterprise under the usual bought only in order to be stored, These are naturally delicate in- * the Sermon on the Mount. of Jesus into terms of mo- motives of consumers' private pre- or even destroyed, where the cir-struments and they need men of And the mention of any dern social systems and ference and reduces private cumstances of war prevent it from the right temperament to operate profits. This diversion has been being economically shipped and them. The men have to undergo à economic complexities. accompanied by the imposition of "ism" creates a dread of

b internal economic affairs.

to they

are selected for the job. drifting into the dam- The solution lies in the li- far-reaching Government control used. Are we, in international as series of scientific tests before 'organisation when show whether a man, is physically nable materialism of ath-teral acceptance of the necessary heavy increase of taxa preserve a portion of this State These tests mainly designed to

controlled eistic Communism: They ancient commandment: ton on all classes of the commune other parts of our economic sys

ity, especially those in the middle!

tem revert to private enterprise? the Instruments-were evolved feel it will be safer some-Thou shalt love thy and upper income reaches. It seems very likely that the an- after consultation with a group of

neighbour as thyself."

paychologists from one of Britain's how to go on vaguely hop-

We ought also to recall-for itswer is yes,

leading universities.

And now for the first Ume there ing for the best, and build- But, before there is suf-s vital in considering how much

of all this can remain-that much our necessary concentration on ing visionary new worlds ficient courage to apply of the diversion has been render-winning the war, it is not too early is tangible proof of what the A.A. with pious platitudes and the simple solution, weed possible by an immense effort for leading minds in the British guns can do. There have been occasions..when the must wait for the miracle of saving on the part of all classes Commonwealth to be turning to numerous magnificent phrases.

under the stimulus of a pressing these problems and seeking a so- barrage set up by the guns has of a universal change of patriotism which is bound to be lution that will meet the deter- been so terrific, that German The problem for the heart. Perhaps it will diminished in time of peace. Vir mitation of everyone to build planes attempting to penetrate tually all this saving, moreover, better for the future in the inter-defences have been obliged

turn back. Western world, if it is come.

has. bton.canalised into: Govern-ests of the common-mana

Industry

over capital and labour, and by

to

In the midst of our dangers and

་

and mentally suited for handling