1941-03-12 — Page 2

THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 12, 1941

GRIMMER PHASE OF WAR COMING Royal Air Force Ready For The Spring Faster And More Powerful Fighters And Bombers

THE REVOLUTIONARY PROGRESS OF THE R.A.F., ITS NEW, FASTER AND MORE POWERFUL FIGHTERS AND BOMBERS, AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF EXISTING WORLD-KNOWN MODELS INTO VIRTUALLY NEW TYPES, WAS THE THEME OF AN ADDRESS BY THE AIR MINISTer, Sir Archibald SIN- CLAIR, IN INTRODUING THE AIR FORCE ESTIMATES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS YESTERDAY.

Among types which the Minister mentioned publicly for the first time were the Beau fighter, designed for long-range operations and night fighting and carrying a very heavy armament, and the heavy Halifax bomber.

FIGHTING SPIRIT OF PILOTS

Later models of Spitfires and Hurricanes are now in service fitted with more powerful engines and heavier armament, he added.

The new Hawker Tornado will be equipped with engines nearly twice the horse-power of fighters which bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain. They can carry still heavier armament and yet attain a speed well over 400 miles an hour.

name

Sir Archibald Sinclair expressed his own belief that the war was about ges to enter a grimmer phase ent airerail. but was completely con- fident in the final issue.

His confidence was based pri- maly on RAF achievements' which were summarised in two targets. grapnic sentences.

some

is well

In Canada the out- As to bombers, Hampdens, expectations. Wellingtons and Whitleys will be put of pilots and crews

of train- the main R.A.F. ffensive wea-ahead of schedule and there has | 101. The latest models of these been a great expansion are fitted with more powerful en-ing in Australia and New Zealand.

std

although the "Men trained under the great; remains are quite differ-organisation in South Africa and Rhodesia are, like others trained In addition there is a range ofjoverseas, fighting to-day brilliant- very much heavier bombers, in-ly and successfully. cluding the Manchester and 11ali- tax, all of which have already shown their worth against enemy

than more They are the size of earlier types. faster and carry heavier fensive thrice

twice

art

The Governments of Malaya, Trinidad and Bermuda have them- serves made arrangements to give elementary flying training.

"A full-sealę training organisa- tion is being formed in India for depilots of the R.A.F. and the Indian and Air Force, while another training bombs organisation established in Burma over the same distance as their for the youths air training corps, predecessors.

armament

of

the weight

He said In the last ten months, in two theatres of war, the R.A.F. hes fought against very great odds but pot without success, as the destruction, mainly by our in- comparable fighter squadrons, of Some 4,250 German and 1,100 Talian aircraft, fea the loss in combat of fewer than 1,800 air- craft of our own, the security of dur shores, and the part played bombers had made 280 raids

Sir

Raids In Germany

Archibald

declared

launched five and a halt weeks ago, has already enrolled 130,000 buys and formed over 1,000 units. "Considering the total number our of boys aged between 16 and 18

on is only 750,000, this is a

by the RAF in the disruption of, aerodromes and seaplane bases, achievement. the Italian Empire, combine to 300 on docks and shipping. testify."

railways 011

470:

commumea. and

Civil Aviation

great

"The war has necessarily res- tricted civil aviation but a service is running from Durban to Khar-

The work of clearing dangerous buildings and debris le still

Photo shows Ploneers demol- going on in the City of London. ishing one of the buildings. (Copyright, Fox).

BOMBS DROPPED IN SUEZ AREA

A few bombs were dropped on the Suez Canal area in the course of an air raid yesterday morning. No damage or casual- ties resulted, says Reuter from Cairo.

Sir Archibald dealt with reeu- tions, and 630 on industrial tar- perative and medical services de- gets, all in Germany, apart from voted to the R.A.F. and spoke of their many very heavy raids on rest centres available and of the objectives in occupied territory. våre taken to provide quiet quar- In the same period Coastal tuum and Cairo, and thence across

which links, said we had destroyed half the ters for pilots engaged in fighting. Command aircraft had flown 16 India to Australia,

Arst-line and certainly with the United Kingdom by fly- Italian million miles.

via Lisbon and West, destroyed much more than half of Squadrons from Canada, South ingboats

Africa.

the first-line with which Germans Alien, Australia, New Zealand

"It is hoped possible to resume entered the war. He stressed the need for psy and Rhodesia, squadrons manned

the trans-Atlantic service in the chological care of pilots and said: by men from India and New-

near future. "The fighting spirit of our pilotsoundland and all the Colonial is so strong that unless they are Empire, were playing their part closely watched they keep on fly- in the battle.

Psychological Care

ing long after they should have been rested from operations."

ed

Four most up-to-date ortho- paedic centres had been provid- 35 well as centres for the most modern treatment, the pro- grees of which he described as astonishing, for burns,

He thought progress in the self- sealing tank and other devices would substantially reduce risk from this injury.-British Wirc- less.

RAW MATERIALS FOR FRANCE Arrangements for the supply of raw materials from Germany for French Industry

were concluded by a representative of the French iron and steel industry during a six-day visit to Berlin from which he has just returned to Paris, stat- ed Lyons radio last night.-Reuter.

OF

R.A.F. Fighting Strength

7 NIGHT RAIDERS DOWNED

Seven German aircraft were destroyed in attacks on Britain on Monday night.

the

Fuur were shot down in Portsmouth area, which was the main Nazi target, by anti-aircraft guns. They were seen to crash or explode in mid-air by many witnesses.

It was also learned last night that two German bombers about to take off from an aero- drome in Holland were ma- chine-gunned

а by

British bomber returning from the R.A.F.' raid on Cologne оп Monday night.

"THE R.A.F. IS NOW ON THE THRESHOLD OF ITS PERIOD

A Messerschmidt fighter which GREATEST EXPANSION,

THE tried interception was promptly HE DECLARED "Another squadron, of which

AND DURING THE COMING STRENGTH OF THE R.A.F. WAS shot down.-Reuter. the House will hear more before long, is the

Eagle Squadron. TWELVE MONTHS WE SHALL VERY MUCH GREATER NOW

IN Hurricanes mounted

RAPIDLY and ABSORB

IN THAN WHEN THE BATTLE OF THE BRITAIN NUMBERS

LAST BEGAN manned by American plats," CREASING

PRODUCTS OF AMERICAN, AS AUGUST. declared the Air Minister.

WELI. AS BRITISH, INDUS- TRY."

оп

Enormous Growth

Cx*

In Time

The war, however, was about to enter a grimmer phase.

NAZIS & DARLAN "THREAT”

He continued: "The strength of

"IT WILL BE NO EASY TASK (6) Command alone one R.A.F. ceeds the total peace strength of Sir Archibald Sinclair continu- TO DEFEAT NAZI GERMANY the whole R.A.F. by nearly 50) cả:

"Goebbels tells his German BUT IT CAN, MUST AND WILL.

(CHEERS). other dupes that American help for Bri- BE DONE." per cent., while the two Commands have a strength equal tain will arrive too late but I tell

more than the peace-time you that these R.A.F. total.

to

"This expansion will be enor- mously accelerated during the coming year.

"British science stands in the forefront of aviation research and, despite the fact that flying training in Britain has to be car. rled out within the war zone, the we accept no reduction in stàndard of training.

"In some schools training is now

being carried out not only in dou- ble shifts but even in four shifts. Empire 'Scheme

Admiral Darlan's

formidable air- "Meanwhile, our pilots have threat to “convoy French craft, the choicest fruits of Ameri- so far maintained their individual merchantships" is "not a can design and craftsmanship, ascendancy over the enemy that will get here in time."

their chicf difficulty to-day is to possibility` but a certain-- Sir Archibald would not be bring German pilots to battle."-ty" alleged the German-

methods of

"GLORIOUS PAGE!"

optimistic about the menace of, Reuter. the night bomber. More severo attacks than ever might well be In store, but our defance

and counter-attack were gradually improving and Bhould exact_from night bembers, as we had already: begun to exact, an increasing

~[SPECIAL=TO "ICHINA_MAIL!!).

controlled yesterday.

Paris radio

The announcer quoted a num- ber of articles in the Paris prest

favour of this action......... --In--well-informed---quarters-in-

PETAIN IS SOLD OUT

"A glorious page in Japanese London it was pointed out last diplomacy" was the editorial com- night that this latest example of toll.

ment made by the "Asahi Shim- German propaganda lends support Parisians have bought 3,500,000 portraits of: Marshal Petain in ald

After pointing out that Britain bun" yesterday on the signing of to the view that the Germans are Thai: Indo-China border anxious to see a clash between of the prisoners of war fund, says

had been fighting and was still to the the Havas Agency, quoted by "The success of the Empire some extent fighting not one air agreement yesterday in Tokyo. the French and British fleets as

soon as possible: Reuter. Reuter.

training schemo' has surpassed allt force but two, the Air Minister International News Service.