1940-05-30 — Page 16

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

May 30, 1940.

L. 13 ISSUED BY ERROBERT BURNETT & C

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VAUXHALL "10"

THE VITAL

VITAL ISSUE

ISSUE OF AIR SUPREMACY

By BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN CHARTERIS, C.M.G., D.S.O., who was Chief of the Intelligence Staff with the B.E.F. for the first two years of the last war.

All indications show that the battle will have a decisive influence in the war. It will be possible later to analyse the process of reason- ing leading to the German decision to embirk first on the sally into Norway and followed so closely by the greater blow recking decision- on the Western Front. But while the battle is actually in progress attention is riveted more on its progress than on its purpose.

There are three separate and yet closely connected parts of the atruggle: The onslaught of the mechanised forces directed in its two main efforts, in France and in Belgium; the struggle for supremacy in the air, where for the first time the two riva forces have joined Issue in strength; and, finally, the results of the new method of penotration into hostile territory by parachute or by aeroplanes land- Ing on captured aerodromes,

In none of these can any definite result be expected for some short time. It was proved over and over again in 1914-18 that attack launched after due preparation generally will succeed in penetrating distance directly dependent upon the size of the force used into any defensive zone. The real crisis of the batile comes when the effort is made to exploit the initial success, to relieve the tired troops, und to meet the inevitable counter-attack.

The all-important battle for the supremacy of the air is the fact to which attention is best directed, and here, although it is still too early to be optimistic, there is much that is highly encouraging. The German etnima are so fantastically beyond the range of possibilities

that they can .bo rejected. The official reports of our own head- quarters and our allies' leave little doubt that, judging by the rough and ready rule of the number of planes brought down, the balance is well in our favour. But the battle for the supremacy of the raid will not be deckied by counting machines lost. In the end it will resi merits of the 'pland that are in use,

the fighting

and the resources in potrol. eficiency of the As regards our material, it is

on the three viial factors, the rele

droging to note that the new

to

Boulton-Paul turret machine has proved highly successful in its fest is well in our favour. But the battle for the supremacy of the air encounter. Moreover, all evidence so for obtainable tends to show that the Allied

on the all-implots are more than a match for their opponents, and Allies are in matter of the petrol supply the resources of the

more extensive than those of Germany. On all these It is admissible to bear high hopes.

It may be long before the issue of the air supremacy is decided, but Ds soon as it is deelded will affect deeply, if not indeed govern, the whole future course of the war on the land. Landings behind the lines by parachute and by aeroplanes must necessarily depend almost entirely upon the amount of assistance they will receive rather than on the opposition they will encounter. Without assistance their effect can only be very limited, both in time and in accomplishment, With assistance and with any weakening of morale they may be of great importance. So far they seem to have succeeded in causing much local embarrassment

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CARACOTEL PRELUDE TO WAR

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ANNOUNCEMENT

AMES BENSON, which

is not his real name,. got married. That was The engagement is announced be-just about when the war

tween John C. Charter, of the started. Hongkong Colonial Service, son

of Rev. and Mrs. Howard 5. After the wedding Mr. and Charter of Kandy, Ceylon; and blonde Mrs. Benson found call- Yvonne Joyce Spencer, daughter Ing-up papers waiting that turn- Mrs. Clive E. S, Crowley of Altoned him into Sergeant Benson Lodge, Plymouth, now at Court-(full time for the duration), Jand Hotel, Hongkong.

R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve,

of Paymaster Commander and

The

Not an unusual story these rather unreal war days. Now Sergeant Benson is one of a little

Hongkong Telegraph. band of newly-weds among the

Thursday, May 30, 1940. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 20015

THE profe "Special to the Telegraph" In used by the "longkong Telegraph to ander the provisions of ray captat cations Ordinance, 1930. Such mew

the Telecommual-

bears the indication "UK"! is received in Hongkong on the date of publication by

Har alle FACIAL

serve it rights and forbid republication,

arrangement.

Italian Noises Off

bunch of young men aged nine- teen to twenty-eight who, a bit leaner and tougher than they

were

a few months back, are

now,

None of that 'Dawn Patrol' film business in this hard, efficient school for

the air.

pilots

An officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve wrote this

article

shall have to carry out our tasks,

a

reasons why your car's petrol is rationed so drastically.

Did you see "Dawn Patrol"? It showed young Englishmen with a few hours air experience going into the air to meet Germany's sequined air fighters. Don't worry, it's not happening this war. If into air action we shall know some- thing about it before we start.

For us amateurs this is a prelude-

with to war,

and guns

gasmaske. about the station as a sort of back- ground to remind us that war is not all pleasant school work.

ever we go.

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Alan

was learning insurance at 253. a week when the war started. David, the little Irishman, will sit on his bed to-night and play his violin. so sweetly we lie quiet to hear him.. Robert, tall and black-haired and very Scottish, and in the motor busi- ness, arrived here for duly with blackened eyes and the skin off his: passing at this air station into almost any one can fly un airplane, formation, mechanism of the guns

knuckles. A gang of Gorbals Miltia the final stages of war pilots' but few people can do a real job in that after all might jam while shoot-

bays, irritated by his sergeant's ing many hundreds of bullets training. I'm one of them.

stripes, set on him as he was leaving When we fly into Germany it will minute.

hig native Glasgow. Charles the There are several new R.A.F. probably be dark, blacked-out. There

merchant used to. start work at. wives living in temporary lodg, will be na radio guidance for us.

NOW bombing. Bombs aren't

Covent Garden at 5 am.

48 a civilian either wholly or in part without previouings in the sleepy old country and, just as important, get

Just tipped hap-hazard so he finds our um. Revelio enry. home into space. They've got to be plot- These are the RAF's" war-time- town close by. They are stay again, on our instruments, navigating ted like a gun's shell. If the first

around a plano that is alightly. get ing near their now husbands un- by compass and time, reckoning with two miss, their position should tell plot routerial. In the evenings they til the day, pretty close

winds. You've got to learn that sort you why they missed-wrong wind out of tune in an old inn near by of flying.

set on the bomb sight, plane not level where the bearned roof scerns low when they will be liable for past- ing to active service squadrons. sideration, square-winged Messer- soon or too late, or several more rea- chartered accountant plays and the

There are enemy fighters for con-when-they were released, dropped too

enough to bump your head. The ox-

with us before long she is going By 7.30 every morning the schmitts flown by the quiet, well sons for going astray,;

rest sing so that you can hear them Germans

What I saw

you learn from the two through the shuttered windows and: an odd way about it. It may be men have to be at the airfield Bowing shyly to their RAF and misses should get No. 3 right on the all along the blacked-out streef.

ready for the day's flying-in- French Air Force counterparts at the target. necessary to excite Italian

I called this a prelude to war for stead of catching the train for Brusela sir meeting last summer. These things mean desk work to us amateurs. None of us woud care opinion in favour of a war which town...

If those-quiet young men catch us learn. But it's not all been school. to guess where we'll be in three: we must know the theory of fighting Every day and at-nights, too, we-50-months' time. This is the first war- would ordinarily be unpopular-by-|

I doubt it-ang- -them-off, range-of-our-guns, sighting Into the air-in. charge of some three for all-of-us, Yot WE are the amateur Ar parades and speeches,

W

Aeld of tre from our own plane and tons of Government property, value young Britons in uniform ever pre- Force, the experiment in the friendly inachine next in the about £6,000. We are one, of the pared for war more cheerily. usually it is found wiser to begin the Volunteer Reserve of pilots. On the RAF's war scheme of things, wars silently and swiftly and not September 3 we sat round our radios lose the advantages of surprise. at home, our unworn uniforms rolled The present temper of the Italian press and the enigmatic variations of responsible officials' chartered accountant, an airline

If Italy intends to be at war

hut

short speeches give us no cause at all for surprise if they should end in war.

Yot the readiness is made so public and "pre- belligerency" in all its shapes is

#

were a clerk, in kit-bags. We moster printer and company director, commercial travellers, a civil servant, an engineer, an aircraft designer,

屋

the

pilot, a buyer, a technical representa- tive. We Ent and waited for nows, and not one of us but hoped something might happen before a. to leave us peacefully earning our livings as civilians.

so well advertised that there is his voice. "But

lenst reason to

at

them.

tons,

11

10

Whichever assessment it is, it will be our previous employer's reference in this strange new job when we are posted to our respective squadrons.

Only a few hours later, after Mr. Chamberlain said with that bite in Hitler would not wonder have it," the military machine had got whether some more subtle end isus, put us into blue and brass but- not being pursued. Italy is the We were awkward, walked round a ally of Germany; if she does not block, shy at having to salute an op- proaching officer. We've never been lend her arms to the struggle the out of uniform since, and now it's least she can do is to brandish as though we'd been poured into it.

Our lives now

are devoted This alone is most achieving the fight commander's valuable to Germany, for it gives passing out assessment. When we us Mediterranean

leave flying school we take this with preoccupa- us to our squadrons, neatly entered tions. It may be that the angry in our log books. shouting and marching, curbed one day to be doubled the next, is to prepare not for war but for a resolute effort to force us to

THE young ones here, and rolax that contraband control

some of the older ones too, which Italy finds so irksome.here en route for fighter squadrons, have been praying they will leave Though it is best for us to anti-They dream of being the Mannocks. Bishops and McCuddens of this war. cipate the worst, general feeling Navigation enthusiasts hanker after in Italy appears opposed to war. flying boats. The Popo has spoken for the dial-littered cabins of heavy bombers, clvilised West against the war or fost medium bombers, or recon- begun.by its enemies; the Royal House exerts pacific Influences and the people as a whole have no taste for slding with the ancient northern adversary. Our task would be made harder by Italy's entry, but it is indeed

Near the end of "term" the Air difficult to see what Italy herself Ministry telt nying training schools could gain by it. If not ruined what they want, so many bomber boala tor- sho would be terribly weakened pedo bombers, reconnaissance and,

pilots, so many fighters, boa at its end, whoever won, Gor-occasionally, Army co-operation. many's victory would leave her ments the school authorities pick us, With the Ministry's list of require- at beat tolerated dependerieyman by man, for the vacancies, there is no room for two Roman | WIT Empires, and Hitler has claimed

one:

Some of us are destined for the

to bring back to news of the enemy's strength deep inside his own territory.

naissance planes Staff Headquarters the pictures and

Every one of us has his own iden about what he wants to fly in this war. Some of us will get our wish, some. will be disappointed, if we go into long-distance bomber squadrons instead of 400 m.p.h. fighter units.

TUE way they have treinod, us

up to passing-out stage? Largely in classrooms. They tell us

CARTOON

{(PROTECTION)

By Strube

WE COME AS FRIENDS