1940-05-30 — Page 6

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

May 30, 1940.

THIS LABEL IS ISSUED BY SIA ROBERT

LONDON DRY GIN

DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY

Rob Bume

(LONDON)

PRODUCE

ENGLAND

THE BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT OF

A. S.

A DISTINCTIVE COCKTAIL

Wine Dept.

Sole Distributors:

WATSON & CO., LTD.

Chater Road

Tel. 20616.

10-HORSE

SENSE

means

3

Ordinary horse sense says "got value for money." 10-horse sense says "that Vauxhall," because, no other Ten in the world offers such value.

INDEPENDENT SPRINGING.

HYDRAULIC

BRAKES

40 M.P.C.

(with normal

Why not

try one to-day VAUXHALL

driving)

"10"

THE VITAL ISSUE OF AIR SUPREMACY

By BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN CHARTERIS, CM.G., D.5.0., 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 Juter to analyse the process of reason- ing leading to the German decision to embark fnl on the sally info Norway and followed so clorely by the grenter blow seeking decision on the Western Front. But while the battle is metually in progress attention is riveted more on its progress than on is purpose.

There are three separate and yet closely connected parts of the struggle: The onslaught of the mechanised forces directed in its two efforts, In France and in Belgium; the struggle for supremacy main In the ale, where for the first time the two rival forces have joined. issue in strength; and, Anally, the results of the new method of penetration into hostile territory by parachute or by aeroplanes land- Ing on enptured aerodromes.

In none of these can any defnite result be expected for some short time. It was proved over and over again in 1914-18 that utluck launched after due preparation generally will succeed in penetrailng a distante directly dependent upon the size of the force used into any defensive zone. The real crals of the battle comes when the offert made to exploit the initial success, to relieve the tired troops, and 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 Germon claims are so fantastically, beyond the mnge of possibilities

that they can be rejected. The oflein! reports of our own head- quarters and our allles' leave little doubt that, judging by the rough and ready rule of the number of planes brought down, the balance ia well in our favour. But the battle for the supremacy of the raid In the end it will rest will not be decided by counting machines lost. on the three vital factors, the relative merits of the plane that are in use, the fighting efficiency of the pilots, and the resources in petrol. As regards. our material, it is encouraging to note that the new Boulton-Paul turret machine has proved highly successful in its first. 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 pilots are more than a match for their opponents, and on the all-important matter of the petrol supply the resources of the Allies are infinitely more extensive than those of Germany. On all these it is admissible to bear high hopes.

1t may be

be long before the issue of the air supremory is decided, but as soon as it is decided it 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 ruther 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 attcceeded in causing much local embarrassment.

MOUTRIE PIANOS

ARE MADE WITH THE FINEST IMPORTED MATERIALS IN A MODERN FACTORY

UNDER EXPERT

ENGLISH SUPERVISION

MINIATURE. PIANOS. UPRIGHT PIANOS.

GRANDS.

A MODEL TO SUIT YOUR REQUIREMENTS

S. Moutrie & Co., Ltd.

YORK BUILDING

HONGKONG HOTEL

Stubbs Rd.

GARAGE

Phones: 27778-9

ANNOUNCEMENT

The engagement is announced be

tween John C. Charter, of the Hongkong Colonial Service, son of Rev. and Mrs. Howard J.

Charter of Kandy, Ceylon; and

PRELUDE

AMES BENSON, which is not his real name, got married. That was just about when the war! started.

After the wedding Mr. and blonde Mrs. Benson found call-

Yvonne Joyce Spencer, daughtering-up papers waiting that turn-

of Paymaster Commander Mrs, Clive E. S. Crowley of Alton Lodge, Plymouth, now at Court- land Hotel, Hongkong.

The

Thongkong Telegraph.

Thursday, May 30, '1940.

Wyndham St, Hongkong Telephone: 26018

ed him into Sergeant Benson (full time for the duration), R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve.

TO

None of that 'Dawn Patrol'

·

film business in this hard,

hard, efficient school for pilots

An officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve wrote this

artide

Not an unusual story these rather unreal war days. Now Sergeant Benson is one of a little band of newly-weds among the bunch of young men aged nine- teen to twenty-eight who, a bit leaner and tougher than, they were a few months back, are

of the passing at this air station into almost any one can fly an airplane, formation, mechanism the final stages of war pilots but few people can do a real job in that after all might jam while shoot-

many hundreds the air. training. I'm one of them.

When we fly Into Germany It will minute. There are several new R.A.F. probably be dark, blacked-out. There wives living in temporary lodg- will be no radio guidance for us. We army or in part without previous inga in the sleepy old country shall have to carry out our tasks,

ing

WAR

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

Did you see "Down Patrol"? It showed young Englishmen with a few hours air experience going into the air to meet Germany's seasoned air fighters, Don't worry, it's not happening is war. If ever we go into air acilen we shall know some." thing about before we start.

For us amateurs this is a preludo to war. with guns and gasmasks about the station as a sort of back- ground to remind us that war is not. all pleasant school work.

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Alan

was learning insurance at 25. 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 duty with blackened

eyes-and the skin off his knuckles. A gang of Gorbals Militia

by boys, irritated his

sergeant's a of bullets

stripes, set on him as he was leaving: the his native Glasgow. Charles

start work at merchant used to Now bombing. Bomba aren't Covent Garden at 6 n.m. as a civilion,

Just tipped hop-hazard so he finds our 6 nm. Revellie easy.

These are the RAF'a war-lime town close by. They are stay and, just as Important, get home into space. They've got to be plot→ shell: If the first again, an our instruments, navigating ted like a gun's

pilot material. In the evenings they ing near their new husbands un- by compass and time, reckoning with two miss, their position should tell get around a piano that is slightly til the day, pretty close now, winds. You've got to learn that sat you why they missed wrong wind out of tune in an old inn near by set on the bomb sight, plano not level where the beamed roof scams low when they will be liable for post- There are enemy fighters for con- when they were released dropped ton enough-to-bump your head The ex If Italy Intends to be at waring to active service aquadrons. sideration, square-winged Messer soon or too late, or several more rea- chartered accountant plays and the

THE prenz "pecial to the Telegraph” is used by the llongkong Telegraph to indieste news which is strictly copyright under the provisions of the Telecommaani- cations Ordinance, 1836. Buch BOWS AN bears the indication “UP”* is received in Hongkong on the date of publication by the United Preu Associations, who re- serve all rights and forbis republication,

-arrangemite,

CHATER ROAD

Italian Noises Off

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

In this visit 6-Regulated 10-lb of meat and

1 Wickedn

15-20stablish_dr_Dar

1 rodens 17-topped bill 18-011 01, "Cones 19-8kits aliment

23-8tung

24—Mix-Up 26-Potsoroga zanke

27-Book to 30-luv

-Kind of int

38-Junty

31steproduce

39-sock

.

40-3500s) of excellence

$117

Wind-usearing Shatrummenl

44-Arican soin

40-LIT

Hymnonocationa

Co-Crus, to two

81---Bayings

A-TUTIS around Co-Loud Gi-Pertain 10 MOTO.

63-Payment for

20

****** ANSWER TO

DEVIOUS PUZZLE

QOUR NECTORI ACCEDA

DETER

RATLIS.

Jes

AGH JUN

ORT

KIN

TULSA SAP OSE P IMAONG GARLIS SOTE RAG DEBR ANT ROVAL PS0 LEASE TALOSIE ARZADE BRAGAD “İSHQED OVER

84-One Time

8b-llest people

co-Coltta tangysze 07-Botter af intu 88---Theater boxes

Drunken persona

Down I-Rope meisrial'

runts of Hide transportation

12 13 144

5

7 18 19

Co by

Butted in

Persode of

-Combining form: sho 10 KODE? 11—Adroitness 1-River in Ireland --Common plaat 1-Conjunction

-

-Morida smilinules

3-Become inferior ShWorste 24-Propitiate

- amphibiaDI 31-Male sheep.

so ko.. not

bread (pl.) 43-Moalarm towar

Decanters (French 41-Blake money dk-2kat Indian tinə B1-Mout-like rodents $-Professor teal) 63-Razor sharpener 86-Part of ball deurlag limatorshouse for arala 27--Polynesian food-plant BP-Öbserve

Bically

83—Excavata

10 11 12 #3

16

19

$2

23

25

26

27

30

131

32

183 ₤34 35

36

38

45

IN

147

મા

146

149

81

63

$4

55

50

57

+3

bb

369

65

Count the "TELEGRAPHS”

everywhere

WE

the RAF's war scheme of things, the Volunteer Reserve of pilots On September 3 we sat round our radios uniforms rolled in kit-boge. We

were a clerk, master printer and company director, an engineer, an aircraft designer, commercial travellers, a civil servant, a chartered accountant,

an airline pilot, a buyer, a technical representa tive. We sat and waited for the news, and not one of us but hoped something might happen before 11 um, to leave us peacefully earning our livings as civilians.

at home, our unworn

of flying.

CARTOON

By Strube

L

with us before long she is going

rest sing so that you can hear them flown by the quiet, well sons for going astray. By 7.30 every morning the schmitts

Germans I BAW What 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 mannered young

bowing shyly to their

misses should get No. 3 right on the all along the blacked-out street. R.AF. wid ready for the day's flying-in French Air Force counterparts at the target.

I called this a prelude to war for necessary to excite Italian

stead of catching the train for Brussels air meeting

last summer. These things mean desk work to us amateurs. None of us woud core 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 go-months time. This is the first-wor would-ordinarily be unpopular-by-

the amateur Air them off, range of our guns, sighting, into the air in charas of some three for all of us. Yet I doubt it any field of fire from our own plane and tons of Government, property, value young Hrltons in uniform ever pre- parades and speeches,

WForce, the experiment in the friendly machine next in but

the about £6,000. We are one of the pared for war more cheerily, usually it is found wiser to begin wars silently and swiftly and not lose the advantages of surprise. The present temper of the Italian press and the enigmatic variations of responsible officials" short speeches give us no cause at all for surprise if they should end in war. Yot the readincas is made so public and "pre- belligerenty" in all its 'shapes is so well advertised that there is at least reason to wonder whether some more subtle end is not being pursued. Italy is the We were awkward, walked round a ally of Germany; if she does not block, shy at having to saluie an op- proachleg 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 to them. Thia alone is most achieving the Bight commander's valuable to Germany, for it gives passing out assessment. When we leave flying school we take this with us Mediterranean preoccupa- us to our squadrons, neatly entered: tions. It may be that the angry 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 relax that contraband control

sorne of the older ones too, have been praying they will leave which Italy finds so irksome. There en route for fighter rquadrons: Though it in best for us to anti-They dream of being the Mannocks.

Only a few hours later, after Mr. Chamberlain said with that bite in his voice. "But Hitler would not have it," the military machine had got us, put us into blue and brass but- ίσης

in our log books.

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

Bishops and McCuddens of this war, Navigation enthusiasts hanker after flying boots.

Some of us are destined for the

cipate the worst, general foeling in Italy appears opposed to war. The Pope has spoken for the altered cabins of heavy bombers, civilised West against the war or fast medium bombers, or recon- naissance planes to bring back 10 begun by its enemics; the Royal Staff Headquarters the pictures and House exerts pacific Influences news of the enemy's strength deep and the people as a whole-have inside his own territory.

Every one of us has his own Idea no taste for siding with the about what he wants to By in this ancient northern adversary. Our war. Some of us will get our wish, some will be disappointed, if we go task would be made harder by Inte long-distance bomber squadrons Italy'a entry, but it is indeed instead of 400 m.p.h. fighter units.

Near the end of "term" the Air dificult to see what Italy, herself Ministry tell nying, training schools could gain by it. If not ruined what they want, o many bomber she would be terribly weakened pilets, so many fighters, boats, tor- pedo bombers, reconnaissance and, at its end, whoever won. Ger-occasionally, Army co-operation. raany's victory would leave her ments the school authorities pick us, With the Ministry's list of require- at beat a tolerated dependency; man. by man, for the vacancies. there is no room for two Roman kliza

HE way they have trained us Empires, and Hitler has claimed THE

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

one.

(PROTECTION):

WE COME AS FRIENDS