1940-09-20 — Page 3

Friday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

September 20, 1940.

DONALD

THRÓW OUT THE ANCHOR, BOYS

THIS IS THE FISHIN' HOLE!

DUCK

HEY, YOU!

SCRAM CAN'T

READ?

HE WAS MAD, UNCA DONALD I

NO FISHING

OTY POWER COMPANY

Cape #Bach, Walt Dimmer 15 KOPA

AW, PHOOEY!

MAGAZINE

Fighter boss finds

quality pays best

BY BASIL CARDEW

Special Air Reporter

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR HUGH CASWALL

TREMENHEERE DOWDING, beribboned, wasto-no-time chief of the Fighter Command, is now No. 1 keyman in the Royal Air Force..

Dowding, fifty-eight, spar exacting, works it out that his fighters help to shoot down thirteen enemy aircraft every twenty-four hours, and wing a further neven.

Now Dowding - "Stuffy" throughout the R.A.F.- counts on two main assets for these auccesses which may alter the whole tempo of the war and they are known as two big M'a-metal and men. tality.

In seeking to reason why our machines stand the pace and outfight the Nazis in al- most every battle, let us dent with metal first.

THE German Air Force use machines with a life of fifty flying hours. That is as long as they are made to last, and the Germana

sound Say it is economy to send them back then to the melling-pot.

Actually, the planes have to go back because of metal fati- gue. Through using weaker materials, the Germans find for their planes get "tired" Booner than the British.

It is quick, though, this melting-pot process. In re- markably short time their planes are stripped of the en- gines, dismantled and thrown into the melting caudron to be shaped again for another day.

The weakness is that an air force built on these principles is always half in the melting- pot, compared with a third of an air force which is usually considered to be grounded for repairs or reconditioning.

And another trouble is that even if an enemy warplane doesn't meet a British fighter or a well-sighted, A.A. gun, it cannot be used for more than half a dozen battering trips 'over' Britain.

This is the price the Ger- mans, pay for mass-produced, stamped outwarplanes, made as if in a sausage, factory.

NOW how does the fighter air chief marshal (Sir Hugh) line it up with our own

metala?

A British warplane is built for a fighting life of approxi- mately 260 hours. Then it is turned over for training pur- poses for a further 250 hours,

But it also has n three- hour ground inspection after Mixty flying hours, a half-day 120 overhaul at the end of hours, and when it has been in

220 the air for

hours the Kтound staff give it a whole day once-over, thorough business.

This

be sounder economy in the long run.

seems to

which

IN A

Because a British warplane is a handmade job, built with the world's best metals, it can do this long service with 300 per cent, of safety.

in

are

GOERING'S aircraft

Hia no way hundmade.

paper. planes are good on Even when the first were

Four made they were good. hundred miles an hour for the fighters and more than 300 for the bombers. Everything right, nothing to fear.

nor

But unfortunately for the Nazi pilots, these planes were only the prototypes. They were

the first show models.

Now they are in mass pro-

Performance duction. nothing like the same, safety. The planes coming from the suusage machines often fall or shake apart when throttle is opened. Others flutter from wing tip to wing tip like the eyelids of a Vic- torian swooNET.

Anyway, they give the Ger- mman pilots a pretty rough time and combats become a losing hazard.

Sir Hugh Dowding, who flies his own plane, ranks this M for metal high indeed, and it has a lot to do with the other M-mentality of his boys who do the fighting. The boys say: "It's half the fight to have a good plane. Makes you feel youve won before it's begun."

DOWDING is proud of the way the R.A.F. mentally equip his crews who fly the planca. A first-class British pilot costs the country about £10,000. That includes his training and pay. Sounds rather high, but the cost of training a first- class pilot is averaged out with, three other boys in the

L.D.V.S Want To Know--

DO WE SALUTE?

17HAT are the ranks

Wu L.D.V. officers and

15

N.C.0.8 and how will they be recognised? What the lowest rank that will be paid the compliments given to a Regular Army officer ?

ANSWER

LDV Tonks con- Fist of commanders of battell- Companies, pintosus, groups, and sections, with their deputies They will have "burg" Do then shoulder, and possibly distinctive batikes when these are issue! There is no ruling about salutra, etc It is left to organisations to make the own

BALTON

W

the men

VX7IY have no grants yet been made to the L.D.V. Doer Government realise that who, after their day's work, are giving hard-ened leisure willingly to the nation's defence are paying for it out of their own pockets?

ANSWER Yes, the Govern-✰ meni docs. The point in the Home Guard consists of volun- it is expected teers of whoi that they will be willing to pay → thel: DWR out-of-pocket ex- penses for a cup of tea in the middle of the night or a snack if they need it.

Men who have to use their cws are getting u mileague al- towane according to b.p.-3d, a mile for over 10 h.pand extra petrol coupons

But the question of a grant to the L.D.Vs for general purposes In being Jouked into.

learning stages. Between them they may write-off two trainer

be aircraft, it may

more.

On the same principle it costs £5,000 to produce a good air gunner, radio opera- tor or navigator. So a bom- ber, costing £30,000, with two pilots and three other crew. means a capital outlay of £65,- 000. When the bomber costs only £20,000, as many do, the whole is valued at £55,000.

Fighters are cheaper. The pilot still costs £10,000, but he is alone in the cockpit, and with the price of the plane about £7,500 the total is £17,500.

STAKING all on numbers, the Nazis don't attempt to train their men so carefully. Cheap machines and quickly versed air crews, please, they sny.

That is why the German air crews captured in the last few weeks average only twen- ty years of age. Compare them with the R.A.F. boys who feature in the news. Ninety per cent. of them joined the service long bofore the war. Boys I know called from the reserve last Septem- ber-good boys, too are still. waiting for an action.

Painstaking, and a little slow, perhaps, but as Dowding knows BO well-when his planes do go into fight his men have got those two big. M's and half the battle won.

With them Britain needs no equality in numbers to be equal to or oven superior to Marshal Goering's air force.

WE BETTER

GO

PHOOEY! WHAT CAN HE DO ABOUT ITZ

By Walt Disney

NO FISHING CITY POWER COMPANY

PAGE

WHERE

HOW'S FISHIN',

PAL?

FRENCH

GENERALS FAILED

I

【NFORMATION from French sources confirms the impression that whereas the Germans have greatly deve- loped the art of war, and in particular have thought out replies to their own tactis of defence in depth, the French had stood still or actually deteriorated in tactics since 1918.

of

Attack. defence. በዘ artillery. reconnaissance--in every field, according to these French criticisms, was to be found a lack of imagination, initiative, and

energy. which a certain inferiority in equipment appeared to justify unly in a minor degree.

even

This information is of par- ticular Interest as it deals with sectors in which the Germans did not employ tanks, most of what has been published hav- ing been on the subject of tank tactics.

As might be expected, the Ger- attacks by mans prepared their careful air and ground observation; where they brought novelty to this task was in the boldness of their listening posts, who sometimes con- nected telephone cable to that of of their recon- the French, and noitring patrols, who studied pos- nible channels for future infiltra- and learned the dispositions and babits of the defence,

Lian

⭑

Infiltration began the night before the attack, patrols of three men with a light ma- chine-gun passing between the French posts by the passages previously reconnoitred.

At dawn the artillery opened un Intense bombardment Instink several hours, during which the elements of Infiltration penetrated still farther, and the Fench tele- phone system, doth lateral and from front to rear, was cut.

The fire of the light machine- guns which look the French posts in flank and even in rear gave the garrisons the impression that neigh- bouring units had been driven back themselves were and that they Aurrounded. If they then fell back, the elements of Infltration follow- ed and harassed them.

An

If, on the other hand, they con- Unued to hold their ground, attack in force was launched. On a given signal the artlilery leng- thened range and the assault troops advanced 1 dense formations with- out even troubling to make use of tho elements of ground while infiltration endeavoured to make their hends the defenders keep down.

The attackers, following their principle of 1918, flowed through the gaps. but, halted in front of points of re- sistance.

In these circumstances the French garrisons of the strong points often retired to avoid being surrounded. Those which continued to resist were reduced at nightfall by mor- tur fire, generally incendiary if the centre of resistance were. village. It was found that in practice these centres of resistance had litle effect in holding up the forward flow of the attack through the gaps. To some French officers it ap- peared that they had been betrayed by the dogma of defenen in depth and that a continuous line, however, weakly held, would have served them better. From the point of view of moral," it. Is stated, "sol- diers Inavitably fight better when they know that there are no gaps on their right or left."

But the same observer has just been telling us how ad- mirably the Germans fought

+

when there were gaps, huge gaps. on either flank..

This argument, Indred, falls to die ground when we are further Informed that a continuous Dne would serve only against infantry attack and that against Traks dis- positions should nlways be 111 depth.

How is the defence to know that Latiles have not been brought up during the might? No, whatever systern be adopted, I must serve equally well against either tanks It seems, indeed, that or infantry, the French did not fully compre.. hened the Gerinus tactles avtales they strove to knilate

Though their detener la zonai, not lineur, the Germans have nl- ways recognized that there must be a line somewhere to check infiltra- tion, to protect the artillery, to serve as a rallying position, lo met as the objective of counter-attack, and if possible to provide an anti- tork burrier. This line was found in 1917 and 1018 in the Inden- burg Line or its equivalent; it was represented in 1939-40 in the "main Aghting line" of the West Wall.

In the latter case it consisted of concrete anti-tank obstacles, iron chevaux de frise of which some sections clung to the tank and were carried along with it, and of a tank ditch. In open warfare a line of

have to this sort would

be im- provised and would not be nearly it would always so strong, bui exist

Everything in front of that main fighting line formed the outpost zone. This also was protected, but only by the barbed-wire fence so familiar in the last War.

Hostile infiltration into this zone did not amount to anything very serious, but even that could be checked by the active patrolling of the outpost battalion.

It is an admlusion of weakness and lack of initiative if it be taken for granted that hostile patrols of three men are at liberty to prowl about the outpost zone as though they owned it while the garrison sits in its strong points, which in such o scheme of defence belle their name.

be

Were such tactics to be practised against Australian troops holding

would a similar sector they pleased by the heaven-sent oppor- tunity to collect prisoners without trouble.

The reasons for the German suc- cess in the instances recorded are to be found not only in their own boldess and skill but also in the inertio of the French, which is summed up in the sentence: "The French defence was purely static and passive."

nor

We also learn that neither in platoons, battalions, regiments were resources available for counter-attack when the enemy had succeed- ed in penetrating the defen- sive position.

The reason is doubtless to be found in the widely extended fronts 'n the held by French regiments Battle of France, but it is fatal not however to retain some reserve, weak the effectives. It is also re- ported that the French either had no flares or did not use them.

The Germans, as always, em- ployed them profusely. In broad daylight the elements of junitration signalled their progress with white fares and by night whole German front recalled display of fire- works.

It is stated that in the counter- offensive the French made no at- tempt to carry out infiltration either before or during the assault. Their conception of an infantry attack, when no tanks were available, whe a zimultaneous and continuous nd- Vance on the whole front by all the attacking forces.

ANCHOR

BUTTER

THE WORLD'S BEST/ Obtainable from All Leading Stores Sole Agents: LANE, CRAWFORD LTD.

VICHY-CELESTINS

The famous natural

Shipped to all parts of the world provides a welcome opportunity of securing the beneficial action of the famous treatment at the Spa.

VICHY is the best

dietetic water-special-

cases ly indicated in

of arthritis; acute от

chronic rheumatism,

and liver troubles.

Distributed in Hongkong by: CENTRAL TRADING CO., LTD.

$1 TIFFINS

at

mineral water

Vichy

K

Célestins

Jimmy's

Also A la China Bldg., Hongkong.

Carte

Hankow Rd., Kowloon.

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS Yenetian ruleru

10-801)

10Turkish prinos 17--Hemiant

1-Booth Augcionn

rodens 30--Bupporte

13–Than ander ma'a

protection

7--Misale of March

26-Pupil

27-Beck

31-A (each) 13-Kaze of cap 33-Band m 35-Come in

"brother- sh-la -Allowance for

recaptacio 44-Burfsite

4rsonification of

truth 12-Card LEDA Si-Chosen 15-Stegrels 51-Anger 5-ExportT 50-milian marka 64--Pure (Latin) 25-26atories) agus 07-Earth Latin)

14

20

ANAWKE TO

PENTIĎUA PURELE

ARENAS

4-18tos antramon 60---Noray writing TO—Artista stand.

Вель

93---Bala and mơw

GW2

*1-Excellent ane

(AXE)

TRANKE

-Exceptional stráka

(JAG) -

G-Drew out

Article -Inclined roadway -#-Afghan Tales

-apanien þat pumme 10-Piton decking? it-Reflection Is-Baret Sander L

31-Ysocio

Melody 15--Carity 13 hond DIEIN 37-Clod of love- SBLitedy deter

30-Goddess of AEITSC

Tight

58-

eugia

40--Deputy

41-Deaning purpose 4-Performed

47--tatars

komAquatig mamma ale

BEMPUT BOWLS QUDZ- 65--Danger Be-sweet liquid BS-Walking-stick

Large plank vy

--Bodium chloride

-Jain be turned

3

10.

15

に

13

15.

19

45

15

25

26

27

23

$29

32

77

85

--, 147

98

150

5f

52

53 54

50

56

71

56

73.