CAB80-8 — Page 190

Page 190

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SECRET.

APPENDIX "A"

162

COPY NO:

124

NOTES ON A.A. AMUNITION PANDITURE.

1.

The requirements in A.A. amunition submitted to the

Ministry of Supply, based on the accepted rates of expenditure are as follows :-

4.5"

3.7"

30

To Z + 12.

2,072,000

40 m.m. 2 par. Bofors.

4,612,000 1,250,000 3,500,000*

Z

12 to Z + 24 (57/Gen/9973 D.G.A.R. 900,000

of January 13th.)

10,000,000 3,000,000 20,000,000

2,972,000

14,612,000 4,250,000 23,500,000

*

Expenditure figures to Z + 12 for 3" and 40 m. m. equipments have not been submitted to the Ministry of Supply, but the figures shown are based on accepted wastage rates.

2.

The monthly maintenance figures after Z + 24 have been assessed as follows:- (57/Gen/9973.D.G.A.1. of January 13th),

4.5" 75,000

3.7" 700,000

3"

40 m.m.

250,000 2,000,000

If ammunition expenditure for the expanded B.E.F. requirements, now under consideration, be included, the maintenance figures after Z + 24 read approximately :-

4.5" 75,000

3.7" 1,300,000

3" 425,000

40 m.m. 2,900,000

At a conservative estimate the above expenditure after Z + 24 should suffice to destroy some 4,000 high flying and 1,4000 low flying aircraft per month.

3.

14000

The cost of the ammunition shown in Para. 1 above is of the order of £125,000,000. It is clearly undesirable to accept such figures without careful scrutiny. Apart from the cost, their acceptance would mean the division of capacity on a large scale, which might be employed to far greater advantage in other directions.

4.

It remains to subject these figures to careful scrutiny. this connection certain proliminary considerations arise out of the anticipated conditions in A.D.G.B. and the B.E.F.

In

(i).

A.D.G.B.

(a).

war,

Ammunition supply, as agreed to by the C.I.D. prior to the was based on the building up of six months' supply on the hypothesis that new production would not materialize until after that period. In other words it was a scale to be built up in peace time, after which the ammunition industry was assumed to have relaxed its output. no longer the case.

This is

(b). The accepted scales were as/....

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