NEW UNIT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 282, 27 November 1940, Page 7

NEW UNIT.

OUTLINE OF DUTIES. Co-operation Between Army And Air Force. — British Official Wireless. (Reed. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, Nov. 26. Senior officials of the Air Ministryoutlined to journalists the task of the new army co-operation unit in the co-ordination of military and aerial strategy. Special types of aircraft, it is stated, are being designed for army co-operation work in the light of the experience gained in France. All British strategy, it is pointed out, lias so far licon conditioned l>v the numerical superiority of the German air force. All Britain's efforts have, therefore, been devoted to attaining mastery of the sea approaches and the quelling of the submarine attacks, and mastery of the Mediterranean. Of prime importunec is the stimulation anil fostering of every kind of air co-ope ration with the army and the training of the air force in working with the army. The system of communication and control enables the army to know what it wants of the air forces. The army has to make known its requirements to the air force and the latter has to supply these; in other words, the air force produces a force capable of doing a job, and the army takes the force and uses it for its own purposes. Officers selected for high command in the army co-operation unit must have seen long service with air forces. Service with the unit is for five years, and is voluntary. When the time comes again in this war for land operations, the two forces should work as one service. The Dominions, it is revealed, are providing squadrons for co-ojieration. In some cases tliey are acting with their own troops, but in others are the "eyes" of the British home forces.