Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1936. GERMANY'S AIR STRENGTH.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 68, 2 January 1936, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1936. GERMANY'S AIR STRENGTH.

Germany’s claim to the right to possess a strong naval air force is made public for the first time by Gereral Goering and the other military leaders and it is revealed that Germany is building torpedo-carrying seaplanes, bombers equipped with machine-guns, aircraft carriers, and warships with catapults for launching seaplanes. Germany, it js stated, does not consider herself bound by any treaty to set limits on her air fleet regarding either land or sea ’planes, and is determined to attain the highest level of perfection in the air. This claim, though new as regards naval equipment, is part of the policy of rearming that Germany announced a few months ago. In the air clause of the Treaty of Versailles is an explicit provision against the retention or creation of any military or naval air forces, and only until October 1, 1919, were a limited number of service aircraft allowed for the exclusive purpose of searching for submarine mines, these craft being prohibited from carrying war equipment of any kind. The complete demobilisation of aircraft personnel on the rolls of the German land and sea forces was also exacted, except for the limited purpose to which the named date October 1, 1919 —expressly applied. Germany’s first move in violation of that clause was the granting of military status and equipment to certain fliers of the Air Sport Federation, the announcement of such intention last March being designed to bring the case for rearmament to a practical issue. Thus there was introduced a new urgency to end what Mr Amery described as “make believe” in international politics and to take defensive precautions. The British Government has recently announced its intention of greatly strengthening the Royal Air Force, a step that in the circumstances can be regarded only as a purely precautionary measure. ine rapid advance in aerial science and the development of huge air fleets by other Powers have given a new aspect to the problem of the defence of the Homeland, and while the requirements of the older services should not be neglected the special attention that is being directed toward the necessity of remedying the present inadequacy of the Air force has not been aroused before it was due.