The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1939. THE EAGLETS FLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 306, 28 December 1939, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1939. THE EAGLETS FLY.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that reeds resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that tee can do.

Xews that the first squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force has ; arrived in Britain is important for | three main reasons. Airmen from ; the Dominions have proved themselves excellent pilots. The presence of ! this handful of men, insignificent j when set against the great number j of pilots which Britain is training, ! is yet an earnest of a potential air ' strength besides which that of to-day will be small. Finally, it is evidence of the all-important unity of the Empire. When a great deal has been said about war aims, and ideals, and theoretical considerations of thiami that; when the guns that have thundered so far have been principally those of the tongue, young, keen-eyed men arc quietly gathering in Britain from the outposts of Empire to ffght in the common cause. The eaglets are 1 flying home. That pilots from the Dominions have proved themselves the equal of those in the R.A.F. cannot be gainsaid. The fact that they, with Britishers, have been sent on important expeditions—notably to Kiel and Wilhelmshaven and more recently to Heligoland—is sufficient proof. They .seem to have a flair for flying, and in giving fresh proof of this they are only carrying on the tradition of the Great War. Many people will remember names like Bishop, the Canadian who is credited with 72 'planes, Mann, also a Canadian, and the Smith brothers, Australians, who did such great work in Palestine.

The amazing expansion in Britain's air force is perhaps the most heartening factor of the war, and the Empire air training scheme, the most remarkable,, achievement. To make the outright statement that the war will be won or lost in. the air is going a little too far, but it is certain to be a dominant factor. When this scheme is properly in operation it should ensure that the Allies secure and maintain that domination. First line strength, that is, the number of first line aeroplanes, is by no means a criterion. The criterion is rather the potential output of machines with all their appurtenances, of pilots and crews aftd of mechanics. It is precisely here that the Empire scheme will be of most value. Ever since siege war developed we have been warned that with the passing of winter the war will begin in real earnest. Checked on the ground by the Maginot line, Hitler may be expected to unleash the full power of his air force, What that power is nobody knows, but Britain's grim determination to augment her own strength is the best answer to speculations. , It has been pointed out that, from the point of view of flying distances, Britain would be easier to attack than Germany. Though, that may be true, it is also importantly true that such an advantage would be largely offset by the fact that, while Britain's training schools and aerodromes are far away and safe, Germany's would be vulnerable and therefore not easy to repair.