RELEASES FROM AIR FORCE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24372, 26 September 1944, Page 4

RELEASES FROM AIR FORCE

—♦ 'T MEN TRANSFERRED I TO N.Z.E.F. POOL | “The Press” Special Service . AUCKLAND, September 25. j. Numbers of the men who are noW| , being marched out of the Royal New f Zealand Air Force, after the Govern*? , ment’s decision to reduce the home' establishment of the service, are beings ■ transferred to the 2nd New Zealand |v Expeditionary Force pool. This mealil • that they will be available for rein* forcement drafts for overseas. - . ,: When the reduction of the Air Force was announced by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) on August 23 it .was stated :that some 2000 men, , would be released within the next few ■. weeks following the announcement, and that further releases would bgcuf as the progress of the reduction plah permitted. It was not reported what use the Government intended for theft men. , , „ Those being released appear to Mu - into several categories. There are numbers whose fitness and domestic status make them eligible for Expeditionary Force service. There are others who are not fit for overseas seryice, either with the Air Force or.with the Army, and there are others still, bom--, of and below the overseas fitness standard, whose domestic status makes them ineligible for overseas Armyser* vice. It is impossible to estimate die number of men who have already leased by the Air Force. However.they appear to have reached very substap; tial numbers. The effect on some?m* dividual stations and other . ments has been most marked. .With the transfers which are beingimade to the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force pool, the pendulum has swung to the other end of its arc. Last year thou* : sands of men serving in the Army, with home defence forces were transferred to the Air Force. Now ®® closed but not comparable numbers we being marched out of the Am Force, and are being made available to me Army. An important difference apart from the numbers, is that only we eligible for the Expeditionary Force are being so transferred. Themajonty menwho went from the Air Force were not fit for overse service.