PERSONNEL IN AIR FORCE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24985, 20 September 1946, Page 5

PERSONNEL IN AIR F ORCE

PEAK REACHED IN j 1944 jtEDI'CTION IN STRENGTH detailed ■The peak strength of the R.N.Z.A.F. j 42.436 was reached in May, 1944, &:• *jj n2 to the report of the Air De"Ement tabled in the House of ReEXrtatives. The total strength in BS. last was 7134, 721 being in the Jffisc and 581 attached to the Royal Sdian Air Force and the R.A.F. (Shen war broke out, the Air Force . . 766 personnel, of whom 215 were “Ser training. The highest number jWAJtF’s w’as 3554 in March. 1944, SL number falling to 629 last March. 5-eaa V-J. Day and the end of Sch, 25431 men and 1797 females, a I EJi of 26.928. were released, the bigirt demobilisation being in Septem--1945, the releases totalling 7452 Of s’ personnel released, 7206 were offiS and aircrew, mainly from the Sited Kingdom and India-Burma, thiie the balance was ground staff gfoly from Pacific and New Zealand ’“personnel have been released in acwjdance with a uniform system of IXjrities throughout the services EScb cannot give special consideration to the value of individuals to the a& Force,” said the report “Consemiently. the loss of key personnel must be accepted even to the embarrassment rf the service in respect of its residual flying commitments.” The war called for a high technical rfgndard in many different specialised Lias in the Air Force, the report conDuring the war, the R.N.Z.A.F. rjroduced more than 20,000 trained men L4B different principal trades. Inrigfrnce on a high standard of training andfigid trade tests resulted in a high •ttndard of technical maintenance, jrfjjch was the subject of most favourable comment overseas.