AIR POWER IN WAR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25099, 3 February 1947, Page 8

AIR POWER IN WAR

MAIN ISSUE FOR DEFENCE

STATEMENT BY LORD TRENCHARD (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, February 1.

A claim that the creation of the Ministry of Defence promised to cut out service rivalries and yield economy in men and money was made by Lord Addison during the debate in. the House of Lords on Imperial defence. He said that Mr A. V. Alexander, as the Minister, and representatives of the three services had to plan the correct use and balance of the various forces. There must be paramount the need for air defence of the British Isles.

Lord Swinton remarked that the problems of defence could not be settled by the services independently. A combined staff mind was needed, and while each Commonwealth Government must make its own decisions, co-operation was also needed in the Commonwealth. The whole Commonwealth should be looked upon as a field in which expert staffs worked together. Lord Trenchard said that three considerations governed the problem of defence, the atomic bomb, the improved powers of air forces, and manpower. Scientists believed it would be 10 or 15 years before long-range rockets became sufficiently accurate to be an overwhelming weapon. When they were, it might be that air forces as at present known would have to be drastically reconstructed. But what the chiefs of staff and the Minister of Defence had to decide was what weapons and what tools the three services would have for the next 10 or 15 years.

Lord Trenchard said it was necessary to have fighters and bombers to begin with in major strehgth in order to save England from being defeated in the early days of a war. It was certain that first and foremost the requirement of service manpower must be for the Royal Air Force. Aircraft could not be imnrovised to meet a sudden blow. "Bombers and fighters must be ready in neace to meet immediately the outbreak of war Lord Trenchard desired to ask the Government whether the following principles were accepted as being correct: (D that air superioritv must be won before any type of warfare could be waged on anv appreciable seal”: (2) that at present sea power was still vital but it could not be maintained by warships.

Sea power could chiefiv be maintained at present by air forces in dooperation with fast, small naval vessels. and it might be in years to come that it could only be maintained by air or by some means that would'be developed. Hfe felt certain that the point would al wavs be examined vear bv year with the aid of scientists. Air power was the dominant factor in modern war.