R.A.F. FIGHTER STRENGTH

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25610, 27 September 1948, Page 7

R.A.F. FIGHTER STRENGTH

CONCERN EXPRESSED IN COMMONS

“ NOT ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH HEAVY RAID”

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, September 24. His belief that the Royal Air Force has not enough fighters to deal with a heavy raid was expressed in the House of Commons by Group Captain Max Aitken, son of Lord Beaverbrook. “I believe,” he said, “that our first line strength at the moment, that is to say, jet first line fighters, is less than half the first line strength at the time of the battle of Britain.

“The Royal Air Force is our first line of defence, and we Will not get another nine months’ warning. We believe that urgency exists here and now and that the Air Force should be built up right away. Some people will think that we are ready in the Royal Air Force to deal with $ heavy raid by fast bombers, after seeing the fly-past last week. But the recent air exercises show that to be quite untrue. Our lighters are inadequate.” Group Captain Aitken continued that he was delighted to hear the Minister of Defence (Mr A. V- Alexander) say that there would be closer collaboration between the Empire air forces. He hoped that Mr Alexander would put his mind to it seriously. The House had heard lipservice to the Empire from the Government side. He hoped that this was not another bit of it. He urged that the Dominions should be rearmed with the latest British aircraft before the countries of Western Europe got them. In recruiting, a sdrious position was arising in the Royal Air Force, said Group Captain Aitken. One reason was that the Royal Air Force wanted the people whom industry wanted—young technicians, young instrument makers, and mechanically-minded people. “Who will pay the best price? Industry,” he said. “Where do these men go? To industry. The Royal Air Force, I feel, must now be treated as an undermanned industry and given priority and pay which will attract these men into the industry of the Royal Air Force.”

In the Royal Air Force the pay was insufficient, absenteeism was not permitted, and therte was no overtime. The Air Ministry has announced that 10,000 former airwomen and 10,000 former airmen are needed now to man Britain’s air defence units in an emergency.