FIGURES SECRET

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 59, 11 March 1937, Page 23

FIGURES SECRET

GERMAN AIR FORCE

Germany, unlike: Great Britain, and many other countries,- does not tell the world the number.'of first-line aircraft she possesses,, the number of fullytrained air force pilots, nor the factory output of new aircraft, wrote Major C. C. Turner in .the "Daily Telegraph" on January, 29. -"■';' ..' In the recent debate.: in. Parliament, Sir Thomas Inskip - (Minister for Coordination of .Defence) "did-not reveal our Air Ministry's^ estimate of the, strength of the :,Gerrnan ;air; force! The high estimate's of;.that^strength put forward by some;who took part in the debate were not dealt, with, . • . ; I have reason to. believe that .those high estimates are exaggerations.'They bear a close resemblance to Russian estimates, but these may well have a' national bias and a certain propaganda purpose. ■ :.' •'- ■■, ' ■ -.■ ■•/,;•,,. Estimates of ■ German air' force strength, which I have, gathered place the present first-line strength' at not more than 1200 aeroplanes. Many squadrons are mixed, and only 25 per cent, of the aircraft are up-to-date high-.per-formance types. As in this country, a considerable depth in reserves is being built up, and it is admitted that the production .of new aircraft is at.-:'preseht more rapid than in Great Britain. This,is a.serious aspect of .the situation, for there is little doubt,that the British aim.to attain parity with the nearest Power within striking distance is inadequate. . METROPOLITAN FORCE. The estimate of 1200 German firstline aircraft is, I understand, very close to that arrived at by our Air Ministry's Intelligence Department, and it is interesting to note that the present first-line strength of what is now somewhat awkwardly ..termed .lour. "Metropolitan Air Force?—the strength available for home defence—is 1065. That of the whole'; of the Air Force, including.the Fleet Air Arm.and overseas units, is about 1550: The proportion of rather more than two' bombers to one fighter squadron is being maintained. . ' Germany,has the advantage of com-' plete control over labour, taking the form of dilution at heed,- -and. the ordered movement of skilled labour from one industry to another,, and from one place to another. •'".!. As pointed out in the'debate in Parliament, the skilled trades of this country will not allow, dilution of raw labour to highly-skilled labour in the same way as during the war. ' '. Sir Thomas Inskip referred to the delay dueHo difficulty in obtaining certain tool?. His reference, doubtless included American tools; and Germany also has experienced this difficulty. - ' '■ ■ I

On the training side, we are in a better position than Germany. In Britain at present no fewer than 1500 pilots are undergoing training. But in this, as in squadron formation, it is important to realise that Germany is rapidly improving. . "