BRITAIN'S AIR DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 4, 5 July 1939, Page 10

BRITAIN'S AIR DEFENCE

When the Secretary of Slate for Air (Sir Kingsley Wood) made the observation reported in today's cable news that, helped by scientific invention, Britain now possessed formidable means of defence which would make any air attack a highlydangerous operation, he gave some indication of how far Britain has travelled in this direction since the crisis of last September. It has long been known that man's conquest of the air has imperilled insular security based on sea-power, thus affecting Britain as much as any island nation in the world. If air attacks on such countries can be rendered "a highly-dangerous operation," security is strengthened accordingly, and it is the confidence created by a feeling of greatlyenhanced air-power that has led to a firmer and more active peace policy in Europe on behalf of Britain. The Air Minister did not go into detail, which would be neither wise nor necessary, but, as one who has seen the work of building up the Air Force all over Britain, he summed up the progress in a significant passage of his speech:

The machines n6w going into service are certainly as good as the best anywhere in the world, he said, in reference to quality, while quantity was indicated by the fact he emphasised— that nearly £2,000,000 a week was being spent on aircraft alone.

One result of the tremendous output of aircraft of the highest quality in Britain is the release of machines not so up to date, but still perfectly satisfactory for the purpose, for use in the defence of the overseas Dominions. Of these New Zealand is getting a share in shipments coming to hand. These will very materially reinforce the air defences of the Dominion, and at the same time allow the Air Force of Britain to be equipped with the very latest machines "as good as the best anywhere in the world." Along with the machine is coming the manpower to work it, and the recruits for the Royal Air Force since • the beginning of April this year number. 12,265, compared \vith 4676 in the corresponding period of last year. New Zealand can show at least proportionately satisfactory results. A comparison of the air forces of the different world Powers has often been attempted, but the figures are quite unofficial, in this way differing from those of relative naval strengths. It is safe to. say, however, that Britain and the British Empire are rapidly approaching the position they held at the close of the Great War —that of the leading air Power of the world. In the light of modern developments of warfare this fact, like the supremacy of the British Navy for over a century, is one of the surest guarantees of peace.