WAR IN THE AIR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 142, 13 December 1939, Page 11

WAR IN THE AIR

THE BRITISH SYSTEM

TESTS IN ACTIVE SERVICE

EFFICIENCY PROVED

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received December 13, 10.10 a.m.)

RUGBY, December 12

The Air Minister, in his first statement on ihe war in the air since October 10, noted the new phase in air warfare which began on October 16 with ihe raid on warships in the Firth of Forth by enemy aircraft. Since that date, he said, though there had been no great air battles, there had been steadily increasing activity.

"We have had to deal with a series of x'econnaissances and raids, some by single aircraft and some in force, and we have thus been able to test out the strength of our defences and the efficiency of our organisation," said Sir Kingsley Wood. "We have also been able to try out, both in Britain and France, our aircraft in combat with the enemy. The results and conclusions which we have been able to draw from them, though of necessity provisional, are certainly encouraging.

"We have been able to satisfy ourselves by actual operations that the various elements of our air defence — anti-aircraft guns and searchlights, fighter squadrons, balloon barrages for close defences, -and the units of the observer corps—have been successfully welded into an efficient ■ and adaptable system under the operational control and command of one com-mander-in-chief."

Sir Kingsley Wood expressed great satisfaction with the results of this system of unified control, and added that this phase of the war in the air "may be drawing to a close and we must be prepared to face, perhaps soon, perhaps in the spring, another and more strenuous and difficult chapter." SUPERIORITY OVER THE ENEMY.

The Minister stated that the fighter squadrons had taken such a heavy toll that their superiority over the German aircraft, both bombers and fighters, might justifiably be claimed.

Speaking in praise of the coastal patrols, Sir Kingsley Wood said that 57 attacks had been made on submarines, in 19 cases. of which there was certainty of substantial damage being caused, but the patrols' duties were more far-reaching than either attacking submarines or defending against air attack. Many ships owed their safety to units of this command. Turning to the bomber command, the Minister spoke of the recent raid on Heligoland, which he described as a particularly difficult and dangerous operation. Not only did the aircraft successfully reach their objectives and score direct hits with heavy bombs, but all returned safely, having been attacked by twenty Messerschmitts, two which pressed the attack being brought down. In reconnaissance flights the Royal Air Force had visited Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Munich, and Nurnberg, in many cases more than once. The prestige of the Royal Air Force was very high, and it was no surprise that nearly a third of the men registering for service expressed preference for the Air Force.

PERSONNEL AND PRODUCTION,

The Minister referred to the Empire personnel, which soon would be taking its place in the front line of air defence, and announced the re-estab-lishment of Polish squadrons, which under their own officers, would be attached to the Royal Air Force.

Turning to production, he said that though the numerical output was more than twice that of a.year ago, the increase in the efficiency of war weapons represented "not a two-fold but a manifold accretion of strength," and new and more powerful types would shortly operate against the enemy.

In reply to a question, the Minister said he had given careful consideration to the question of the German flights over the Shetlands and the Orkneys, and he hoped that "next time we had a visit very favourable results would ensue."

The Minister concluded: "We can be confident that our air defence system is sound, its strength in defensive and offensive is growing steadily, so that every day we are in a better position to establish the ascendancy of the air."