THE DEFENCE FORCES

Evening Star, Issue 22988, 20 June 1938, Page 16

THE DEFENCE FORCES

THE GAZETTE ‘New' Zealand Gazette ’ No. 42, published on June 9, contains the following announcements: — STAFF AND COMMANDS. Major J. M. Samson, the Otago Regiment, to be lieutenant-colonel and is seconded to command the 3rd Composite Battalion. Dated November 10, 1937. THE OTAGO REGIMENT. Captain E. G. Gedge, M.C., from the Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, to be captain, with seniority from' September 15, 1932, and is posted to the 3rd Cadet Battalion. Dated September 1, 1937. . Captain O. G. Cox, from the Regiment of Now Zealand Artillery, to be captain, with seniority from December 20, 1933, and is posted to the Ist Cadet Battalion. Dated September 1, 1937. Lieutenant TV. N. Wood, from the Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, to bo lieutenant, with seniority from March 1, 1937, and is posted to the 2nd Cadet Battalion. Dated September 1. 1937. The undermentioned to ho second lieutenants and are posted to the Regimental Depot. Dated May 1, 1938: William Bragg Spence, William Hosei|ft

NAVAL RESERVES VISIT OF CAPTAIN E. G. MORRl|p On Wednesday the headquarters afe the Otago Division, R.N.V.R., will bf* visited bv Captain E. G. Morris# R.N., Director of Naval Reserves, m>. the course of his administrative duties. The completion of the first half of the training year was marked by the holding of a “hard-up” party and dance last week, when the officers and. ratings were the guests of the commanding officer (Commander F. Fraser) and Mrs Fraser. There was a largo attendance, and a most enjoyable time was spent. , The division will parade on Wednesday night, when Captain Morris will inspect it at muster by the_ open list. The parade will be fallen in at 7.15 on this occasion instead of the usual time. t, nr Leading Telegraphist J. R. W. Bowler and Telegraphist J. W. Beaumont have joined H.M.S. Achilles for extended training afloat during the period of the vessel’s Islands cruise. The Achilles left Auckland on Friday, and after visiting the Pacific islands will return to Auckland on August 1. SMALL-BORE SHOOTING. Practices in connection with the selection of the team to compete for the Palmer Intcrdivisional Trophy were completed last Monday, and regular practices will be carried out until the actual firing takes place. At the completion of _ the team practices general shooting will he continued. The annual match between the Otago Division. R.N.V.R., and the Imperial Exservicemen’s Associations will be held to-night.' The divisional team will he selected from those present. THE COMPOSITE BATTALION MOTOR,CYCLIST PLATOON. Tho motor cyclist platoon terminated its parades for the month last Tuesday, when out of camp pay wasissued and rifles were handed in for inspection. The platoon is now at its full strength of 30, and authority has been granted to recruit a further limited number Any motor cyclist interested in this work should avail himself of the opportunity’ before the lists close. For this purpose a recruits’ class is being commenced at the Drill Hall on Tuesday nights, commencing to-morrow at 7.30. DEFENCE AIRCRAFT POSSIBLE AUSTRALIAN PURCHASES. The Defence Department’s order for new aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force to replace obsolete types in first line strength of 96 machines will not be finally placed until the arrival of Air Marshal Sir Edward Ellington, who will fly to Sydney by way of England and Singapore, and later visit New Zealand and Canada, writes the aviation correspondent of the Sydney ‘ Morning Herald.’ It can be considered as certain that the Wapiti, Bulldog, and Moth types, which were first taken into use 10 years ago, will be replaced by lowwinged training machines of clean design, similar to the more modern active service types. It has not been stated how much of the £2,000,000 in the Defence Estimates for the purchase of new aircraft and engines will be allocated to tho Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, which will build American NAO3 types, fitted with Pratt and Whitney engines. Presumably the residue from the £2,000,000 appropriation for Air Force flying equipment, after local purchases have been made, will be devoted to buying new machines from abroad. BRITISH FIGHTERS. Despite the present controversy about British aircraft construction, the fact remains that Great Britain is remarkably well equipped with defence types, but when it comes to offence, when large, long-range bombers, carrying heavy loads, are required, there is a weakness. The Hawker Hurricane is considered to be the world’s best high-perform-ance single-scab fighter. Equipped with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, retractable undercarriage, and tail wheel, and split trailing edge flaps, its speed is estimated to bo between 330 and 340 miles an hour. Tho single-engined Fairey Battle, a two-seater, medium bomber monoplane, with one fixed Browning gun in the starboard wing and one free gun on a special Fairey mounting in the back cockpit, with bombs stowed in four cells in the wings, and additional bombs carried on external racks, has a speed of 257 miles an hour at 15,000 ft. Its range at 257 miles an hour is 640 miles.

The Bristol Blenheim, a twin-engined high-performance day bomber, with one firing gun in the port wing, one gun in a Bristol retractable hydraulicallyoperated gun turret, and bombs carried internally in a bomb cell under the centre section, has a speed of 275 miles an hour at 20,000 ft, and a range of 1.000 miles at 200 miles an hour with a full load.

The Bolingbroke is also a fast, twinengined machine capable of meeting a fighter on its own ground. The Hawker Hurricane is at least 130 miles an hour faster than the NA33, the most modern type at present in the Royal Australian Air Force.

VICK E R S-WELLESLEY BOMBERS. As far as bombers are concerned, Great Britain has an excellent singleengined, long-distance bomber in the Vickers-Wellesley, which has a speed of 228 miles an hour at 17,000 ft. Its cruising range at 15,000 ft at overload all-up weight is 2,270 miles at 186 miles an hour. Great Britain, however, has not a four-engined heavy bomber like the American Boeing Flying Fortress, which can carry a huge load of bombs several thousands of miles, and is, in addition, heavily armed. Its nearest approach in England is the D.H. Albatross Intercontinental _ Airliner, fitted with four 500 h.p. Gipsy Twelve engines. Two have been ordered by the British Air Ministery’ for experimental operations on the direct route across the North Atlantic. It has a speed of considerably more than 200 miles an hour, and costs more than £40,000. It might be possible to convert it into a long-range offensive service type.