OUTNUMBERED IN AIR

Evening Star, Issue 24482, 17 April 1943, Page 5

OUTNUMBERED IN AIR

ALLIES NEED MORE PLANES IN PAGIFIC ENEMY'S ADVANTAGE IN REPLACEMENTS (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 17. " We are outnumbered in aircraft, and 1 do not like to be outnumbered," declared Lieutenant-General George Kenney, Commander of the Allied Air Forces in the South-west Pacific, in an interview. General Kenney had just returned from a northern operational station. He recently visited Washington, where he is reported to have stressed the need for increased supplies of aircraft 'to this theatre. " In combat operations we are doing quite well," added General Kenney, "but if we shoot down one of the, enemy's aircraft he can replace it within a few days Actually his combat planes can reach here in three days. Most of ours have to be shipped—and it is a long haul from America. We are forced to shoot down four or five to one to keep the score straight. This puts a heavy burden on our boys." General Kenney added that he hoped that requisitions for planes and equipment for the R.A.A.F. in this theatre would be met on the same scale of priority basis as those for the United States Army Air Corps. Otherwise he would be forced to divide the available supplies between the two air forces working under his command. " I would like to see all the squadrons Australia can provide •up in the northern combat zone," added General Kenney. " The Australian squadrons are doing an excellent job, and the co-operation existing between Australians and Americans has been that of members of the same family." (Some months ago statements were made that the R.A.A.F. had numbers of crews available for operations, but was handicapped by a shortage of combat aircraft.) General Kenney was non-committal on the purpose of the present Japanese air offensive. He acknowledged the possibility that the enemy might be planning large-scale action, adding': "Anyway, there is no indication right now that they want to pack up their baas and go back to Japan." The Japanese are now declared to have put between 259 and 280 bombers and fighters in the air since they launched the first of their heavy attacks against Oro Bay, Northern Papua, last Sunday. This is authoritatively said to represent only a moderate proportion of the enemy air power concentrated in the South-west Pacific." The attacks on Oro Bay, Port.Moresby, and Milne Bay are evidence that our strong air base triangle in South-eastern New Guinea is a powerful irritant to the enemy's whole position centred on Rabaul, and that he is now engaged in determined efforts to overthrow it, says the ' Sydney Morning Herald ' editorially to-day. " Till he does, so he is denied any effective use of the waters south of New Britain and retains only a difficult hold on the Lae-Salamaua area.- We must therefore expect these Japanese attacks to continue and in mounting force, for the enemy fully shares General MacArthur's conviction that air supremacy is a pre-requisite condition to naval or military initiative in this region." •