GERMANY AND AIR RAIDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 June 1936, Page 10

GERMANY AND AIR RAIDS

FAITH IN SEA POWER. According to reliable information I. cm Berlin (writes the Naval Correspondent of the “London Daily telegraph”), the problem of defending military, naval and war industrial c litres against air attack has been < ihanstively studied by an intereorvice commission appointed by the T. Hence Ministry last year. The conelusion reached, I understand, is that adequate defence is quite practicable in all cases. The technical recommendations of ibe commission are already being < /rried out. These are said to be based on the unified command of all : forces, anti-aircraft' batteries and detection . Statons within each zone.

The two principal naval bases of I'iel, on the Baltic, and Wilhelms-i-iven, on the North Sea, and receiving special attention in this respect, ■n particular, the local anti-aircraft 1 ilteries are • being enormously strengthened by new guns and equipment. Camouflage is said to play ari important part in the system of defence at these stations. Official German naval opinion does net accept the view that the air menace has reduced the importance of rea power. Commenting on British statements that the vulnerability of such dockyards as Rosyth, Chatham, 1 ortsmouth and Devonport to massed air attack from the Continent threatens to immobilise the British fleet in home waters, a German Admiralty publication considers such' fears to be greatly exaggerated, and remarks that all these bases could be given reasonable security against air attack.