Canada Builds Up Fighter Strength

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23116, 1 December 1949, Page 10

Canada Builds Up Fighter Strength

(From a Reuter Correspondent) OTTAWA. A growing Canadian emphasis on air fighter strength, a trend arising from continental defence •strategy, is indicated in an analysis of the expanding forces j Canada will put behind Atlantic ipaet obligations. i The regular forces, now 44,000 strong . and still recruiting, are a calculated land important factor in current discussions leading to a decision about what each of the 12 member nations will contribute to Pact strength, but it is not yet ciear just what role Canada will play. The record defence Budget presented this spring to Parliament established the Royal Canadian Air Force for the first time as the top spending service. This trend probably will be more pronounced next year. This year's estimates provided 375,000,000 dollars for defence, compared with 251,208,241 dollars in the previous fiscal year. The Air Force still has no regular bomber strength, but has established its first regular fighter squadron, and will have another this year and more later, all of them eventually coming under an overall field organisation now in the planning stage. Its planning, like the rest of defence planning, is closely interlocked with continental Canaciian - United States defence strategy. This emphasis on fighters runs through the 10 front line reserve or auxiliary squadrons, most of them fighters, and is implied in current use of British Vampires, plans to produce the American FB6, and to produce an all-Canadian aircraft, a long range, allweather lighter. This will make three types of jet fighter available. Generally speaking, the force has emerged from a heavy post-war concentration on training and ts building up operationally. ft has a regular strength of 15.500 and is reorganising its reserves, which number well up in the thousands. It is working at radar defence, has seven non-fighter regular squadrons, including transport, photographic, tactical, as well as other smaller units. Plans call for a three-squadron tactical wing to support army operations. The Army has 19,600 regulars, 37,000 in the reserves. Its planning centres on an airborne brigade group of some 700 U men, including three battalions of infantry, one of tanks and one armoured reconnaissance unit. The first of the three infantry battalions has finished airborne training, but it will probably be next year before the brigade can train as such. Officials talk of mobilisation of six divisions in emergency with the great bulk of the men coming from civilian life. Both summer and winter training of reserve units has been expanding. The Navy, with 1000 of its 8800 regulars in its new Fleet Air Arm. further underlines the tendency to concentrate on air fighter strength. It lias four fighter squadrons, two of ten planes each, two of eight, all flying British propeller-driven aircraft. Their basic concern is the submarine. Generally the Navy has been stressing anti-submarine training and training of recruits. It should have by 1951 the first of three new type submarinekilling escort vessels. Its seagoing strength now consists of ihe 17,000-ton aircraft carrier Magnificent, the cruiser Ontario, five destroyers, five frigates, five mine-sweepers and other smaller ships. In ready reserve it has the i cruiser Uganda, six destroyers,- one ! frigate and seven mine-sweepers.