AIR STRENGTHS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 46, 23 January 1939, Page 4

AIR STRENGTHS.

THE LATEST FIGURES. LONDON, Jan. 8. The aviation correspondent of the Sunday Times, in deprecating exaggerated estimates of the air forces of Authoritarian States, says that the actual figures at the crisis period in Septemljer were: Germany, 3200 ’planes; Italy, 1750; Franco, 1150 j Britain, 2200; Czechoslovakia, 600.

The Russian strength cannot be stated. Thus, says the correspondent, excluding Czechoslovakia ami the Soviet. Italy and Germany had 4950 ’planes and Britain and France 3350. He adds: “Already there arc signs that this disparity in numbers will soon he considerably reduced and that the difficulties attending the production of aircraft in France are being overcome. The output has already been accelerated. The relative strengths of the European air forces in pilots cannot he estimated accurately, but British authorities are confident Britain is in a much better position regarding both regular and reserve pilots than any other country.”

The aviation correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says: “It is known that the activity of German aircraft factories, in which 400.060 people are engaged against 100,000 similarly employed in Britain, has greatly increased since the Munich conference, when, according to an Italian estimate, Germany’s first-line aircraft strength amounted to 3000 machines. “Many German factories are working two eight-hour shifts a day, and some three, or full war-time capacity. Comparisons of first-line strengths must obviously be largely a matter of guesswork, hut it seem? fairly certain that Germany’s first-line strength is now at least double that of Britain.”