GAINING UPPER HAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 97, 23 March 1940, Page 7

GAINING UPPER HAND.

BRITAIN’S PROGRESS IN AIR. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY’, March 21. The Parliamentary Undersecretary lor Air (Captain H. 11. Balfour), in a speech at Margate, said that the possibility of a tip-and-run raid by enemy aircraft under the cloak of darkness must be faced, but the successful and telling raid on Tuesday night at Sylt showed that the British lion had teeth as well as wings.

Referring to the progress in building up such an air force as would ensure mastery of the air, Captain Balfour recalled Sir Kingsley Wood’s estimate that the output of aircraft accruing to this country and to France is greater than the output in Germany. The weekly rate of output since the outbreak of the xvnr had shown a steady numerical increase, while all who had any knowledge of the Royal Air Force equipment knew that the effective increase— that is to say, the groxvtli in the fighting strength of the force —had been even greater. “The quality of the British aircraft.” added Captain Balfour, “is splendid. But there is yet more to come, as liexv types are now under development to enter the service. No doubt the enemy would very much like to know the speed and armament of the new products, and this ill due course they shall know from practical experience when they meet, our pilots, i and to their cost. “We are in the lead in modern devices that are of assistance in air warfare, and we intend to keep this so. You have perhaps read something about the German aircraft being armed xvith earnion while xve have onlv got machine-guns. T can tell von this is not so. and that not only are our cannon in full production in this country hut also our fighters equipped xvith them have already contributed to the destruction of* some enemy machines.”