R.A.F. REACHES PEAK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 83, 7 March 1945, Page 5

R.A.F. REACHES PEAK

TAPERING AIR TRAINING

(Rec. 11.55 a.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 6. Introducing the air estimates for £250,000,000 in the House of Commons, the Air Minister (Sir Archibald Sinclair) said the R.A.F. had reached the peak of its expansion in numbers. The R.A.F. and the United States Army Air Force worked in the closest partnership and harmony. Their tasks were complementary, their fortunes intertwined, and the power of the Allied air forces would continue to increase until Germany was beaten. He illustrated the extent of their mastery by relating the reduction in casualties from 1942, when the bomber squadrons lost 4.1 per cent, of the aircraft despatched, to last year, when it was 1.7 per cent. Our air superiority had not been gained without hard fighting and heavy casualties. Between April 1 and September 30, 1944, the Bomber Command alone suffered over 10,000 casualties, killed, wounded and missing. “At the moment,” Sir Archibald added, “without diminishing the total impact of the R.A.F. on the enemy we are in the process of reducing the air-crew training organisation to the , level required to maintain the small air force which will be operating after the defeat of Germany.”

Air supremacy, Sir Archibald went on, had enabled us to starve the enemy’s troops and nourish our own. As many as three divisions had been maintained at one time solely by air transport. NEW FLYING BOMBS.

He referred to the renewed attacks by flying bombs on Britain and said that in performance they were much the same as the old ones, but they had a longer range. No practical means of abating attacks by VI and V2 had been neglected by the R.A.F., but a V2 launching site is small and hard to identify—not more than 2311 square.

After speaking of the R.A.F. attacks on German war industries, communications and oil production plants, Sir Archibald Sinclair referred to R.A.F. assistance to patriot forces, stating that to the R.A.F. Bomber Command fell the task of supplying them with arms. -Whitleys, then Halifaxes, Stirlings and Liberators, were allotted to the task. Every crew was a pathfinder. They sought not towns, but fields and open country, often miles from landmarks. This entailed extremely low flying, with the planes an easy target for even light flak. The pilots often had to land in occupied country to bringing out leaders of the underground resistance movements in Europe. From Norway to Greece, from Brittany to Poland, small armies sprang up. As the days of 1944 giew longer, as many as 170 planes a night ranged the length and breadth of France and patriot forces in the Balkans and Central Europe were supplied from bases in the Mediterranean. Planes flying from Britain dropped over 100,000 parachute containers of arms and explosives and immense quantities of specialised equipment, said Sir Archibald. At least 15,000 tons of supplies were dropped from Britain alone. Sir Archibald also told of R.A.F. work in dropping British officers and men in France before D-Day. He also said that Women’s Air Force officers were dropped by parachute in France. Their job was to help to instruct the men of the underground movement. He told of one W.A.A.F. officer

who was dropped by parachute to

act as a courier for the Maquis. When her commanding officer was captured she took charge of a big Maquis groqp. She organised it and led the group in several raids on

the enemy. Another W.A.A.F-’s parachute became stuck and opened only just in time. She was saved by bundles of forged francs which she was carrying, wrapped round her like a cushion.— Official Wireless.