AIR DEFENCE OF LONDON

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2695, 13 July 1923, Page 3

AIR DEFENCE OF LONDON

An address by Sir Samuel Hoare on the defence of London against air attack was broadcasted recently. Ho said: There is no need for panic, but the development of aviation has now made it possible for a hostile Power to drop on London a weight of bombs out of all comparison with the weight dropped in the war. Against the possibility of such an attack we must now begin to organise our resources. Antiaircraft defence involves a highly organised system of co-operation between troops on the ground and the crews of fighting aircraft in the air. For our defence against air attack more squadrons of aeroplanes are needed than are now in existence, and the Government has already decided to add 15 squadrons for home defence. Fast fighting aeroplanes, armed with machine guns, must be manned by highly-skilled pilots, and it is of urgent importance to have an adequate supply of trained flying men available in an emergency. But it is impossible to keep great numbers of aeroplanes constantly in the air in such a position as to intercept all raiders. An aeroplane takes a quarter of an hour to climb 15,000 feet, so that to get your fighting patrols into the right fighting position in time to intercept the raiders, you must depend on a large and extremely efficient system of gro.und units which act as intelligence centres, calculate the height and course of the raiders, pass the information into a central control, which can then put the defensive aeroplane patrols up in the right place and at the right height in sufficient time, and can also give them further instructions by wireless telephone. An efficient air defence must, in addition to aeroplanes, include batteries of guns, sound ranging sections, searchlight companies, and signalling companies. In organising the defence of London it has been necessary to consider the recruiting and training of the necessary personnel and the organisation of units to provide this gro.und force. This is being met by the formation of two air defence brigades of the Territorial Army, both to be entirely raised through the voluntary enlistment in the territorial force of citiaons of I ondon and neighbouring towns. For Jhis purpose it is necessary to find about 140 officers and over 2000 other ranks. These territorial units are located in Liv'd on, at Chelsea, Putney, and West minster.