Defence Measures

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 171, 22 July 1939, Page 3

Defence Measures

BRITAIN‘S AIR FORCE LONDON, July 13. The rate of Britain’s aircraft production. is now so high that some aviation authorities consider tho time is ripe for the Air Ministry to abandon its policy of withholding production figures and to make an official announcement about the present monthly rate. Such an announcement, it is contended, would be a well-timed sequel to the decision to carry out extensive flights by the Royal Air Force over France and other friendly countries. Until recently an ouput of 750 aeroplanes a month was widely quoted. It is stated authoritatively that this figure is far below the present marie. As far as the needs of tho Royal Air Force are concerned, the present problem is not so much to produce more aeroplanes as to produce more pilots and mechanics and to build more aero dromes to absorb the output of the fac tories. Confidence in Britain’s ability to defeat an aerial attack has been strengthened by the good progress that France is making. This necessarily means a reduction in the obligations of the Royal Air Force. France’s monthly output has been quadrupled in the last ten months, and has now reached 250. All French fighter squadrons are now reported to have been re-equipped with machines with a speed exceeding 300 miles an hour. FORTIFYING ISLANDS EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN LONDON, July 13. Military activities in the Dodecanese Islands, off the coast of Asia Minor, are reported by’ the Istanbul correspondent of the Daily Herald. German vessels, ho states, are con tinuously unloading military supplies at Rhodes, while the entire population?* of Patinos and Leros are being con pulsorily evacuated. Tho inhabitants of Dodecanese ar. mainly Greek, but the Archipelago na • been Italian since 1912, before which 1 belonged to Turkey. It was reported on April 19 that a quantity of Czech tanks and aeroplanes had been received by Italy front Germany, and had been fortvarded to Libya and to Leros, accompanied by German technicians.