Making History

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 5, 7 January 1941, Page 6

Making History

CANADA’S DESTINY DEFENCE FORGES AHEAD SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14. In a series of interesting articles, Sidney Norman, writing in the Los Angeles Times, says Canada is making history in British air development., claiming that the Dominion’s aviation strides l'or Emipre defence in the present critical hour are little short of miraculous. "A short time ago,” he says, "speaking over the British Broadcasting System, Sir Evelyn Wrench, in a preface to the story of the part Canada is playing in crcaiing for Britain an air force equal to any the world has known, said: ‘lt is one of tho greatest things that ever happened in the Briish Empire.’ "And it is just that, a transformation that even the average Canadian has not yet grasped. Over the vast plains of the prairies, dotted among the more populous areas of the east, training schools, Hying fields and aerodromes have sprung up like mushrooms, and Canada has become almost overnight the Empire’s training centre for a long

* ‘ And there is no dearth of candidates for the honours. From the mines of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec; from the oilfields of Alberta; from the farms of the lowlands east and west; from office and industry everywhere; from Australia; from New Zealand aud from the Motherland, these boys are flocking, steamed up to patriotic fevour, asking only a chance to get at ’em.

"No Canadian is surprised, however, at the efficiency of his own flyers or that, one and all, they take to military flying as ducks to water. He knows all about them and the grand conquest the Dominion’s bush flyers have made of the new empire of the north, way up to the Arctic, in the last two decades or less. No flyers have shown such resourcefulness or efficiency under more trying circumstances. "Visualise a bleak, forbidding, lowlying, unknown country, dotted with lakes innumerable, the rocky land covered with muskeg that harbours countless flies in summer, where not a blade of green grass grows, where human life can only be sustained by supplies from the outside by air. Into this vastness the pioneer flyers inched their ways, sotting up caches of fuel and food in out-of-the-way places; risking dangers seen and unseeable; meeting disaster and scccess doing a job that had never been done before in all the history of the world.

"This is the kind of man Canada is training for combat, and, as one who has flown thousands of miles with them in the Northland, this w’riter predicts that when the history of this terrible war is written Canada’s flyers will occupy a high place. When war broke out, the whole Canadian Air Force consisted of but 450 officers and 4000 men, whereas in November, 1940, there were 2359 officers and 29,096 men, with three complete squadrons already fighting in Britain. "Ou November 18, the Air Minister, the Hon. C. G. Power, announced that twice as many pilots, observers and air gunners as anticipated when the plan was drafted would be sent overseas in 1941, and that by the end of June, 1941, all training schools originally scheduled for operation by the end of December, 1941, would be in operation, thus shortening the original schedule by a full six months.

"Remembering that the present vast programme had to be improvised without preliminary preparations, minus lauding fields, hangers, planes or teachers, and bearing in mind that climatic conditions arc not always propitious, what has been accomplished in little more than a year is nothing short of remarkable. United States Aid "Early in October there were 32 flying schools in active operation all over the Dominion, in place of tho 25 scheduled for that time. By the end of the year it was announced that 48 schools would be in full operation, instead of the 38 originally intended. Next year there w T ill be 83 and all the aerodromes and landing fields needed for them will be completed by the end of 1940, months ahead of schedule.

"The collapso of France, and the siege of Britain forced a complete change in the original programme. To the rescue came the United States, and let no one forget, that her friendly acts have sunk deep into Canadian consciousness and swept away all remnants of misunderstanding. Engines and planes supplied by American manufacturers saved the day. "Under this forced pace, Canada pared the training period for flyers to 26 weeks, working students from daylight to dusk and holding him to study in the evenings. In October, 1940, 4500 students were enrolled aud 7500 mechanics will be ready to keep them in the air when their courses have been completed, showing increased tempo.

"The revised schedule, as last announced, calls for 204 pilots, 102 observers, 232 gunners by January 1, 1941. By the following April, 1850 pilots, 408 observers aud 696 gunners will have been passed into active service, and by July 1, 1941, 1909 pilots, 950 observers and 1550 gunners will be actively backing up the heroic defence of the Motherland. From the latter date forward, the Empire should be able, with the aid of the United States, to man all the plants that can be built j or bought.

"Canada is going all-out m support of the Empire, of which she is now such an important part, but it is doubtful if anything she may do in the future will constitute a greater contribution to the cause of civilisation and freedom than this air-training plan now being carried forward with such speed and efficiency.

"The change in a single year is almost incredible. Already the whole nation is air-minded. What effect the plan will have on the future remains to be seen, but the probabilities are it will usher in even more rapid development of commercial aviation than in the past. But, whatever the future, Canada’s present job stands out aa among the most important and most exacting duties ever cheerfully assumed in. the true British spirit of unselfish patriotism.”