R.A.F. Reaches Peak Of Expansion In Numbers

Northern Advocate, 7 March 1945, Page 4

R.A.F. Reaches Peak Of Expansion In Numbers

(gee. 2 p.m.) LONDON, March 6. Introducing the air estimates of £250,000,000 in the House of Commons, the Air Minister (Sir Archibald Sinclair) said that the R.A.F. had reached the peak of its expansion in numbers.

The R.A.F. and United States Army Air Force worked in the closest partnership of harmony. Their tasks were complementary and 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 the relation of the reduction in casualties from 1942, when bomber squadrons lost 4.1 per cent, of 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, Bomber Command alone had suffered over 10,000 casualties in killed, wounded and missing. At the moment, Sir Archibald added, without diminishing the total impact of the R.A.F. on the enemy, we were in the process of reducing the air crew training organisation to a level required to maintain the small air force which would be operating after the defeat of Germany. Starved Enemy Troops Air supremacy, Sir Archibald went cn, 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. He referred to renewed attacks by flying-bombs on Britain and said that ,in performance they were much the same as the old ones, but had a longer range. No practical means of abating attacks by VI and V2 had been neglected by the R.A.F. but the V2 launching site was small and hard to identify—not more than 23ft. square. After speaking of the R.A.F. attacks on German war industries, communications and oil production plants, Sir Archibald 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. Every Crew a Pathfinder

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 bring out leaders of the underground resistance movements in Europe. They flew from Norway to Greece, from Brittany to Poland. Small armies sprang up. As the days of 1944 grew longer as many as 170 planes a night ranged the length and breadth of France, and patriot forces in the Balkans and Centra! Europe were supplied from bases in the Mediterranean. 100,000 Containers 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 the R.A.F. work of dropping British officers and men in Franco before D Day. He said Women's Auxiliary Air Force officers were dropped by parachute in France. Their job was to help to instruct men of the underground movement. 1-Ie told of one W.A.A.F. officer who was dropped by parachute to act as a Maquis courier. When her commanding officer was captured she took charge of a big Maquis group, 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 chapped round her like a cushion.