DEFENCE CRITICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23203, 24 November 1938, Page 10

DEFENCE CRITICS

[LACK OF PREPAKATION I'MOOD FOR CONSCRIPTION" NEED OF MODERN EQUIPMENT NATIONAL SERVICE MOOTED [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Oct. 20 Britain is watching two interesting sequels to the Czechoslovakian crisis. One is the outspoken criticism of the country's lack of preparation for emergency. The other is the fact that while Mr. Chamberlain in the past year has declared on three occasions that the present Government will not enforce military conscription during peace time, thelre is' a large and growing section of the public which, very nearly, is demanding it. The criticism of the state of defence preparations is, in part, true. At the same time it is a useful argument for conscription, or some form of national service, and also for pacifying a section of the critics. During the past week-end, Captain Liddell Hart, who is regarded a 8 one of the greatest military experts in Britain, said at a meeting of the Oxford University Conservative Association: "If a sudden air crisis had como it might have caught us completely unawares. As we revealed the paucity of our defences to the keen eyes of foreign observers there is no harm in revealing the fact that the total number of guns available for the defence of London was barely 100. Six days after mobilisation only just on half the guns were usable owing to the state of much of the material issued from the depots." Tco Pew Modern Guns The Sunday Express declared that "an. expert of the highest standing" had revealed that Britain had little more than one-fiftieth of the number of modern guns which, in his opinion, is necessary to make her secure against air raids; that four-fifths of her guns were, in his opinion, out of date and half of those mounted in London could not eyen have opened fire because vital parts were missing or defective owing to mobilisation chaos. Furthermore, he stated, the balloon barrage, which could be a very important defence, was only the size it must be. Britain had little more than onethird the number of searchlights necessary, and possessed only one-quarter of the fighter aeroplAries required; in his opinion, to make her impregnable. Brigadier-General P. R. C. Groves, formerly Director of Flying Operations at the Air Ministry, wrote in the Daily Mail: "Our wholo system of air raid precautions has proved to be rudimentary, chaotic, and little more than a camouflage. Of the 1,000,000 men and women required only 550,000 had been recruited when the crisis developed a few weeks ago, and of these but 350,000 had been trained. The majority of the local authorities were not even ready with their plans. There were wide gaps in fire-fighting, medical, and sanitary arrangements, the provision and fitting of gas masks was incomplete and inefficient, and there was a universal shortage of those of the medium size. Home Office Inquiry An inquiry made by the Home Office intoi air raid precautions is said to have found that there were an insufficient number of trained volunteers, a lack of motors to draw auxiliary fire engines, inadequate arrangements by hospitals' for the moving of patients to make room for casualties, and reluctance on the part of some firms owning basements suitable for shelters to allow them to be used. There were also d^y 3 * n the provision of sandbags, timber, corrugated iron, and other defence materials and profiteering by middlemen in thei* sale to local authorities. When the crisis became acute, the rush of volunteers for air raid precautions services was very satisfactory in most areas, but the volunteers were all untrained, and, with the passing of the crisis, the flow - slackened greatly. Results of Revelations As a. result of these revelations, and also the events during the crisis, it is declared/that the country is "in a mood to accept, even to demand, considerable encroachments on freedom, in order to bring the national defences up to the standards imposed by the highly organised totalitarian States." There has been a concentrated effort through- * out the year to mould and direct this "mood" into the realisation that some form of national service or a national register is. necessary. There has been an unofficial announcement that the Cabinet is planning a register of all citizens, and the creation of a Ministry of National Service. The Prime Minister, it' is said, is likely to recommend Parliament to approve a form of general National Service. One of the first steps would be to find out what technical skill there is in. the country, and a suggestion is that householders will receive a census form asking for particulars on this subject.