THE NEW AIR CHIEF

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24084, 1 October 1941, Page 6

THE NEW AIR CHIEF

On the appointment of a new Chief of the New Zealand Air Staff, the Dominion does not forget the able and conscientious service rendered by Air-Commodore Saunders. When he arrived here in 1939 the authorities made known their hope that bv 1941 a New Zealander would have been sufficiently trained to fill AirCommodore Saunders' very important post. As this expectation has not been realised it is pertinent to examine some recent aspects of the career of the new chief, Air-Com-modore R. V. Goddard, who comes to New Zealand after occupying influential positions. Air-G'on'imoclore Goddard, during the French campaign last year, was Chief of Staff of the Air Component at British Headquarters in France, and later became Director of Military Cooperation at the Air Ministry and its official spokesman over the air. During his service in France he was unable to break down the cumbersome system which forced even an army commander to apply through one head after another before he could secure from the Air Force so simple a thing as an aerial reconnaissance. During the invasion of Crete he spoke with amazing optimism : "Air-borne forces by themselves will not conquer that island." The statement revealed the failure

in high places to realise the possibilities of aerial attack. Seven days before the German invasion of Russia Air-Commodore Go'ddard explained the absence of air raids on England by declaring that the German bomber squadrons had been forced to recuperate and become cautious and denied that they had gone to another quarter, such as the Mediterranean. In fact they had gone to the Russian frontier. The Dominion has always welcomed the appointment to its commands of Englishmen of great ability. In welcoming Air-Commodore Goddard, as it does, it would like to be reassured that the new commodore's optimism has been tempered by events.