IN TIME OF WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23558, 22 July 1938, Page 14

IN TIME OF WAR

i DOMINION DEFENCE ADVANTAGE OF SITUATION VWLUC OF SINGAPORE BASE (Ami U*mro I’bms Association) WELLINGTON, July ill. The most immediate danger to Australia and New Zealand in the event of war must come from a raid, for an enemy deciding to attack either country must have a land base from which its aircraft can operate Because of the long distance separating it from any suitable land base. New Zealand is probably better situated than other parts of the British Empire. This is the opinion of Marsha! of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward L. Ellington, expressed in an interview to-day after his arrival at Wellington by the Awatea from Sydney. Sir Edward, who is Inspector-general of the Royal Air Force, is paying a brief informal visit to New Zealand on his way to Canada. There were a zone of islands in the Pacific which might be used by an enemy, Sir Edward said, but they were barely within reach of New Zealand at present. He did not think it practical for aircraft to operate for more than 2000 miles. There was always a chance, of course, that aeroplanes from a ship might fly over parts of New Zealand and create alarm, but he did not think the risk would be very great. "I don’t think the damage would be very much," he added. It would be very risky, he said, for an enemy ship to approach within range of military aircraft in New Zealand, and at present seaborne aeroplanes were Inferior to land machines. The aircraft carried by ships were limited in a number of ways. They were limited because of the hangar accommodation available and also in general size. They had to be of the folding type, which added to their weight, and equipped with attachments which enabled them to land on or be catapulted from ships. “At present,” Sir Edward said, “ and, as far as I can see, for many years to come, the sea-borne aircraft will always be inferior to its land-base contemporary."

Crux of the Question "Most important to Australia and New Zealand was Singapore,” he said, "because in a time of war the danger to these two countries must obviously come from the East. The whole of the trade with America, India and Europe depended upon protection of the sea communications, which must be kept open. Singapore was the crux of the whole question of defence of India, Malaya, Australia and New Zealand. In the event of trouble the danger Eeriod would be between the outreak of war and the time when reinforcements could arrive. During that period the only force that could act offensively and attack an enemy would be the Air Force. "Assuming that things did go wrong and the enemy decided to attack,” Sir Edward said, “ the approaching force would have to have a land base from which to operate and an attack could not be made until the enemy had gained superiority in the air. " That superiority in the air cannot be got with sea-borne aircraft and the approaching enemy would have to make the series of steps to establish bases as he comes down, a gradual process,” Sir Edward added. "A reasonably strong a|r force should be able to stop an attack or delay it until other parts of the Empire had time to come to the assistance of the defending forces, so that New Zealand is probably better situated than most other parts of the Empire. The nearest islands are British possessions and they would first of all have to be taken before the enemy could use them as land bases.” Laud Machines Favoured Questioned as to which were the most suitable for Royal Air Force purposes, flying boats or land machines, Sir Edward said that no flying boat could land or, take off when the sea was rough. Flying-boat bases must be in sufficiently sheltered waters. Aicraft operated from land bases were much easier to maintain than flying boat with big complicated hulls that were liable to corrode. Good performances had been made by mUlti-engined aircraft of the Blenheim type and this rather tended to displace flying boats, even for work over the sea. It was possible, Sir Edward said, that civil aviation would make much more use of the flying boat than the Royal Air Force. “It might be,” he added, " that big aircraft are too heavy for the landing grounds and it is possible that civil aviation must get heavier plane? to carry heavier loads. Big flying boats have not the convenience of handling needed for Royal Air Force purposes.” Referring to the training of pilots for the Royal Air Force, Sir Edward said that New Zealand was contributing very valuable material. For several years the Dominion had not only been training pilots but had been selecting and sending Home for Royal Air Force training a considerable number of young men, a high proportion of whom had a knowledge of the world in general. One of the most difficult problems was to obtain young men suitable for quick training to the standard required for the work of junior leaders, for example, of flight commanders. A number of young officers had been recruited from the mercantile marine, which had also provided good material.