AIR STRENGTH OF BRITAIN

Southland Times, Issue 23375, 6 December 1937, Page 5

AIR STRENGTH OF BRITAIN

SECRET SESSION OF PARLIAMENT URGED

INQUIRY INTO RELATIVE STRIKING POWER

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received December 5, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 4.

A secret session of Parliament to discuss the strength of the Royal Air Force has been demanded by Mr W. R. D. Perkins, the Conservative member of the House of Commons who compelled the Government to appoint the inquiry into civil aviation, says The Daily Mail. Mr Perkins’s notice, which is down for consideration next Wednesday, urges a discussion on the relative positions of British air strength and the air strengths of all countries within striking distance of Britain. Delays in the production and com-pletion-of new squadrons have occurred unnecessarily, according to Mr Perkins, who says that a feeling of uncertainty has developed.

Official figures of the Royal Air Force’s strength in aircraft and personnel issued on August 5 indicated that the programme of expansion' was making very satisfactory progress. New service stations and armament training camps already totalled 22. The strength of the metropolitan air force, home defence units, army co-operation squadrons and the coastal command was 123 squadrons equipped with 1542 first line aircraft. This was an increase of 137 per cent, over pre-ex-pansion strength and approximately 200 aeroplanes less than the first line total of metropolitan air force strength envisaged for the end of the programme.

Behind the ultimate total of 1750 first line aircraft and 900 first line aircraft of over-, seas squadrons and the Fleet Air Arm will be the full war reserves of aircraft armament equipment and supplies to justify the claim that the Royal Air Force be second to none in strength of defence and counterattack.

Since April 1, 1935, approximately 3500 pilots had been selected for service and 3100 had begun training. The total airmen entered since that date numbered 22,300. A tremendous increase in striking power has been made available by the creation of new types of British fighting and bombing planes, squadron after squadron receiving bombing aeroplanes capable of great speeds and carrying bigger loads over distances demanded by the strategy of home and Imperial protection. The fighters are also more heavily armed and are capable of speeds well over 300 miles an hour. GERMANY’S ARMY OF 1,000,000 MEN OFFICIAL ESTIMATE BY FRANCE PARIS, December 3. Germany’s effective fighting force is 1,000,000 men, according to figures disclosed in the Chamber of Deputies by the Minister of Defence (M. Edouard Daladier) today. France has 387,000 effectives and Italy 300,000. The Chamber of Deputies unanimously voted national and overseas defence budgets of £45,734,000.