WANT “CRACK” AT ENEMY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21528, 15 December 1939, Page 7

WANT “CRACK” AT ENEMY

Air Force In Good Spirits Chief Praises Men And Machines British Official Wireless (Rec. December 14, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, December 13. “The morale is excellent and they are all waiting eagerly for any calls that may be made on them. I think that there are few things they would like better than a chance to have a crack at the enemy.” This was the opinion of the Chief of the British Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Cyril Newall, expressed at the conclusion of a visit to the Royal Air Force at war stations in France. “Although the men have endured a period of relative inactivity, good use of the waiting time has been made in training,” he said. They have learned a lot of lessons through successful contacts already made with the Germans.” The eight-gun fighters come fully up to expectations, and both the bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, in spite of opposition, have most successfully completed all missions carried out in enemy country. Sir Cyril Newall paid a tribute to the workmen, manufacturers and maintenance staff who, he said, deserved all the credit that could be given. The aircrafts' remarkable freedom from trouble although exposed to all weathers justified the magnificence of the manufacturer, men and material. He expressed the gratitude of the Royal Air Force for the great help given by the French military authorities and also the civilians amongst

whom the Royal Air Force was billeted. The villagers and the Air Force had taken to one another and a real spirit of comradeship had sprung up. After visits to the advanced fighter squadrons Sir Cyril Newall paid a courtesy visit to a French squadron.