Behind the Headlines in the War News

Waikato Independent, Volume XL, Issue 3762, 25 September 1940, Page 3

Behind the Headlines in the War News

LESSONS OF AIR MUCH EXPERIENCE GAINED FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR Lessons from more than a year of war in the air are now being assimilated and carefully sifted to build the experience into new aeroplanes and new tactics to maintain and enhance our technical and operational superiority, writes the air

correspondent of the "Sunday Times." This is seen by a new policy recently instituted by the Air Ministry. Personnel of all ranks and all branches of the R.A.F. attend weekly meetings, presided over by Air Ghief-jMiarshal Sir Robert BrookePopham, to put forward suggestions based on experience on active service. These are passed on to the aircraft constructors, operational staff and maintenance departments. The most important lesson which

has emerged has been that quality —both in crews and in equipment —is always superior to mere quantity. Rut both are necessary to gain absolute command of the air —the prelude to victory. In almost every engagement our machines and their crews prove their individual superiority over those of the enemy. Now, by our own efforts and those of the Empire and United States, the inferiority in numbers is being remedied. Rut it will take time. In the design of fighters experience has shown that mere speed is not enough without manoeuvrability to go with it. There the Hurricane and Spitfire have demonstrated their superiority over the Messerschmitts and the newer Heinkel He 113. In the design of bombers the whole course of the war has shown that speed cannot be substituted for power of self-defence. The Germans have sacrified defensive armament for speed on their bombers. Their bombers have fallen in hundreds to our fighters. On the other .hand Ave have concentrated on the development of the power-operated multi-gun turret, which has made our heavy bombers such formidable opponents to any fighter. In consequence the Germans often hesitate to attack. Although the R.A.F. has used its bomber force far more against Germany than the Luftwaffe has yet attempted against us, our losses have been far smaller. The extraordinary extent to which our aeroplanes have proved superior to those of Germany must be set down to the wise provision of the Air Staff and the genius of our designers. Rut apart from the pioneers such as Avro, Handley Page, Fairey, and Sopwith few people have heard of our.own designers, who have been far more successful than those of the enemy. Four types—the Spitfirerthe Hurricane, the Wellington, and the Sunderland—have led the field in the gaining of our superiority and proved themselves to be the b'est of their class in the world. The late Mr R. J.; Mitchell, who designed the Spitfire; Mr Sydney Camm, the designer of the Hurricane; Mr Rex Pearson and Mr R. N. Wallis, who were responsible for the Wellington; and Mr Arthur Gouge, the designer of the Sunderland, deserve to be recognised for the part they have played in, our success in the air war. The engine designers, too—the Rolls-Royce, staff and the Rristol team led by Mr Roy Fedden —have played and are playing a vital part. In fact, each designer is backed by an enthusiastic team of technicians, and all are working on new designs to carry forward the superiority of Rritish arms. A Test to Come One lesson is not yet complete—that on the relative strengths of sea power and air power in opposition. The Germans are obviously determined that the effectiveness of air power shall be increased against warships. To this end they are reported to be producing bigger and longer-range dive-bombers. The answer to this vital problem remains in the future. To air power there is only one potent answer—still greater air power. The present intelligent digestion of the lessons of war, the drive for production and the concentration on new and still better types of aeroplanes to meet and beat the best the enemy can produce, augurs well for the future of the air war so well begun.