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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0795.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER AND AIRSHIPS uounded in 1909 FIRST AERONAUTICAL^WEEKLY IN THE^WORLD OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB No. 1372. Vol. XXVII. APRIL 11, 1935. Thursdays, Price 6d. By Post 7JU. Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telegrams : Truditur, Watloo, Loudon. Telephone : Hop 3333 (50 lines;. HEBTFOBD ST. COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2 Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971. 260, DEANSGATB. MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams: Ilifle. Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 26B, BBNFIELD ST. GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrrms: Ulirte, Glasgow Telephone: Central 4867. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home ana CaLada : Year, tl 13 o. Other Countries : Year, £1 18 0. C months, 16s. 6U fi months, 17s. 6d. 3 months, Ss, 3d. 3 months. Sa. 9d. Britain and Qermany T HE position of the Government as regards air power was set forth by Sir Philip Sassoon on Wednesday of last week at a meeting organised by the League of Nations Union at the Caxton Hall, London. Sir Philip defended the decision to expand the Royal Air Force on the grounds which various Government speakers have already made familiar. The wisdom of the decision needs no further exposition to the readers of Flight, though it was as well for the Under-Secretary for Air to reiterate the reasons for the benefit of the particular audience which he was addressing. Perhaps there was not much hope of con vincing that audience that any defence measures are justifiable, just as it may be hopeless to persuade some foreign nations to limit their armaments; but both attempts have had to be made. In the course of his speech, Sir Philip remarked : " If we were content to stay as we are, we should not long remain in front of Germany." At almost the precisely same moment Sir John Simon, in the House of Com mons, reported that in the course of his conversations with Herr Hitler, "the German Chancellor stated in general terms that Germany had reached parity with Great Britain in the air." This does not necessarily imply that the Foreign Secretary had failed to give the news to the Air Ministry, for obviously it would have been improper for the first announcement to be made anywhere but in Parliament. However, the hank acknowledgment of Germany's equality with us has altered the whole situation, more especially as the prospects of the air defence pact proposed by France and Great Britain now seem less hopeful than they were a short time ago. It must be supposed that Germany now can boast equality with the whole strength of the Royal Air Force, which would mean that she is now far more potent in western Europe than is the United Kingdom. Sir Philip, in his speech at the Caxton Hall, reiterated that Britain is fifth air power, but another speaker pointed out that this figure was arrived at by adding up all the aircraft in the possession of the Royal Air Force, and that when one adds up numbers of aeroplanes one finds that two and two do not make four. The Admiralty has the right to spirit away the Fleet Air Arm, and the War Office may send the five Army co-operation squad rons abroad at its own good pleasure. Only the Home Defence Force ought to be taken into account when British air strength is compared with that of another Power within striking distance. By that reckoning it is probable that Germany is now far more powerful in Europe than is Britain. A Flexible Programme The situation does not become any more assuring when we reflect that it is probably not very long— possibly only a couple of years or less—since Germany decided to violate the Treaty of Versailles and began to build up a flying corps. Since the movement began, the acceleration of production must have been very great, and there is no reason for supposing that the pro cess will not go on in the same way. Comfort, however, may be found in another statement of Sir Philip (repeat ing what was said before by the Government speakers in Parliament) that our programme for expanding the Royal Air Force is flexible, and can be either retarded or accelerated as the political situation may demand. On hearing of Herr Hitler's admission, one is almost im pelled to exclaim that surely the time has now come for its acceleration. It would, however, be unreasonable to clamour for the Government to order any acceleration until after the meeting of French and British Ministers with Signor Mussolini at Stresa. Though the Duce has issued a warning that miracles must not be expected from that meeting, there are certainly possibilities that the con ference will arrive at some understanding which will make the continuance of peace in Europe more probable. Mr. Eden's tour has done much to clarify the situation, and he is reported to have formed the opinion that the danger of a conflagration in Europe
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