FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1940
1940 - 1025.PDF
• ' :' and '' AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .• FOUNDED W09 • - Ed/tor „; C. M. POULSEN Editorial, Advertising and • .. ,s Managing Editor r: >-••:• : G. GEOFFREY SMITH r :- Publishing Offices : DORSET "Telegrams: Truditur, Sedist, London. 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. SUBSCRIPTION ••- ; RATES: No. 1633. Vol. XXXVII. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 lines). Home and Canada: Year, £1 13 Other Countries : Year, £1 16 APRIL 11, HOUSE, STAMFORD Telephone : Waterloo ".•?.'•' Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL STREET, LONDON, S.E.I 3333 (50 lines). - *" 260, DEANSGATE, • 26B, RENFIELD ST., MANCHESTER, 3. "•: GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams : INffe, Manchester. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412 Telephone : Central 4857. 0. 6 months. 16s. 6d. 0. 6 months, 18s. Od. 1940. 3 months, 8s. 3d. " . . 3 months, 9s. Od. - Thursdays, Price 6d The Outlooks The Cabinet ChangesT .iOUGH the changes which Mr. Chamberlain has made in the Cabinet are not so drastic as some people had expected, there are certainly some points of great interest. In the first place, Mr. Churchill is to preside over the committee of the Ministers for the fighting Services and their chiefs of staff, while the office of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence is abolished. These two changes may be considered together. The vanished office always seemed to be a compromise intended to silence those who had clamoured tor a Minister for Defence. Of the two able men who have held the portfolio of Co-ordination, Sir Thomas Inskip was hardly to be taken seriously, while the abilities of Lord Chatfield, once war had broken out, seemed to be wasted. Doubtless he will soon be employed in a more satisfying capacity. The selection of Mr. Churchill as President of the defence committee, as it may be called, seems a definite step in the direction of making one man responsible for the warlike efforts of the country. Probably it is still as impossible as ever it was to place one Minister in direct charge of all three fighting Ministries, but it does not seem impracticable to have one supervising director of all our martial efforts. Mr. Churchill is undoubtedly the best man for that position. He has been War Minister and Air Minister—though he never devoted himself seriously to the work of the latter office, andw as a nominal rather than an active Air Minister. HeIS| ho wever, well versed in the theories of air power, and he is a deep student of the higher strategy of war. n the last war he showed his appreciation of the import- ance of circumventing the enemy's flanks, though he Jacked the means to impede the right flank of the ad- vancing German Army by a threat from Antwerp, or to jorce the Dardanelles. Had his ideas been adopted and Put into practice then, many millions of lives might have (n saved. If any one man can find a means of bring- ing German resistance to a speedy end by the proper use of all three fighting services, Mr. Churchill is the man to do it. Navy and Air ForceI N the committee over which Mr. Churchill is to preside it is fortunate that in Sir Samuel Hoare he will find a colleague who has been both Air Minister and First Lord of the Admiralty, and who understands the needs of our senior and our junior Services. The Admiralty and the Air Ministry are now working together whole- heartedly, but there are still ways in which their co- operation could be improved. For one thing, the carriers and also the catapult ships, of the Navy might well be supplied with types of aircraft of higher per- formance than some of those now in use, while the splendid efforts of the Coastal Command could surely be made even more effective if its squadrons were equipped with types designed specifically for the work of reconnaissance round our coasts, instead of with a selection of conversions from civil types of aircraft. If the present First Lord represents these matters to the present Air Minister we are sure that -the latter will see the point and use his best endeavours to improve the situation. The Air MinistryS IR KINGSLEY WOOD has had a very strenuous two years at the Air Ministry, during which he has never spared himself, and now he well deserves the relaxation of a less arduous post. He succeeded Lord Swinton at a very trying time, when the expansion of the Air Force was in full swing, and he has pressed on that business with unflagging energy. One has simply marvelled at his stamina, as one has followed his frequent visits to units and factories. Not the least useful side of his activities has been the readiness with
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
