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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0310.PDF
iob FEBRUARY 6TH, 1941. Can It Be Done ?T HE suggestion put forward several months ago by Captain Norman Macmillan in his series of articles in Flight, that the British aircraft factories should be transferred, lock, stock and barrel, to British Dominions, was received with scepticism. We ourselves commented on it adversely, arguing that the shipping required, not to mention the interruption of production which would inevitably occur, would be prohibitive. It now appears that Australia has been thinking along somewhat similar lines, for according to the Canberra correspondent of The Times, the Australian Prime Minister, after discussion with the members of the War Council, is about to submit to the British Government plans for transferring to Australia a considerable part of .the aircraft manufacturing plant of the United King- dom. Mr. Menzies evidently takes the view that the war will last for years, otherwise the suggestion would be little short of fantastic. But even if it is assumed that a protracted war is certain, it is difficult to agree that such a scheme might be practicable. The amount of shipping which would be entailed would be prodigious, and at present, and for some time to come, we have none to spare if an adequate supply of war materials and foodstuffs is to be assured. It might be argued that if some of these supplies were diverted to Australia, they would require no greater tonnage, and that the" food supplies needed would be reduced in proportion to the number of aircraft workers with their families who were transferred to Australia. That would not be quite true, because only, or at least mainly, aircraft materials would be sent to Australia, while numerous other war necessities would obviously still have to come to this country. Already many months ago it was announced officially that more than 100,000 people were engaged on aircraft construction. The figure must by now be several times greater. But even if only a proportion of aircraft workers were transferred, and % the equipment of only a percentage of the works, the shipping task would be gigantic. When details become known, it will, perhaps, be found that the Australian scheme visualises a gradual transfer. For that there is much to be said—if the war is to be a long one. Qood Team WorkT HE campaign in Libya is an outstanding example of co-operation between the three fighting Ser- vices. The Royal Navy has swept the seas clear of enemy surface warships, the Royal Air Force has swept the skies over the desert clear of Italian aircraft, and the Army continues to ply the broom on the ground troops of the once redoubtable Marshal Graziani. Not only has each Service done its own bit of work to per- fection, but the work of all three has been so dovetailed together that the result has been sheer perfection. Had one of the three been less adequate than it was, thingsV would not have gone so well. In contrast to this extraordinary display of team work the Axis is apparently trying to reverse the decision by reliance on the air arm alone. Mussolini has asked Hitler for help, and Hitler has sent him bombers. Those bombers have had a success by destroying a cruiser and damaging an aircraft carrier, and they may further cause annoyance to the Allied forces in the Mediterranean _ theatre. It is by no means a certainty, or even a proba- , bility, that German bombers will get the better of the R.A.F., but even if they reduced the mastery which the latter has established, that would not be final. Hitler, doubtless recognises that, and so it is not surprising that., there is a threat of intervention by the German Army. It may advance in the spring. If it does, it will only add to the Axis force the second element of the three which we have used to bring success. The combination of three successful Services, which has served us so well, is not a possibility for the Axis. GOOD HOLLANDERS : Pilots of the Royal Dutch Naval Air Service operating with the R.A.F. The yellow triangle on the nose of the Hudson denotes the nationality.
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