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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 2079.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL MEKLY IN THE W6RLD .• FOUNDED WOQ Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2 9 7 1 (5 lines). 260. DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams: Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 26B, RENFIELD ST.. GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home and Abroad : Year, £3 10. 6 months, £1 10 6. 3 month*, 15*. 3d. .". ., . : Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper. No. 1707. Vol. XL SEPTEMBER 11th, 1941. Thursdays, One Shilling The Outlooks "Mischief-makers" A STRONG Government usually welcomes criticism,provided that it is not merely malicious or usedfor purely party purposes. Criticism cannot always be constructive; those who see what is wrong may not always be in a position to suggest means for putting things right. If there were nothing which ought to be destroyed, there would be nothing to criticise. Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air, speaking on September 3rd at a luncheon of the National Defence Public Interest Committee, is reported to have said: "The R.A.F. had been proud to play its part in contributing to the achievements of the Army. The mischief-makers who would try to persuade us that the R.A.F. was too busy with its own affairs to concern itself about the Army were wrong-headed. It was true that in the past shortages of aircraft and equipment made it necessary to concentrate all available resources on providing the essential means of victory in air war, but they liked to co-operate with the Army. They were determined to work and train with the Army so as to improve that co-operation, and now with the additional resources available that co-operation would become ever closer and more fruitful." "Mischief-makers" and "wrong-headed" are terms which would indicate objection to criticism. There is an old sarcastic maxim in the legal profession that when you have a bad case you should abuse the other side's advocate. Is Sir Archibald inwardly conscious that he has a bad case? Books published about the R.A.F. |n France make it clear that the B.E.F. was let downD ' the R.A.F. Shortage of aircraft was, no doubt, the reason, but was it a sufficient excuse? Wiser planning beforehand ought to have avoided that result, and it would be interesting to know how much say the Army bad in the planning beforehand. But then the Army, having no air arm of its own, is not in a good position to say what it really ought to have, and may be inclined to trust the assurances of the Air Ministry that it will be all right on "the day." A Lesson from AustraliaI N the African campaigns there was, to all appearance, grand co-operative work between the two Services, but it is disturbing to find the Australian Commander- in-Chief, Lieut. Gen. Sir Iven Mackay, asserting, if he has been correctly reported, that in the Libyan cam- paign the co-operation was not good enough. As a result, it has been announced in Canberra that a large number of aircraft are to be attached to the Australian forces in the Middle East, and placed under the control of the Army. This must apply to squadrons other than the tactical reconnaissance units which are called Army Co-operation Squadrons, as these have always been under the operational control of the Army. Something much more*far-reaching is indicated. We cannot help wondering whether Sir Archibald Sinclair would include Sir Iven Mackay among the " wrong-headed mischief- makers." The Air Ministry is able to boast that it has established the Army Co-operation Command to deal with all ques- tions between the two Services. Recently the Air Minis- try News Service issued a bulletin headed "Secrets of the Army Co-operation Command." Naturally, it did not reveal any secrets, but the subjects which it did mention gave small comfort to the "wrong-headed
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