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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 0545.PDF
i AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD •• FOUNDED WO9 Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices.- DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. COVENTRY : CORPORATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2 : rORPnn IO ST GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, 8-0, CORPORATION ST., NAVIGATION ST. Telegrams: Autocar,Coventry. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Coventry 52 10. Telephone: Midland 297 1 (5 lines). Telephone: Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : GLASGOW, C.2 : 260, DEANSGATE, 26B, REN Fl ELD ST., Telegrams : lliffe, Manchester. Telegrams: lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES : Home and Abroad : Year, £3 10. 6 months, Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper. £110 6. 3 months, 15s. 3d. No. 1733. Vol. XLI. MARCH 12th, 1942. Thursdays, One Shilling. The Outlook- Two Voices I NTRODUCING the Air Estimates on March 4th, Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air, said that we intended to resume the bomber' offensive against Germany on the largest possible scale at the earliest possible moment. A few days before, on February 25th, Sir Stafford Cripps, Leader of the House of Commons, had said that the policy of building up a bomber force had been initiated at a time when we were fighting alone against Germany and Italy, and it then seemed the most effective way in which we, acting alone, could take an initiative against the enemy. Since ^fee success of the Russian armies and the entry of the United States into the war, the original policy had come under review, and was indeed kept constantly under review. The Government, said Sir Stafford, were fully aware of the other uses to which our resources could be put, and the moment they arrived at a decision that the circumstances warranted a change, a change of policy would be made. These two statements by two Ministers suggest that the Government is not at all clear in its mind as to what our policy ought to be. Sir Archibald Sinclair cer tainly disregarded the words of Sir Stafford Cripps, and at first sight it seems as if the two Ministers were COH-t dieting each other. Sir Stafford, it may be noted, a only just joined the Government at the time of his speech, and he must have been speaking from his brief, not from his own personal knowledge of the delibera tions of the Government. Sir Archibald, on the other hand, is not a member of the War Cabinet, and in pre senting the Air Estimates, was merely the spokesman of "ls department. Looked at in that way, there is no necessary contradiction between the two speeches. The Air Minister once again affirms the intention to hammer the German war effort with all the strength of the bomber force at his command. The Leader of the House hinted that the effort now devoted to multiplying that bomber force may be curtailed, presumably on the production side. All the same, it is unfortunate when the speeches of two Ministers give the impression that there is a lack of unanimity in the British High Command. An Uneasy House T HE debate which followed the speech of the Air Minister gave ample evidence that the House of Commons is uneasy about the higher direction of the Royal Air Force. There is no uneasiness at all about the behaviour and skill of the pilots and air crews, or about the excellence of the designs produced by the aircraft firms. All speakers combined to praise our airmen, and quite rightly. The criticism was all directed against the higher organisation of the Air Force. Speaker after speaker dealt with the relations of the Air Force and the Army. Nearly all agreed that the Air Force and the Navy are now working together in full accord—a happy change from the conditions of a few years ago—and the still-vexed question of whether the Coastal Command ought to be. under the Admiralty was ignored by nearly all Hon. Members. Many nostrums were advocated for securing better air support for our expeditionary forces in the future. Some Hon. Members were in favour of giving the Army its own air arm. Others did not want that, but urged strongly that Army commanders should have absolute
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