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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1836.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .• FOUNDED WOO Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. War Correspondent JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). COVENTRY: 8-10, CORPORATION ST. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 52 10. BIRMINGHAM, 2:HALL ?UILDI MANCHESTER, 3 : Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 lines). Telegrams : Telephone: Iliffe, Manchester. Blackfriart 4412. GLASGOW, C.I: 268, RENFIFLD ST. Telegrams: Hiffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Central 48 5 7. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home and Abroad : Year, £3 I 0, Registered at the G.f.O. as a Newspaper. 6 months, £1 10 6. No 1917. Vol. XLVIII. September 20th, 1945 Thursdays, One Shilling. We Outlook Unique PromotionA IR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR ARTHUR TEDDER'S promotion to the rank of Marshal of the Royal Air Force is in various ways unprecedented, but everyone will agree that it has been very well earned. The rank is equivalent to Admiral of the Fleet and Field Marshal. Apart from three Kings, it has never been conferred upon any officer who has not held the appoint- ment of Chief of the Air Staff. Only two, Lord Trerjchard and Sir Charles Portal, have been promoted to this rank while still actively employed as C.A.S. Sir John Salmond, Sir Edward Ellington, and Sir Cyril Newall received their promotions after vacating their positions at the Air Ministry. For the sake of accuracy, we ought to qualify the above statements by pointing out that King George V was never gazett&d Marshal of the Roval Air Force. .But when he inspected the Royal Air Force at Milden- ua.1) he wore the uniform with the badges of that rank. Sir Arthur Tedder's promotion comes as reward for long and exceptional services in time of war. It was an accident which first took him to the Middle East as Deputy A.O.C.-in-C., as the officer originally chosen •»!" that post had been made a prisoner of war by the Italians while flying out to take up his appointment. Sir Arthur Longmore, the then A.O.C.-in-C., was soon after recalled, and Sir Arthur Tedder stepped into his - loes. The brilliance of the air operations which he inaugurated during the triumphant drive of the Eighth Army from Alamein to Tunisia removed the reproach that the British did not understand how to use an Army 2nd an Air Force in combination—a reproach for which ttiere had previously been considerable justification. But during that series of brilliant operations Tedder roust have shown a grasp of war and battle in general, ior he was made Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Army of Liberation. If General Eisenhower had fallen sick, Tedder would have been in supreme com- mand of all the Allied forces of sea, land and air. To have taken the chance of placing him in that position would have been a very rash step on the part of Mr. Churchill and Mr. Roosevelt if they had not felt com- plete confidence that he was capable of conducting the invasion of the Continent to a victorious conclusion. Early in the campaign Sir Bernard Montgomery was promoted to Field Marshal. It would certainly have been inappropriate that the Deputy Supreme Com- mander under whom he might have had to fight should have remained in a subordinate rank. Sir Arthur's promotion is a unique step ; but it strikes us as not having been conferred one day too soon. Faster, Bigger and BetterT HE British light, hidden for years under the security bushel, is beginning to peep out from beneath that partly lifted container, which could have been tipped over quite a while ago without en- dangering the safety of the country. As it is, other lights have been shining, and the claims that '' the Hornet is believed to be the fastest propeller-driven aircraft in the world," and "the Vampire is believed to be the fastest jet-propelled aircraft in production in the world to-day," although they disclose -a highly satisfactory state of affairs, will not have the same prestige value as if the same statements had been made six months ago. We would go even further and say that no possible harm could have resulted if, in the spring of last year, an announcement had been issued recording the fact that a new type of British aircraft had been carefully timed to exceed by a considerable margin the speed of 500 m.p.h. in level flight. It would not have told the enemy anything. However, at long last we are being permitted to tell E
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