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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0321.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2303 Vol. LXIII. FRIDAY, 13 MARCH 1953 EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR *H. F. KING, M.B.E. ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams, Flightpres, Sedi'st, London. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines)- Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams, Autocar, Coventry. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3. 260 Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C2. 26b Renfield Street. Telegrams, Hiffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00. BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Pakistan's Final Attackers - - - - 320 The Defence Debate - 321 CC.F. and R.A.F. - - 325 The Helicopter Pilot's Viewpoint .... 327 Week-end in Africa - - 332 Order Book - - - - 336 Future Methods of Construction - - - 338 Hands Off Bomber Command! IT would be interesting to know what manner of men periodically launch rumours about the R.A.F. giving up its Bomber Command and leaving all the work to the Americans. We have refrained in the past from making any but the most superficial references to this sort of talk, but it seems to persist, if only in a few irresponsible or ill- informed quarters. It is mainly to those who may not have considered the implications of such suggestions that these few words are addressed. For generations past the British Fleet has been the symbol of Britain's might. It has been our surest defence and, in a sense, a part of all of us. A century ago the sacrifice of the battle-line would have been unthinkable, no matter what its cost to the country's living standards. Fortunately no such occasion arose, nor has it arisen now. Today the Navy has lost none of its splendour; but a considerably greater potential danger than that from which it has protected our shores for centuries is now presented—by airborne atomic weapons. Fighters will play their all-important defensive part, but bombers must take over from battleships to be ready to fly out and destroy an enemy before he can launch his deadly attack. Strained though the national finances are, there is stretch enough by cutting down on only a few luxuries to permit the maintenance of three times the size of bomber force now planned, should such a course be deemed necessary. Many of us, when travelling in other lands, have experienced personally the degrading results of a foreign policy of weakness and appeasement. Unchristian though it may seem, those nations whose lot it is to lead and to set an example must be strong in arms as well as in principles. If they are not, they will receive little respect from the dictators and bullies and may be powerless to prevent the engulfment of their smaller and weaker allies, and even themselves. To dispense with Bomber Command would be a definite step on the downhill path toward the demotion of Great Britain to a second- or third-class power. On our record as a nation we have a right to assume that our mature counsel and influence on inter national affairs is of value to all free nations, and such an unshouldering of responsi bility would be a disastrous action. A recent suggestion closely allied to that discussed above is that the British strategic bomber force should be placed under outside control. We are pleased to note that the statement by Mr. Birch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, during the Defence Debate last week left no room for doubts. He said : "There is no truth what ever in the stories that the Americans are trying to stop us building medium bombers or that we do not intend to maintain our strategic bomber force under national control." From the Defence Debate Those portions of the Defence Debate which concerned air matters are reported by our Parliamentary correspondent on page 321. At a cost of about £300,000 each—and contrary to the implication by Capt. Waterhouse—the new British medium bombers for which small but super-priority orders have been placed can be considered cheap in relation to the power they represent and by comparison with the so much less effective defensive and deterrent forms of armament of earlier periods. We were glad to see that the subject of transports and helicopters was raised by Mr. Orr-Ewing. The importance of mobility when large areas and small forces are concerned has been rightly stressed on many occasions. The numbers and types of transport air craft that would be available to the Services in the event of war are quite inadequate, and very little is being done to increase them. Unfortunately, moreover, this class of aircraft is not eligible for American aid or off-shore procurement arrangements in the same manner as are the first-line types. Several types of widely differing transport aircraft are required, ranging from those in the classes of the Vickers 1000 and the Beverley to helicopters and machines as small as the Ambulance/Freighter. Front-line strips as well as main runways need to be served, and at least one machine should be thoroughly suitable for dropping paratroopers.
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