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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0253.PDF
FLIGHT, 24 February 1961 255 SERVICE AVIATION Air Force, Naval and Army Flying News t Defending Central Europe AN air defence exercise involving the>•»the two tactical air forces controlled by Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AIR-CENT) was held last week. It was designed to counter a large number of simulatedaerial attacks directed against Central Europe from points close to the easternboundary of the AIRCENT command; defensive forces were drawn from the inter-cepter squadrons and Nike Hercules sur- face-to-air missile units assigned to 2ndATAF (RAF, Netherlands, German and Belgian Air Forces) and 4th ATAF (US,French, German, Canadian Air Forces), supplemented by fighter aircraft units ofthe French Air Defence Command (DAT). The exercise was one of a series run everyfour months to test and practise the air defences of the Central Europe region. RAF Germany AOC EARLY in April Air Cdre E. G. Jones,CB, CBE, DSO, DFC, is moving north- eastwards from Fontainebleau in Franceto Miinchen-Gladbach in Germany: having been Assistant Chief of Staff(Intelligence) at AAFCE headquarters since June last year he is becoming AOC,RAF Germany (Second Tactical Air Force), from April 7. His previous appoint-ments have been those of Commandant of the CRE at Brampton and command ofRAF Wyton. Air Cdre Jones, who will become an airvice-marshal in his new appointment, won both the DFC and Dso within six months inGreece in 1941 while commanding No 80 Sqn: he gained the DFC for leading a mixed Air Cdre E. G. Jones force of Hurricanes and Gladiators againstenemy bombers and fighters over Albania (an engagement in which the RAF pilotsdestroyed 27 aircraft without loss); his DSO was won for patrols over the Greek front.Later in the war he served in Europe with No 83 Group, as group captain in chargeof operations and subsequently in com- mand of No 121 Wing (Typhoons). UAS Future AT the annual dinner of the University* of London Air Squadron in London last Friday it was clear that the universityair squadrons are having to fight harder than ever to survive. In welcoming the guests the CO, WgCdr V. Rees, asked whether the country got value for money from the UAS. Boththe present minister and his secretary of slate were former UAS members, he said, An artist's impression of the Royal Navy's new assault ship, building of which was announced in the First Lord's explana- tory statement on the Navy Estimates for 1961/62 (see p. 229): the vessel has a heli- copter platform and is designed to carry landing craft but their membership had been an in-tangible benefit until now. Some 28 UAS members had attained air rank and twohad become Cs-in-C. Ex-UAS pilots were now twice as likely to complete RAF pilottraining as other entrants. Since the aboli- tion of national service, the UAS werethe only preview of the Service available and they influenced the best aircrew pros-pects. In view of the expected expansion in universities, the UAS should also beexpanded. Proposing the health of the squadron,the Secretary of State for Air, Mr Julian Amery, recalled that the UASs hadoriginally been formed to make future leaders air-minded. People were nownaturally air-minded. The heads of the Service were favourably disposed to theUAS, but the squadrons must produce concrete results in the form of regular air-crew if their retention was to be made easy for the planners. Aircrew applicantsof a sufficiently high standard were hard to find, but Transport Command was tobe increased three-fold and the deterrent would remain airborne. The demandwould not decrease during the next ten years. 2nd ATAF Post A STAFF change at 2nd Allied Tactical•**• Air Force headquarters, Germany, has been announced: the post of Deputy Chiefof Staff (Air) has been taken over by Air Cdre John H. Lapsley, OBE, DFC, AFC. Hesucceeds Air Cdre R. J. B. Burns, CBE, who from next Monday is to become Directorof Flight Safety at Air Ministry. Air Cdre Lapsley has previously been at2nd TAF as Group Captain Operations, before taking up his most recent appoint-ment as Deputy Director of Joint Plans at Air Ministry. He is an ex-apprentice,having gone to Cranwell on a cadetship; among his previous posts have been thecommand of No 74 Sqn and of RAF Wahn. His predecessor at 2nd ATAF, Air CdreBurns, is a South African; prior to becom- ing Deputy Chief of Staff (.Air) he com-manded RAF Wildenrath in Germany. Mr S. T. Gunnis, "helpmeet and guide to every holder of the office of Vice-Chief of Air Staff at the Air Ministry," receiving a presentation cigarette-box from Marshal of the RAF Sir William Dickson on retirement from the post of personal assistant to the VCAS. Mr Gunnis, 61, joined Air Ministry shortly after it was formed in February 1919 and became PA to the first VCAS, Air Marshal R. E. C. (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard) Peirse, when the post was created in 1940 IN BRIEF The Duchess of Kent, who named the air-craft carrier Centaur in 1947, is to attend the ship's re-commissioning ceremony at Ports-mouth on March 3. What is described as "the biggest airpageant ever staged in Australia" is being held this weekend at Avalon, near Geelong in Vic-toria, organized by the Air Force Association. The Potters Bar branch of the RAFA iscelebrating the 21st anniversary of the incep- tion of the D.H. Mosquito with a ball onmidsummer eve (June 24) at Salisbury Hall, London Colney, where the first of these air-craft was built in secret and is now permanently housed. Eight Books of Remembrance, bearing thenames of over 105,000 men and women who gave their lives while serving in the RAF andits associated Services during the Second World War, are to be placed in the RAFChurch of St Clement Danes on May 7. Air Cdre A. G. Dudgeon, Commandant ofthe Air Training Corps and RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force, has been attend-ing conferences in Paris and Montreal to work out arrangements for this year's internationalair cadet exchange scheme. No 194 Sqn (India-Burma-Malaya) isholding its 11th reunion dinner on Saturday, April 15, at the Mapleton Restaurant, 39Coventry Street, Piccadilly, London Wl. Tickets (£1) from the hon secretary, DouglasWilliams, 56 Mottingham Lane, Lee, London SE12 (Kip 1025). The captain, co-pilot, navigator and sig-naller of a Britannia of No 99 Sqn—respec- tively Fit Lts D. West, G. Shipway and D.Hancock and F/Sgt L. Bennett—were yester- day being presented with awards by theChilean Ambassador in recognition of the part they played in taking relief supplies to theearthquake-stricken areas of Chile last year. They have also been made honorary membersof the Chilean Air Force.
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