Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-18
Great Britain Is Seen
Meeting Plane
Replacement Problem
June Additions Are
Estimated at About
1000 Craft
Last OF a Series.)
BY DREW MIDDLETON,

by DhEW MlDDLE lON,
Associated Press War Correspondent
LONDON.-The prime problem
of the Royal Air Force. faced with
months, and perhaps, years of con-
slant action, is the matter of re-
placements for its aircraft.
The Air Ministry has revealed
that up to noon of July u total
of 573 British planes had been lost
''due to enemy action"
There are no official figures on
the number of planes destroyed in
France while on the ground or in
hangers. Nor has the number OF
planes destroyed in crashes been
revealed. Neutral air experts, how
ever, place the figure at around
1000 for losses in all these cate
gories.
There are 80 types of planes
listed by the Air Ministry as ready
for active service"
But of these only third are I'M
portant. They are the Wellington,
Whitley, Hampden, Beaufort and
Blenheim bombers; the Spitfire,
Hurricane, Defiant and Gladiator
fighters; the Lysander reconnais-
sance plane, and the American
characterization all-service plane,
which has been used for bombing
patrol, reconnaissance and occa-
sionally as heavy fighter.
Production Output Jumps.
Requirements Jagged during the
winter months. 1t was not until
Lord Beaverbrook became minister
of aircraft production in Prime
Minister Winston Churchill's cabi-
net that the output jumped
He already has announced that
production for June, 1910, was
double that of June, 1899. But be-
cause parliamentary estimates of
air strength always were based on
the percentage above or below that
of previous years, no accurate COM
putation of June production is
available.
The best estimate of neutral air
circles is that CLOSE to 2,000' planes
were added to the airforce and the
feet air arm between June l and
July l. England is believed to have
started the war with only 2,70O first
line planesl
Heavier Armament Carried.
Both the Spltflre and the Hurri-
cane are considered here to be SUI
perior to the best German fighter.
the MeSserSchmitt no. They are
armed with eight machine guns,
against the two cannon and two
machine guns of the German planes
Their pilots claim they are faster
and can be Unanswered more easily
German aircraft, according to the
British pilots, are "spotty." They
declare one plane of type may be
marvelously built, but of metal
which in places is weak and shoddy,
whereas IN other planes of the same
type the metal may be f1aWless
Material is the important factor"
said one Air Ministry official. by
and large their construction prob
ably is just as good as ours. But
our materials are better"
Lord Beaverbrook, eating large
helpings of his spring editorials
which said American planes were
mot up to our standard" recently
has declared that United States
planes represent "a considerable
contribution to the air fleet.
This assertion came shortly after
he had proclaimed that British pro-
duction was showing "a very fine in
crease" The minister declared
orders in the United States amount
ed to $1,0O0,OOO,OOO and those in
Canada to $50,000,000.
Shadow Factories Rise.
Home production has been
strengthened by completion of
shadow factories and the practice
OF Subletting contracts to idle indus
trial plants
Nevertheless, neutral air observ-
ers believe Britain is leaning more
and more on United States and
Canadian factories, far beyond the
range of German bombers.
The chief criticism is that Brit
ain, unlike Germany, has continued
to experiment with new types in
stead Of sticking to three or four
main types, as the Germans did with
their Heinkels, Messerschmitts, Dor
niers and Junkers.
There is one main difference in
the tactics of the rival airforces.
The Germans consistently use dive
bombers. The British do not
This is explained by the absence
of r. A. F. planes built for this
kind of bombing.