Evening star., 1941-06-10

enemy attack sufficient to require
a major effort on his part, but to
| attempt to be safe everywhere is to
make sure of being strong nowhere.
Without going into facts and fig
ures, which 1t is not possible for me
to give here, it is impossible for
the House or even for newspapers
to arrive at just judgment. A man
must be a perfect fool, however, who
thinks that we have large quantities
anti-aircraft guns and aircraft
| lying around unused at the present
! time.
1t was four years ago that men,
toned to- the House that the Ger
mans already had 1900 mobile anti-
aircraft guns IN addition to the
whole of their static anti-aircraft
artillery.
Since then they have been making
them at great rate and have con-
i quered more than all they want from
countries they have cyerthroWn.
Hore-BeliSha made a very cogent
and moderate contribution to debate.
but used a very different tone in
speech which he recently delivered
in the country and this makes it
necessary to say that the state in
which our army was left when he
ended his tenure at the war Office
was lamentable.
Short of Every Essential
Supply and Special Weapons.
We were short of every essential
supply and particularly of those
special classes of weapons-AA guns,
anti-tank guns and tanks which
have proved themselves vital in
modern war.
Hore-Belisha intervening) I do
not know why the Prime Minister
should say I left the army in
lamentable condition. That is quite
out of accord with what he said
after the retreat from Dunkerque
that we had lost the finest lot of
equipment which had ever left
these shores
Until a very short time before the
war, the House and the country were
opposed to creation of continental
army which, nevertheless, they tried
to create.
Another general question is why
we have not enjoyed much
stronger and much larger air force
in the Middle East.
l can only say thiS-from the
moment when the battle of Britain
was decided in our favor in Sep
tember and October last year. we
have been and are still sending air.
craft as fast as possible to the
Middle East by every route and
every method.
We have not been hampered in
this matter as we were in case of
AA guns. but the problem has been
to send them out.
The Germans have the advantage
of permanent air fields in Europe
and can send their servicing and
personnel and stores by grand con-
tinental expresses
Doing Utmost to Build
Middle East Air Force.
can give the House assurance
that we have done, are doing and
will do our utmost to build up the
largest possible air force in the
Middle East and it Is not a question
of aircraft but solely transportation
in the sense of time it takes to
transfer it under conditions of the
present war
1t is not aircraft but transporta-
ton which is the limiting factor at
this end
This is primarily a matter for
commanders in chief in Middle
East although His Majesty's gov
eminent share to the full their
responsibilities for whatever is done.
One has to compare this process
with sending airplanes packed in
crates put upon ships and sent
through great ocean spaces until
they reach the Cape, unpacking
them and setting them up again.
One has only to compare these two
processes to see Germans can do
in days what it takes us weeks or
even more and this has its bearings
upon the possibility of a German
movement back from East to West,
which certainly can be executed very
swiftly If they resolved upon an
assault upon this country.
Cooperation Between Services
Is of High Degree.
Cooperation and coordination
between services is carried to a very
high pitch. The chief air officer
lives in the same house in Cairo as
the commander in chief The naval
commander in chief has to be at
sea very often.
The idea that any one of these
problems would be studied by one
without close association with the
other is quite illusory
A member intervened: Who has
the final Say?"
Prime Minister (resuming):
1t is not so much a question Of
the final say No disagreement I
know of has arisen.
The air force is assisting the army
and the fleet in all their functions.
In the event of a difference 1t