Evening star., 1941-01-08
R. A. F. Ex-Chief
Here 10 Work Out
Plane Standardizinq
Sir Hugh Dowding Had
Duty Of Outwitting Nuzi:
In Fierce Air Raids
By BLAIR BOLLES.

Sir Hugh Dowding, brigadier
general and one of the greatest of
the British military flyers, put his
feet under a desk here yesterday and
talked to the press of arms and men.
He spoke as an expert of things only
guessed at publicly in this country.
The men who impress him most
are the British civilians-and the
women, too-who have gained from
the Luftwaffe only a cold anger"
and determination upon victory.
The arms which most interest him
now are the airplanes being built in
the United States for English use.
Those airplanes brought him to this
country, and soon he will begin a
tour of American factories making
planes for Britain.
Sir Hugh is a slight man, with
neatly brushed hair and neat. mas
culine mustache. In a tweed suit
he looks little like the commander
who defied and outwitted the Ger
mans in their fierce and seemingly
endless daylight assaults against
England in September.
To Take Sting From Bombers.
He greeted reporters in a corner
room of the Willard Hotels ninth
floor, which is under lease to the
British Purchasing Mission The
British Embassy provided him with
protection in the form Of two public
relations representatives, man and
a pretty girl, and with them at his
side, he talked for more than an
hour.
The most important things he said
were these:
I'VE have good hopes of being able
to bring to standstill the night
bombing attacks on British industry
and cities, or at least to take all of
the sting and weight out of it, by
spring of this year.
"a method for doing so now exists,
and it is question of providing ma
terial enough to put our defensive
measures into full effect.
"By that I don't mean to say that
night bombing will be absolutely
stopped any more than day bombing
has been absolutely stopped. But day
bombing now is carried out by the
enemy only through the use of clouds
Or by an evasion"
Commands Air Over England.
England, in other words. has COM
mand of the air over England. And
Sir Hugh said:
without command of the air in
vasion is a dream that can never be
fulfilled"
He gave salute to Americans who
are fighting for England, the flyers
in the Eagle Squadron Of the r. A. F.,
composed of volunteers from this
country.
"They have now completed their
training" Sir Hugh reported, "and
they are in action in the east OF Eng
land. We welcome them in the firing
llllS, 1lOU UCCduSC Id oAAy S<NASc-
ing physical need-for as your great
President has said our need Is ma
terial-but because they wish to
share with the men of the British
Empire our perils and our glory"
The air marshal was once in
command of the r. A. F. Now he
comes on special mission for Lord
Beaverbrook, the Minister of Air
craft Production. He arrived here
Sunday, and yesterday morning he
talked with Secretary of the Treas
ury Morgenthau, who is the Amer
lean co-ordinator of British pur-
chasing, at the Treasury Depart
ment.
Seeks Agreement on Plane Types.
Then he moved on to the scene of
his press conference. First he talked
and then when he had said what he
planned to say, he answered ques-
tions. What he had to say was this:
I've come over here to be useful
in any capacity in which I can help.
"one Of the Ypst important things