Evening star., 1942-06-15
u. ). Victories Cited
By British in Urging
Strong Naval Air Arm
Fundamental Question Of
Cooperation Linked to
Lack of Specialized Croft
Nv WILLIAM II. STONEMAN.

BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,
Yoreisn Correspondent Of The Star and
LONDON. Ss'':ti June e'li i5~x sIi' big, and
very mixed impression has been
made on the British public by the
revelation that the smashing Amer
lean victory in the Coral Sea was
achieved largely through the use of
the Grammar Avenger, the brand
new torpedo bomber which ranks as
the best in the world.
The magnificent performance OF
these aircraft and of the American
dive bombers in the Pacific war zone
reinforces the British public's con-
viction that the British Army and
Navy should also have a goodly sup
ply of similar craft. This conviction
took firm hold on the public at the
time Of tie Scharnhorst-G -Gneisenau
affair. when pilots of the British
coastal command were forced to
operate with obsolete or obsolescent
torpedo bombers. 1t has recently
been confirmed by the experience in
Malta and Libya, where the Ger
mans have repeated their earlier
successes with the once-scorned
Stuka.
In Libya the Royal Air Force
itself again has been forced to at
tack enemy columns with ordinary
fighter bombers, fighters and me-
dium bombs and without the assist
ance of such specialized types as
dive bombers and tank destroyers
OF the Russian Stormovik variety.
Question Of Cooperation.
Linked up with the question Of
why the RAF has not procured a
force of specialized craft before now
Dis general and even more funda-
mental question of cooperation be-
tween the RAP, on the one hand,
and the army and navy on the
other hand. The Air Ministry Is
the boss when it comes to deciding
what types of aircraft shall be pro-
cured and how they shall be used
and unless the RAF is working in
the closest cooperation, and in
complete sympathy with the other
two services, they are not likely to
get the specialized types they need.
Both questions are of interest to
American service chiefs because,
presumably, any Anglo-American
force which attempted to invade
the continent would be partly de-
pendent on Raj air support.
According to such an authority
as Lord Brabazon, former Minister
for Aircraft Production, the failure
of the army and navy to have
proper air support in the past has
been due partly to the Air Ministry,
which has been primarily interested
in the production of heavy bombers
and fighters, and partly to the fact
that neither the army nor navy
realized the Importance OF their
arm. His most important charge,
however, Is that even at the present
time the Air Ministry is not CO.
operating Fundamentally with the
two other services in building up
their air support.
Held Conclusive Argument.
The naval correspondent OF the
Observer regards American sue
cesses in the Coral Sea and of Mid
way Island as conclusive arguments
in favor of creating a strong Brit
ish naval air arm.
Both actions" he says, illustrate
once again the immense power-ln
general conditions which prevail in
the Pacific, at least-of air forces in
mass which are trained and prac-
ticed in operating over the sea.
The latter qualification must not
be forgotten particularly by those
powers which are dependent upon
the sea. which at sea are both
strong and vulnerable. We should
take that lesson very seriously to
heart in this country. We depend,
as no other country does, on being
strong at sea, yet for 20 years the
Navy was precluded from developing
the arm which Is now recognized
as being of supreme importance and
potency.
The Jap Navy showed in the
Siamese Gulf and in the Indian
Ocean what the naval air arm can
do at sea. The American Navy has
now shown even more clearly and
convincingly what its strength and
capabilities should be. We cannot
afford any longer, hamstrung by the
handicap of divided control, to lag
behind
tcopyrisht, 1912. BY Chicago Daily Nevs)