While the debate in the House of Commons on the subject of aircraft production demon-strafes the right to freedom of speech in a democratic legislature,—something which Hitler could never afford to tolerate,—it has brought out a declaration by the Government, in answer to the allegations of the critics, showing that the dynamic energy of Lord Beaverbrook, when Minister of Aircraft Production, had indeed obtained results. That is borne out by a message from Washington where the Government announced that, during June, 1,476 war planes had been produced for Britain, giving occasion for reliable pri-vote resources to say that the combined production of Great Britain and the United States without a doubt now exceeded German efforts. The race has been a long and arduous one, but despite everything the German air force has endeavoured to do against British air production it has grown until according 10 American authorities about 1,500 machines a month are being turned out in Great Britain. It is stated that the German potential output was between 3000 and 3,600 combat craft, hut that the actual number produced was, for various reasons, considerably below those figures.
In a very short space of time, possibly before the end of the year the United States will be building 2,000 aeroplanes a month, so that when that point is reached the combined production of the two democracies will be far ahead of the enemy and an annual output of about 50,000 aeroplanes within reach. Then supremacy in the air will be with the. Allies, supremacy not only over Europe but in all other theatres of war, and the disadvantages under which the Allies' land forces have been suffering because of lack of sufücient support in the air will by then have disappeared. Already the considerable strengthening of the RAF. is producing results in the shape of increased air attacks on important objectives in Germany, which during the past three weeks or so has given the Germans food for very considerable thought.
But to revert to the Commons' debate; it is pleasing to note that Lieut.-Col, J. Moore-Brabazon, now Minister for Aircraft Production, declared that it would not be many months before raids like those on London would be child's play compared with the raids which British aircraft would be able to make on Berlin. It is probably only the very short hours of darkness at this time of the year which have prevented such raids up to the present, but it is good to know that directly opportunity offers Berlin will be meted out the same treatment as, that under which London so: gallantly suffered. There are still those who tend to deplore air attacks on Berlin as retaliation for those made on London, but surely the argument, that London being the seat of the British Government 1$ a proper military objective, must apply in the case of Berlin. There are, of course, other military objectives in both capitals and the only question with which the British air command will probably concern itself is whether blows struck at Berlin can be carried out without reducing the effectiveness of raids elsewhere in Germany.
If that question is answered in the affirmative there should be no false sentimentality about attacking Berlin whether as reprisals or not. After the indiscriminate bombing to which London and other cities, small towns and even villages have been subjected, after all the slaughter which has been inflicted upon tens of thousands of British civilians, it must be a matter of the completest indifference, to all those who realize that the only answer to totalitarian war is totalitarian war, whether in the search after means of doing the greatest damage to the German cause, German civilians are made to suffer as the British have done. It will not be satisfactory to any, who appreciate the mentality of the Nazis and their methods of conducting war, until the German cup has been filled to overflowing, until the enemy is struck back at with the weapons they have used so murderously, and given an opportunity of showing the world whether Nazi discipline is as good as British moral.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.