VOTE A. NUMBER FOR AIR FORCE SERVICE (Hansard, 15 March 1949)

§ Mr. A. R. W. Low (Blackpool, North)
Would it be in Order if I put a few questions on the subject of Army and Air co-operation? It is one subject which has not been replied to in the course of the Under-Secretary's interesting speech. I think that he will agree that this is every bit as important as Air and Navy cooperation. I only raise it now because it seems to me, and I think that the Minister of Defence will agree with me, that in 1949, and in future years, one Service is going to be no use without the other two.

§ The Chairman
A question of general co-operation would not be in order at this stage. A discussion on the Army is not in Order on these Estimates.

§ Mr. Low
I was trying to give the background to my remarks. I want to ask a few questions about the Tactical Air Force, but since I wanted to make quite clear that we are at one about the importance of it, I was just risking the wrath of the Chair by going slightly outside the bounds of Order. I want to find out whether the importance of the Tactical Air Force, the air force which gives close support to the Army, is fully accepted today, and I want to make certain that in the event of the Air Ministry being short of money or short of equipment—and I imagine that in peace time any Service department is always short of one or other or both—they do not save the money on that part of the Air Force which gives close support to the Army. I should also like to have some words of assurance that training in close liaison with the Army is actually going on. I believe it is going on in Germany. When I was there I heard it was going on, but that is a matter on which the House and the country would like to be given some assurance, and to be told that not only is training going on but that development of technique is going ahead.
During the last war tremendous advances in the technique of co-operation between the two Services were made, but even at the end, those of us who are closely interested in this were still not satisfied with the speed with which air photographs were developed and made available for the Army, for example, and sometimes we were not satisfied that each of us knew as quickly as we ought to have done the identification of targets, and so on. That great development of technique can only be maintained by the closest liaison and training that we can get in peace time, and I would hope that these matters have been further developed. I am sure that everybody has in mind the fact that there is a Joint Services Staff College, which of course will achieve some development of technique from the other point of view, but which will not necessarily achieve the development of practical technique at lower levels which is so vital.
I should like some assurance that actual training, as realistic as possible, is taking 2068 place today. I was very glad to hear the right hon. and learned Gentleman say how important the R.A.F. co-operation had been in Malaya, and I am sure that everyone realises what a tremendous difference even the co-operation of a few aircraft in operations such as that must make to the safety of those taking part in ground operations and to the effectiveness of the operations. It becomes all the more important when we consider the possibility of major operations in Western Europe, and I hope that we shall be told that there really are plans for a Tactical Air Force to be immediately available for any land force that may be required under the Brussels Pact or the North Atlantic Pact.

§ Mr. A. Henderson
I can assure the hon. and gallant Member that there is very close co-operation between the Royal Air Force and the Army, especially in Germany and the Middle East or in any of the foreign parts in which both branches of the Services are situated. I shall not go further as regards his questions about the Tactical Air Force than to say that broadly speaking what we call B.A.F.O., the force we have in Germany, has the essence of a Tactical Air Force. The squadrons we have in Germany are squadrons whose rôle brings them within that description. The operations of the squadrons we have in the Middle East would give protection to any land forces engaged in operations. As regards photographic reconnaissance and as to whether there is close co-operation or liaison between officers of the Army and Air Force at the lower levels, I can say, not only from my personal experience on visits but with justification, that there is a system of liaison between Army officers and their opposite numbers in the Royal Air Force under that particular umbrella.
Perhaps I should say a word with regard to the Territorial Army. The hon. and gallant Gentleman was not present, I think, when we discussed the Amendment moved by the hon. Member for Oxford (Mr. Hogg). I then referred to the formation of these 20 flights of Air Observation planes the sole purpose of which is to act as observation posts, as he knows, for line formations. That is another example of close co-operation between the Royal Air Force and the Army.