On January 9th 1940, a Royal Air Force Command came into being to include all units of the R.A.F. in France.
Five days later, when Air Marshal A.S. Barratt took over his duties as C-in C. he issued the Special Order of the Day reproduced below
Air Marshal A.S. Barratt, Air Officer Commanding in Chief British Air Forces in a Special Order of the Day, January 14th 1940.
Today the British Air Forces in France are united under one command.
The one ideal that inspires us, one and all, is to do our utmost in helping to win this war.
This ideal, resolutely and unselfishly maintained, will over come all difficulties, great or small, of whatever nature, wherever they arise.
In the months to come let us keep this ideal before us and, with our friends and allies of the French Air Force who have done so much for us since we have been out here, we will fly “wing tip to wing tip” doing our share with the Allied Armies in the field to bring this war to a speedy and decisive conclusion.
Sir Kingsley Wood Air Minister in a Speech at Bristol, February 10th 1940.
What of the Royal Air Force? At the supreme hour of victory in the last Great War, King George V sent an historic message to all ranks of the Royal Air Force.
He recalled how our aircraft had ever been in the forefront of the battle, and referred to their pilots as the keen eyed and swift winged knights of the air who had given the world a new type of daring and resourceful heroism.
The men of the Royal Air Force today are the worthy successors of those men.
Now, as then amongst their ranks are the finest airmen in the world.
Many of the Royal Air Force have already given a great and gallant account of themselves in combat with the Germans.
Those who have not as yet engaged in battle exist in what can only be described as a state of “ exasperated anticipation” always on their toes and desperately keen to take their full part for liberty and freedom.
As regards results in actual combat, it is not surprising at any rate, to us that that part of our Air Force which has been engaged in pitched battles with the enemy has shot down many more enemy aircraft than we have lost.
Between the Thames and north east Scotland our merchant ships in large numbers move up and down on their peaceful business each day.
The German airman emulates his naval confederate in ruthless and murderous attack on them.
He does not discriminate between British or neutral shipping, he obviously prefers those vessels which cannot defend themselves.
We can mark the depths of infamy to which the German air force has fallen when its airman are employed to machinegun and bomb helpless fisherman, and to continue to attack the men struggling for their lives in the icy seas.
Nazi “Tip and Run” Tactics
It is astonishing that the German High Command seek to condone these atrocities, and authorize attacks on lightships and the shelling of the men who man them, and whose sole purpose and lives are dedicated to the greater safety of all those who sail the seas.
Our greatest admiration is for brave and courageous merchantmen and the men who man the lightships.
They may be assured that the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force will not rest until these evil things cease to be and these noxious attacks are wholly defeated.
The toll our airman take is often much heavier than official reports can of necessity reveal, many of the enemy machines our airman have damaged, we find later never reach Germany.
The rubber boats containing the crews of German aircraft which reach our shores , and the bodies of German airman washed up on the coast, bear their own witness that, despite the German “tip and run” tactics ,heavier casualties are inflicted than are generally appreciated.
The work of the Coastal Command, in its daily sweeps to the farthest limits of the North Sea, and its close and hourly co-operation with the Royal Navy in the work of convoy escort and anti submarine patrol, deserves all praise.
During the Arctic weather of January aircraft of the Coastal Command flew close on a million miles.
I think we can confidently say that Europe’s recent great freeze up has shown that our air personnel are pretty weather proof.
The first half January provided the most severe flying weather ever known.
Yet throughout the bitter spell not a single day’s halt was called in the vital work of the Coastal Command.
The ceaseless hunt for U-Boats and for mines went on ,our records show that during all this trying period submarines were sighted and bombed , enemy aircraft were shot down or driven off, mines were destroyed, convoys escorted and “leave ships” accompanied safely to port.
The Empire in this war, as in the last has sent us some of the finest airmen in the world.
In recent exploits of gallantry and skill the pilots and airman from our Dominions and Colonies have made a remarkable contribution.
I often think that the great Empire air training scheme which is now under way is an outstanding feature of the war.
It is one of the greatest efforts and one of the biggest demonstrations ever made of Empire power and unity.
It will provide the Air Forces of the Empire with tens of thousands of keen and fine young men as pilots and crews, living proof of their devotion and loyalty to the cause of liberty and freedom.
Canada’s Vast Production of Aircraft
It will also enable us to use for training purposes large areas entirely free from the restrictions imposed in this country by operational requirements ,and in a climate which will enable far more hours of flying training to be put in than is possible here.
I am also glad to be able to say that not only are we employing on a considerable scale Canadian aircraft for the Royal Air Force, but a group organization which we established as a result of the mission to Canada in 1938 has now been widely extended and entrusted with further orders to the value of, roughly £6,000,000 for covering the production of aircraft of the latest type…..
Our eight gun fighters have acquitted themselves magnificently, and we believe them to be the best machines of their kind in the world.
We cannot and must not rest on what we have achieved.
We must go on every day as we are doing perfecting present types and introducing others with even higher speed, longer range and better armament, I would like to thank that great army who are strenuously engaged in aircraft production.
They have worked hard and successfully.
In the year they have doubled the numerical output of aircraft.
This doubling, I may say, meant not a twofold but a manifold passing out of the factories show a great advance in fighting qualities and performance over the types which were in production.
In the field of our aircraft production the numbers already employed today are higher than in the peak of production in the last war. But we shall need great numbers during the next twelve months. Our aircraft production is planned on a vastly increased scale.
We are a nation slow at first perhaps, to move but throughout our history our resolution and determination have been not dismayed, but strengthened by the difficulties and dangers we have had to encounter.
It will be the same in this great struggle.
Let us therefore go forward with determination, endurance and confidence until victory is won
