Part II - 1940: Norway and Taranto

Summary

Planning and Policy

The crucial need for Fleet Air Arm facilities overseas was most clearly expressed by Vice Admiral Tom Phillips, the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, who stated ‘I fully agree that adequate provision for the Fleet Air Arm at singapore is an essential requirement. The whole basis of our sea power rests on having adequate bases for repair facilities all the world over’ [84]. Phillips argued that only when these facilities were in place would the Navy’s aircraft carriers have the greatest operational flexibility. The requirements for all overseas facilities were considered at a meeting in June 1940 in the Air Ministry [61]. Much of the focus was on the Far East and Singapore [53, 84, 85, 88], with other papers regarding facilities in Egypt [48] and the proposal to move Observer training to Piarco in Trinidad following air attacks on the existing facility at RNAS Ford [71, 73].

In January 1940, Captain Daniel, the Director of Plans, put forward the latest requirements for aircraft carriers operating with the Fleet and on trade routes [28] and at the end of the year made an assessment of the number of carriers which would be available in future years and how these related to expansion programmes [90]. Consideration was also given to the possible design of a Battle Carrier [79] to carry fighters for defence of the Fleet and the options for providing catapult launched fighters to cover convoys [93]. The potential threat posed by the German battleship Bismarck and the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was studied together with the part which carriers would play in dealing with the threat they posed [29]. Churchill, when First Lord of the Admiralty, suggested that the Fleet Air Arm should take over some shore-based operations from the RAF and reduce the aircraft complements of carriers accordingly [26]. It seems unlikely that this suggestion was taken particularly seriously in the Admiralty at the time, given the limited assets the Fleet Air Arm possessed to undertake its core roles.

The sensitive issue of aircraft production was the subject of a debate regarding the decision in May to give five RAF aircraft types top priority and the case put by the Navy for the Fairey Albacore and the Fairey Fulmar to be given a similar status [45, 46, 47].