Lieutenant General Blarney under whose command the
 
Australians fought in Greece and who is now Deputy Comnander-in-Chief
 
of the Middle East made the following statement to me: * * *
 
"Immediate air support is a matter of absolute necessity to a commander
 
in the field. The German air system is right and the British independent
 
air force is wrong. I will not go into combat again unless I am able 
 
to give direct orders to the squadrons allocated to my support."
 
(Extract from paraphrase of code cablegram received at War Dept. from Cairo 
May 15, 1941. )
 
General Gort--
 
     Fundamentally the separation of the Army and Air Force
 
was a mistake and that proper coordination of air and ground troops,
 
both in training and in operations, can only be had under unified
 
command and a single department of government.
 
               Report # 41016 G.B.-9000 
               March 27, 1940.
 
     Chief of the Imperial General Staff--General Ironside--
 
expressed himself almost violently in opposition to the separation
 
of the Air Force from the Army. He said that for certain specific
 
missions, such as the aerial defense of Great Britain, an independent
 
Air Force was not only fitting, but should have ground forces
 
(A. A. etc.) under its orders for operations. For land operations
 
independence was absurd, the most intimate mutual dependence based
 
on close coordination of training is absolutely necessary.
                    Report # 40733--G. B. 9100 
                    Jan. 5, 1940.