1957 Defence White Paper

src: www.thinkdefence.co.uk

The 1957 White Paper on Defense (Cmnd 124) is a British white paper that posits a future perceived by the British military. It has a profound effect on all aspects of the defense industry but perhaps the most affected is the British aircraft industry. Duncan Sandys, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense, produced the paper.

Decisions are influenced by two major factors: state finance and the advent of missile age. Where before air combat will occur between planes, with flying bombers carrying nuclear weapons and fast interceptor fighter planes trying to stop them, guided missiles now, especially surface-to-air missiles, threaten all aircraft. The space age appears to show that missiles can also send nuclear weapons to anywhere in the world.

Video 1957 Defence White Paper

Primary aspect of paper

Reorganization of the aircraft industry

The paper states that the aircraft industry should rearrange, with a number of smaller companies being some of the larger companies. It was made clear that new contracts would only be granted to incorporated companies, including the only new aircraft project, which would become TSR-2.

Under pressure, in 1960 British Electric, Bristol Airplane Company and Vickers-Armstrong merged to form the British Aircraft Corporation, or BAC. Hunting aircraft soon joined the BAC group. In the same year, de Havilland, Blackburn Aircraft and Folland joined Hawker Siddeley, which has been comprised of Armstrong Whitworth, Avro, Gloster and Hawker since 1935. The Westland aircraft took over all the helicopter manufacturers, including Saunders-Roe, Fairey Aviation and Bristol Helicopters work. The Saunders-Roe hovercraft work is played and merged with Vickers Supermarine as the British Hovercraft Corporation.

Very few companies became independent after this merger wave, leaving only Handley Page as the premier independent company, along with smaller companies such as Auster, Boulton Paul, Miles Aircraft, Scottish Aviation and Short Brothers. Most disappeared in the 1970s, leaving only British Aviation to join British Aerospace in 1977, and Shorts, purchased by Bombardier in 1989.

Engine companies are also "encouraged" to join. In 1959 Armstrong Siddeley and the Bristol machine division merged into Bristol Siddeley, but were soon purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1966, making RR the sole major British aircraft engine manufacturer.

Reduction in manned plane project

With the development of missiles, missile missile roles mean that certain aircraft under construction can be canceled.

These include the next generation supersonic interceptor for the high flying bomber, F.155 and the interim plane that will cover it until it was introduced in 1963, Saunders-Roe SR.53, Saunders-Roe SR.177. The Avro 730 supersonic light bomber was also canceled, like the Blue Rosette nuclear weapon to arm it. Surprisingly, the Blue Envoy surface-to-air missile was also canceled, though it would be more in keeping with the spirit of the paper. The English Electric P.1 (which will be Lightning) is spared only because it is too far to cancel.

The role of Air Force Royal Air Force was also terminated.

Restructuring the British Army

The British Army should be reduced in size and reorganized to reflect the end of the National Service and the transformation into a volunteer army, and to "keep the Army following changing circumstances, policies, weapons and techniques of war". 51 main units and a large number of smaller units had to be dissolved or merged, leaving the army with a force of 165,000 officers and men. This process will be carried out in two phases, which will be completed by the end of 1959 and 1962 respectively.

The Royal Armored Corps should be reduced by amalgamation:

• Dragoon 1 King and Queen's Guard (Second Dragon Guard) as First Dragoon Queen Guard
• The Third Hussars King himself and the 7th Hussars Queen himself as the Hussars Queen himself
• The Fourth Hierus of the Queen and the Hierarchy of the Kingdom of Ireland The 8th King as Hussars of the Royal Kingdom Empire
• 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and 6th Royal Tank Regiment
• 4th Kingdom Tank Regiment and 7th Royal Tank Regiment
• 5th Royal Tank Regiment and 8th Royal Tank Regiment

Royal Artillery lost 18 large units and many small units. Royal Horse Artillery should be cut into three regiments.

The infantry of the line underwent major changes. The existing regiment should be grouped in a "brigade". Each brigade has one depot with individual regiment reduced to regiment headquarters status. There was a reduction in the number of regular infantry battalions from 64 to 49 by combining regimental pairs. Brigades and regiments must: The Lowland Brigade: The Royal Scots, The King's Own Scottish Borderers, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and regiments formed by the merger of Royal Scots Fusiliers and Highland Light Infantry The Home Counties Brigade: Royal Sussex Regiment, Middlesex Regiment and two regiments to be formed by the merger of the Royal Kingdom Regiment (West Surrey) with The East Surrey Regiment and The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment ) with the Queen's Royal West Kent Regiment.

The Lancastrian Brigade : The Loyal Regiment (Northern Lancashire), and three joint regiments formed by the Royal Regiment (Lancaster)/Regiment of the Border, Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool)/The Manchester Regiment and East Lancashire Regiment/The South Lancashire Regiment

Fusilier Brigade : Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, The Royal Fusiliers and The Lancashire Fusiliers

The Midland Brigade : Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Leicestershire Kingdom Regiment and Sherwood Foresters

Eastern Anglican Brigade : The three regiments should be formed by the merging of the Norfolk Kingdom Regiment/the Suffolk Regiment, the Lincolnshire Regiment/the Northamptonshire Regiment and the Bedfordshire Regiment and the Hertfordshire/The Essex Regiment

Wessex Brigade : Gloucestershire Regiment, Royal Hampshire Regiment and two regiments formed by the merging of the Devonshire Regiment with the Dorset Regiment and the Berkshire Kingdom Regiment with the Wiltshire Regiment

Light Infantry Brigade : Light Yorkshire Infantry, Yorkshire, King, Shropshire Light Infantry, The Durham Light Infantry, and a regiment formed by the combined of the Somerset Light Infantry and The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

The Yorkshire Brigade: The Green Howards, Duke of Wellington Regiment, The York and the Lancaster Regiment and regiment formed by the merger of The East Yorkshire Regiment and The West Yorkshire Regiment

The Mercian Brigade : Cheshire Regiment, Worcestershire Regiment and regiment formed by the incorporation of the North Staffordshire Regiment (Welsh Prince) with the South Staffordshire Regiment

Welsh Brigade : The Royal Welch Fusiliers, South Wales Border and Welch Regiment

Northern Irish Brigade : The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, The Royal Ulster Rifles and The Royal Irish Fusiliers

The Highland Brigade: The Black Watch, The Gordon Highlanders, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the regiment formed by the merger of The Seaforth Highlanders with The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

Green Jacket Brigade : Lightweight Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Infantry, King's Royal Rifle Corps and The Rifle Brigade

The Parachute regiment will continue to have three battalions.

The Royal Engineers will be reduced by about 15,000 officers and men, with regimental engineer regiments being replaced by field squadrons. The Royal Signals lost 13,000 troops with a reduction of second-line units. Some work from the Royal Service Army Corps of Staff should be forwarded to civilian contractors, allowing the loss of 18,000 people. The Royal Army Ordnance Corps will lose 11,000 troops, and should be set up more efficiently with a large number of depots closed. The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers lost 23,000 soldiers. Weapons and other services should be proportionately reduced.

End of RNVR air branch

Since 1938, Air Branch of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve has donated reserves for air operations. From 1947 it was limited to anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and combat units only - there were a large number of propeller aircraft still in use. The increasing complexity of weapons systems and the use of helicopters for ASW is considered to be beyond what can be managed by backup management. With the end of the Air branch, Short Seamew is no longer required and production is canceled.

Maps 1957 Defence White Paper

External Links

• Draft copy of Defense White Paper 1957

src: c8.alamy.com

References

src: legionmagazine.com

External links

• https://archives.nato.int/reorganization-of-united-kingdom-armed-forces;isad - UNITED REGISTRATION KINGDOM ARMED FORCES - a statement by a UK representative to a NATO ally, including details of my withdrawal (BR ) 2nd Corps and TAF.

Source of the article : Wikipedia