Post by Diarist on May 23, 2016 2:58:01 GMT 1
Before leaving I called the Spanish Embassy and arranged to meet LTC Rodriguez at The Dorchester where later I'd be meeting my family and managers from Vickers-Armstrong. We had a drink at one of the bars then I returned to the small room hired for the meeting. Basil Liddel-Hart arrived first then within 10 minutes everybody. Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors, was also present. It wasn't long before we were at odds with each other.
"My dear major, the Prime Minister personally has requested that I bring up-to-date the mechanization of the Army and the ground section of the Air Force."
"That is nice," I responded, "and did he specifically say that you determine what the Army and Air Force need and we have no say in the matter?"
"So Vickers-Armstrong does?"
"As you correctly noticed I am a major, not your dear major, though. My employer is the British Army not Vickers-Armstrong and my boss, who is Winston Churchill, approved a specification for a combat tank to be designed around the 400hp Wright R-975 in early August. The US Army will also be using this engine. We already have the permission to build it under licence we just need someone to build the damn thing." I turned to John and Robert, "When did you the receive the notification from us at TRADOC?"
John replied, "it was at the end of July actually."
"So Lord Nuffield, for two months nothing has been done to produce the 975 engine?" He didn't reply so I turned to John again. "Why don't we produce them ourselves? I can't imagine that Rolls-Royce would be foolish enough to turn down an order for about 5,000 engines. They need to expand anyway because of the number of aircraft which will require the Merlin engine." Turning to Dad, "Funding for expansion has already been approved, correct?
"Yes it has."
"Where are the blueprints?"
"Lord Nuffield has them."
"So Lord Nuffield, the first thing you will do tomorrow morning is arrange for those blueprints to be taken to Rolls-Royce. John Mitchell and I will be with Winston Churchill at an aircraft manufacturer tomorrow morning but when we arrive back at TRADOC I expect General Lord Gort to have received a phone call informing him that they are indeed at Rolls-Royce. Here is his number. I'm also his personal assistant. You have heard of TRADOC, I presume?"
"Yes and I've been told that your interference has annoyed many people."
"We don't interfere, we recommend and the vast majority of our recommendations, including all the major ones, have been approved."
To my father again, "This is what we need to discuss this evening. Do we need Lord Nuffield for any of these topics?"
After a few moments, "No."
"Then thank you for being here, Lord Nuffield. I'm grateful that the situation has been clarified. Good evening." He looked to my Dad. "For your information, the Ministry of Defence called this meeting, not Vickers-Armstrong."
After he'd left I said, "Please don't tell me that for the last two months nothing has been done to produce the 6-pdr tank gun."
"Au contraire," Robert answered. "We should have a dozen of them ready for trials in January at the latest."
"That is good news. We shall not only need them for the A10 and A13, (the Cruiser Mk. III), but also for anti-tank gun batteries in each division."
"Armour-piercing rounds only?"
I looked to George Patton. "A canister round would be nice."
"We'll get back to you on that."
The rest of the meeting was over quickly. We discussed the 17-pdr to be ready for trials by January 1937, also the different variants of the A13, including a tank-hunter version with the 17-pdr gun.
Sally drove us home because she hadn't been drinking alcohol. Mum had cooked dinner and would be an early night for me.