In eflect, the Committee of Imperial Defence gave their answer in
the summer of 1937, when they approved the scheme in principle.
Nine months later the German seizure of Austria underlined the
threat to peace. Thereupon the Govemment made up their minds on
the main issue by abandoning the rule that rearmament must not
be allowed to interfere with normal trade. Soon afterwards they
authorised the Air Ministry to order up to 1 2,000 aircraft for delivery
by the spring of 1940, and, by accepting a new scheme of air expan-
sion called Scheme L, committed themselves to an air force no longer
designed to deter the potential enemy or match his strength, but to
fight in face of odds.
>Ну так дела их таковы, что войну Германии они объявили только 3 сентября.
Ну, предлагали Гитлеру остановиться, типа пацаны еще не готовы с ним драться, надо чуть погодить.