Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-20
BLIND FOE ANDWTN
WAR, SAYS ARMAN
French Filler Brings Mes
sage to U. S. to Speed
Up Aerial Armada
SPEED MEANS VICTORY
America Should Have 5000 Ma
chimes Ready by Spring, 10000
by August, 1915
wAsHINGToN. Innn %

WASHINGTON, June 90
Put out the enemy's eyes Blind him
and he is lost
That is the message Lieutenant Amaury
de la Grange, French fier extraordinary
wants carried to the American nation. He
urges the American people TO get behind
the proposed program of the aircraft pro-
duction board of the Council of National
Defense and make possible speedy appro-
priations by Congress OF the sums neces.
sary to send 5000 machines TO the French
battlefront by March-and 10000 machines
by August, 1918.
This war" said Lieutenant de Ia
Grange, "as has been so often told is one
Of artillery fighting at long ranges. Blinded
artillery, obviously, Is helpless Air su-
premacy means blinded artillery for the
other side.
again this war has developed into a war
of no maneuvering No maneuvering means
no surprises. Victory is impossible without
an element of surprise. Given two sides
where a deadlock exists, where there is
even near-equalty of men and metal and
aviation, and surprise, yes, even victory is
wellnigh impossible.
but give one side a preponderance in
aviation, even though that side is weaker in
men and metal and II is as n stronger
blind man fighting a weaker man who can
see"
TWO SIDES FAIRLY EQUAL ?
tion, according to Lieutenant de la Grange,
are fairly equal, with slight balance
favoring the Allies. Both sides are fever
ishy turning out their maximum output
approximately 1000 machines monthly
including thousands of training machines
Let America, with its vast resources and
its unlimited manufacturing possibilities,
turn herself quickly to giving us air
supremacy" urged De la Grange. land VIC
tory is near; lives in countless number
III
unspent.
ut will take you time. yes, to start; but
start quickly--at once.
ut is Time Time Time Every week
lost now means months lost next spring
And you Americans know what is lost each
month in lives and money. This is the most
important job aside from that of food
81 doubt If you could produce heavy
artillery within a year. Start now on the
aircraft production and you give us the
greatest help. You may make a 1918 vic
tory possible--even probable.
MOST POWERFUL OF WEAPONS
"The most powerful weapon with the
largest future is the aeroplane. The aero
plane has revolutionized warfare more than
gunpowder did. Germany cannot equal the
air preponderance you can furnish your
Allies in democracy's fight unless she
weakens herself elsewhere in a military
way.
Germany probably has about 1000 ma
chimes on the western front. The Allies
are slightly superior. If America turns her
available resources into building aeroplanes
Germany, to maintain her equality in the
air would have TO diminish her submarine
output or something else of military use
And even then she could not equal the
enormous American output
THE fact that America was building
aeroplanes would put Germany in a defen.
sive position. We do not know how she
would meet this problem but we do know
what it would mean to us If we had tC
produce 10000 more aeroplanes than we
are now planning. 1t would lessen our mar
power.
by next March or April you should be
able to send sufficient machines to the front
TO make a great difference 1t would take
you four months more to produce an over
whelming number-that is, four machine:
to one German machine, which is what tn,
Allies need.
produce your first 5000 machines and
you can then produce $4,000 with as little
trouble and in far shorter time than 1t tool
to build the first 5000
THE matter of aviators is comparativel!
simple. Here, where flying can be done tn,
whole year round, you could have the mel
ready and we'll trained by the time the ma
chimes were ready-in any quantity"