New Britain herald., 1917-06-15
SUPREMACY OF AIR
 ID DECIDE THE WAR
Howard E. Collin Tells Senate Committee Air Fleet Is Needed

Vv&Oul8tOA1s Ou0 A0 \Al1498 must create new navy-the navy war; said Howard E. Coffin, chair man of the Aircraft Production Board in testifying late yesterday afternoon before the senate subcommittee which is considering tho Sheppard Hubert bill providing for m aero nautical department, with 6 cabinet minister at it's head.
 The airplane Is going to be the de- cisive factor in this war" Mr.. Cof- fin said. "of that war experts are beginning to be more convinced every day.
 MT. Coffin. who backed up Admiral Peary's testimony of Monday. said the United States should rush work on airplanes so that thousands of them could be shipped to France in the next few months. Tho work ought not to stop, he declared. until the war is won.
 It is becoming evident to those who are studying this situation that, whatever factor aircraft may play in the ultimate decision of the fight, it Is certainty that neither side can win without the supremacy of the air.
 That supremacy comprehends a strip of territory from fifty to sixty miles behind the fighting front" said MT. Coflln. "As matters stand now the productive capacity Is practically balanced in Europe. It Is a grave question whether or not the German machines are not superior machines. but 1t Is certainty that the per. sonnel of the Allies service is su- perior, man for man.
 There is a difference in afrmen The German is a more methodical type of air'man, who acts under or ders, while the British, French and American airmen use their own in- itiative. The airman must of neces- sity act largely upon initiative, and as ours do and the Germans seldom do. we have the advantage. ''As matter of historical fact. the fighting in France is now practically all behind the German lines, and this gives the Germans one advantage in the fighting in that when one of the l! Allies machines Is brought down, 1t is on enemy territory. But the great 1 CT advantage is with the Allies, in that they are helping. little by little, to push the enemy back. We have to l lose machines and men, but we gain ground in doing it.
 l ''The last movements of the allied ] forces about which we have been 1 reading for the last few days. was largely dependent upon aircraft at 1 every stage of its move. There were l three distinct strata of aircraft In l the air-the light one-seater. the 1 fastest lighting machines fifteen to l. twenty thousand feet in the air. These l machines were protecting the wire- l less. The communication machines i were flying at an intermediate alti- l tude and controlling every move of the troops, telling them where to ad- l vance and where to wait until ma l chine guns had been cleaned out by artillery. Beneath these two were bomsAng machines flying low enough to use machine guns with deadly ef- feet. I believe the result of this bat tie has clinched the statements which we have heard in many directions for many months that aircraft must ulti-
 mately be a deciding factor in the
 war.
 Training fields are already unde, | construction and several more author. ized. Tho program of construction ot machines Is we'll under way. We have | pTOOuCluK 1AN1l4I1CS ACA0 lO AxSAA0 u1A.
 limited numbers of machines, when once started on a definite program
 We cannot jump into this thing and
 produce unlimited quantities within g
 few months"
 Senator Beckham asked how long il
 would be before the United Statel
 could create an adequate lair navy.''
 we ought to be far advanced by
 January 1,'' replied MT. cohin. "w<
 will have to convert different factorie.
 for the various phases of the work
 Motor concerns could be converted
 easily to such uses. But we must
 have coordination, and tho way te
 get it is to create the department o1
 aeronautics with its head | member
 of the cabinet. We must bring thu
 army and the navy air operations un.
 der one head. We need money to dc i <Ha ~lr