The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-21

at the front and building. of approx
imately $4,000.
Carry out the proposed program,
Lieutenant De La Grange declared,
and opening of the way to Berlin is
made possible-even probable.
Is War of Artillery.
Carry out the program, he said, and
the thing so far impossible of accom-
plishment-actual breaking of the
German lines-is rendered well nigh
certain.
This war" said Lieutenant De La
Grange, 'as has been SO often told. is
one of artillery fighting at long ranges.
Blinded artillery, obviously, is help
less Air supremacy means blinded
artillery for the other side.
Again, this war has developed into
a war of no maneuvering. No ma
neuVering means no surprises. VIC
tory is impossible without an element
of surprise. Given two sides where
deadlock exists, where there is even
near equality of men and metal and
aviation and surprise-yes, even vic
tory, is we'll nigh impossible.
But give one side a preponderance
in aviation, even tho that side is
weaker in men and metal and 1t is
as a stronger blind man fighting
weaker man who can see."
As it is now, both sides, as regards
aviation, according to Lieut.. De La
Grange, are fairly equal with slight
balance favoring the allies. Both
sides are feverishly turning out their
maximum approximately A.
600 machines monthly, including
thousands of training machines.
Airplanes Next to Food.
Let America, with its vast re-
sources and it's unlimited manufacture
ing possibilities, turn herself quickly
to giving air supremacy" urged
De La Grange, land victory is nearer
lives in countless number would be
saved and billions in money will be
unspent.
TT will take you time, yes, to start,
but start quickly-at once.
1T is time, time. time, every week
lost now means months lost next
what is lost each month in lives and
money. This is the most important
job aside from that of food.
Il doubt if you could produce heavy
artillery within year. Start now on
the aircraft production boards aero
greatest help. You may make a 1918
victory possibly-even probable.
THE most powerful weapon with
the largest future is the aeroplane.
THE aeroplane has revolutionized
warfare more than gunpowder did.
Germany cannot equal the air pre-
ponderance you can furnish and your
allies in democracy fight unless she
weakens herself elsewhere in a mill
tary way.
Germany Has 1000 Planes on Front.
Germany has probably 1000 ma
chimes on the western front. The al
lies are slightly superior. If America
turns her available resources into
building aeroplanes, Germany, to
maintain her equality in the air, will
be required to diminish her subma-
rine output or something else of
greater use. Even then she could not
equal the enormous output.
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 overwhelming number
that is, four machines to one Ger
man machine, which is what the allies
need.
Produce your first five thousand
machines and you can then produce
fifty thousand with as little trouble
and in. far shorter time than. it took
to build the first five thousand.
The matter of aviators is compar-
atively simple. Here where flying can
be done the whole year around, you
could have the men ready and well
trained by the time the machines
were ready-in any quantity"