The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-06-15
Howard f. Coffin Tells of
Plan to Nullify TeutOn
Organization.
TO COVER WHOLE FRONT
Machines Would Operate Over
Territory so or so Miles
Behind the Lines.

North Sea to the Alps from the front
trench lines back for sixty miles OF ter
rain, was advocated to-day before the
subcommittee OF the Senate Committee
on Military Affairs by Howard %. Cof-
I'm OF the Council OF National Defence.
Mr.. Coffin urged that a fleet Of air
planes so numerous and so formidable as
to preclude the possibility OF the Ger
man airmen even leaving their aero
dromes for the shortest night OF obser-
walton would so blind the eyes of the
Kaiser's helmeted hosts as to throw the
balance Of power completely and perma-
)fiently into the hands OF America and
the Entente Allies. With such an end
in view he advocated the mobilization
OF every industry in the United States
capable of participating In the work Of
building America an air fleet that shall
hold complete dominion over western
Europe.
Millions Are Needed.
Millions will be needed. The contem-
plated appropriation OF s54,o00.000 will
be but drop in the bucket II America
is to play the part in the war for de-
mocracy for which her own inventors
blazed the way less than a decade ago.
Mr.. Coffin was the only witness before
the subcommittee. His testimony was
received with intense interest by the
members. He began with a brief review
Of the conditions of aeronautics In the
United States since the successful tests
Of the Wright fiiers at Fort Myer. Vir-
ginia. In 1909. He said;
I'm the eight years previous to 1915
the Government placed orders for air.
craft In this country for something like
hfty-nine machines. At the beginning Of
the war we had no industry In this coun-
try which had been fostered in any way
by Governmental support. and inaemuch
as the support Of the civilian population
was very meaSre. we have practically
entered this wartime situation with no
industry behind us. When appropria-
tions were made under last years bill
twenty mine orders had been placed by
the military service for about 900 or 400
machines. ! think We got out OF that
order about 140 or 175 machines"
To Coordinate Needs.
Mr.. Coffin explained that the aircraft
production board had been created to CO.
ordinate the needs OF the War and Navy
departments and organize the manufac.
turing industry OF the country to meet
these needs. The board includes Gen
Squier, Admiral Taylor. chief constructor
OF the navy, and several business mer
who have made records in their rcspec
tive fields.
1T Is easy for the War and Navy de-
partments In view Of foreign experience
he went on. 'to decide now upon thu
types Of machines necessary. II Is no
| hat IN mn n N,
in this country in the quantities de
manded and OF the quality and types
necessary under modern conditions o
fighting. Our great part unQuestionabl!
| in this struggle in so far as air servic,
IL concerned must be that OF persOnne
and equipment
As matters stand now the productiv,
capacity Is practically balanced II
Europe. II Is a grave question whethe
or not the German machines are not su
perior machines. but 1t is a certaint!
that the personnel Of the Allies servic
is superior man for man."
! You think there Is no doubt Of II?
asked Senator Brady. Idaho. incredu
lously
Aircraft in Offensive.
Absolutely none. The German maj
Is a more methodical type who act
ander orders answered Mr.. Comm
whereas the man In the air must neces
sarily act largely upon his own initiative
and as a matter OF historical fact tn
fighting now Is practically all behind tn
German lines. The last offensive OF tn
allied forces, about which we have beei
reading for the past few days. wa
largely dependent upon aircraft at ever,
stage Of Its move.
"There were three distinct strata o
! aircraft in the air. First Is the ligh
one-seater. the fastest fighting machine
travelling at 15, 900 to 10000 feet in th
air These machines were protectinl
the wireless. The communication ma
chimes were flying at an intermediate
altitude and controlling every move o
the troops, telling them where to advanc
and where to wait until machine gun
had been cleaned out by artillery. Be
meath these two were bombing machine
flying low enough to use machine gun
with deadly effect / believe the resul
of this battle has clinched the state
ments which we have heard In many dl
rections for many months that sircraf
must ultimately be a deciding factor 4
the war"
Mr.. Coffin insisted that this countr
was a great reservoir for men of tn
type who make fliers and a tremendou
reservoir for manufacturing resources
He averred that no more definite serv
Ice could be rendered the Allies than I
turn our resources toward the insuranc
of the supremacy Of the air.
"!t will take time to do this" he con
tinued. at can be done. and the plan
we are mapping out anticipate that W
will do this. Training fields are alread
under construction and several NOR
authorized. The programme OF cor
struction OF machines Is we'll under wa!
Contribution In AerOnautics.
ut would seem to us that II Americ
can make her great contribution to th
war through the accomplishment Of tn
supremacy In the other arm Of the ser,
ice, of which she Is also the invento
(the submarine being the other arm
she will have done the thing whic
must necessarily appeal to tho Amer
can imagination and to the America
manufacturers ability and industri,
organization generally. We have pr,
ducing facilities here to make unlimite
, numbers of machines when once starte
l on n definite programme. We cam,
! Jump into this thing and produce VI
Continued on Second Pdgs.