The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-04
Air Service the Near
est Ready-Why?

George Soule In The New RepuD-
| lie: Which part OF the army has
done the best? Which will be closest
to it's schedule IN appearing on the
battle field fully trained, completely
| equipped? The air serVice-or,
technically, the signal corps. Which
part Of the army has been trained
and supplied by q system most like
| that developed in England and
| France? The signal corps. That
coincidence may be an accident.
Perhaps the readiness OF the air SER
vice is due to an easier task, or to
better individuals, or to pure chance.
On the ground Of present accom-
plishment, the expectations OF the
signal corps are:
/. Men-several hundred thousand
aviators observers, mechanicians,
trained at ground schools and flying
fields in the United States, Canada.
England, France, Italy and Egypt
on time.
2. Planes-training bombing, OBJ
servation, combat, American built
according to the latest specifications
about two months late. (But the
original program will be completed
on time by the addition of surplus
foreign built planes, new planes
which our allies can make but can
not man.D
8. Motors-a full supply, designed
and built in America since April
on time.
The men are recruited and trained
by the military arm Of the corps,
which, like all branches OF the French
and British armies, but unlike the
American infantry, artillery and
cavalry, has a single chief, Maj. Gen.
y AA
and all other supplies are purchased
by the equipment division of the
corps, which contains scarcely man
who was in uniform before last
summer. It's chief, Colonel Deeds,
and his assistant, Colonel Mont
gomery, are both business men of
large experience in organization and
production.
General Squier, Colonel Deeds and
Colonel Montgomery are all mem
bers Of the aircraft board, of which
Howard z. Coffin Of the Hudson
Motor Car company is chairman.
This board, under its original title,
the aircraft production board, was
charged with depending and CO.
ordinating the industrial activities
relating to aircraft and was en-
powered to facilitate generally the
development Of the air service" Now
1t is ordered to supervise and direct
the purchase, production and manu-
facture" OF everything relating to the
service. 1t includes, besides Mr.. Cof-
fin and the signal corps members,
three naval officers and two civilians.
II the man who actually signs the
contracts, Colonel Deeds, did not
wear uniform, the aircraft board
would amount to civilian NUM-
tions ministry for the air service.
Compare this close organization
with that Of the field artillery. The
training Of the field artillery comes
under no unitary control, but falls
somewhere between the adtutant
generals office and the general staff. |
It's equipment is the task of the
ordnance bureau, whose chief is not
a business man, but a regular army
officer. Some business men were
commissioned and taken into the
bureau, but others who remained |
civilian were put aside in the war in |
dustries board, given no powers, |
made advisory, and told to ''co-ordi- |
nate" No acting executive Of the |
ordnance bureau, no officer who or |
ders material, issa member of the war |
industries board.
The field artillery and the signal |
corps would have been parallel IL |
General Crozier and the ordnance |
bureau had never existed, IL there |
had been chief Of field artillery, and |
IL the proper committees Of the war |
industries board had been given |
complete charge Of producing and |
purchasing guns and explosives. In /
other words, they would have been /
parallel II there had been ministry |
Of munitions.