The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-11
j, S. COMMITTED
TO SEND 1000
PLANES A MONTH
Share of Allied Aircraft Pro-
gram Undertaken Under
Handicap of Inexperience,
Report States
(By Associated Press)


WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.-An appeal
by Premier Clemenceau of France for
an American aircraft contribution Of
two thousand planes a month and a
total of Ave thousand aviators and
fifty thousand specialized mechanics
formed the basis for the extensive air
craft program to which the United
States committed itself in the world
war. This was disclosed today by
Major General William L. Henley, di-
rector Of military aeronautics. in his
annual report.
The appeal of the French premier,
the report says, was received May "a,
1917. two weeks after adoption of the
aircraft program for the army involv-
ing an expenditure of about $55,OO0,-
900. Two months later congress at
the request of the war department en-
acted another aircraft appropriation
bill carrying a total of $640,000,000.
''This country had never trained an
aviator sufficiently to meet the de-
mands of overseas aerial warfare"
General Henley points out in illustrat-
ing the difficulties the nation faced in
seeking to comply with the urgent
appeal for aid by France. "It had not
the slightest knowledge of the instruc-
tion necessary for radio, photography
or enlisted personnel. Consequently.
the first men largely trained them
selves before teaching others and ex-
perience led on from one course to
what was to come next"
1880 Men Graduated.
Despite this handicap, 1880 men had
been graduated as reserve military
aviators, the first rating for pilots, by
June 80, 1918, the report says, and 10
bombers. IS bombing pilots, 464 OBJ
servers, 3S9 observer pilots and 131
pursuit pilots had been graduated on
that date from the advanced training
schools.
In the year ending last June 80 there
were 152 fatalities in training or an
average of one death to 1854 hours
and 201,000 miles flown. Stalled en-
gines, usually due to an error of the
pilot, caused Sc deaths; collisions 80
and sideslips 10.
"Regretable as these accidents are,"
the report says, "it is felt that con-
sidering the newness of the science,
the early state of development OF the
planes, the inexperience in instruction
and the necessity of teaching stunts,
in themselves rather dangerous, this
number is not large. AS matter of
aerial statistics, fatalities in American
training are less than half as large as
those of the other allied countries"
The report says that 440 balloon Of
ficers also had been graduated, 155 Of
whom were fully qualified observers
during the year.
Discussing the overseas part of the
air service program, the report says
the first cadets went over for training
six weeks after the declaration of
war and by the end Of 1917, more than
$500 men had been sent to France,
England, Italy or Canada.
Unable to Meet Schedule.
"The collapse of Russia the report
continues, "Italys serious defeat. and
the weight thrown on the allied SER
vices made it impossible unfortunately
for the allies to meet the schedule of
training planes necessary, so that
many of these cadets, the most prom
Using of Americas material, were in
idleness for months. Nevertheless,
what facilities were available greatly
advanced Americas aerial preparation
and helped relieve the shortage of
equipment here.
''It was early in May, 1918, how
ever, over a year after Americas en-
try into the war, that the first Ger
man plane fell victim to an aviator in
the American service. About the same
time 46S fully trained American avia-
tors organized into thirteen complete
American squadrons or brigades with
ritish and French squadrons were ac-
tually on the front taking increasing
toll of the enemy"