Evening star., 1919-03-23
Army and Navy News

Maj. Gen Menoher. director of the
Aircraft Division, has Strengthened
out a report that officers had been
placed over Brig. Gen. William
Mitchell. director of military avia-
tion. The report arose from the in
depreciation placed upon a military
order prescribing the organization OF
the Aircraft Production Division. The
order mentioned three officers as ex-
ecutive aids to the director and placed
last in order the name Of Gen.
Mitchell. The order did not in the
least affect the authority of Gen.
Mitchell over his own department
military aeronautics. Its effect was
to simplify administration by giving
him as executive to the director ia
cility in issuing orders to his own
department. This practice was in
keeping with that adopted by the
chief of staff in making Mai. Gen.
Goethals and other chiefs of divisions
assistants to the chief of staff. That
course enabled these assistants to
approve formal matters which had
to have such approval without the
delay consequent upon sending them
by the usual channels through the
general staff for the signature OF
Gen. March. However, the form OF
the order was rather misleading to
those who were not quite familiar
with the military formula.
The War Department has acquired
title to sixteen flying fields and four
balloon fields, and thus has secured
for many years to come places Tor
the training of aviators. The division
airships that it is likely to need for
the next three years. BY the time
this supply is worn out the present
ships will be obsolete. and it will be
up to Congress to provide better
quality.
Already a far better plane than
the d. H.-4 has been devised. The new
lie Pere plane. designed by MEM
her of the French commission. is
simply better fusilage and wing
development built around the liberty
motor. 1t is far ahead of the older
machine in speed and maneuvering
qualities. Other American designs for
aircraft have had the approval OF the
international aircraft commission.
and from the military standpoint
there is every reason to continue the
study Of aircraft.
noticeable change has taken place
in the personnel of the Aircraft Di-
vision since the advent of Gen.
Menoher. New faces have appeared
in many of the Offices. Most OF the
ing men of the foreign service. and.
as q matter of fact. have had actual
duty with the squadrons that fought
the boche. One of the changes soon
to take place is that of Maj. John B.
Reynolds. who during the greater
part of the war was assistant execu-
tive to the director of military aero
nautics. He has been assigned to
duty in the office of Col. Arthur
Woods in handling the problem OF
finding suitable employment for Of
ficers and enlisted men when dis
charged from the Army.
There is a general belief'th that mill
tary training is a burden upon the
Popular Fallacy on of ma
q. S. Military Training. so much
On account of the money that it costs as
from its taking young men at the
very time that they are completing
their education or about to begin
their business, life. This is not the
fact, but quite .contrary to T. One of
the most poptAar-certainIy one of
the ableet-wrMers on military sub
jects recently fell into this very gen.
eral misconception of the whole sit
uation.. Nearly the same argument in
principle was made when the matter
of compulsory education was under
discussion. but it is poor section
now that does not compel parents and
guardians to send their children to
school for a part at least of every
year until they reach the age when
the average child has at least the
fundamentals of the three Rs
The true vision of military training
of the young men is that it gives