The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-05
Colonel Tells Congress That France, With Only 25o, ,o00
 More Men, Had 3,321.
STAUNCHLY UPHOLDS
 BURNING AIRCRAFT
Were Damaged, He Says Cabled in Vain For
 Machines.

slonal suD-cOHrI.ttce inVeSCEa'lE!! z! aviation by Colonel NJ. NJ. Patrick. former head of American Air Service in France. showed that at the time of the armistice there were only TAO American air planes on the western front.
 Colonel Patrick submitted the fig ures showing that France, with 1.50O.0oo men actually on the front. had 3.321 planes of all descriptions in operation; that England, with soo,oo0 men at the front. had 1,75s planes. and that the United States. with 1,250,000 men at the front, had just TAO planes in operation. To have been adequately protected Col onel Patrick testified. the American forces should have had 3,4OO planes.
 At the time of the armistice the Allies were easily superior in the air with 6,7s4 planes. as against 3,352 enemy machines Heretofore the statement has often been made that the Germans were superior in the air. Colonel Patrick said yesterday that the figures which he produced were obtained by Allied Secret Ser vice agents and were published in Paris in the Aerial Bulletin. The of fcer declared he considered the fig ures absolutely accurate.
 tg which has been under investigation by another Congressional subcommittee. was entirely Justified. Colonel Patric-. testified. Colonel Patrick who was Br.sadier General in France, said tho planes were stripped of their mo- tors and metal parts. and were de- stroyed only because they were use less, and 1t would have been a poor investment to ship them back to the United States
 The testimony of Colonel Patrick was supplemented by that of Colonel E s. Correil of the Air Service, who went abroad In May. 1917, as a mem Der of the Boiling Commission. He testified that the Boiling Commission had recommended the manufacture in this country of six types of foreign aircraft this recommendation being pursuant to agreement harmon iously and unanimously reached" at m inter-allied aircraft conference in Paris
 Tho types recommended were the Bristol pursuit plane, a Spad with fixed engine. a Spad with a rotary en- zinc, the Spad-Monocque. the Capro- nj tripiane, this recommendation be- ing almost imme dia tely changed to the Caproni byplane, and the DP-4 as a stop gap. pending the perfection of the DF-9.
 Colonel Patrick testified that when the armistice was signed he had TIA pilots, 457 observers. and 23 aerial gunners. all completely trained, mak- ing 1.234 hiers; that the total num- ber of officers In the air service was 7.72s. with 7o.7se men of whom about 10000 were being trained in Eng land
 r-I ra- Ion that there should be provided 2.72o planes of all kinds for each 1,o0o. 900 men at the front. and that there should be about 80 men for each plane. including. of course. the ground men.
 The subcommittee leaves Sunday for a trip to the Pacific Coast to in- vestignte the spruce situation. This trip will consume many weeks. Chair man Frear said yesterday he did not sec how he and Mfr. Lea of California and Mir. Nagee of Now York, the other two members. could get back to Washington before Oct. 1. The first hearing will be held fin Chicago on Monday. and the party will then go to Seattle. The subcommittee will hold meetings also in St. Paul, and may go to Texas to investigate the production of castor beans. from which dA was derived for use in air plane motors.
 This trip of tho subcommittee to the Pacific Coast was characterized by the Democratic National Commit fee publicity organization as a jun ket'' by "smelling committed" The table submitted by Colonel Pat rick showed the strength of the vari- ous armies on July 30. 1918. and again at the time of the arrnistice:
 Total allied airpianes. s.7s4: total
 The planes. said Colonel Patrick. were distributed along the western front. but did not include other planes used by the Allies and Ger many along other fronts and for the protection of cities. The officer gave the total American aviation personnel abroad as 7.72s officers. flying and non-nying. and 70,7ss men. Of these. ess officers and 51.229 men were in France, the others for the most part being in training in Eng land. This was on Nov. II. Prior to that date the number was smaller, but the exact figures were not given.
 Questionsd. Colonel Patrick said that about z,723 planes would have been an adequate number for the American army. numbering 1,159,000 men. and that the French had about $500 planes for the same number of men.
 You felt. did you not" asked MT. F-resr, that you had an insufficient number of planes7"
 Unable to Obtain Machines.
 "Of course I did" answered Col Onel Patrick. but we were unable to get the planes although we cabled frequently for them, we would have made a much better showing. We expected to have an army of 3.ooo,- 900 at the front That was the program of the Chief of Stan. and with an army of that size we ex- pscted to have SIS flying squadrons. 20 planes to a squadron. As it was. we were woefully weak in men and machines"
 In the opinion of Colonel Patrick. the much criticised De Haviland 4 was q 'scrv.ceable" machine, Cap- tain Dc Haviland, the inventor, ac- eordfng to the Colonel. said the