The Colorado statesman., 1919-07-26
FORTY MILLIONS
FOR AIR SERVICE
CONGRESS GRANTS ENOUGH TO
KEEP UP EQUIPMENT AND
RECRUIT PERSONNEL.
NOT ALL AlRMEN ASKED FOR
Vast Sum Was Needed to Put Aircraft
Manufacturing Industry on Produc-
ton Basis, but America Was Ready
When Armlstice Came.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

shington.-CongreSs has appro-
priated S40,0OO,OOO through the army
supply bill for the use Of the air serv-
ice. This is not as much money as the
airmen asked, but II will enable the
service to keep up its equipment and
a fairly strong personnel, and will en-
able the United States probably to
have airplanes enough for an ordinary
emergency.
People have been wondering what
became of all the money that was
voted for the air service in war time.
1t seems likely that some Of 1t was
wasted, but there has been perhaps
no proper appreciation Of the enormous
initial cost which the government had
to stand in order to get the great air
craft manufacturing industry started
on the basis of production that SEEM
ingly was necessary.
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, who is
in charge of aviation operations in the
war department, was In command or
the American aviation service in the
st. Mihiel drive. He has just testified
that when the drive was started more
airShips were concentrated In the I'M
mediate vicinity than ever had been
brought together within a like area
since the war began. During the drive
1,5O0 planes were sent into action.
General Mitchell was the first Amer
lean officer to fly over the Hun line.
1t is said to be necessary that the
airplane service of the United States
should be reconstructed. AS General
Mitchell put it:
"The personnel which has been
trained as result of this war is large
ly scattered throughout the country.
We have wonderful basis of person
mel returning from Europe, but they
had to go home. A great majority of
them would not stay in the service
because it looked like hopeless future
for them, as very little encouragement
for an air service of any Importance in
the near future was held out"
Air Forces Were About Ready.
1t is pretty generally agreed that
when the armistice went into effect the
United States, so far as its forces were
concerned, was just getting ready "to
do business on a proper scale. 1t Is
true that the st. Mihiel drive took
place two months before the armistice
went into effect. but the concentration
of flyers at that place left some other
places without proper Americas air
equipment. Not many planes were lost
in the st. Mihiel engagement. Later
in the ArgOnne the losses were heavy.
but no heavier and perhaps not as
heavy as it was expected would be the
case in hard engagements of that kind.
OF the 1900 machines at st. Mihiel $50
were American and operated by Amer
leans.
1t is understood that the airplane
service of the United States with the
Army OF Occupation was on a basis of
efficiency, one that would have enabled
the Americans to conduct operations in
Germany, If they had been necessary,
on proper scale so far as the air
service was concerned.
Along the Mexican border today
there is n considerable number of air
planes, but not enough, 1t is under
stood, to meet even the minor warfare
which it is possible may have to be
conducted there within the near future.
With its $4O,O0O,0OO 1t is probable the
air service of the United States can be
put on strong peace basis with suffi-
Client additional strength to meet any
small war in which this country may
be compelled to engage.
"Archies" Seldom Hit Planes.
While on the western front in 1915
and again in 1918 / witnessed consid-
cradle air action. The thing which as
early as 1915 was the most striking
feature of air service was the seeming
impossibility, or almost impossibility of
destroying an airplane by fire from the
ground. Another striking thing was
the apparent inability of the bombers
in the airplanes to hit any specific
object on the ground at which they
were aiming.
Toward the end of the war the bomb
ers were getting more accurate, but
there was little change in the situation
so far as 1t affected the accuracy of
fire of the anti-aircraft gunner.
War Brings Out No Candidates.
Politicians II Washington have taken
note of the fact, and are interested
in It, that the front line Of bat
tie in the great worlds war has pro-
duced no candidate for the presi-
dency of the United States, and this
thought takes cognizance of the truth
that both Generals Leonard Wood and
John ]. Pershing are mentioned In
connection with the nomination Of the
Republican party.
So far as one can determine. there is
no active campaign in behalf of Gen.
eral Pershing, and thus far the poll
ticians seem to think he has little
chance of the nomination. In fact
republicans in Washington of all kinds
Of Views seem to believe that Pershing
Will not seek the nomination and that