New Britain herald., 1919-04-04
AVIATORS MADE 39
 ATTACKS ON U-BOATS
Of This Number at Least Ten
 Were Successful.


 tacks upon submarines were made oy the American naval air force 1n tlle war and ten of them were considered in some manner successful, says s] summary of Am erican naval aVlat1on prepared at headquarters here. When the United States entered the war the navy boasted of only thirty officers who knew anything apout flying. When the armistice was signed the force was composed of 1,50o off, cers and 5000 men, according to the report.
 Trial and discouragemenas of the United States naval air force in the war are umerated at some length along with 'occasional'' triumphs. Va- rious causes are assigned for lack of effectiveness but many of the troubles are said to have been overcome and the service ready to execute what had been expected of it when the armis- tice intervened. The summary of ac- tual operations is interspersed with accounts of the lack of trained pilots and the difficulty in training them, shortage of machines, stories of the
 
 States without propellers, without magnetos, defective parts and lastly of the failure of Italian machines for night t-bombing for which they were intended. The United States had turned to Italy for planes when ma chimes were not delivered from America quickly enough.
 One of the biggest plans of the service was the 'northern bombing project calling for the cooperation of Americans with the British in al mo ost continuous bonn ping of subma- rine bases on the Belgian coast. A great many hindrances arose, some of them shown in the summary be- ing: Lack of machines, lack of ma terial, lack of properly trained per- sonnel both pilots and enlisted men, necessity of complicated negotiations with the Royal Air Force in the mat ter of supplies of all sorts and ne- cessity of ferrying Italian machines from Milan, Italy, to the north of France. Neither the night nor the day wings were operating efficiently at the time of the a>cmistice, in the opinion of those who compiled the summary.
 It was planned to have 12 squad
  however, was reduced to eight when it was found that the United States army could not deliver the planes required. American machines with Liberty motors were to be used for the day work and a contract was made with the Italian government to deliver thirty, 600-hoise power air planes for the night work. The Ital- ian ma chimes, it is stated, proved wholly unfit for night bombing work. ] What is considered by the A1neri- l can navy the most successful aviation ] operation resulted from the Killing 1 holme project This was an agree ] ment by which England was to fur [ nsh 50 seaDanes and 50 lighters and the United States was to provide 1 40 seapIanes and 80 lighters by March ] ], 1918 for offensive work in Heligo- l land Eight. The British were success fully doing similar work from their 1 station at Feiixstowe. Approximate l ly 1000 Americans were sent to Kill lingholme to train and assist the l British while awaiting the arrival of the Am merican planes. By uly i, six 1 Am erican planes were assem- bled and , the British turned over the station to 1 the Americans. It was necessary to leave British planes, however, lowing to the faults of the first American 1 machines.' II Is reported that the ] American propellers We're faulty, radi- ators leaked and that 1t was July 20 before the first wholly American pa ] trOl was undCrta ken.
 Evcn under these handicaps how l ever, the American pilots kept after the submarines and the Killingholme station had several attacks accredited
 
 l it was known a submarine was sunk 1 but even with it's very efficient sea- 1 plane patrol the Royal Air Force was given credit for sinking only one sub marine during the four years and a half of war A verdict of probably seriously damaged was accerdited to American pilots of killingholme by the British admiralty.