Evening star., 1921-07-24
Bombs Sinking OsttriesIand
Start Cry for Air Progress
Continued from First Pase.)

/ SoWe ucFice Ior Dattleeh1p VentllQtorS
which would eliminate mustard and
poison gases from the intake air. thus
| safeguarding all interior compart-
ments which are ventilated by forced
draft.
i F. Development Of anti aircraft
gunfire which would be highly sfroc-
tive up to high attitudes. The 80
caliber machine gun used during the
war for low-fying aircraft will prob
ably be replaced by a .50-calibsr gun
OF the same type, using tracer, armor-
piercing and explosive bullets In al.
formation for ranges up to 5000 feet.
And ~ anti-aircraft type will prob
ably be rushed through production to
replace the three-inch gun used chief
iy during wartime (for ranges UP to
$4,000 feeD. and produced in large
NUMBERS for the trained "archy" per-
sonnel which must now be deyeloped.
ordnance officials also will probably
develop 37-millimeter machine gun
type which can discharge one-pound
broJectiles In a steady automatic
stream against armored aircraft.
Ten-Ton Bomb. in sight,
u. development of 4,0Oo-pound
COMB In the immediate future, and ex.
Iperimental work on still larger types
'up 70 the ten-ton size) in the course
OF the nscal year. Especially will ex.
perlments be directed toward the ner-
,ec',ns OF an armor-piercing aerial
ooih'' one OF which was all ready for
test on the ostfriesland.
II. Rapid increase and organization
OF larger air service to supplement-
inc coast defense organisation and
project our great length Of seacoast
from all kinds Of attack.
]. Production Of amphfbious ai,cr,r,
~nich can land either on land or sea
with equal ease and safety.
| Planes Fly 10000 Miles,
No Official report has yet been ia.
sued by the board Of observer,
charged with making a detailed ac.
count OF the aircraft attack. But
many OF the officials and ciyilian ns
who had such excellent views of the
maheaVers from the decks of the
transport Henderson saw enough to
draw these conclusions:
j. Land planes made their long
Soo-mile flights over sea in windy
weather with speed and certainty
promptly locating their target. ma.
neuvering in proper military pre-
cision and formation and returne ed
safely without engine fault or cas-.
ualty to personnel after a total
$4,000 miles Of airplane travel.
2. Radio control of aircraft was
entirely adequate, and communica.
tion with shore made their operation
far to sea easily possible.
3. The aerial bombing, DESPITE the
infancy Of the science. was equal to-
II not better than, the average per-
formance Of heavy artillery at long
range. despite the latter's centuries
of evolution.
4. Heavy bombs will destroy the
most unsuitable type Of battleship
that has been built today, il allowed
to get within striking distance.
S. One-ton bombs of INT will
sink a capital ship much faster than
it can be sunk by feet gunire of any
| kind.
Comment of the leading officials
who observed the tests follows:
Built to Be Unsinkable.
Capt Hollweg. (who brought the
jOstfrlesland from Firth OF Forth to
America): She was a wonderful ship
built specially on Admiral Won Tir-
pitz orders to make battleships as
nearly unsuitable as possible. She
had four skins to protect her against
mines and torpedoes and heavy pro-
jectiles. She was also divided into
many waterttght compartments by
bulkheads. SO that, no matter how
many big holes were made in her
hulls. she would still be able to get
pierced these bulkheads, which were
! leakproof. She had three separate
| engines; no openings of any kind in
her hull; and the English. on measur-
ing her. found her total tonnage to
be 1900 instead Of the underesti.
EGermans. She had as much buoy
| ancy and resistance to gunhre as any
vessel we have today"
Secretary of the Navy DENLY:
BRIG. Gen. Mitchell is to be con-
graduated; His was a splendid per:
profit. 1t shows the immediate ne.
cessity of airplane carriers. If air
plane attack can show such deadly
results. the Navy must also have air
craft defense against attacking air.
craft"
Much stin to Learn.
Secretary of War Weeks: "The air.
craft forces showed their ability to
work effectively at a great distance
ofrshore. Not a single plane was lost
Gen. Mitchell himself covered more
than 700 miles in a single day. But
of course. the results might hav'
been much different If the weather
had been bad. and the visibility low
also If the target had been steamine
!: twenty knots per hour. and able tC
defend itself. We still have much tt
learn"
Gen. Menoher, chief of the Army al,
service: 1--WE have been taught an.
other hard, cold fact, namely, thai
heavy aircraft bombs can sink q
!; irst-class battleship with indirect
hits. That fact alone will settle
many arguments and uncertainties
We do not contend that the battle
ship will therefore be eliminated. bu'
only that from now on the airplan'
iconstitutes one of its deadliest enc
Senator Poindexter, chairman of TIN
naval affairs committee: The test Il
most creditable to the Army air serv
ice. It shows great improvements nav
must experiment further with bomb
and torpedoes, as we are on tn
threshold Of great things from then
both, The moral is that we must hav'
more aircraft for both aur Army ant
Navy"