The New York herald., 1921-01-30
AERIAL ATTACK ON
WARSHIP PLANNED
Battle May BE Staged to De-
termine Most Effective
Weapon for U. s.
CONGRESS ACTION NEEDED
Gen. Mitchcll's Charge Navy Is
Afraid Of Test Stirs Daniels
to Order Inquiry.
Special Despatch to TIE New YOnk HERALD.

Special Despatch to THE New York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington. ID. c., Jan. 20.
The staging of a real battle between
modern airplanes and battle ship TO
determine which would be the more
effective weapon in the future arma-
ment programme of the United States
probably will be recommended to Con-
gress by the House subcommittee on
military appropriations, Representative
Anthony (kan), chairman, said.
The plan under consideration is to
authorize the Navy Department to turn
over an obsolete battleship, such as is
now used for target practice, and then
with the Military and Naval Affairs
committees and high officials of the
Army and the Navy as rather distant
spectators, allow airpanes to attack the
armored dreadnought from the air. No
one would be on the battleship. thus Civ
ing the airpane the advantage of not
being subject to anti-aircraft attacks.
The results of the battle. which prob
ably would be held off the Middle At
lantic coast, would be highly valuable to
Congress in determining whether large
additional appropriations should be
made for battleship construction, or
whether the best means of national de-
fence lies in development of the air.
plane. Mr.. Anthony believes.
Congressional action is necessary, in
the opinion of Brig. .-Gen. William
Mitchell assistant chief of the Army
Air Service who. in testimony before
the House Appropriations Committee,
limited that the Navy Department TO
sustain its belief as to the prowess of
the battleship has refused to authorize
the use of an obsolete dreadnought for
the test, Mr. Anthony's plan is to pass
a resolution through Congress author
izing the use of an old ship.
II have requested repeatedly to have
a war vessel turned over to us. but the
naval officials evidently did not consider
1t necessary" said Gen. Mitchell. We
want to demonstrate to committee of
Congress what we can do now and what
we can, do with a development of arna
ment and aircraft in the future.
The fhickest armor on the deck Of
the modern battleship is three inches
We want to demonstrate that we can
pierce this easily and either blow up
a big battleship or disable it through
fumes or concusson. Even without a
direct hit the battleship would be put
out of commission by a nearby bomb
explosion, as was demonstrated in tests
made by the navy on the old battlcship
Indiana"
1t was apparent to-day that a sharp
row has been developed both in army
and navy circles and in Congress over
Mitchells confident predictions as tc the
future heplessness OF the battleship
when it meets the airplane in a battle.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels said
that he had ordered an inquiry into the
statements made before the House COM
mittee by Admiral Mitchell 20 the
effect that the ''battleship is as helpless
against the airplane as the armored
knight was when the firearm was
brought against him. He has asked
for a report on Gen. Mitchelfs views
from Capt. Thomas It. Craven. head
of naval aviation. The question is one
of heated discussion among officers
here.