San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-08
AERIAL ATTACK
SHOWN IN FILM
At AIR DEPOT
Bombing Maneuvers Off
Virginia Capes to Be
Exhibited.
SEE BOMBS EXPLODE
Army Relief Benefit to Be
Given Monday and
Tuesday Nights.

For the first and probably only
time civilians will have the opportun-
ity of viewing the army air service
in action against battleships Monday
and Tuesday nights when the official
War Department motion pictures OF
the bombing maneuvers held off the
virginia coast in 1921, will be shown
at the Service Club of the Air Inter
mediate Depot or Kelly Field No. 1.
In addition to showing the bombing
and sinking Of several obsolete and
captured battleships, the nine reels
of films show the Detroit races held
at the World Air Congress last Octo-
Der, parachute jumping and different
types of aircraft in action.
When the bombing manuevers were
held in 1921, commercial film COM
panies we're not allowed to take pic
lures. The official pictures taken by
the army and navy were the only ones
taken. The navy pictures have never
been shown to the public, and Tuesday
and Wednesday nights will probably
be the only time that civilians will
have the opportunity of seeing the
army films, as they are to be sent
back to the Air Service Engineering
School at McCook Field, Dayton,
Ohio. Last fall these same films
were shown behind closed doors to
Mai. Gen. +. NJ. Lewis and his staff
at Eighth Corps Area headquarters.
For Army Relie<.
Last week the War Department pic
lures were shown at Kelly Field No.
>, and will probably be shown at
brooks Field after the two-day run at
the Air intermediate Derot. The pic
lures were sent to San Antonio from
McCook Field through the efforts of
Mrs. Dorwin Lakeland, mother OF
Maj. Frank D. Lakeland, commander
OF the A. 1. ID. The receipts from
the shows are to 60 to the army rehef
fund, charitable fund for needy
wives and families of enlisted men
of the army. Last year the Air Ser.
vice raised $500 for the army relief
fund, and when the Roma disaster
occurred at Langley Field the Air
Service Immediately wired $1,000 10
the widows of the enlisted men who
lost their lives in the wreck.
Some Of the films that are to be
shown at the A. ]. d. Tuesday and
Wednesday were taken from on board
the army dileible CO, that was burn
ed at Brooks Field last October. The
CO, with a sister ship, is also shown
leaving their hangers at Langley
Field.
The actual bombing of captured Ger
man warships. and Of obsolete Ameri-
can vessels are shown. The complete
attack, first BY the SEQ planes.
then by the DeHavilands, and finally
by the Martin bombers is thrillingly
portrayed by the official films. The
SECS clearing the deck with their
machine gun fire and augmentation
bombs, the DeHavilands following in
close pursuit with more machine gun
fire and heavier bombs, and finally
the Martins with their 6O0-pound and
oone-ton bombs. The explosion of the
big bombs is clearly shown, and sew
eral direct hits were registered by the
nviators. The shot of Lieut.. Donald
V. Goodrich, formerly of Kelly Field,
which tore away the bow of the
Frankfort, is one of the many inter
esting features.
Shows Parachute Jumping.
The U-ll7, the G-102, the Frank
fort. the Alabama and the ex-German
battle cruiser, Ostriesiand, are among
the ships that went down in 1921, un-
der the fire of the Army Air Service.
The maneuvers we're held 80 miles
away from Langley Field. the home
base of the airplanes that took part
in the bombing.
The bombing maneuvers in 1927
proved to be contest between the
army and the Air Service in which
the latter was the undisputed victor.
When it was evident that the airmen
found no trouble hitting their mark,
and that the nirplanes could carry ex-
plosives powerful enough to sink any
thing that floats, navy officials ra-
diced a message to Brig. Gen. Will
liam Mitchell, who was watching the
maneuvers from the air. to cease fir
ing. The general did not agree. how.
ever. and the bombing was continued
until all the targets were under the
water.
Other pictures that will be shown
Tuesday and Wednesday night show
views of McCook Field. close-ups Of
parachute jumps, the Martin bomber
race at Detroit and the Pulitzer race
also at Detroit. Lieutenants r. i.
Vaughan and Fonda b. johnson,
Kelly Field officers, are seen in the
Pulitzer race. Lieutenant johnson
was killed at Kelly Field several
months ago. Lieutenant Vaughan is
seen as he pilots his Curtiss racing
plane to victory at the speed of 224
miles an hour.
The Air Service has shown these
films in Washington before War De-
partment officials and members OF