Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-08-02
PLANES ARE BEST
FOR AIR DEFENSE
WAR COLLEGE UMPlREs DECIDE
THEY ARE NECESSARY TO
MEET HOSTILE AIRCRAFT.
DEVELOPING LAND DEFENsEs
Four New Types Of AntI-Aircraft Guns
Are Being Developed, One Of which
Fires 45-Pound Shell to $4,000 Feet
Altitude.
~ EpwARn III CLARK

WaSnlngIOn.-Recen playing ~ Lie
war game at the army war college
has brought out emphatically the fact
that airplanes are the chief defense
against all hostile aircraft.
War college umpires, after careful
consideration of all elements IN the
war game. were compelled to award
victory to the enemy air feet because
of the lack of fighting planes to pro-
tect the defending bombing squadrons
It was held that the bombers would
certainly have been brought down or
driven off by the enemy combat planes
and the umpires ruled that the enemy
landing had been accomplished.
This result conformed with the ex-
pectations Of army officers who have
studied out the probabilities OF future
naval and land engagements. The
war game, however, was not OF ma
ture to serve as any test OF the vari-
GUS types of land defenses against air
craft developed since the war to sup.
plement fighting air squadrons In pro-
lection Of cities or camps against hos
tile bombers
New Antl-Alrcraft Guns
recent War department memo
randum described four new types OF
anti-aircraft guns now in progress OF
Development and also new search
light of enormous power to be used for
the same purpose.
The first Of the new guns Is the DO
caliber machine gun with horizontal
range of about $1,000 feet and a
straightup range of 5000 to $4,000 feet
and a rate of fire of about 500 shots
a minute. Fire control is maintained
with this gun through new tracer am
munition, visible night or day up to
$500 yards.
The 50-calibey glD is under manu-
facture for issue as a substitute for
the 3O-caliber weapon now used. which
is relic of war days.
The second gun under development
is a 37-mm. machine gun, firing high
explosive shells with fuses so deli
cately adjusted that the shells, while
cafe to handle before firing, explode
3n contact with balloon fabric once
they have been discharged from the
gun.
A rate Of fire of 100 to 120 shots a
minute is expected with this weapon,
which will have range of $1,000 feet
and tracer ammunition visible mp to
$4,000 feet, making possible accurate
fS1.inr ny RI that renfnf
1t is planned to install these weap-
ons in batteries Of four operating with
single telescppic sight control and
to be trained and fired by a single gum
ner. The result will be a secondary
barrage zone to keep hostile craft
above the 10000 level and the "37s'
will be highly mobile equipment fast
in getting into action
Fires Shell $1,000 Feet Up.
The third new gun in the group is
q three-inch weapon on a mobile
mount with rate of fire Of fifteen
shots minute, effective al attitudes
up to $1,000 feet, and with full ago
degree traverse to enan1e the gunner
to follow his target in any direction.
II can be fired at an elevation Of so
degrees and has horizontal range of
more than $4,000 Feet, with projectiles
weighing fifteen pounds and contain
ing a heavy bursting charge Guns
and mounts Of this type are now nder
test at army proving grounds.
Gun No. in the anti-aircraft list is
the Az inch, firing q 45-pound shell Is
an effective altitude of $4,000 feet. IT'S
horizontal range is $4,000 yards 1t is
to be mounted on a mobile carriage
with full traverse and equipped for
power loading and with an automatic
breech block to speed up firing. This
gun also can be fred at an elevation
of 80 degrees, or within 10 degrees OF
straight over the gunner's head
AS a supplement to these new weap-
ons, the experts are working out a
system of indirect aiming for all OF
them, experiments having shown that
central station control firing is great
ly superior to the old wartime sys-
TENS Two types of central stations
are under development, either of which
will obyiate the necessity for alti1ne-
ter stations and base line readings and
materially speed up aiming and fir.
ing, although requiring less personnel
in operation than the old control meth.
DDS.
Around World Flight.
II is quite likely that within 8
year several American army air
planes will have started Cd a flight
around the world Secretary OF Wal
Weeks has authorized the army all
service to make Investigations to OBJ
tain information as to meteorological
conditions, landing facilities, harbol
situations, anchorage. transportation
Always, ETC., over the Atlantic anC
Pacific oceans this summer in connec
ton with final estimate of the prac
ticability and cost of making the flight
and the service is going ahead witt
the project.
Lieuts. Clarence e. Crumrine anG
Clifford G. Mutt will make preliminary
surveys. Moreover, the chief of thu
air service has appointed five officers
1 of his service To investigate and re