Evening star., 1925-09-06

around New York-with the result
that the Coast Artillery tells the pa
pers the story in greatly exaggerated
| terms, whereas the chief Of Air Serv-
ice has been completely muzzIed. An
! interesting example of some of the
anti-aircraft target practice was the
| testing of the listen device for air |
craft at Camp Dix, July 27
The umpire had told Capt. Hall, |
commanding the airplane bombers at
Mitchl Field, that in the next anti
aircraft test he was at liberty TO fly
under conditions which would be used
in war. Capt. Hale informed the UNI
pire ahead OF time that he would
| glide into the target. Before this,
the Coast Artillery had had all their
\ practice with planes that had flown
NIver at fairly constant altitude and
V ith their motors open.
The night OF the test the planes
get their proper altitude. Played
arc ou.nd a little just out Of range of
the sx archlights and just within range
of the listening devices on the ground.
The Aa tillery thought that this was
easy I've cause they picked up the
planes f1a' off and plotted their course
absolutely. but all OF a sudden sounds
from the airplanes stopped. Five or
ten minuHs later the bombers
dropped dirantly on the target All
around not AZ sound had been heard
before this.
Ground Men Furious"
"The fury of tlAe ground officers, ar
tilIery officers ana others was tremen-
dous The Air Sc. -yice had not acted
fair and had fooled t.Ien1-all of which
a kind enemy, of cou2 Sc, in war would
never do. Discussion even went SO far
that it had to be poiI!N ed OUT that IL
was provided in our Dompardnent
manual to attack a place IN inns Iash-
ion. This is only one in. a anee Oh the
ridiculous performance.
80 far, practically the only pom
bardment airplanes we ha pe IN TINS
country have been used uN towing
these targets for ground .Nlootlng'
which other airplanes could ;ust as
well have done. The actual coss out OF
Air Service funds appropriated " III De
approximately 100000 by the time
| they are completed this Fall
why are things done this v2ly
The Coast Artillery sees that II Is
bound to be greatly reduced on aa'-
count of the fact that aircraft are a
positive coast protection. The CoasCA
Artillery now has about 81 stations. \
For the ten years prior to 1920 about |
81 900, ,00O, 900 was spent on coast de-
fense-not two millions. but two Dill |
lions What good are these coast de-
immediate vicinity of large cities where
submarine might emerge at close |
range and plant a few shells in the
city.
Says Bombing Inaccurate.
What could the saving do on these
useless expenditures. if used by the |
troops of the mobile Army station
in Texas and other frontier points. |
living in shacks unequipped with mod
ern convenienceS, cut down on every |
activity and rendered almost incapable |
| in case the Constitution is menaced-
of putting down instructions or
executing the laws when al other !
mans fail, and patrolling our frontiers J
| and holding our insular possessions?t J
What would only a small part of TINS |
tremendous expenditure mean in the |
| development Of aircraft? Not one /
heavy bomb has been dropped by the
| Air Service line units in target prac- |
tice for two years. Only about four /
or five modern sights are on hand
with the bombing groups, and today,
I. who know our personnel better
| than any living man, can only put
my hand on two perfectly capable
bombardment crews to handle -Jr
aircraft in case we are attacked.
''The other thing that the War De- \
partment has done this Summer is to |
Sludy IAo" li4C pelS SOdlN-bC AS
| duced or taken away from them. |
| Think of it, the whole effort of the |
War Department during the Summer
| has been to fool the people into think |
| ing that anti-aircraft cannon are a |
protection and to keep the rightful |
flying pay away from the pilots.
ITO make a long story short, we |
are utterly disgusted with the con-
duct of our military affairs applying |
| to aviation. Our pilots know they |
are going to be killed if they stay in |
| the service, on account of the methods |
employed in the old bloating collins !
that we are still flying. Those that |
still remain have held on so long that |
| If they got out they would starve. !
| They don't dare open their mouths |
and tell the truth, because they and |
| their families might be booted out !
| to some obscure place.
Praises Men i'm Service.
No finer body ever existed in the |
makeup of our country than these
men. There are many able men in i
| the Army-these should be develop |
| ing the ground Army in accordance |
with the needs of the Nation. There |
are many able men in the Navy
| but the bureauocracies that both of |
these national services maintain in |
Washington have passed all bounds of |
national decency. They are deluding |
the public, sacrificing our national de- |
| fense and not only wasting the money
of our citizens but the lives of it's
| ablest men, our flying officers.
This condition must be remedied. |
| 1t is not in the field of partisan
| politics, it concerns us. all. The Amer |
| lean people must know the facts, and
with their unfailing common sense
and ability, they will surely remedy it. |
! GAS far as I am personally concern !
| ed, am looking for no advancement
in any service"
Satisfied With Record.
at have had the finest career that
any man could have in the armed
service Of our United States. I have
had the great pleasure OF serving in |