Evening star., 1925-09-06
BOOK SEES PLANE
KILLING NEED OF ARMY OR NAVY
Latter's Usefulness Virtually Outlived, Former i'm
Stage of Arrested Development, Air Officer Says
in Uncensored ''Winged Defense


happiness in the great open spaces.
Such, in substance, are some of the
recommendations contained in Col.
Billy" Mitchells new and "un-
censored" book, Winged Defense" +"
now going the rounds of higher-ups
in the military establishment. Col.
Mitchell's statement of yesterday re-
garding the Shenandoah and PN-9 has
served to increase interest in his book
even further.
AS was to be expected, Col. Mitchell
didn't hide his suggestions behind a
smoke screen. nor spare gold braid or
silver stars of those directing Amer
ica's defense in his writings. Perhaps
that is why he waited until the book
was published to submit it to his Su-
periorS in accordance with the War
Department regulations.
At any rate, the publicity attendant
upon Col. MitChelfs decision to do his
own editing has not hurt the sale of
the volume any. Book stores In this
city were soon sold out of their
original consignments after the first
accounts of the book were printed
in local newspapers, most of the vol
umeS finding their way into the Of
fees of officials at the War and Navy
departments, 1t is reported. Book
store proprietors lost no time in wir-
ing extra orders.
Cartoons Hit Superiors.
AS has been said, Winged Defense"
is epbellished with numerous repro
ductions of cartoons depicting vari-
Gus aspects of Mitchslls attacks on
the aviation policy of the military de-
partments, but these cartoons cannot
be said to be a part of the book itself.
They are used as miniature decora-
tions on the inside of the cover. Col
Mitchell is quoted as saying they were
put there by the publishers without
his knowledge. Secretary Weeks and
Col. Mitchell are prominent figures in
several of them, the latter in the role
of public hero.
The book itself is not lengthy. COM
prising but 10 chapters, but there are,
in addition, predatory explanation of
who Col. Mitchell is, a foreword of sew
eral pages by the colonel himself,
preface which is in reality a summary
of the entire work, a closing chapter
giving the authors conclusions in no
uncertain terms and voluminous ap-
pendiX detailing the work of the Gov
ernment's agencies dealing with aero
nautics.
Sees Air Era Dawning.
Opening his book with the assertion
that the world stands on the thresh-
old of the 'aeronautical era." during
which epoch the destinies of all peo-
pie will be controlled through the air, -
Col. Mitchell pictures a future any
thing but rosy for America unless she
awakens to the possibilities of ''air
power"
The wars of tomorrow, he declares,
will not be fought by armies or navies,
but by aircraft, and there will be no
need for a general draft of the coun-
try's man power, as in the World War.
Only enough men to direct the coun-
try,s air fleet will be needed, he
states.
Now and then, he admits, the COM
mander-in-chief of the air forces may
find it advisable to call on sub
marine or two for special duty in mid
ocean, and even a battleShip might
be used under certain conditions, but
on the whole the Army and Navy can
sit back and watch the excitement,
the colonel indicates.
The former assistant chief of the
Army Air Service reviews sketchily
the development of aviation during
and since the World War, lamenting,
except the United States have adopt
ed a definite air doctrine as distin-
guished from their sea doctrine and
their land doctrine" He repeatedly
urges a separate department of aero
nautics, co-equal with, If not superior
to, the War and Navy Departments.
Recalls Bomb Tests.
The bombing exneriuents off C,besa.
peake Bay in 1923 are reviewed in de-
tail, with unconcealed enthusiasm over
the sinking of the ships regarded as
impregnable. Charges that the Navy
insisted" on carrying out the tests
under conditions unfavorable to air
craft are contained more or less
directly in several places in the
volume.
Mitchell loses no time in aiming an
air service bomb" at his superiors,
inserting the following remarks in the
preface at the. very outset: There
never has been any lack of interest
by the people in aviation in the United
States. What has hindered it's de-
velopment has been the extreme con-
servatism of the executive depart
ments of the Government. The pres
sure of the people on Congress has
resulted in the beginning of decisive
congressional action"
From a military standpoint" the
preface continues, mo specific mis-
sion is assigned to our national aero
nautics. 1t is regarded as an auxiliary
to the Army and Navy. Actually,
there is no air force in the United
States. The system of creating one
is so complicated and so difficult to
put in motion that an air force could
ri ho h,n.Iorlof fn fof 70 nf afinianou
after years of trial, hundreds of mis-
takes and the wasting of many lives
and millions of dollars in money. In
other words, relatively, we are little
better off than we were at the begin
ming of the World War"
Turning again to the Navy, the
author said: Surface navies have en-
tirely lost their mission of defending
a coast because aircraft can destroy
or sink any seacraft coming within
their radius of operation. In fact,
aircraft today are the only effective
means of coast protection. Conse-
uuently, navies have been pushed out
on the high seas. The menace of sub
marines from below and aircraft from
above constitutes such a condition
that the surface ship as an element
of war is disappearing. Today, the
principal weapon of the sea is the
with its mine layers, gun
fighters and torpedo craft"
Sums Up Hearing.
In connection with the aircraft
hearings held by Congress the author
states: THE evidence before both con-
gressional committees plainly showed
that: 1. There should be a depart
ment of aeronautics charged with the
nd he
development of the coun-
try. 2. There should be an aeronau-
tical personnel entirely apart from the
Army and, Navy, and 8. There should
be a department of. national defense.
with subheads for the air, Army and
Navy"
Navies, Col. Mitchell continues, have