Seward daily gateway., 1926-02-22
MAJOR LANPHIER WILL RECOMMEND FLYING DIVISION THOUGHTS TURN FREQUENTLY TOWARD AIR SERVICE
 FOR ALASKA EAGER TO JOIN WILKINS PARTY Alaska Would Be Army's Strategic Base In Case War Eastern
 Nations.
EAGER TO JOIN WILKINS PARTY
By PALMER HUTCHINSON

For The Seward Daily Gateway Major Thomas C.. Lanphier, com
 manding officer of the First Pursuit Group, U. s. Army, and unofficial army observer with the Detroit Arctic Ex-
 petition, will ask the War department to establish a permanent army flying field and station a sizable group of fighting pilots in Alaska. He believes
 that in case of war with any Eastern nation, Alaska would be the army's
 strategic base and that because of this, the War department should train a flying division in Alaska.
 Major Lanphier has had an Alaska complex for many years. His army record shows that his thoughts along
 the line of air defense have turned frequently to the northermost territory
 of the United States and that, to the
 best of his ability, he has been train ing men and perfecting equipment for flying in that territory. He was eager Ito join the Detroit Arctic Expedition chiefly because he was eager to study Alaskan flying conditions and gather information first hand.
 When Major Lanphier was called to testify before the Presidents air service investigation board, last Octo- Der, he stated that in case of another war on the United States, the first at tack would be made thru the air. He was asked if he meant that attacking a1rplanes would attempt to cross the Atlantic or Pacific either under their own power or aboard naval airplane carriers.
 Not necessarily" he said. "An at- tack on the West Coast could be made through Alaska"
 The First Pursuit Group is station ed at Selfridge Field, Michigan. Think. Ing ever how he might best prepare that fighting group for actual warfare. Major Lanphier left Selfridge Field one day in January 1925, with 20 air planes. He led the 20 planes north ward across the farms of the Michigan Thumb and up into the old pine conn try where the scrub oak thickets. the oalsam swamps, and the aspen plains begin their sweep toward Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He reached Osco- da county and landed the entire divi sion on the ice of a little cut-oyer country lake.
 This is Vau Etten lake," he told hls men. 'This is war game and we are here to stay week. Take care of your planes.'
 The temperature was ten below zero. i The balsam swamps and the scrub oak thickets roundabout were blanket i ed with snow There were no han gars, no barracks for the men: noth- ing but an expanse of smooth ice and | woods.
 The next morning the airplane en- zines would not start. But they were | blow torches and by dint | )f strenuous labor. The planes sought | -he sky and zoomed away to the North. They returned that night; hey repeated the same routine for six more days.
 Last January the First Pursuit Group flew to Van Etten lake again. There was no engine trouble. The nen did not complain because they were required to go on a winter camp ng trip.
 T was trying" Major Lanphier said, to learn how to operate airplanes in , cold country under simulated war conditions. Oscoda county, Michigan, s not Alaska but it is the best we ould do from Selfridge Field"
 Major Lanphier will study Alaska c rom the standpoint of fighting avia- [: or. He will seek to find it's strate- ic points and it's potential landing eds. He will appraise the weather i rom the standpoints of a man inter- sted in airplane engine performance.