Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-02
citizens are trying to
outline an adequate defense and
a system of industrial and mill
tary preparedness. Overnight

new method of warfare and
a new means of offepse I'd defense
has been evolved. Billions Of dollars
have been spent on useless coast de-
lenses which do not defend: Aerial
torpedoes are being evolved with which
cities will be destroyed the future.
We have at present no means or COM
batting this new instrumental1ty OF
warfare. Anti-aircraft guns nave not
developed sufficiently fast to keep up
with the strides airplanes nave mace
abroad. ooo
Airplanes of tomorrow will fly at 300
miles per hour, 1000 to 10000 feet in
the air, out Of sight, and will turn
loose their cargoes of bombs ana
gases upon entire civilian populations.
Modern nations are turning to THESE
light, mobile cruisers OF the ar, ue'
modifying their great armies Whlcn
in the next war will not intrencn, ana
scrapping their useless, creeping dread
naughts, which, without a protecting
air force, will never go to sea.
The opponents of air power need no
defense; they have come through the
barrage laid down against them. ana
come through successfully. The glst
of their service is this, in substance:
They are trying to arouse national
consciousness to the point that we, as
O. nation, will utilize this w 1nstru-
mentality of peace and warfare; utilize
it in peacetime conditions to carry our
mail our express, and thus lay the
foundation for it's utilization under
war conditions and build up a great
air reserve which can be availed or IN
time of emergency.
Naval Use Of Airplanes.
i r was attending a dinner recently
.SS the guest Of Senator Phelan at the
Cnmmonwealth Club in San Francisco.
The question raised by Gen. Mitchell
as to the adequacy or inadequacy OF
our national defense was being dls-
cussed. The argument advanced by
certain Navy advocates was ABOUT as
follows:
First. Airplanes can't sink battle.
ships; they never have done IT, anu
while the naval vessels are to some
extent in danger from an attack. &C.
cording to the confession of naval Off
GERS, yet they claim that the use OF
aircraft enables them to ward off TINS
danger; consequently they have turned
to aircraft as the protecting eyes OF
fleet. and want to keep an air force
with the fleet for that purpose.
In other words, the objective of the
NAVY is to use an air force as corol-
larry, and as a protection to the feet.
Second. That in the maneuvers last.
ing over a period Of three years OH
Hampton Roads Gen. Mitchell was
not successful in sinking dread
naughts, but merely smaller warcraft.
Now let us examine into the factS
in the case. What did actually hap
pen in these maneuvers? Gen. Pat
rick recently reminds us that when the
Washington was bombarded for days
by the fleet in the Atlantic that the
Army made no attempt to sink the
vessel by bombs from aircraft, because
it was not necessary to pile proof on
proof; that it had been demonstrated
conclusively off the Virginia capes IN
the bombing maneuvers of 1871 ana
1923 that aircraft can sink any war
ship, whether cruiser or dreadnaught.
These maneuvers included the sink
ing of practically all kinds of vessels,
from the destroyer types up to the Ost-
friedland, the so-called unsinkabie
German ship, and the New Jersey.
Vessels Can BE Sunk.
It Is easy enough to understand the
attitude of the Navy men who say tnat
airplanes can't sink dreadnaughtS, be-
cause we remember that Josephus
Daniels, when Secretary of the Navy
offered to stand on the bridge OF
vessel while it was being bombarded.
And another amusing incident that oc-
Cured during the maneuvers. An ao'
miral was talking to an Army ofncer
on the transport Henderson wnlle
one Of the vessels was being bombed
and was yehemently denying the abli-
ity of an airplane to sink batt!eshlp.
While he was in the act of speaking
and disputing this fact, the battlesh1p
was blown completely out Of the water
and sank just as he turned around.
AS early as 1920 Gen. Mitchell an
nounced to the military affairs COM
mittee of the House that he could SINK
anv battleship afioat and would DEM
onstrate it. In the maneuvers de-
stroyer was first broken in two by
small bombs. The alibi makers were
on the job, and confidently asserted
that this was an accident. The ngnt
cruiser Frankfort was then sunk III
seven minutes, followed by the bomo-
ing of the Ostfriedland. The attack on
this ship was made with one'ton
bombs. One bomb alone lifted 10000
tons of water, about half of it falling
on the ships deck form a height OF
several hundred feet-enough alone 10
nut the ship out of commission. In
less than eight minutes the Ostfrled-
land went to the bottom.
Bomb Heard Over World.
At these maneuvers it was truly
said that a bomb had been fired which
was heard around the world.
In the 1923 maneuvers a group OF
90 bombers left Norfolk, Va, and
landed that afternoon at Bangor, Me-,
covering a distance of over 700 miles.
By carrying twice as much fuel they
could have flown from Maine to
Greenland in two jumps, 600 miles
further to Iceland and then across to
England or Norway, landing in Eu-
rope in IS hours.
The bombing of the New Jersey and
the Virginia by Army alrplanes
equipped with 1,100pound bombs took
place in 1923. In less than 48 seconds
the smoke cleared sufficiently to show
what had been beautiful battleship
the Virginia, starting it's downward
plunge, She sank in three minutes.
Two minutes later the New Jersey
turned bottom side up. Those are
irrefutable facts.
Plans Before Congress.
Out of the discussion over the rela-
tive merits of the battleship and air
plane since 1920 it has been hoped
that a separate and Independent air
force would be evolved. Plans have
therefore been submitted to Congress
as follows:
First. A department Of national de-
Tense.
Second. A unified air service.
Third. A separate air corps in the
Army.