Evening star., 1928-05-05
PLANES TO REPEAT
WARE ARE TACTICS
"ViCtoriouS" Pursuit and At
tack Group to Leave Lang
ley Field Today.
BY FREDERICK r. NEELY.

LANGLEY FIELD, Va, May 5.-Hav-
ing given a vivid demonstration OF
aerial warfare tactics to members OF
Congress and high Army officials from
Washington, the first pursuit group
from Selfridge Field, Mich. and the
third attack group from Fort Crockett,
Tex, were to leave Langley Field early
this afternoon for Fort Bragg in Fay
ettsville, N. c.. where yesterdays oper-
atoms here will be repeated. From Fort
Bragg the pursuit and attack organiZa-
tions will go TO Fort Benning. Ga, and
thence to the general service schools OF
the Army.
AL ali these places TO be visited,
minute study Of the Air Corps tactics
will be given by the students of the gen.
eral service schools and methods VIII
be studied TO combat air attacks as dis
played by the flying circus. Likewise
the Air Corps will benefit learning how
the ground forces will seek to evade or
trustrate offensiyes from the air,
As the final number on the lengthy
program developed yesterday, the Sec
ond bombardment group. based at this
field, gave a spectacular exhibition of
close formation night flying. Seventeen
big double-engined bombers grouped IN
q diamond-shape formation cruised
about the sky, now and then Illuminating
the ground below with parachute flares
which drifted slowly TO earth sending
out flaming white light. The bombers
without the aid of fioodlights on the
field landed in formation, using their
big glaring headlights 10 illuminate the
ground on the approach TO earth.
Many Fly to Maneuvers.
About half of the congressional dele
CATION who few down from Washington
Thursday afternoon returned to Boiling
Field last night, and the remainder.
with more than dozen newspaper men.
were flown TO the Capital In ~ air
planes.
One of the most remarkable features
of the entire program yesterday was
that although nearly 100 planes we're
involved In the naneuverS and about
rs OF them were In the air az the
same time. flying closely together, net
one mlshap of any sort occurred.
II was emphasized by officers at the
field that these results pointed 10 the
skill and thorough training OF the
Air Corps pilots. as the maneuvers In
formation called for rapid exchange of
signals while flying at terrific speeds.
One slip-up or Misunderstanding prob
ably would have resulted in disaster
TO most OF the formation. 1t was said.
Planes Score Victory"
Fifty-six modern military battle planes
dropped nearly 10000 pounds OF eX-
piosives and fired I0500 rounds of ma
chine-Run bullets into a wagon train
target yesterday. scoring highly sue
fat stdr ftf q
OF gigantic aerial military maneuVers
which were arranged for the purpose Of
acquainting other branches of the seTv-
ice with methods and the tactics EN-
ployed by the Army Air Corps.
BY far the most spectacular event VI
the day, the bombing and machine gun
firing gave vivid demonstration Of the
striking force OF the independent Air
force, which Is composed Of pursuit at
tack and bombardment aviation.
The earth trembled. clouds OF dust
and smoke were thrown high in the air
and flames leaped ont OF the ground as
the air force made It's attack, The prob
lem was 20 show how attack aviation
tunctioned. Eighteen attack planes
o-seatefs-~-carFying six machine guns
and half a dozen bombs approached
the target In two sections of eight
more than 100 feet. the first formation
Of three planes opened up It's 10 ma
chine guns. Immediately after this
formation came two other groups of
three planes each and they specialized
ON the bombing. dropping l7~pound
augmentation missiles The second
night OF eight planes repeated this
maneuver
The attack planes were 10 clear away
al anti~air craft defenaes and pave the
way Tor the n bombers which arrived
overhead AT 5000 feet just as the low
nying planes cleared out 0f sight
Hits Hunched Perfectly.
Hunching their hits In n perfect pat
Tern, The 5O0~pound demolition bombs
tore up The earth and dug enormous
cratefe all shout the wagon train The
bonlbtfs dropped their eggs" almost
simultaneously and considering the size
of the target along with the altitude
they we're flying the results we're de-
elarsd ny officers 10 have been highly
successful,
A. the b0mbsrs passed out Of sight
the III pursuit planes, which had been
cruising around at such high altitude
that they were hardly digGefnihle
pointed their noses downward for what
Was left ~ the target Al about 900
feet the vanguard of The pursuit forlnn-
ti0n, which was travelling At nearly 2S0
mlss ~ h9A' Vim IL pls<s W siaAs