Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28

year program appears to be almost
futile so successfully does each group
of responsible persons pass the buck
along to the next group without whose
objection they say the program could be
fully carried out.
In other words If the people OF the
United States really want to have an
greatly increasing the burden of tax
alton for the national defense, they
can secure it first by insisting that most
of the small army posts be closed. that
the training of the Regular Army be
conducted in the schools provided for
that purpose and in three divisional
camps. and, furthermore, insisting that
the appropriations necessary for carry
ing out the fiv-year program be rec
commended by the Air Corps to the War
Department, by the War Department to
the President and by the President to
Congress If this is done 1 feel sure
that the sentiment on Capitol Hill in
favor of adequate military aviation is
sufficiently strong to insure the passage
of the necessary funds.
Infantry Wins Battles.
I am not enc Of those who is dis
posed to think that the development
of military aviation is going to do away
with the necessity for a ground army.
1t is the infantry which in the final
analysis wins battles, conquers terri
tory, holds what has been conquered
and defends the fatherland It should
not be forgotten that in the very last
year Of the great war when French
aviation had reached very
high peak of efficiency and French bat
tie planes, particularly of the Spad type,
were second to none in the air, con-
siderable number Of these planes were
captured by the German infantry dur
ing one Of the great drives in May, 1918.
II the infantry captures the hangers.
the shops and the supplies of gas and
oil the best pilots in the world and the
best airplanes in the world are almost
helpless. Nevertheless. as an aid to the
there is no arm of the service
which is superior to the air corps. 1t
furnishes observation from hitherto I'M
attainable vantage points. 1t enables
the artillery to fire more accurately
and effectively. 1t can break up and
destroy the morale of advancing masses
of enemy troops With its bombs it
can explode ammunition dumps, de-
stroy railroad functions and seriously
interfere with the enemies activities
far behind the lines On the other
hand II its bases are not securely held
by ground troops the air corps is rela-
lively poWerless finally, 1t cannot retain
the territory from which it may have
succeeded In driving the enemy.
Must Not Neglect Training.
Whatever we do we must never
neglect the training and development
Of the Infantry. Nevertheless 1t was
clearly demonstrated IL years ago that
it was far easier to train and bring into
effective condition 100000 Infantry
men than to manufacture 1000 battle
planes. II we have an adequate num-
Der of well trained Infantry officers and
experienced Infantry Sergeants, it will
not take more than few months to
train citizen soldiers for effective service
as Infantrymen. On the other hand
as we learned in the World War to
build up an effective air corps requires
three or four times as long. Not only
does the training of military pilots take
much longer than the training of an
but to provide for guam
tity production of the latest type OF
military airplanes is something which
cannot be done In a hurry. If 1t is to
be done even in reasonable length of
time 1t means that we must provide
steady market for a certain number
of each type of military airplanes of
the latest design every year. AS was
pointed out in the final report of the
Presidents aircraft board-"the i'm
portance Of the aircraft industry in
relation to national defense is obvious.
The size of the air force needed in the
event of a great war will always be far
beyond anything that is economically
feasible to keep up in any country in
times of peace. The rapidity Of the
design, rendering flying equipment in
ferior for service use against a major
power within a few years after design,
prohibits the gradual manufacture and
of material and its
storage for use in any future emergency.
The airplanes to equip the expanded
force In case Of war must therefore be
built when war is actually at hand, and
the speed of their manufacture Is
vital factor in military effectiveness.
The relative wastage of equipment In
war, too, Is beyond anything known in
peace, and production must be kept
at the highest pitch In
order to supply the demands OF the
forces IN the held.
War Gives Illustration.
1.-THE experience of the late war gives
concrete illustration Of the wartime
and postwar problems Of an aircraft
industry and shows that in respect of
the production of airplanes an inter-
conflict coming without APP
probable warning divides roughly into
three successive parts. The first, last
ing but a few weeks, is that in which
has to be placed on factory
equipment and factory personnel actual
ly In the service, before there has been
time to get any program Of expansion
under way. 1t Is succeeded by a some
what longer period, during which the
aircraft industry using its existing ia
cilities to the utmost and expanding
them as rapidly as possible, delivers
new airplanes to the service at mod
crate but steadily increasing rate. In
the third and final period, the produc-
ton of the aircraft industry proper is
augmented by the incursion into the
airplane field Of wide variety Of plants
engaged in manufacturing
such things as pianos, furniture, auto
mobile bodies, fancy hardware and 9TH
.r articles not vitality necessary in the
s reached the rate at which airplanes
can be produced in highly industrial
zed country like the United States is
very great.
THE permanent aircraft industry is
most important during the first and
second stages and as source of engi-
neering development and supervisory
talent at all times. For a few months,
and they would be among the most i'm
portant months of any war. it would
have to carry the full burden of sup
plying equipment. After others had
begun to take a share Of that burden
the industry would still have the re-
sponsibility for the design of improved
The furniture manufacturer
can not be expected to start expert
mental work or to do anything more
than build from complete sets of draw
lngs furnished to him. Anything that
strengthens the aircraft industry as a