Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-27
DEADL|ER METHODS
OF AIR WAR SEEN
Lessons of TWo-Week Ma
neuvers Point to Many
Changes.
BY J. S. EDGERTON.
STAFF Correspondent of The star.

the close of the World War, will take
new and even more deadly form during
the next few years. This was the out
standing lesson of the two weeks OF
mimic warfare in Ohio, which was con-
cluded with a critique here yesterday
attended by more than 500 of the Ma
tons military leaders in every arm of
the service.
Twin-motored three place reconnais-
sance planes of great speed and power
full defensive equipment: small fast
bombardment planes which will be able
to elude the attacks of pursuit planes;
heavy bombers which will work at such
tremendous attitudes as to be invisible
and unheard and bombs which may be
dropped in great numbers around nor
mally impregnable targets such as
dams and other great structures with
OFT exploding until thousands upon
Thousands of pounds of high explosive
aee accumulated around the target and
tien thu whole mass set off by single
dstorat,on bomb-these are some of the
developments forecast at yesterdays
cfi.tqle.
The critique reached dramatic
climax when Maj. Gen. James E.
Fechet, chief Of the Army Air Corps.
reviewing the present development OF
military aviation. pointed out that every
bit of this development had occurred in
the past 25 years since the first flights
made by the Wright brothers, and then
called up out of an obscure spot in the
audience Wilbur Wright. the first man
to fly in an airplane. Wright was ac-
corded tremendous ovation. in which
hardened old campaigners of the Ma
tons wars leaped to their feet cheering
Attack Aviation Lesson.
The power of the newest and one of
the deadliest military weapons ever
devised-attack aviation-was demon
Strated for the first time during the
two weeks maneuvers. At yesterdays
critique officers of all branches agreed
that attack aviation has introduced a
new and most serious problem into
military tactics. Not only must pres
ent tactics be changed to meet the
menace of attack plane operations but
some new method of defense against
such attacks stands today as one of
the most important military necessities,
1t was pointed out.
Attack aviation has presented a
great problem which must be solved"
declared Maj. w. II. Frank, Army Air
Corps, chief air umpire during the
maneuverS and chief of the Air Corps
Tactical School at Langley Field, Va
There is grave doubt that there is
any known agency in the world today
which can stop we'll organized aerial
attack, with pursuit planes above to
protect the attack planes below"
The deadly character of an assault
by attack planes was pointed out by
Col. w. H. Waldron, commander of the
10th Infantry. Fort Thomas. Coving-
ton, KY, and leader of the Red Army
forces during the maneuvers. DeScrib-
ing the attempts of Red aviation to stop
an impending assault by Blue attack
planes on an important ground con-
centration point, Col. Waldron said:
I'VE had all our pursuit planes in the
air and made every effort ingenuity
could devise to Stave off the attack,
but the attack planes swept through
like a blast of flame and we didn't
catch one of them. We must have
something to stop the attack planes"
The attack planes, as demonstrated
during the maneuvers by the Sd Attack
Group, Fort Crockett, Tex, possesses
tremendous destructive power and is it
self exceedingly difficult to hit. Each
OF the planes carries six machine guns,
which can hurl total of IA, 400 bullets
minute, and in addition carries 10
25-pound Regeneration bombs which
are exceedingly effective against ground
troops. They are fast, maneuverable
ships, each carrying a pilot and OBJ
server, and they work just above the
tree tops.
Trends Are Outlined.
The trends which military aviation is
likely to take during the coming few
years were outlined by Maj. Frank. Dur
ing the maneuvers, he pointed out, Blue
bombardment planes were assigned to
the mission of destroying Griggs Dam,
above Columbus, reinforced concrete
dam which backed up the waters of the
| Scioto River for six miles, blocking the
| advance of the Blue Army.
There is no aerial bomb known today
| which can destroy such structure as
this DAM" he said. THE bombers got
around the difficulty by blowing out
neck of soft earth around the end of
the dam and SO releasing the impounded
waters.
LAS a result Of this experience the
theory of bombardment may have to be
changed. 1t is impracticable at pres
| ent to consider the use of bomb large
enough tc destroy such a structure We
| may have to use smaller bombs which
may be dropped without exploding until
great numbers of them can be accumu-
| ioIS0 tIlc lIERet anu IIltIl SCI
simultaneously by single bomb.
| I'VE must have more speed in our
| bombardment planes to prevent con-
| tinuous attack by pursuit planes. They
| should be so fast that pursuit planes
cannot make more than one attack on
them before they can get out of range
Another development which seems to
be badly needed is delayed fuse action
| for big bombs so that bombardment
/ Axyt ~ fnni,. fnY
a height Of so feet or SO, place the
bombs with great accuracy. and then
| get away before the explosion occurs"
! TWo-seater and multi-seater fighting
| planes also constitute great need
Maj. Frank said. There is need, he said
for experienced observers in every for
nation of attack and bombardment
planes, as well as in the observation
squadrons. In the attack formations,
he stated. There should be at least one
skilled observer to each three-plane
formation.
Two Missions Served.
The Ohio maneuvers have served two
distinct training missions, the train
ing of Air Corps pilots and command
ing officers and the training of general
officers of the Army and their tactical
STATS, it was stated by Maj Gen. Den
mis- E. Nolan, commandant of the 5th
Corps Area srsi commander of the air
ground forces during the maneuvers.
Ground staffs," Gen. Nolan said
need to have the same knowledge of
the tactics of the Air Corps that they
have of the work of their own or
CARNATIONS. These maneuvers provide
! the only method of really acquainting
air and ground officers with each others
problems"
Hope that the War Department will