Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-30
A|RDROME DEFENSE
FOUNDlNADEQUATE
Attack Planes, DeadIiest War
Weapons, May Be Easily
Crippled.

Attack aviation, developed since the
close of the World War, which has come
to rank as one of the deadliest weapons
against infantry columns, machine CUR
nests. munition trains and other ground
targets, threatens to turn like Frank
enstein monster against those who have
created 1t, 1t is demonstrated by tests
recently concluded by the Army Air
Corps at Camp Stanley, Tex.
Attack planes, through the very ele-
ments which make for their success
against ground troops, have become the
safety of fighting squadrons while on
the ground at airports or temporary air
dromes, the tests have revealed.
Planes Are Bombed.
To determine Just what would happen
to a squadron of combat planes parked
on a typical wartime airdrome in the
event of a raid by attack planes, the
Army Air Corps and the Ordnance De-
partnent STAGED an actual demenstra-
ton at Camp Stanley. Eighteen obso-
lete and condemned airplanes were used
for the ground targets.
In a single attack, lasting less than
go seconds. every plane on the alrarome
was put out of commission, though they
were parked In a manner designed to
afford the best possible protection
against bombardment. Air Corps ON
GERS who inspected the planes, including
two engineering officers, who would have
been charged with the duty of putting
them back into service, estimated that
of the 10 planes which faced the hail
Of fire, only 3 could be repaired for
service within four hours. Three more
could be put into service within "a
hours The other ~ would have re-
puired lengthy major everheuls or were
completely destroyed.
In II of the ID planes the gasoline
tanks were ripped and torn, and the
oil tanks in every plane were punctured.
Spars. ribs, longerons, control wires and
fittings, propellers and electrical wiring
were broken or weakened so the planes
could not be flown. Several were burned
and others blown to pieces by direct
hits.
Defense Method Sought.
As q result Of the tests, the Air Corps,
which originated the attack plane, finds
that it must bend every effort toward
devising a means OF protecting It's ad-
vanced airdremes against attack planes
In the hands of the enemy.
Coupled with bonahardment tests re-
Gently completed ct Fort Siil, Okla, the
Camp Stanley tests have revealed O
number of startling things to Air Corps
and Ordnance officers. have upset sew
eral widely accepted theories and have
provided data upon which new develop
ment VIZ may be based.
At Fo- Sill tons of bombs ranging
In weight from 100 to 2,000 pounds
we're droppe1 from attitudes up to
$1,000 feet and more on the granite
ridges of the Wichita Mountains to de-
terrnine the answers to q varsity of
problems, which could not be answered
except by actual field tests.
1t sometimes happens that q bonn
bardment plane must release its bombs
over friendly territory because of at
tacks by hostile aircraft or for other
reasons The Air Corps and Ordnance
Department wanted to find from what
altitude bombs could be dropped with
the minimum amount of damage. They
wanted to find whether TINT bombs
would explode from the force Of Strik-
ing the ground alone. They wanted
to find whether present type bombs
could Withstand dropping on solid rock
or whether they would burst apart be-
fore exploding and so nullify their
effect. They also wanted to test new
types Of fuses.
Bemb Shipment Thought Safe.
It was found that a 2,060-pound
bomb, without . fuse but with . So
called booster charge" would explode
from contact as effectively as with q
fuse from q height of 1900 feet, but
that the same bomb dropped from 1000
feet would burst apart and lose large
part of the explosive effect.
When a 1000 FOUNDER, minus both
fuse and booster charge, was dropped
from 10000 fest it exploded from the
force Of the contact but also burst, and
much of the explosive was scattered
and lest before burning, greatly weak
ening the force of the explosion. A
similar bomb dropped from 1000 feet,
without fuse or booster, produced no
explosion, but the container was burst
and the unburned explosive scattered
around Dropped from less than 5000
feet the case remained unbroken and
the bomb did not explode.
One of the effects of the tests, in the
informal opinion of observers, Is TO
convince ordnance officers that the
shipment Of INT bombs without fuses
by railroad Is safe, as 1t Is exceedingly
unlikely that any wreck would cause
harder blow than would result from the
dropping Of the bomb through q dis
lance Of 5000 feet.
Percussion Force Tested.
The new type fuses were found TO
function perfectly. There was but one
failure, which was found TO be due TO
defective functioning Of the arming
device
In an effort to determine the force
of the blow struck by an aerial bomb
ordnance officers attached a pressure
gauge to the tail of a 500 FOUNDER,
which was dropped from an altitude OF
10000 feet, on q granite rioge. Inc
bomb struck so heavily 1t was buried in
solid rock clear up to the tail. The
gauge showed an impact force OF
go 900 pounds to the square inch.
II was because of the tremendous
impact force of these bombs that the
tests of ordnance equipment usually
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md, where
tests of ordinance equipment usually
takes place. At Aberdeen it was found
that bombs hurtled through concrete
targets and buried themselves so deep
dig them out to study the effects en-
them Of the drop.
Army experts from all parts Of the
country gathered at Fort sill TO wit
ness the tests. Capt. Simpson n.
Stribling, stationed in the ONCE OF the
chisf of ordnance, in this city, was In
charge of the tests. Lieut.. Arthur /.
Ennis, Z Air Corps, on duty IN tne Office
of the chief of Air Corps here, new TO
FeF IN TO represent his once
Real Attack Simulated.
Following the Fort Sill tests Capt,
stSibling and Lieut.. Ennis went TO
Camp Stanley for the attack plane
tests. Eighteen obsolete Douglass and
De Haviland Army planes had been as
senbled there for use as targets. The
planes were put In service condition
except that all valuable instruments