Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-16
PLANES GATHERING
FOR WAR PRACTICE
$50 Army Fighting Craft to
Oppose imaginary
Enemy on Pacific.

Following the departure from the
National Capital of a number of the
command and staff officers. who will
direct the greatest peace-time battle
maneuvers of the Army Air Corps, to
take place next month in Northern
California, the concentration Of $50
Army fighting planes at Mather Field,
Sacramento, Calf, Is about to begin,
1t was announced yesterday by the
War Department.
Mather Field will be the field head
quarters of a provisional wing to be
organized there with Air Corps squad
rons from every corner of the Nation.
This will be the first time so large an
aviation unit as wing has operated
under Air Corps orders since the World
War
The wing is to operate over an imagi-
nary battlefield covering more than
10000 square miles of forest, farm land,
mountains and coast line. Enemy fleets
are supposed to ride at anchor in Los
Angeles Harbor and Monterey Bay, the
War Department said and the climax
of the maneuvers will include the first
attempt by unsupported Army aviation
to block an enemy naval attack on an
American city. The Air Corps squad
ronS also will operate against simulated
enemy ground troops and air forces.
Will Fly Million Miles.
The Army planes which will take part
in the maneuvers will fly an individual
total of more than 100000 miles and
the squadrons will fly a distance greater
than the circumference of the globe
en- route to and from the maneuvers
and in connection with them, it is eSti-
mated by Army officials.
In addition to the Air Corps officers
who already have flown from this city
Ia g.
during the coming week, among them
Brig. Gen. William E. Gilmore, as
sistant chief of the Air Corps, who will
command the provisional wing; Col
Frank Andrews, his chief of staff, and
Maj. M. F. Davis, Maj. Thomas D. Mil
ling, Maj. H. H. Arnold, Capt. Elmer
Adler and Lieut.. Roland Birnn. F.
Trubee Dawson. Assistant Secretary of
war for AeronauticS, Is expected to make
the flight later.
Major Groups Included.
The major Air Corps organizations
which have been ordered to the Pacific
Coast for participation In the maneuvers
are as follows
fridge Field, Mich commanded by Mai.
Ralph Royce. The group will take 40
pursuit planes and cargo planes over
distance of 1900 miles on the round
trip, manned by IS officers and % en-
listed men. The group will leave Sell
fridge Field about March rs, making
overnight stops at Omaha, Nebr,;
CHEYENNE, Wyo., and Elko, New.
Second Bombardment Group, Langley
Field, Va, commanded by Mai, Hugh
j. Knerr; 10 bombardment and one
cargo plane, manned by SO officers and
AZ enlisted men. The group will fiy
total OF $500 miles to and from the
maneuvers, leaving Langley Field about
March "a and making overnight stops
at Montgomery, Ala; Shreveport, La;
Midland, Tex; Tucson, Ariz., and
March Field, Calf.
Third Attack Group, Fort Crockett.
Galveston, Tex, Maj. Davenport John
son; % attack planes and one cargo
plane, manned by 80 pilots and 80 en-
listed men. The group will leave Gal
weston about March 81, making over
night stops at FL Paso, Tex, and March
Seventh Bombardment Group. Rock
well Field, San Diego, Calf, Mai. Carl
Spatz; 20 pursuit, four bombardment
ana cargo planes, with a personnel of 80
on1cers and 40 enlisted men.
Ninety-frst Observation SQUADRON
CrlSsy Field, San Francisco Can't. wal
Ter II. Kraus; seven observation planes
and one cargo plane, with Is oficerS
ana 10 enlisted men.