Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERToN.

and Navy fighters. They are used
by the attack planes for clearing
enemy trenches or machine-gun
nests and for attacks on artillery
and other targets in the front
lines. The Navy uses them for
preliminary attacks on enemy
vessels, to break up antl-alrcraft
gun fire in preparation for heaV-
Ter bombing attacks.
| The Army attack plane carries
$50 pounds of small bombs, either
10 or IS Founders, chiefly OF the
augmentation variety, which cor
responds to the Shrapnel shell of
the Field Artillery. Coupled with
the fire of the six machine guns
with which each attack plane is
armed, this bombardment is cal
culated to make the rear areas
more popular than ever with the
doughboy and his hairy eared
playmate, the artillery man. Army
tactical experts now are racklng
their braineS for means of COM
batting the attack plane success
fully.
The Keystone LB-6 and LB-7,
the one powered with Wright and
the other with Pratt g. Whitney
engines, have been developed as
standard Army light 3, lombard
ment planes. This type of plane
carries 1000 pounds of bombs to
an altitude of approximately 49,
900 feet, or more than 2 miles.
For heavy bombardment the
Army uses the Curtiss BE-, known
as the Condor. Powered with two
CurtiSS GV-1570 water-cooled en-
gineS of 600 horsepower each, the
Condor will carry 1000 pounds of
bombs to an altitude of approx
mately 1900 feet, or nearly 3
miles.
Army Air Corps bombardment
now is consolidated into two ma
jor organizations-the I'd Bonn
bardment Group, stationed at
Langley Field, Hampton, Va, and
the 7th Bombardment Group, at
Rockwell Field, Can Diego, Calf.
The Langley Field group will send
10 bombardment planes to Cali
fornia for the maneuverS, while
the 7th will be represented by
bombers and 20 pursuit planes
from the 95th Pursuit Squadron,
stationed with it at Rockwell.
Diving Bomb Attack.
The Nays diving lombard
ment attack is a development of
the past two years and several
types of new planes designed to
meet the high requirements nee.
essary for this type of flying have
been put through rigid flight tests
at the Anacostia Naval Air Sta
ton. ii
The attack is delivered from
high attitudes; above clouds if the
sky is at all overcast. The theory
is that the planes shall approach
so high or behind the cover of
clouds so as to escape detection.
Arriving over their unSuSpecting
target, the bomberS are put into
screaming vertical dive, motors
wide open. Straight down they
come, so fast that no organized
defense can be put up. At the
last moment, the bombs are drop
ped and the planes pulled out of
the dive, all in an instant.
The attack depends for success
upon uneXpectedneSS and speed.
! Tremendous strains are imposed
upon planes used for maneuverS
Of this character. They not only
must be built to Withstand such
forces, but also must have good
carrying capacity, range and
speed. The problem of designing
such a plane has been difficult
and a cloak of military secrecy
has been drawn about the planes
developed for this purpose.
The Navy has been putting its
bombardment tactics to severe
test in the maneuvers now in
progress in the Caribbean. No re-
ports on the results of these
maneuverS have been received
here and it is not known whether
practice has shown the need for
further tactical reviSionS.
The Army bombardment tactics
will be studied again in actual
practice next month in California.
The concentration of Army planes
for the maneuvers is to begin
this week, the I'd Bombardnent
Group being scheduled to leave
Langley Field for Sacramento,
Calf, tomorrow. Other Squadrons
which will participate, with their
strength in men and planes and
dates of departures and routes to
be followed, are as follows:
The 1st Pursuit Group, under
command of Maj. Ralph Royce,
will make round-trip journey of
1900 miles from Selfridge Field,
Mich, leaving there about March
26, and making overnight stops at
Omaha, Nebr.; Cheyenne, Wyo.,
and Elko, New. The group will
take 40 pursuit and four cargo
planes, with a personnel of As
officers and % enlisted men.
The I'd Bombardment Group,
commanded by Maj. Hugh J.
Knerr, will have the longest mile
age of all the participating units,
round-trip distance of $500
miles being required. The group
will leave Langley Field, Hamp-
ton, Va, about March "a, and will
make overnight stops at Mont
gomery, Ala; Shreveport, La;
Midland, Tex; Tucson, Ariz., and
March Field, Calf. Nineteen
bombardment and one cargo
plane will be taken, manned by
80 officers and AZ enlisted men.
Third Travels $500 Miles.
Tho 2d Attach Gro,,,o ,,,odar