Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-25
PLANES TO BATTLE
NEAR WASHINGTON
Air Maneuvers to Be Held in
Vicinity of Capital Week
Starting May IL.

The National Capital will become the
base for an Army Air Corps attacking
force, composed Of crack bombardment
and attack pilots from the I'd Bonn
bardment Group, Langley Field, Va,
and the Sd Attack Group, Fort
Crockett, Galveston, Tex, in the largest
aerial battle maneuvers ever held in
the vicinity of the National Capital,
for a week beginning May IL.
The maneuvers are to simulate the
defense Of Phillips Field, Aberdeen
Proving Grounds, Md, which will be
defended by the famous 1st Pursuit
Group, selfridge Field, Mich, and the
SD Coast Artillery Anti-Aircraft Regi-
ment, from Fort Totten, N. Y.
Forty-one Army airplanes Of the latest
types will be involved in the maneuvers.
All of these planes now are in Cali
rornla, completing q month Of maneu-
VerS. The local maneuvers, as were
those in California, are a part of the
regular training program Of the Air
Corps.
Latest Tactics to Be Used.
All the newest forms of aviation
tactics are to be employed in the local
battle" The anti-aircraft batteries at
Aberdeen will be aimed and fired by
the robot" gun crews, which have been
developed by the War Department dur
ing the past few years. These robots
are sensitive to the sound of airplane
propellerS and motors and keen the
batteries Of guns trained on the spot
from which the sounds come, making
allowance automatically for windage,
distance and other factors entering into
the firing. Extensive use of radio will
be made by the defending and attack
ing air forces to coordinate the move
mentS of attachments of the Squadrons,
which may be flying miles apart.
Night bombing attacks will be fea-
ture Of the exercises, the defending
forces resort1ng to Searchlights and the
robot-trained guns to beat of the at
lacking forces from the ground and
to the pursuit SQuadronS to engage the
enemy" from the air.
The offensive maneuverS will be
launched by the attack and lombard
ment squadrons from Boiling Field. This
will be the first opportunity Eastern
ers have had to see in action the IA
nous attack planes, which are q post
war development and which are regard
ed as the most destructive military ma
chimes yet devised.
Operate at Low Altitude.
Attack aviation operates at attitudes
of rs to 200 feet on all tactical mis-
sions, relying upon the cover of hills
and trees to come upon their targets
without warning. Each plane carries
six machine guns and from 10 to Is
small augmentation bombs. Their at
tack is said to result in the most terri
BILE concentration of fire the mind of
man has yet accomplished. During the
few seconds of its direct attack on a
concentrated target, an attack squadron
is said to have the fire power of the
machine gun and artillery units Of a
full infantry division of 10000 men.
The Sd Attack Group will be repre-
sented here by nine Curtiss AS attack
planes, manned by nine officers and
nine enlisted men. The I'd Bombard-
ment Group is to send nine lombard
ment planes, probably including several
of the new Condor BE- heavy bombers,
the largest planes used by the United
States military forces, with ID officers
and 18 enlisted men.
The 1st Pursuit Group will send to
Aberdeen 20 pursuit planes and three
transport planes, manned by % officers
and 81 enlisted men. The defending
forces at Aberdeen will be commanded
by Lieut.. Col Gerald G. Brant, Army
Air Corps, of Mitchell Field, N. Y. The
offensive operations will be directed by
Mai. Hugh j. Knerr, commander OF the
I'd Bombardment Group, who VIII
make his headquarters at Boiling Field.