Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11

AMONG Lklc WOLlO . 1AIlSot AOAuAd-
ton flyers.
The Navy squadrons are up
from the Caribbean, where they
have been engaged with the fleet
in nearly a month of tactical ex-
ercises and battle practice-the
proving ground of marine and
aerial strategy. The exercises
were a fiery crucible for the
Squadrons, as may be judged from
the fact that during a single fleet
problem the Squadrons of the
U. S. S. Saratoga alone flew a to-
tai of almost 1900 hours, or al
most 100000 miles.
Next the Air Corps.
The Army Air Corps also has
Just completed it's annual Spring
maneuvers, held this year in Cali
fornia. Planes from the squad
rons which played leading roles
there will be here during the next
six days for battle maneuvers
which are intended to be the most
serious test yet held of defensive
methods against hostile aircraft.
The "battlefield' will cover hun
dreds of square miles, with obser-
walton posts on three sets Of
front lines" which will be To-
Gated As, 70 and 100 miles from
Aberdeen, the point which is to
be defended.
For the purposes of these ma
neuvers the Potomac River will
form the boundary between Blue
and Red countries which have
Just declared war on each other.
The Red force is to be based at
Boiling Field, for lack of suitable
landing area south of the Poto-
mac, with the Blue forces at
Aberdeen.
The exercises. which will begin
at $50 o'clock tomorrow morning,
are to be divided into II distinct
phases, each of which is designed
to determine observation and in
telligence efficiency. Some of the
tests will be conducted during the
day. others at night. The ability
of the Blue observation net, in
Guiding it's outposts on the three
front lines, to report the location
and movements of the attacking
Red air forces will determine the
success of the maneuverS.
Twenty planes of the LIST Pur-
suit Group, Selfridge Field, Mich,
together with the 67th and Goth
Coast Artillery, anti-aircraft. the
1st Signal Company of the Signal
Corps and a provisional anti-air-
craft brigade intelligence battery,
will compose the defending Blue
forces, under command of Lieut..
Col. Gerald C. Brant, Army Air
Corps.
The Red units will consist Of
nine attack planes from the Sd
Attack Group, Fort Crockett, Gal
weston, Tex, and nine lombard
ment planes from the I'd Bonn
bardment Group, Langley Field.
Hampton, Va. They will be based
at Boiling Field under command
of Mai. Hugh J. Knerr. command
ing officer of the I'd Bombard-
.ment Group.
Defense Depends on Speed.
Since modern aerial attacks are
launched with only the briefest
Of warnings, an adequate defense
depends upon ability to prepare
for attack with a minimum of de-
lay. If observation points can be
established at sufficient distance
to give warning of threatened
aerial attacks, the defense troops
gain materially in effectiveness.
The Blue observation posts, To-
Gated up to 100 miles away, are to
be subjected to the most critical
tests to demonstrate whether any
such system can be operated eff
fectively in time of war. The first
line, As miles from Aberdeen, will
have six observation posts at s.
mile intervals from the shore of
Chesapeake Bay south of Annap-
oils to point north of Laurel,
Md. The second line will be COM
posed of nine observation posts at
the same intervals on a curved
line from near Benedict, Md,
through points near Waldorf and
Fort Washington, Md, just below
Alexandria, Va. to point north
east of DraneSville, Va. The last
line, 100 miles from Aberdeen, will
have IA observation stations,
spaced 5 miles apart on a curved
line from point on the lower Po-
tomac River near MontroSS, Va,
through Edge Mill, Stafford
Court House and Catlett to The
Plains, Va.
Communication from the As
mile front to Aberdeen will be by
telephone, while the observation
posts at the 10 and 100 mile lines
will communicate through field
radio. It Is planned to have one
radio station for each three or
more observation posts, the posts
being connected with the station
by field telephone.
"The joint exercises at Aber-
deen," it was stated by the special
Army board which prepared the
plans, ARE by far more elaborate
and carefully planned than any
previously held in this country
During the past few years the
British have devoted much atten-
ton to air-defense exercises and
have made considerable progress
The exercises at Aberdeen should
remove the criticism sometimes
heard that this country Is tagging
behind in the development OF air
defense tactics"