Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11
AIR FORCES FORM
! FOR 17-DAY WAR
8 Bombers and 9 Attack
Planes to Test Anti-Air-
craft Defense Strategy.

Concentration of ground and air
forces at Boiling Field and Phillips
Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md,
for what Army officers say will be the
most important test of anti-aircraft
defense strategy ever held, is being
completed today. The exercises will
begin at $3.50 o'clock tomorrow morn
ing, when nine bombardment and nine
attack planes will take OFF from Boil
ing Field on the first of a series of IT.
day and night missions, and will con-
tinue throught Saturday.
The purpose of the exercises, which
are to be the most extensive ever held
velope tactics for the joint defense OF
an airdrome by the Air Corps, and
anti-aircraft artillery. and to test the
Soundness of a system of radio and
telephone connected outpoSts for CIV
ing warning of impending air raids.
Upon the results of these exercises may
depend future methods of defense of
ground positions and cities against hos
tile aerial attack.
Plans for the exercises have been the
fresult of more than four months work
by special board composed Of Lieut..
Col. John M. Dunn, 62nd Coast Artil-
lery (anti-aircraft) Maj. George L.
Van Deusen, Singal Corps, and Maj.
Fred H. Coleman, Air Corps.
Elaborate Joint Exercises.
'The joint exercises at Aberdeen"
this board reported, "are by far more
elaborated and carefully planned than
any previously held in this country.
During the past few years the British
have devoted much attention to air
defense exercises and have made con-
siderable progress. The exercises at
Aberdeen should remove the criticism,
sometimes heard, that this country is
tagging behind in the development of
air defense tactics"
The forces to be used represent the
cream of the combat groups of the
Army Air Corps. The Red" attack
, ing force, to be based at Boiling Field,
will be composed of three flights each
of attack planes from the 3rd Attack
Group, Fort Crockett, Galveston, Tex.
and bombardment planes from the End
Bombardment Group, Langley Field,
Hampton, Va, under command of Maj.
Hugh j. Knerr, Fmmandant Of the
bombardment grcEp.
The defensive torce at Aberdeen and
D. the 81 interconnected outposts from
Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge
Mountains will be composed of 20 pur-
suit planes from the famous 1st Pur-
suit Group, Selfridge Field, Mich; the
SD Coast Artillery Lieut.. Col. j. M.
Dunn, which arrived at Aberdeen April
IL; the 69th Coast Artillery, Lieut.. Col.
February; the LIST Signal Company, Fort
Monmouth, and a provisional anti-air-
craft brigade intelligence battery.
Intelligence Battery.
The use and disposition of the intel
1gence battery is described as one of
the most important features of the ex-
ercises. This battery will establish OBJ
servation posts in three belts at dis
tances of As, 10 and 100 miles from
Aberdeen. Other observation posts
closer to Aberdeen will be manned by
the anti-aircraft regiments.
1t will be the duty of these outposts
TO report by field telephone and radio
to Aberdeen the arrival of any hostile
planes in the hundreds Of square miles
OF area covered by the battle terrain
designated by the board, so that proper
dispositions may be made of the de-
fensiye forces in time to stave of the
attacks.
The Potomac River is to form the
boundary between the two hostile forces,
and for the purposes of the exercises it
viii be assumed that war has been de-
clared and both sides are mobilizing.
The Red force, based at Boiling Field
Tor lack of suitable field on the south
side OF the Potomac, has predominance
OF air forces, and the information that
Aberdeen Is the base of the Blue air
dome and supply depot and is essential
10 Blue air operations. 1t Is the duty
OF the Red forces to destroy this base.
Troops, planes, guns and equipment
are to be used as In actual battle con-
ditions except that there will be no
actual firing of guns. Emphasis is to
he placed on communications and COM
mand post operations for the purpose of
perfecting intelligence agencies, the
board announced
Because of the great amount of COM
mercial flying in the battle area the
board has ordered that during the day.
time the Red forces shall operate in
lights OF not less than three planes
each SO they may be identified by the
defense observers. 4
The work Of preparing for the exer-
cises, the board reported, has been very
heavy. The provision of great quanti-
ty OF extra equipment has been neces-
sary, including radio sets, field wire,
outpost wire from the Signal Corps.
held glasses, compasses and watches
from the Ordnance Department, maps
from the Engineers and quartermaster
supplies.