Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10


OwING to the small size of the Air
it is necessary that its units be scat
throughout the country at small station
that there may be q nucleus for emerG
operations at al points.
Although the Air Corps as wings"
concentration Of two groups on paper.
corps has no actual wing IN operation
where IN the United States. The I'd p
ardn1ent Group has had to train by itse
Virginia, the 1st Pursuit Group by itsel
Michigan, the Sd Attack Group by itse1l
Texas.
1t was necessary to bring the groups togo
for month SO training could be carried q
the use Of each branch Of aviation In cod
alton with other branches. as well as to
out certain theories In the tactics of comb
action, since it has been found repeatedly III
military history Of the country that theorie|
paper and in practice may prove to be emit
different things.
The largest air organization OF this cotI
in time Of war would be an Air Division|
and pursuit; 1000 officers and 10000 emil
men. 1t might have to be moved from
place to another and moved IN a hurry
might have to be moved long distance.
air division is attached to general headqua1
in addition to the aviation attached to divis
corps and armies. In the peace time air
there is no air division. The concentra
this year win be merely a provisional
division, skeleton in formation and tempo
In character. It viii be the first, hcweve1
which an air division was used
"In our concentration this year." Air Q
headquarters announced, I'VE viii have to
everything we have, outside Of our priI
training planes and personnel, to approxiI
an organization even one-fourth the size
wartime air division. We will have
ponderance OF observation aviation. We
use the graduating class Of the Advanced
ing School and the National Guard observe
units IN order to increase the strength OF
One-quarter size wartime air division and
to introduce additional tests of our peace
training and supply methods"
Largely as result Of lessons learned in
nnaneuvers, the Air Corps has been able to
crease the effectiveness Of its planes and 60
nfeTft.
Two years ago, It Is pointed out. pul
planes had high speeds Of 1855 miles an
and cruising speeds Of 135 miles. Today
high speeds are 1872 miles an hour and
cruise at a speed Of two and one-han miles
minute. The pursuit planes also must have
ability to climb to and fight at high aitit,
The combat ceiling Of pursuit planes two ,
ago was about II 900 feet; today it is m
vicinity Of 10000 feet.
improvements have also been made in n
ing pursuit planes more effective IN aerial '
fare, it was explained. The 1929 pursuit p
carried two .3O-caliber machine guns, each
q range Of $500 yards. Now q .5O-caliber
has taken the place Of one of the sos ar
has range Of nearly 5000 yards. In aCiii
the destructive force Of the .50-caliber Cd
much greater than that Of the so.
caIiber bullet no bigger than a mans n
has the striking force Of weight in exces
five tons,
Bombs carried by pursuit planes have
improved by means Of o super sensitive
that 6etonates the bombs on contact with
faces as light as airplane wing fabrics.
was demonstrated ct Langley Field reee
when an observation balloon was bombed
above the ground by pursuit planes and bro'
down in flames.
I'm other words" It was explained, 'mot
pursuit pilots, instead Of coming within {
range of bombing formation flying wins
wing and bristling with machine guns, may
gage In midair bombariment from comp;
lively safe attitudes and use long-range
chine guns as well. These bombs can alsC
used against observation balloons
dirigibles"
Two years ago bombing planes had crew
i've, few at . speed Of los miles per hour
carried bomb loads Of only 2,0o0 pounds T
ceiling was less than three miles above
level. The new bombers have crews of si
speed OF 100 miles per hour and carry b
loads Of 1900 pounds These flying fortre
are equipped with four machine guns and !
cruising range Of almost TOO miles Their
titude limit, when fully loaded, Is 16,50O II,
Two years ago it took a bomber carryin
load of 1000 pounds an hour to climb
$4,000 feet, whereas today that altitude
be reached In 1914 minutes and with a
bomb load Of about two tons.
A RMY observation units are being equiT
n as rapidly as possible with planes that
faster and better than those of two years