Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-29
|GRAND AIR ARMADA.
| ROARS TO CAPITAL
Fleet Flies Here to Engage
"Foe" Over Potomac
Tomorrow.
Continued From First Page.)

first squadron to take OF was the 18th
Bombardment Squadron, Rockwell Field,
Calf, operating nine huge Condor
bombers, the largest planes in the air
force. This squadron had orders to stop
at Philadelphia and to participate in
the comba. demonstration there before
continuing to Washington. The 18th
Attack Squadron followed soon after
ward, also bound for Philadelphia, with
the famous 95th Pursuit Squadron,
third of the combat demonstration out
fits, clearing soon afterward Before
noon squadron after squadron Of the
main division column began clearing,
led by the second bombardment group,
Langley Field, Va.
BY midafternoon all the squadrons
were based on the Capital area.
The headquarters planes and first
pursuit wing at Boiling Field, $50
planes strong: half the observation and
the bombardment at Langley Ffelc, at
tack at Baltimore, observation at Will
mington, Del, and transport at Mid
dletown, Pa. Press transport planes
including the mighty Fokker F-32,
largest airplane in the United States.
Stirring Fight Tomorrow.
Orders for the divisional combat DEM
onstratlcn and review in Washington
tomorrow were drawn up at Mitchell
Field headquarters this morning. They
call for stirring combat demonstration
by three of the most famous squadrons
in the Army, representing the pursuit,
bombar6ment and attacks arms, over
the Potomac River between Highway
and Arlington Bridges, beginning at
IL 80 o'clock tomorrow morning and
lasting for about an hour. More than
900 planes of the division, moving from
their scattered airdromes, are to as
semble in the vicinity of Quantico. Va,
at 1885 o'clock.
The complicated maneuvers necessary
to bring the great forces into compact
review column will take a bulk of the
SQuadronS as far as Leesburg, by way
Of Fairfax. They then will return to
the vicinity Of Quantico, falling in COL
umn in manner which will bring the
various squadronS into review forma-
ton.
Orders issued by the division staff
late yesterday afternoon covered in de-
tail movements of the sQuadrons from
Long Island airportS to the vicinity Of
the National Capital. indicating that
the vanguard of 10 squadrons of fast
single-seater pursuit planes would begin
landing at Boiling Field at about 1870
o'clock in the afternoon, preceded and
followed by planes of the general and
special stats of the division.
The movement of the division to the
National Capital area has proved an
exceedingly troublesome problem to the
division staff because Of a dearth of ad-
equate airportS at Washington and the
fact that the nearest adequate fields
are many miles away.
Because of the distances to be trav-
eled by the vast number of planes en-
gagged 1t has been necessary to desig-
nate emergency fields at various points
in the coastal belt in case the squadrons
meet adverse weather which forces
them down or run into headwinds
which necessitate refueling en- route.
The famous 95th Pursuit Squadron,
selected by competition from among all
the Army pursuit sQuadronS as the
demonstration pursuit outfit, probably
was the last of the Squadrons to
land 1t Is to be detached from the
pursuit wing for a demonstration over
Philadelphia and then is to land at
Camden Airport N. j., to await the.
conclusion Of the Philadelphia review.
Veteran Squadrcns to Come.
The 95th is commanded by Capt.
Frank OD. Monk" Hunter, leading
wartime ace still in active service, and
bears the famous Kicking Mule" in
sigma selected by Quentin Roosevelt as
the squadron's emblem before he was
shot down in action in France. 1t is
the squadron which has been making
military air history at Rockwell Field,
Calf. by high-altitude operations. dur
ing which it has established world rec
ordS for altitude formation flying and
for nlfifiIHaS rponhad nv single -r0Ypohot
planes.
Among the squadronS which arrived
at Boiling Field this afternoon were
the 18th, or Striking Hawk" Squadron,
commanded by Capt. Victor Strahm,
another war ace, and the 93d and cath,
which. with the 95th, were the famous
Lafayette Escadrille squadrons. These
three fighting squadrons have written
large place in American military his
tory. The cath was commanded during
the war by Col. Edward v. Ricken-
hacker, Americas leading ace, and was
the leading American fighting squadron
in point of victories. The 93d and oath
Squadrons bear the famous insignia of
the American Indian head, which be-
came well known in France and feared
in Germany.
Flying Cadets Perform Well.
Three of the squadrons are flown by
flying cadets from the Air Corps Ad-
vanced Flying School, Kelly Field, Tex,
and their instructors. These are the
201st, 202d and 203d Squadrons, and
they composed the 101St Pursuit Group.
The cadets, who have not yet earned
their wings and are only embryo mill
tary flyers. have been doing splendid
job throughout the maneuvers.
The headquarters staff was led into
the Canital nv PriUl Zen Panjap1iY,
D. Foulois, first military pilot in the
country and commander of the division.
He is expected to become the next chief
Of the Army Air Corps. The pursuit
wing is commanded by Maj. G. H. Brett,
who has as his group commanders Majs.
G. E. Brewer and c. L. Tinker and Capt.
j. K. Cannon.
BLACK FLEET DESTROYED.