Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-04
Greatest Military Air Force
Ever Gathered in East to
Give Demonstration.
EVENT WILL CLIMAX
MONTH OF TRAINING
Division Will Invade Entire East
ern Seaboard, With New York
as Headquarters.

The greatest military air force ever
gathered on the East Coast. totaling
672 combat and auxiliary planes of all
types used by the Army Air Corps
will demonstrate to the National Cap
ital the terrors of modern aerial war
fare in a simulated attack upon the city
on Memorial day, May 30, it was an
nounced today by F. Trubee Dawson
Assistant Secretary of War for Aero
nautics.
The attack on the Capital will come
as the climax of nearly a month OF
mass training and tactical and combat
maneuvers by the Air Corps squadrons
over an area extending from the At
lantic Coast to Dayton, Ohio, and from
Norfolk, Va, to Bangor, Me.
For these maneuverS and the attack
on Washington the Air Corps will or
ganize the 1st Air Division, which
will consist of 205 pursuit planes, 1886
observation planes, 81 attack planes, sc
The personnel totals TAO officers and
631 men.
Concentrate at Dayton.
After preliminary training the various
Air Corps and National Guard squad
rons which will compose the division
will be concentrated at Wright Field
and Fairfield Air Depot, Dayton, Ohio,
on May Is and II, and formation and
combat practice by the entire division
will continue through May 20.
On May 81 a mock aerial war will
begin which will involve the northern
half of the Atlantic seaboard and
inland States as far west as Buffalo,
N. Y, and Pittsburgh. This will be
the first major battle practice con-
Quoted by the Armys air defenses since
the recent agreement between the War
and Navy Departments that the Army
Air Corps is to be charged with all
aerial defenses of the coasts of the
United States and its possessions, leav-
ing the Navy air force free to accom-
pany the fleet.
New York is to be the target of the
first days maneuvers, and the mighty
air force of nearly 700 planes will de-
scend upon that city by two main lines
OF approach. The division cannot
travel as a unit because fuel demands
would be too great for the airports along
any one airway in the country.
Division Will Be Broken Up.
The division will be broken up. part
OF the force flying by way of Pitts
burgh, Harrisburg. Washington, Balti-
more and Philadelphia and part by way
of Buffalo, Rochester and SYRIA
cuse, N. Y.
On arrival in New York the planes
will land at Mitchell Field, which will
serve as division headquarters, and adj
jacent airports. War conditions will be
assumed to exist through May % and
every method known to aerial science
will be employed in solving a variety of
combat problems.
The division is to go to Boston on
May "a, flying in full battle formation,
and attacking Hartford, New Haven and
Providence en- route. That night there
are to be attacks under cover of dark
ness, on the Boston area. The planes
will then split up, one group continuing
on to attack Bangor and Portland. Me,
by way of Vermont and New Hamp-
shire.
Having crossed the coast line, the air
division will continue its advance by
moving westward over Springfield, Mass,
and Troy, Schenectady and Albany,
N. Y. Following the Hudson, the ar
mazda will return to New York, basing
on its original airdromes.
Fly to Capital May 20.
= Atlantic City, Trenton, Newark and
Jersey City will serve as targets for at
tacks on May q, the division returning
to New York upon completion OF these
missions. May % will be a mainte-
nance and inspection day for public in
spection Of the planes on the ground.
During the morning of May 20 the
hundreds of planes of the division will
take to the air once more, this time
with the National Capital and cities
en- route as it's detectives. The main
demonstration of the maneuvers, Mr..
Dawson said, will take place over this
city on Memorial day. The division Is
to be based in the National Capital
from the afternoon of May 20 until
the morning of June l. The last day
of May will be given over to rest and
repairs, the squadrons beginning the
flight to have stations on June /.