Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-03-04
ROOSEVELT VIEWS
NATIONS AIR FORCE
Entire Atlantic Seaboard De.
l. tense Unit Pass Before
| New Chief.

AS FRANKLIN -. ROOSEVELT WAS UtlIlS
indicted into the highest office in the
land this afternoon squadron upon
squadron of the Nations fighting air.
planes, composing the entire air de-
fensive force of the Atlantic seaboard
began taking off to pass in review at 3
o'clock before the new Commander in
Chief of the Army and Navy.
Six squadrons Of pursuit and bonn
bardment planes, composing the I'd
Bombardment Wing, left Langley Field,
Hampton, Va, at just about the time
the President-elect was taking the oath
of office for the l1O-mile flight to the
National Capital. A half hour or SO
later orders called for the taking off in
order of speed of four SquadronS OF
scouting, fighter and transport planes
of the air force of the Marine Corps
East Coast Expeditionary Force at
Quantico, Va.
The giant U. S. S. Akron and an
Army dirigible were in the air long be-
fore the inaugural ceremonies began,
with orders to participate in the great
est aerial demonstration, with one eX-
ception, the National Capital has seen.
The only time the Capital has seen a
greater aviation force than that which
Is on the way here today was two years
ago. when the Army Air Corps massed
the 1st Air Division for maneuverS
and exercises lasting for more than two
weeks.
Brings New Squadron.
The massing of the air defensive
forces of the East Coast brings to Wash
ington for the first time the newly Or
ganized I'd Bombardment Wing at Lang
ley Field. Though detachments of the
wing have been seen here from time to
time, the whole wing never before has
appeared as unit away from its home
field. The wing, as is the case with all
combat wings of the Air Corps, is COM
posed of two groups, in this case the
I'd Bombardment Group and the 9th
Pursuit Group.
The Marines will send four Squadrons
two of scouting planes and one each of
fighters and multi-motored transports.
In the combined Army Marine Air
Force will be number of noted COM
bat pilots, some fresh from the Nicara-
guam campaign, and several of the most
famous of the World War squadrons, in
Guiding the first to bomb an enemy and
one of the first to reach France. Capt.
Albert w. Stevens, Army Air Corps, one
of the worlds foremost aerial photog-
raphers and hero of a score of famous
exploits, will fly over the Capital making
an official Photographic record of the
inaugural parade in the air and on the
ground.
The Squadrons will take off from their
home fields on a time schedule 1hich
is calculated to put them in the vicinity
OF the Capital about half hour before
they are to pass in review They will
be organized into review formations at
rendezvous points several miles from the
Capital, the Army planes over Alexan-
drla, Va, and the Marines above the
upper Anacostia River.
AS they appear from the east above
the Capitol, the roaring column of more
plane formation of Army command
planes flown by Maj. Gen. Benjamin D.
Foulois, chief of the Army Air Corps
and air marshal of the review, and two
members of his staff.
Col. Culver to Follow.
Behind this V-shaped three-plane
formation will fly the plane of Col. C. C.
Culver, senior pilot in the Nations mill
tary air forces in point of age and COM
manding officer of the I'd Bombardment
Wing. He will be followed by the tiny
Single-seater pursuit plane of Mai. B.
=. Jones, commanding the 9th Pursuit
Group, and the three crack pursuit
squadrons of the group, equipped with
the latest type Boeing single-seater
pursuit planes, capable Of speeds in
excess OF 200 miles per hour.
The pursuit Squadrons will be fol-
lowed by the command plane of Mai.
H. A. Dargue, one of the leading vet
nf Arv,o
mand of the I'd Bombardment Group.
The three famous bombafdment squad
rons OF the group, all of which bear
the honorS of brilliant battle service in
France, will follow in review formation
The three squadrons are equipped with
twin-motored keystone bombers.
The Marine SquadronS, following the
Army's 75-plane force, will be led bv
Lieut.. Col. Ralph E. Rowell, former
commander of the Marine air force
which operated so successfully against
1nsurrectlon1sts in Nicaragua. Two of
ms squadronS. VO7 observation, and
VIE, fighter. are fresh from Nicaragua
after record-making cross-country
flight to Washington from the Latin
American country.
inaugural visitors with sharp eyes or
field glasses may be able to distinguish
the insignia Of the noted Army SQUAD
rons as they pass overhead. All Army
planes are painted khaki. with chrome
yellow wings and the lettering ~. S.
Army in large black characters on the
under side of the lower wings. The
oombers carry their squadron insignia
painted on the nose. and the pursuiters
nave their insignia on the side of the
1uselage just back of the pilots cockpit
Insignia of the Bombers.
The bomber squadrons display the
following insignia:
10th Bombardment Squadron, a pirate
holding hand grenade in his hand.
49th Bombardment Squadron, snarl-
Ing VOLTS head with slavering jaws.
96th Bombardment Squadron, Me-
phlstopheles, against triangular back
ground, holding a bomb in his right
hand and thumbing his nose derisively
with the left
The pursuiters are marked as follows:
33d Pursuit Squadron, the conven-
tlonal Army insignia, no squadron in
sigma having yet been approved, as this
squadron has just been reconstructed
after being out of active service since
the war
35th Pursuit Squadron, a crouching
black panther against an oval back
ground.
ooth l VI oulI OQuduIOIl, JIe famous
Flying Fiend" insignia, showing the
head of fiend, with staring eyes and
dripping tongue against an orange and
blue background. The fiend wears blue
helmet, with white aviation goggles
pushed back on his forehead.
Only one of the Marine squadrons
bears distinctive squadron insignia.
This is VO-6 the lacey Deucey" squad
ron, named for famous Navy pastime,
which bears an insignia much like a
backgammon board on the fuselage
sides. All of the Marine planes bear
the lettering. "U. S. Marines in black
on the under side of the wings and
the Marine globe and anchor insignia
on the sides of the fuselage The planes
are silver with chrome yellow and silver
wings.
Multi Motored Planes.
The two Marine observation squad