Evening star., 1934-02-11
THE time -honored Gordon sys-
i TEN" Of national defense, as

TEN" Of national defense, q!
old as the Nation itself, with
L its cumbersome chain of grea'
fixed batteries and coasta
fortif."c11 tons, Is a thing of the pas
and tn. Nation must rely for defens,
upon air strength and highly mobile
ground and sea units which can bt
hurled against any enemy force
wherever it may appear. a.
This, the opinion OF the Army Gen
eral Staff, has just been presented to
the House Military Affairs Committee
behind closed doors by Gen. Douglas
Macarthur. chief of staff OF the
Army, in the opening phase OF the
national defense investigation now n
progress, it has been learned by The
Star.
Although 1t Is the opinion OF the
general staff that the air forces Of
the Nation must be tremendously In.
creased at once and a single great
air unit of from 1000 to $500 COM
bat planes of three types provided
as the new spearhead Of national de-
fense, the Army leadership is opposed
to a merger of the air forces of the
Army and Navy, Gen. Macarthur told
the committee.
Ponderous Guns Out.
Realization by the general staff
that the curtain has gone down for
ever on the day Of the mighty sea-
coast fertilization. with its highly Or
Gus disappearing guns. Gen. Mac
Arthur told the committee, was the
reason for the newly announced plan
for expansion of the Army Air Corps
and creation of the proposed G. H. @
Air Force.
Awakening Of the general staff tc
the vital need for stronger air de-
fenses, it was revealed in the testi-
mony of the chief of staff. was due
in part to the failure of the Presi-
dent to fill the Office of Assistant Sec
retary of War for Aviation, throwing
the military duties of this office on
the general staff.
The star chamber testimony Of Gen
ment Of major policy by the general
staff with regard to modern aviation
and its place in the present-day
scheme of national defense. It Is re-
garded as one of the most important
decisions in connection with the mill
tary history Of the United States since
the World War.
The new G. H. @. Air Force pro-
posed by the general staff. Gen. Mac
Arthur said, should include at least
1000 airplanes, and possibly as many
as 1900, organized into unit which
can be hurled like a thunderbolt
against any enemy.
The Air Force the general staff be-
lieves, should be organized into five
wingS-two pursuit. two bombardment
and one attack, of about 200 planes
each. This tremendous weapon, re-
garded as the most terrible yet de-
vised by the mind of man, would be
used. Gen. Macarthur told the COM
mittee, Just as you would use a sling
shot"
The 1000 or more fighting planes,
Gen. Macarthur explained, would be
thrown at the point where they will
be the most damaging"
The uses of the G. H. @. Air Force
he said. would be varied. 1t could be
used "as a great deciding factor in
mass combat" 1t could be used for
rapid reinforcement at distant threat
ened points, such as the outposts IN
Panama or Hawaii. 1t could be used
lin independent missions OF destruc-
tion, aimed at the vital arteries OF q
nation"
The picture painted by the chief of
staff was that of huge force OF fight
ing planes of the three combat types
which would be capable of flying and
operating as unit over land or sea,
against hostile fleets or ground troops
or air forces, or against the industrial
heart Of a foe. 1t would be unit
capable of use in Alaska or Greenland
or in our tropical possessions. as well
as in the defense of our shores, cities
and people.
Chief Of Staff Leads.
Failure to fill the Office of the As
sistant Secretary Of War for Avia-
ton, Gen. Macarthur told the con-
gressional body. has been OF lar
reaching consequence. The military
functions have been taken over by the
general staff and the procurement
features by the Assistant Secretary OF
War
THAT brought the chief OF stan
for the first time into direct super
vision Of the problems OF the develop
ment of the air." he said.
To aid the general staff in taking
over the highly technical and vitality
important duties of handling the mill
tary phases of the Air Corps, Gen.
Macarthur said. special boards were
created and studies Of the most
thorough character we're made over a
period of months. This work was for
the purpose of developing aviation.
perfecting plans for employment OF
aircraft and analyzing all the ele-
ments of air defense.
The general staff, he admitted,
was disturbed Immediately by the
relatively low proportion of planes
that can fairly be classed as fighting
ships, as compared to the total num-
bers accumulated during the past five
years"
The first step taken to remedy this
alarming deficiency, he said, was to
request the Public Works Adnlinistra-
ton for s39OO0.o00 with which to
purchase fighting planes. The second
was the new five-yeag program for
the Air Corps which would increase
its strength to $500 or $500 air
planes, with officers and men in pro-
portion, and set up the proposed G..
H. @. Air Force.
Gen. Macarthur denied vigorously
that the general staff is responsible
in any way for the deficiencies of the
Air Corps or the relative slowness OF
standard types of airplanes making up
the combat squadrons
Statements Denied.
Statements have recently appeared
in the press or been made over the
radio that the general staff has
forced the purchase of slower types
than those desired" he said.
Such statements are fallacious and
without foundation in fact. They
constitute sheer propaganda of the
most vicious sort. and are inspired by