Evening star., 1934-10-21
FRANCE FEARFUL
| OF PLANE ATTACK.
Rising Alarm Brings Plea for
Budget Increase to
Aid Defenses.
Continued From First Page.)

francs from its 1894 naval expense
which, with Premier Doumergueis
economies, will be 2,8o0, 900 900 francs
Isl ,165, ,000, ,000).
vastating France is Fastening plans
for defense.
Maneuvers demonstrated recently
that a feet Of bombers could invade
France and spread much of Paris in
ruins. Defense fleets showed them
selves almost helpless.
Germany theoretically has no mill
tary aviation, but French military
experts estimate the German con-
vertible fleet at 400. Testimony be-
fore the Washington Senate Arma-
ments Commission indicated Ger
many is building q great fleet and
can add 100 planes a month. Pierre
Cot, when minister of air in the
Daladier cabinet a year ago, had
secret reports showing Germany
could surpaSs Frances air forces in
six months.
Germany is credited by some mill
tary experts with a plan for a sud-
den short air warfare that would send
400 or 500 big bombers over Paris,
Lyon, Marseille, the principal air
taneously.
Defenses Inadequate.
Against such an attack, staff OH
GERS who saw the recent maneuvers
said there could be no adequate de-
Tense. Bombers are so fast that
French combat planes were unable
to overtake them. LIE Bourget was
surprised and in the war games ii
was adjudged destroyed"
France has 5000 planes but SO
many are so old and slow that the
minister of air, Gen. Denain, has in
stituted complete overhauling
Some aviation experts said the August
maneuvers were intended to show
the country the urgent need Of plenty
of money to reorganize the aerial
army.
This years air budget Is $ll0,000,-
900 but the minister OF finance. in
announcing the 1885 plans, said he
expected special appropriations would
be required for national defense
Former Air Minister Cot, discussing
the danger of air warfare. proposed
army and navy expenses be cut in
half and part Of the savings be used
to strengthen the air force.
Fast Ships Held Needed.
Air maneuvers in France, England
and Italy in recent years have caused
aviation authorities to conclude it /:
almost impossible to defend cities
with present methods. Constant
vigilance at frontiers and tremen.
dously fast fighting planes always
ready to go are said by experts tc
be the elementary precautions.
New defenses are being sought by
the French air force. Those pro-
posed are:
!. Flying tanks.
2. Hundreds of tremendously fas'
pursuit planes.
3. New rapid firers.
4. Aerial border patrols.
S. Protection of the population.
Whether there is real danger of a
sudden German air invasion, the pos
Sibility is exploited by supporters of a
strong aviation. They cite the results
of maneuvers to show victory generally
is with the attack and that no great
cities yet have been able to defend
| themselves.
The flying tank" is new. The
French mount the famous ITS" aboard
a big bomber and the ministry of air
asserts the test, with heavy firing
! showed that method Of defense to be
practical.
A big feet Of fast planes is admitted
by all to be necessary In maneuvers
modern bombers ran away from pur-
SuerS.
Old Gun Developed.
Machine guns, which during the wal
were synchronized to fire between the
blades Of the revolving propellers, now
are built to shoot through the propel-
Ter hub. One Of the first such guns
was mounted on Capt. Eddie Ricken-
bacher'S plane and another on that OF
the heroic French ace, Rene Guy
nemer, but since the war the gun was
not known to have been developed
until the French recently began test.