The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-27
PLANE FLEET
TO Be MASSED
IN ARMY TEST
Most Important Step
Since World War;
Says Dern
By Seymour WaIdman
DAILY Worker Washington Bureau)

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 26-
Carrying out the famous Baker
Aviation Committees war plans
recommendation to raise army avia-
ton ito a world position equal to
that held by our navy" Secretary
of War George H. Dern today an
nounced his approval, effective at
once" of a "test organization" of
the General Headquarters Air
Force which will centralize the air
force with the special view of dis
closing the practical needs Of the
air force in war"
"The new General Headquarters
Air Force" said Dern, will con-
sist of practically all the combat
elements Of the air corps in con-
tinental United States" It will be
under command of Lieutenant Col
onel Frank M. Andrews, Air Corps
who will be directly under Chief
of Staff Major General Douglas
Macarthur. the author of the plan.
Headquarters are at Langley Field,
Virginia.
Pressing War Danger
Although he described the new
war plan as tentative" Dern de-
clared that it constitutes by far
the most important and evolution
airy step towards modernization of
the forces of the United States that
has been taken since the World
War" and "is regarded by military
authorities as of tremendous i'm
portance to the national defense"
That the war danger is a press
ing reality is emphasized by the
new air force project and by the
fact that the Roosevelt administra-
ton not only has greatly accelerated
the tempo of its war plane building,
but has even announced its inten-
ton to fascisize labor IN war time
by placing it under the autocratic
control of a prominent fnancier
or industrislist" who will function.
according to present War Depart
ment plans, as Labor Administra-
tor"
This force" predicted Dern, twill
be highly mobile and will have
great striking power. 1t will be able
to employ its mobility so as to exert
the maximum influence upon land
defense, not in one restricted re-
gion, but potentially in all thea
tres of operation, ready to meet a
threat from any direction"
Bomb Maneuvers
Illustrating the speed with which
the government is preparing for
war, Dern, in the announcement,
ordered that provisions should be
made for adequate landing fields
in all strategic areas and the ma
neuvers of the Air Force should in
clude concentrations thereon and
operations therefrom."
Outlining "a typical maneuver of
the Air Force Dern ordered that
considerable tonnage Of supplies,
and particularly of bombs, must be
available wherever the force may
be operating; that there must be
developed comprehensive plan of
distribution of airdromes," and
among other significant directives.
that there must be well developed
plan for aerial intelligence'-that
is, a special spy system.
1t is expected that "the imme-
diate effect of this action will be
to free the elements which go to
make up the Air Force from the
decentralized control of the com
manding generals Of nine corps
areas" Under the plan approved
bv Dern, there are three great ter
ritorial sub-commands or wings.
These consist of the first wing, on
the Pacific Coast, with headquar-
tiers at Hamilton Field. California;
the second wing, on the Atlantic
Coast, with headquarters at Langley
Field. Virginia; and the third wing,
in Central and Southern United
States, with headquarters initially
at Fort Crockett, Texas, and later
at Barksdale Field, Louisiana.