Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-05-08
U.S.PLANESF0UND.
IN GERMAN FLEET
Reich Aiming Rapidly With
Finest Aircraft, Some
From America.
BY LADY GRACE DRUMMOND-
HAY.

BERLIN. May 8 N.AN.A).-I
have had a glimpse OF Germanys
preparations in the air. Through the
courtesy of Gen. Hermann Wilhelm
Goering. the air minister, have Wis
tied the military airdrome at Stalker,
the great military camp at DoeberitZ
and the colossal aif city now being
built at Kladow All three places
are within radius of 20 miles of
Berlin.
It is at Kladow that the future of
the German general staff of the air"
will have its headquarters, and it is
there that rumor places vast under
ground hangers. I saw none. 1 did
see perhaps 100 airplanes-bombers,
fighters, pursuit planes and training
planes.
Gen. Goering has told me:
Germany is preparing for peace by
making ready for war. This para
doxical principle has been forced upon
Germany because the heavily armed
nations surrounding her have adopted
1t themselves
Started With Nothing.
Then he had added:
1--WE had nothing In the air two
years ogo. For military aircraft we
had to begin at the beginning. The
intense activity We are now displaying
in order to catch up with other ma
lions has given rise to many exag-
eerated or wholly false reports
At am now going to let you see
some of the things We have done, are
doing and are going to do in. the way
of making Germany an air power on a
basis of equality with other countries"
Gen. Goering kept his word Capt.
Hans Wolther of the air ministry was
assigned by him to escort me. We
drove to Stalker.
1t was formerly the Zeppelin air.
port for Berlin. The mooring mast
OF the Graf Zeppelin still stands on
the field. Stalker is also great
aviation center for sports flyers.
was aStonished at the transforma-
ton since had been at Staakeu with
my own plane. There were new build
ings on every side and airplanes
everywhere, with the hangers filled
and many craft on the field.
Motors Are U. S. Hornets.
At one side of the field I saw huge
Dornier twn-engined high-bombers,
big, long. box-like affairs with angular
lines. Nothing reSembled the sleek,
slender. fast bombers I had seen on
Patterson Field near Dayton, but these
German monsters all had powerful
radial motors with retractable under
carriages. The motors were covered,
but 1 understand they are American
Hornets built in Germany under
license.
At right angles from the bombers
stood nearly two squadrons-l6 planes,
to be eXact-of beautiful, cleaning,
new all-metal tri-motored Junker low
wing monoplanes.
The hangers were thrown open to
me- I went into three of them, all
damned with airplanes. What first
attracted my attention was an obvl-
ously new American single-seater
fighting airplane with Pratt and
Whitney engine.
. In the crowd of thick bison-shaped
fighters and sturdy advanced training
ships two rocket-like Heinkel 70
"Blitz" planes stood out by contrast
with their harmonious symmetry.
Light training planes touched wings
with the familiar plywood Klemm
sport monoplanes.
Many Experimental Planes.
have visited aircraft factories and
airdromes in many parts of the world.
old and new. I have never observed
finer maintenance anywhere. The
variety of air frames was only equaled
by the variety of engines. 1t was clear
that many of them were experimental
planes from whose ranks types for the
German air force were being de-
Veloped.
Zeal and efficiency alone could not
create the atmosphere I sensed In
the new air force is the spirit of the
new Germany. powered by thorough.
detail-loving and mechanical-minded
aircraftsmen and winged by the very
flower of the German nation.
This course is only one of several
air centers throughout Germany AS
to the extent of the entire inStalla-
ton, Gen. Goering had indicated to
me that the production capacity of
the now fully equipped and organized
German aircraft industry was of vastly
greater Importance in national de-
tense than too large fleet, since a
portion of it must regularly and in
cessantly become obsolete.
Germany, he told me. now has an
air force sufficiently large for the time
being to discourage aggression and