Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-05-26

They are France, Russia, Italy, Japan
and the United States. Winston
Churchill charges even Germany to-
| day Is far stronger than Britain in
the air.
On November I, 1894, Britain had
$50 fighters although Churchill de-
clared there were only $50 first-line
planes and !, 020 training machines.
Undersecretary for Air Sir Philip
Sassoon Is authority for the statement
that England today has 900 modern
| f1rst-line fighters and by the end of
| 1885 she will have 1910 bombing and
| fighting aircraft. Eleven new air
squadrons are being organized bring
ing the total home defense to rs, and
80 new airfields are being surveyed or
under construction. Her air budget
is $145 .00O, 900.
Fascist Italy has not been losfng in
respect TO the air-or any department
Of her military establishment Wee
Minister for Air Giuseppe Vale reveals
that 1taly's new bombers can carry
3,43O pounds Of high explosive at an
altitude of more than 4 miles and
at speed Of 205 miles per hour to
destinations l $50 miles away. Fascist
pursuit planes, he says, fly at an aver
age speed of 316 miles per hour. Be-
fore the end Of the year Italy will
have bombers which can carry the
above mentioned loads at ATS miles
per hour. Authoritative sources place
Italy's air power at 1900 machines.
Mussolini has decreed that the re-
placement program shall be put
through every three years instead Of
six. The budget provides 200 900 900
lire for this purpose ($l00, 900, 00o).
This years air expenditures will be
$50 ,OO0, 900 lire.
The air establishments OF Belgium,
Poland. Czechoslovakia and other ex-
allied states are not being neglected.
Together they present a formidable
array.
Nazis Are Secretive.
On the other side of the picture
Germany. The Nazis conceal their
situation well. Espionage carries q
peace-time death penalty Executions
are a weekly occurrence in Maitland,
even women are not being spared.
Evidently they have much to hide.
The intelligence services of France,
|
reveal what they know War Com
missar Tuchachevsky says the Ger
mans have g, 700 military airplanes.
a flying personnel Of 5000 officers and
$1,000 pilots and ground force OF
mechanics totaling so 900 trained men
( The daily production of machines
is Is"
Other authorities declare, upon OBJ
viously supported evidence, that the
German airplane factories can turn
out 5000 machines per year. Gen.
Maurin, French minister of war, SAYS
within three months the Germans
could build 1000 new planes and $500
engines per month. Twenty fully
| equipped fighting machines are being
| produced per week. claims Gen. Mes
sci. former member Of the Supreme
War Council
Undeniably Nazi Germany Il air
minded. The popularity of gliding
| clubs testifies to that and tens OF
| thousands of youth have won their
brevetS in motorleSs flying. The higher
| institutions of learning all teach aero
dynamics. There are now more than
/ 258 flying fields in Germany, ia Of
which are for civil aviation. 100 for
( military uses and IS sporting aero
dromes Several spectacular under
ground hangers-one near Berlin and
/ another near Dresden-are known to
have been constructed
! The story of preparedness on land
and to some extent on sea is similar
and does not need to be told. Italy's
| million men under arms, Frances
| doubled standing army, Poland's.
/ Czechoslovakia's and the Little En-
/ tentes grim activities all show the
state of mind Europe is in at the
moment Hitlers recent admission
! that he has ordered IL submarines
ships forbidden by the peace treaty
has turned new aspect on the naval
| disarmament question. Even Austria
and Hungary are asking release from
the disarmament obligations Of their
peace treaties and Turkey has stated
that she wants to fortify the Dardan-
| elles again.
| For the situation the German Nazs
are to large extent to blame. They
wanted ornaments equality-and took
! it. Their excuse was that the allies
/ had not carried out their pledges to
disarm. Yet it has to be admitted
that while the allies were slow in dis
arming they were headed in the right
direction. France had but $50 900 men
under arms. England hardly any and
Italy was not menace. Since Strese-
mann and Bruening passed and the
German Republic was scuttled Europe
has doubled and trebled her military
establishments.
Security Never Menaced.
Admittedly. Germany's equality was
slow in coming, but she cannot allege
her security was menaced. There is
reason TO believe that Berlin never
was as much interested in obtaining
allied disarmament down to her peace
treaty level as she was in securing
right to rearm herself.
Although she pleads poverty on COM
mercial debts cher war reparations
have long since practically disappear
ed. Germany is able to appropriate
nearly 1000, 900 900 marks $500 000,-
OOO) this year for her national de-
Tense" The official figure is 1,545.-
100000 marks, but like the French
military budget there are many
camoufaged items.
Europe's acceptance Of Germany's
bid for an ornaments race has terrific
politically. economically
as we'll as socially. Preparation for
war to preserve peace may accomplish
it's purpose so long as the odds are
overwhelmingly against one side. as
they are now. And peace may be as
sured so long as the stronger side has
no aggressive ambitions.
So long as the ex-allies hold to-
gether-and there is no sign Of break
in their ranks nowhere will be
peace. Even Poland. an unknown
factor. has swung away from Germany
and with the death of Gen. Pilsudski
will become more pro-French than
ever So politically the future Is plain.
The economic factor is less certain.
The gold bloc nations are cracking
and may be revaluating or adjusting
their currencies by the time this is