Evening star., 1936-02-09
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERTON.

By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
The American citizen who for
months has read of "air raid drills
In European and Japanese cities. in
volving the use of great installations
OF anti-aircraft guns and airplane de-
tecting units, darkening of cities, the
distribution Of gas masks and the
flight Of civilians to bombproof dug
outs may have wondered at the lack
Of such preparations here.
News accounts have referred to bar
rage balloons, smoke-laying airplanes,
vast alarm and communications sys-
TENS and specially organized and
trained police and fire departments
TO cope with air attacks on foreign
cities, and readers have wondered that
no such protection has been developed
on large scale here.
Lack Of this type of defense against
possible hostile air raids has been ex-
planned by Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover,
new chief of the Army Air Corps, in
his first public statement since his
elevation to supreme command of the
Army's air defense forces.
The European and japanese system
Is not practicable for the United
States, because Of the great size of
this country and of the consequent
economic burden of providing these
passive defense measures on such
huge scale, In the belief Of Gen. West
over
Defense in Offensive Form.
The United Statese. accordingly, has
turned to an offensive form of de-
fense" which calls not for the protec-
tion Of American cities and industrial
centers against hostile air raiders. but
Ior the smashing of such hostile raids
before they can inflict material dam
age.
Defense against air attack" Gen.
Westover said, assumes for the Con-
tinental United States many special
features not applicable to countries
with different geographical situation.
In discussing measures to provide
against aircraft attack they may be
conveniently divided into two cate
gories:
First, measures principally defen-
sive. including dispersion, frequent
changes of base, concealment and
bomb and gas proof shelters.
Second, measures principally often
sive, including attack against the
enemys aircraft bases, attack against
aircraft in the air, attack against
lines OF aircraft supply and aircraft
communications, and ground anti-air-
craft defense"
The principal basis for defense of
the United States against air attack,
the new chief of the Air Corps be-
lieves, is the network of civil airports,
extending into all the strategic areas
Of the Continental United States.
The adequacy of these airports to
support the operations of our own de-
fensive forces he explained, will
largely determine the effectiveness of
the defense"
Civil Airports Inadequate.
The United States is fortunately sit
uated in possessing, in most areas, an
adequate number of civil airports for
defense purposes, Gen. Westover said.
In several strategic areas, due to SPAR
sity of population and consequent lack
Of demand for them. however, the
civil airports are inadequate in num-
ber at the present time to satisfy the
full operating requirements of our
defensive air forces in the event these
areas became the principal objective
OF an enemy's air attack.
Discussion in Congress last year on
the Wilcox bill, subsequently enacted
into law, definitely indicated that the
purpose OF that legislation is to en-
courage the provision of sufficient air
base facilities in the principal strate-
gic areas of the United States ade-
quately to take care of any require
ment Of defense against air attack
Since enactment Of the Wilcox bill
the War Department has had a special
committee studying the requirements
for air bases. 1t is expected that as
q result of this study. the War De-
partment soon will be in position to
formulate program which, when car
ried out, will place the United States
in a favorable position to maintain
an effective defense against air attack.
1.-TWO of the principally defensive
measures to provide against air at
tack" Gen. Westover said, require
the existence of numerous airports to
make them fully effective. These are
dispersion and frequent change of
base. Where large defensive air forces
are operating, considerable number
Of airports are required to permit the