The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-05-12
By RICHARD D. MCMILLAN
United Pres. Staff Correspondent

| Sniteu truss Sto"
VIENNA. May 12.-(UP).-At
least 10000 planes and moro than
100000 daredevil pilots, observ-
ers or mechanics stand poised on
the military airficlds of Europe,
! ready for war at minutes no
tice.
Six months hence the six great
air powers - Germany. which
leads; France. Britain, Italy and
Russia - will have added nearly
1000 planes each to their sky
forces-mightier, speedier. dead
lier units than the already exist
ing terrifying hordes.
Military experts further predict
that, once the present arms-bulld-
ing race gets into full stride,
total of 100000 fighting planes
will have been surpassed in 1S
months. BY that time. it is be-
lieved, the rate of production
reached by some countries in the
last World war;, 200 planes a
month-will have been eclipsed
by the major powers as they
clutch air forces as the only
means of security.
At present the combined aerial
might of Britain, France and Italy
amounts to 10000 craft. But
even at that rate they have, unit
odly. only double the strength of
Germany.
GOERING ASTUTE BUILDER
Experts here quote reliable Rus
sian sources. which usually are &C
curate on the Reich's rearmament
statistics. to the effect that Gen.
! Hermann Goering. energetic min
ister of air in Hitler's govern
mcnt. had created as long ago as
April of last year a formidable
aerial armada of 300 machines,
including 2,100 bombing and fight
ing craft and 1000 scouting and
observation machines.
By expert organization, the Ger
man strength has been brought up
to 5000 fighters. This is accord
ing to General Maurin, French
military expert, who calculates
that Hitler's airplane factories arc
producing Is fighting craft daily.
Germany is further credited
with 5000 flying officers, $4,000
men and $4,000 volunteer plane or
glider pilots ready to respond t6
and call for action. ..'
The struggle for air power,
which has swept Europe as polit-
ical uncertainty increased in the
past few months, threw every. air
factory into desperate activity. in
an effort to recover the leeway
lost when war clouds were, more
remote than they are today.
Italy. with an African war of
expansion to pursue. had already
accelerated it's plane production
from last summer whereby the air
force was augmented every month
by 300 planes. In August, 1885,
Italy possessed 5000 machines;
therefore, at this moment it could
probably send into the air about
5000. Premier Benito Mussolini
has made it known that Italy has
10000 pilots ready to fight.
FRANCES TOTAL NEAR 5000
France, has between $500 and
5000 bombers, fighters or scouts,
but its air ministry is we'll aware
that large proportion of the sky
fleet is old. By the end of this
year, the force will be renovated
so that 5000 first-line machines.
bombers and fighters, will be
available, while the older ma
chimes will go into the second-line
OF reserve.
Britain's home defence air fleet
as shown in a White Paper is
sued last March, totals 1,700 first
line planes, but the nation has en-
tered the task of remedying the
defects i'll its aerial weakness so
that the combined defence, naval,
overseas and other sky-forces are
expected to total 1000 units
shortly.
Soviet Russia, so long air-con-
scious, can muster the second
largest air power to Germany,
with $3.50 planes and the num-
Der is rapidly increasing. It is said
there are $4,000 trained para
chutists in Russia.