Evening star., 1937-09-26
Army Experts Scan China War
For Clues to Planes Efficacy
Far East Conflict Is First Real LubOru.
tory Military Has Had for aircraft
Since I9I4I8 Canpaigns.

an hLtaCK? VIII the air attacRS pre-
pare the way for occupation of the
city by the japanese troops? For
the answer to these questions the
military experts are awaiting further
reports from the Japanese front.
Dismissing the factor of the in
adequacy Of the Chinese defense
against the air attack, the experts are
convinced that comparable raids on
an American city would not have re-
suited in casualties as great as those
in Marking and Canton, relatively
small as they are in comparison with
the teeming populations of those
cities. For the Chinese cities are
not as sturdily built and hence yield
readily to the force Of exploding
shells. and the population is un-
usually dense and has not been
trained to seek shelter in air raids
II the raids are repeated, it is be-
lieved here, the Chinese will learn
to avoid danger and casualties will
not run so high.
Claims Not Borne Out.
1t would be a grievous misrepre-
sentation Of the views Of the Capitals
military observers to suggest that they
are disposed on the basis Of the frag-
mentary information reaching here
from China to discredit aircraft as an
offensive weapon. Rather the idea is
that as yet the Japanese operations.
the most extensive undertaken with
modern craft. have not borne out ex-
travagant claims by some air enthu-
siasts.
After all the Japanese operations
over Nanking and Canton are aimed
at only one OF the objectives for which
air attacks are undertaken, namely
the harassing of civilian populations
and the destruction of property. The
other main functions of armed air
craft are to harass and disrupt lines
of communication, destroy batteries
and dislodge troops.
The effectiveness Of aircraft for
these other objectives is still q matter
OF debate The performance OF air
craft around Shanghai and on the
Spanish war front has not supplied
the military experts with adequate ba-
sis for q conclusion
Observations by Experts.
But from what is known OF opera
tions in these two theaters Of war,
the experts have made the following
observations:
10 t,,t t- M z1f
been able to disrupt the Japanese line
Of communication. The Japanese
have been able TO land troops un-
scathed in Shanghai and maintain
an air base nearby. Japanese gun
boats lying in the Yangtze River have
kept off the Chinese flyers
2. The Japanese air force has thus
far been unable to silence Chinese bat
teries in the Shanghai sector.
3. Although the Chinese troops have
been pushed back, it was ground oper-
ations, with little If any aid from the
air. that accomplished the result.
4. In Spain. although Madrid has
been repeatedly bombed from the air,
the population has not been terrorized.
In fact. they have become so indiffer-
ent to the danger from overhead that
they have resumed going 10 motion
pictures.
S. Air raids have failed to alter the
lines of the opposing land forces at
Madrid. which are entrenched Just
about where they were when the siege
started.
s. Air bombing has played relatively
small part In gains made by either
side in the Spanish civil war. land
forces having been decisive In all such
engagements.
The view here appears to be that
aircraft form valuable supplement
tary arm of the military service. Ac-
cording to Maj Gen Frank M.
Andrews, commander of the General
Headquarters Air Force, the Army's
policy is to maintain an adequate
fleet Of pursuit and bombing planes
to attack any point on or near this
continent which might be selected as
a base by an enemy. Without a nearby
base, no foreign power, according to
Gen. Andrews, could hope to succeed
in a large-Scale air attack on this
country.
Meanwhile the experts are keeping
their eyes fixed on the Japanese air
fleet.
tCopyright, 1887, by New York Tribune
Tprl