Evening star., 1938-10-16
AIR WARNING NET
PROVESWORKABLE
If U. S. Ever Goes to War
Use of Civilian Observers
is Practically Certain.
By JOSEPH s .EDGERTON
Star Star Correspondent.


Star Stan Correspondent.
FORT BRAGG, N. c.. Oct 1S.-
Should the United States ever be-
come involved In another major war
1t is practically certain, as q result Of
the air warning net exercises now
drawing to q close here, that all along
the American coasts and around vital
industrial areas civilian volunteers
will be called upon to man observa-
tion stations.
The outstanding lesson Of a week
of exercises involving some 1000 North
Carolina civilians, the 2nd wing OF
the General Headquarters Air Force
and all of the Armys anti-aircraft
outfits east of the Rockies is that
the civilian air warning net has be-
come an indispensable part OF our
national defense system.
Both air and ground officers are IN
agreement that the civilian warning
net has proved itself an unqualified
success.
Mai. Gen. Henry H. Arnold, chief
Of the Army Corps, who watched the
net In operation from the ground here
and from the air with the invading
black" air force from Langley Field,
Va, said Of the civilian net: 1T re-
sembles very closely what visualized
As required for our great industrial
centers should war come"
Net absolutely Essential"
The work of the civilian observers
Of North Carolina, Gen. Arnold said,
"dispels any doubt we may have had
concerning the possibility of setting
up efficient warning nets over vast
areas in event of an emergency"
Such 4 warning set" Gen. Arnold
said, "is absolutely essential to the
success of any air defensive set-up;
without such a system neither the de-
fensive pursuit nor the anti-aircraft
can hope to cope with the modern air
attack
The work of the net, Gen. Arnold
feels, has promoted greatly our
schemes and plans for national
defense"
AS to other phases of the warning
net exercises. opinion is not so unan-
imous. Definite conclusions must
await studies by the War Department
of the many new facts developed, As
result Of the effectiveness OF the
ground net, however. the Army Air
Corps already is working on the prob
lem of silencing its airplanes. Only
by effective silencing and high altl-
tude operatio can air raiders hope
to escape ground observers and reach
their objectives with any hope Of
catching the defense unprepared, 1t
Is believed.
Obstac cles to Siiencers.
Such silencers, however, will have
to he more effective than any so far
produced. Astonished by the ability
Of civilian observers to spot invading
bombardment sirplanes. at their max
inum attitudes, up to $4,000 feet, the
Air Corps yesterday sent q Boeins
BD-l7 bomber. equipped with ST.
lencer, through the net, but the effort
was only a partial success.
While numbers Of observers along
the path failed to pick it up. it was
reported by a sufiicient number of sta
tions to disclose not only its presence
but its directions, speed and probable
time OF arrival.
Air Corps ofiicers pointed out that
there are many problems to be solved
in connection with the silencing of
aircraft. Engineers say it is, Of course,
possible to silence engines just as
successfully as in the case Of auto
mobiles. but at cost in reduced
power which is regarded as too great
to pay. In some airplanes, propeller
noise is greater than engine noise.
This too can be reduced, but also at
a price-by the use OF larger propellers
and increased reduction gearing. Pay
ment for the reduction Of noise is
made in increased weight, longer
legged landing gear and in other ways
Little Fear Of Searchlights.
Although anti-aircraft guns and
'gunnery have been improved vastly,
the exercises would seem to indicate
that many vital improvements remain
to be made. Despite the fact that
searchlight pickups have been made
UP to $4,000 feet, = new record, Air
Corps officers have little fear of search
lights except under unusually fine
weather conditions.
In q report from Langley Field after
Ave days OF intensive exercises, pilots
OF the black air forces claimed that
only four airplanes OF the black foes,
two OF these Intentionally, had been
tracked by the anti-aircraft search
lights sufficiently to permit accurate
gunnery. These claims were based
upon detailed reports submitted to the
I'd Wing Headquarters by unit COM
manders Immediately upon completion
Of their missions.
rnterception by pursuit airplanes has
been much more frequent than illumi-
nation by searchlights. They claimed
the greatest difficulty to the training
-, OF anti-aircraft batteries and the gain
ing of experience necessary for i'm
proving existing equipment is the lack
Of actual targets.
Tomorrow and Tuesday will be de-
voted to competitive firing by three
anti-aircraft regiments here. The
targets will be sleeve types towed by
~Airplanes Such targets, however. are
not authentic" They slow down the
towing sirplanes by as much rs IS
per cent and make it impossible for
the airplane to maneuver The targets
therefore customarily cross the range
at fxed speed and on fixed courses.
Radio Controlled Targets.
- ir H<,rv>
radio-controlled airplanes which can
be controlled from the ground and
which will simulate quite closely the
maneuvers Of a regular airplane. Such
an airplane has been fown to Cali
fornia at altitude OF more than 10000
feet and proved highly maneuverable.