Evening star., 1938-10-15
BOMBER SPOTTED
AT 24,0lO FEET
Anti-Aircraft SearchIights
Set AN-Time Record
at Fort Bragg.
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT,

FORT BRAGG. N. c., Oct. IS
An all-time record for high altitude
illumination of aircraft by anti-air-
craft artillery searchlights was record
ed Unexpectedly last night when
Bit flying fortress bomber was illumi-
mated at an altitude of $4,000 feet, it
was announced today. A week ago,
in preliminary runs, airplanes were
Illuminated up to $4,000 feet.
Last nights test was solely to deter
mine the maximum altitude at which
an airplane could be illuminated under
ideal conditions. The test came after
the scheduled exercises for the evening
had been completed. These consisted
Of the illumination of bombers at
various attitudes to determine the
effectiveness OF such lighting for pur-
suit airplanes interception. Defense
headquarters await from pursuit
squadron commanders reports on the
results. Observations made here. how
ever, indicated that the pursuit had
little ditnculty in getting the illumi-
mated bombers in attacking position
but whether the glare Of the light
was too great to permit accurate
gunnery has not yet been reported.
The bombers had completed their
missions and were on the way back
home to Langley Field, Va, when Brig
Gen. Fulton @. c. Gardner, defense
commander, from his post on Gaddy's
Mountain, in the center of the defense
zone, called Unexpectedly for the a.
0O0-foot test.
Efforts to communicate with the
bombers by field radio failed. Gen.
Gardner sent a request to Langley
Field, which was in radio communica-
ton with the bombers, to send one OF
them back. Half way back to Langley
one of the big, four -engined bombers
received orders to return to Fort Bragg,
passing through the searchlight beams
at $4,000 feet.
FLYING with It's running lights on,
the big bomber passed over the search
lights and was clearly illuminated and
visible from Gen. Gardner's position,
although an airplane at that altitude
ordinarily would have been invisible
to the naked eye.
Five major weapons of the field artil-
lery, including the 75-millimeter pack
howitzer and a 24O-millimeter how
tier. were exhibited here yesterday
to q party headed by Maj. Gen.
Stanley D. Embick, new commander
of the Sd Army and the 4th Corps
Area, in connecting with the JOINT
Army Air Corps-coast artillery air
craft warning net exercises.
The howitzer, designed for carriage
by pack animals, has range OF 9,2Oo
yards and can go into action in less
than one minute 1t handles the same
size shells as the famous French
75-millimeter guns of World War days.
There also was displayed the mod
ernized version of the World War
77-mm. gun, q much heavier, more
accurate weapon. The 240-millimeter
gun, firing a shell approximately 10
inches in diameter and weighing 345
pounds, to a distance of 1900 yards,
weighs $4,000 pounds ready to fire.
8-Inch Trees Sheared.
For moving, it is broken into four
tractor-hauled loads. the tools neces-
sary for its assembly being carried in
a fifth tractor 1t was described as
the most accurate, powerful gun yet
given the field artillery. Its shells
burst over wide area and 8-inch
trees have been sheared of cleanly at
distances of 400 yards from point Of
impact.
A 155-millimeter howitzer, a mod
ification Of the famous World War
type, also was shown. It is high
speed type and has a maximum rate
of fire of three rounds per minute,
throwing 95-pound projectiles a dis
tance of 12.400 yards. A regiment can
fire u tons Of shells per hour.
The fifth gun was an American
model of the 155-millimeter gun, a
15h-ton weapon, with range OF
$4,000 yards, capable of being hauled
on rubber tires as . single unit by a
2O-ton half-tractor truck.
There now are only single batteries
of the 155-millimeter guns and the
| -millimeter howitzers in the United
States, both in the 36th Field Artil-
lery.