The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-05-18
U. S. AIR SERVICE.
PROVES COAST Isl
SAFE FROM RAID
Enemy Carriers Sunk
Far at Sea
BY ROBERT q. NEXON
IcOpyright. 1888, By International
News Ssrvies.)

4SIlSQ Tie OulCcO ObaIcS ID OaAC
from effective invasion from the
sea by any present conceivable
coalition of potential enemy" pow
ers.
High officers Of the War Depart
ment general staff on whose shout
ders would rest the responsibility
for formulating the nations de-
tense strategy in time Of war drew
this major conclusion from the
aerial war game which drew to an
end on the Eastern seaboard yes
terday.
FRONT LINE DEFENSE
AS a result of the war" the
GHQ air force, in which is con-
centrated all the nations combat
planes for instant use as striking
force independent Of Army or
Navy "apron strings" has emerged
as Americas front line defense,
secondary only to the Navy in STAY
ing off attack from the sea.
This would be its function were
the United States to be attacked
simultaneously on both coasts by
q coalition Of European and Ash
attic aggressors as was the as
Sumed problem confronting the
GHQ air force.
But the determining factor was
the fact that the air force proved
1t could carry defensive war far
out to sea, wreaking havoc with
the invading fleets long before
they could come within striking
distance Of the coast with its air
craft carriers.
LONG RANGE
Army bombers ranged far out
on the Atlantic during the war"
and theoretically disabled seven Of
the ten aircraft carriers Of the two
enemy "black" fleets.
Two battleships and a host Of
smaller ships were destroyed. In
sinking the aircraft carriers the
bombers wiped out an assumed IS
per cent of their planes, account
ing for well over half of their 904
planes in II days of warfare"
While no ships actually were
sent to the bottom, the Army gen.
eral staff does not believe it Is kid
ding itself. The conclusions were
drawn from Well-knoWn military
factors. ~
FIND VESSELS
The bombers were sent out on
their missions just as though in
an actual war. Using celestial
navigation. they located their tar
gets, which were actual freighters
or passenger vessels. They then,
at isolated spots in the ocean,
dropped their bombs on aluminium
sticks which had been laid by a
bomber preceding them.
MANY LESSONS
Among the many lessons drawn
from the war game were these:
/. The flying fortreSseS," or
their even larger sister ships
which are now under conStruc-
ton, must be the backbone Of
the nations aerial defense.
Their long range, high speed
and heavy armament permits
them to triple the range and
hitting power of any planes that
can take off from ar aircraft
carrier.
2. The CHG air force needs
far more modern combat planes
than it now possesses, and
many more trained pilots, al
though its present planes of all
types are the equal. and in most
cases. superior to those pos.
SesSed by any other nation.
BLACK BOMBERS
3. Camouflaged bonn bers,
painted a dead black, can bomb
targets as large as a city at
night from high attitudes with
out serious interference from
antiaircraft artillery, but are
highly vulnerable at the lower
attitudes they would have to fly
to demoliSh such targets as
bridges, railroad functions or
factories.
In the Farmingdale "black-
out" these camouflaged bombers
flew over at $4,000 feet without
being heard on the ground and
escaped detection by the beams
Of eight SOC, 900, 000-candle power
searchlightS or lowering pur.
suit planes.
4. The Army is badly in need
OF more anti-aircraft artillery
and sound-locating apparatus.
At present there is equipment
for only one regiment.
MUCH TO BE LEARNED
5. Much is yet to be learned
about swift concentration Of the
CHG air force, and the func-
tioning of swift land communi-
cations, although the GHQ as
sembled 24O planes, 10000
pounds of baggage and $3.50
officers and men in the New
England, New York area from
bases throughout the nation in
three days.
In concluding that for an enemy
such as was assumed in the war
game to gain an effective foot
hold on the Atlantic Coast is still
highly improbable, the general
staff took into consideration the
fact that the Army and coast ar
tillery would be swiftly mohilized