Evening star., 1938-12-26
i. ). Defense Studies
10 Show War Menace
OF Modern Planes
Destructive Powers Yet
To Be Demonstrated;
Possibilities Alarming
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Dec. 26.-The strange
mechanical creatures which have
come out of the aeronautical labora-
tory under the stimulus of world
rearmament will figure next month
IN congressional appraisal of Amer
lean defense needs.
In the 20 years since Armistice
Day, 1918, science has shaken the
test tube and produced monster.
Warplanes no longer are couple
of wings, motor and machine
gun. They are intricate devices
which carry men to combat six miles
and more above the earth, which
scourge by fire and conclusion and
push war fronts far into civilian
territory.
Counter Weapons Developed.
The size, speed and utility OF the
airplanes which would figure in a
defense of America cannot be meas
ured by comparison with planes OF
World War days. Other engines OF
war, equally or more destructive,
have been developed or improved IN
those 20 years.
1t is a military axiom that every
new weapon for offense is matched
by one for defense. Just as guns
have been invented specifically to
combat tank attacks, so antl-alr-
craft guns and defensive aircraft
hurl a challenge at warplanes.
How effective defensive measures
are against bombing raids is ques-
ton which neither the Chinese nor
Spanish Wars has answered. How
destructive tomorrow's super-1ast,
heavily armed warplanes will be re-
mains for determination.
But, as one, the nations OF the
world have turned to their manu-
facture.
It is not today that American
military men worry about when
they plan air defense. 1t is tomor-
row. when extremely long-range
warplanes might expose MidWestern
industrial plants, cities and lines OF
communication to attack.
Nonstop Long Distances.
Even now the Nays patrol
bonbers wing from San Diego over
$500 miles of ocean to Hawaii. 1ney
fy-without bomb loads-the 3,ooo
miles from San Diego to the Panama
Canal Zone, vital spot in our ma
tional defense scheme, nonstop.
Three British bombers recently
hopped nonstop from Egypt to Aus
tralia a distance of 1000 miles, but
their only cargo was fuel.
OF bombing planes, Sir Samuel
Hoare. the British home secretary,
last spring said. for the first time
in our history, the heart OF the en-
pire has become vulnerable.
The bombers, of course, are the
most spectacular of the neW-day
warplanes. Their functions are
widening. Some military writers
frankly predict that in another
World War airplanes would drop
chemicals such as lung inJurants,
systemic toxics and respiratory IT.
ritants on troop concentration
points behind the lines.
The United States Army's sub
stratosphere' plane-a misnomer
because the troposhere only ENDS
where the stratosphere begins
with supercharged engines and IN
terror is indjcatory of one OF the
trends in aerial armament.
High-Flying Craft in Making.
phantom" bombers, flying so
high as to be invisible to victims
on the ground, are lin the works
the world over. They are to be
equipped with bomb sights remark
ably accurate up to 10000 feet OF
altitude.
In a defense of America three
other general types of combat
planes, two of which were developed
during the World War, would be
used: Pursuit, attack and observa-
ton.
The pursuits are the fighters, in
tended to clear the air OF hostile
airplanes. The observation planes
spot" the fire of big guns, photo
graph enemy positions and report
by radio on enemy movements close
to the front lines. Attack planes
serve a new function-they strafe
and attempt to demoralize the
enemy with machine gun or light
cannon fire.
Some straf1ng occurred in the
World War, but the results were
Indifferent. Standard pursuits were
used.
The four general categories of
warplanes have their subdivisions.
The Navy has patrol bombers,
torpedo bombers and dive bombers.
1t has scouting planes, a step be-
yond ordinary observation ships,
which serve the function of de-
stroyers in the scouting force.
The Army has several types of
pursuits and of observation ships.
and it's bombardment Cor bombing)
planes range from relatively light
and obsolescent 1885 models to the
single "super-fortress," largest land
military craft in the world.
Advancements in Design.
The advancements which have
OOCi HlddC Ill Wal pldile USSlSll-Uul
not the effectiveness of the planes
themselves-is shown by the fact
that the fastest of the 1918 pursuit
planes, produced by Italy, made 142
miles an hour. Today's speeds ex-
ceed 400.
Russia, Italy and Germany had
bombers weighing around $1,000
pounds. The United States latest
land bomber weighs more than
$4,000 pounds, and one is in the
making which will weigh more than
100000.
The best of the World War pur-
suits could not top $4,000 feet for
ceiling" Today's big bombers can
do better than 10000.
Range. armament, carrying capac-
ity, speed, ceiling and rate of climb
those are the elements being con-
sidered in creating new monsters
for aerial warfare.
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