Evening star., 1939-11-03
ESQ U. 5. Airp|anes,
Grated, Awaiting
Shipment 10 Allies
Britain, France Reported
Prepared to Spend $50
Millions for Aircruft


Prepared to Spend $50
Millions for Aircraft
By COL. FREDERICK PALMER,
Noted Military Expert.
Lifeless they wait, bombers and
fighters which can fly more than
200 miles an hour, Grated at our
aircraft factories, approximately $50
planes, already completed in filling
pre-war orders by the British and
French. Their shipment will be the
first answer to repeal Of the arms
embargo, which will bring us some
surprises in underestimated and
overestimated resources of Amer
lean production Of arms and am
munition for direct shipment to the
allies, the only customers permitted
by the British blockade.
It Is reported on good evidence
that the allies are prepared to spend
$3.50, ,000, 900 Immediately for Amer
lean planes. They have already
tried out our fighters, delivered be-
fore the war began, in pursuit and
found them better than the German
planes, capable Of better mobility to
give q fatal blow, and so driving
the Germans in retreat. Our bomb
ers promise to be equally good, once
bombing action begins in earnest.
The more American planes the
allies have, the more certain they
are Of mastery Of the air, the better
able to repel bombing raids and to
pay back in superior power in re-
prisal for bombing raids.
Strict Watch Is Kept.
Our Army and Navy inspectors
since the embargo was imposed have
kept strict watch lest any plane,
after 1t was Grated, should be de-
livered beyond the factory gate until
permitted by Government action.
1t appears the plan, contrary to
some reports, is not to fly single
one of the $50 across the Atlantic
as soon as they are released. All
will be shipped with all speed. They
cannot be too soon in service. They
might weight the balance in the air
In the allies favor.
We have the statement, which
seems quite authoritative, that CUR
aircraft factories are ahead of sched-
ule for both American and foreign
orders, and running at only IS per
cent capacity. Large and small, we
have AZ aircraft factories. The small
would probably take subcontracts
from the large. But these estab-
lished factories are not to be pressed
to the limit in a mad effort to fill
the proposed $3.50 900 900 allied order.
American commercial and Army and
Navy needs come first.
An American factory executive, in
talking with an allied representa-
tive, who was interested in getting
q large number of plane engines,
said, I'VE have the factory to pro-
duce them" In reply to the query,
Where is the factory?" he said,
"Out there" indicating a bare space
OF ground. You are to pay for build
ing the factory. We do not propose
to be left with an idle plant, holding
the bag, with abrupt cessation of the
war"
War Lesson Applied.
He was applying another one of
the many lessons, worth remember
ing, that we learned in the World
War. Then, one of the conspicuous
examples Of rapid expansion to meet
war demands was how all manner
OF manufacturers adapted old and
built new plants under the lure of
high prices and boom profits for the
making of shells.
They overlooked the fact that war
was not a permanent business, at
least not yet. On Armistice Day,
when firing ceased, every ammuni-
ton dump behind the fronts became
q superfiuous blot on the Landscape,
Orders for shells were abruptly can
celed. Many a shell maker, when
ne counted his capital outlay in
machinery and construction, found
he was in debt instead of being q
millionaire.
The allies will make little demand
Tor guns or rifles. Their capacity
Tor making their own is much
greater than at the outset of the
World War. AS for shells, which
We sent over in such immense VOL
ume In the World War, once we had
production started. the allies are
understood to have enough for the
present. They have been accumu-
lating huge reserve stores in the in
action of the two months since the
war began. This will be vastly in
creased If there is no big offensive
on the western front during the
winter.
In this category, we can spare
nothing from our present production
Tor sale to the allies. Aside from
our World War model of field gun.
which can be modernized, it will
take us from year to two years to
produce enough of the new semi
automatic rifles, mortars, tanks, anti
tank and anti-aircraft guns and
other weapons to equip our proposed
initial protective force of a million
men. This includes shells if we are
to have an adequate supply for war,
or Ior armlng as a means to keep
out Of war.
Machine Tools May Cause Lag.
AS TOR undertaking to produce
shells for the allies, it seems that
financing the plants to make them
is In order no less than financing the
plants for plane making, to which
the allies appear agreeable at the
start.
If they continue the practice, we