Evening star., 1939-07-30

of bombardment and observation
airplanes-no pursuit planes-when
the armistice paved the way for the
Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler of
20 years later.
During the first years of It's ex-
istence, 1909 1916, Army aviation
received a total of 142 airplanes.
The French government presented
us a program calling for $500 mod
ern airplanes for the first half of
1918. Only July "a. 1917, Congress
appropriated s64o, 100000 for Army
aviation-the largest single appro-
priation which had been made up to
, that time by an American Congress.
Nearly $4,000 flying cadets re-
ceived training in this country and
1900 more in Europe. BY March
1918 our Army aviation strength was
1000 officers and 10000 enlisted
men. Two months later. however
only 155 American airplanes had
been built and 40 of them shipped
overseas. At the time of the Armis-
tice we had 757 pilots. 481 observers
with TAO planes and n balloons at
the front, and 1,402 pilots, 1859 air.
planes and 252 balloon observers
had entered the zone of advance.
Our aviators were credited with
destruction of 491 enemy airplanes
of which 462 were accounted for by
SO aviators. We had 43 squadrons
nt nf
Armistice, and of these less than
Is per cent were equipped with
American-built airplanes.
Lesson for Service.
The outstanding lesson for the
future was that, without reasonable
preparedness, it is matter of sew
eral years before nation can make
itself felt in the air in proportion
to it's wealth and strength.
The Army Air Service came into
being after the war and its strength
rapidly dwindled to 1000 officers
and 10000 men, equipped with obso-
lete and obsolescent airplanes. The
Army Reorganiza ton Act of 1926
provided for Isis officers and TO-
300 men for the Air Service anc
the Air Corps Act of 1926 authorized
a five-year program which was in.
tended to provide a personne
strength of 1850 officers, $4,000 en-
listed men, 500 flying cadets, anc
1900 serviceable airplanes.
The two years after the war were
years of consolidation, reorganiza-
ton and liquidation. There were
no air achievements which, after
this lapse of time, stand out a.
particularly noteworthy.
In 1920, however, the Air Corps
entered period of pioneering
activity which still continues. Or
January 20 of that year a radio
message was received from an air
plane in flight over a distance Of
ITS miles. On February q. Maj
Rudolph w. Schroeder established
a worlds altitude record of $4,000
feet. On November "a Lieut.. G. G
Mosely won the Pulitzer Trophy
Race.
Civil Progress Gained.
The year 1921 found the Air Serv-
ice contributing largely to civil all
progress, as it has done ever since
The first airway was opened ir
February between Washington anc
Dayton, Ohio; in August, Army
pilots successfully busted poison
from airplanes to fight insect pest.
and so established what today is 6
vital commercial aviation business
by September l the Air Service hac
completed a total Of 1856 forestry
patrol flights in the Northwest.
During a period Of less than
month in 1922 the Air Servic'
brought three world records to tn
United States. On October 6 Its
Oakley G. Kelly and John A. Mac
ready established an endurance rec
ord of IS hours 161s minutes. Or
October IS Brig. Gen. William
Mitchell established a world speet
! record for the kilometer of 224 3,
miles per hour. On November 4 Its