The Daily Alaska empire., 1939-01-23


 any defense program. This story
 tells why-and how much we
 have to fear right now.
 By ALEXANDER R. GEORGE
 AP Feature Service Writer I WASHINGTON--Wil the people of New York or San Francisco-in a Il year not far away-live in dread of being awakened any night by the roar of exploding bombs?
 How soon will they be fitting gas masks to their children, their fears turning ever toward the skies?
 The answer, in large part, remains hidden in the aircraft research lab- oratories of the world where plans for bombers that will fly 5000 to l0,- 900 miles without refueling are close ly guarded secrets. These experts attack the problems which may determine the outcome of any future aerial warfare
 The military experts will tell you | 1. No bombers in operation in Eu- rope or Asia today can hop either of Il the big oceans, dump cargo of ex- plosives on an American city and return to their home bases without landing en route.
 | 2. Super -bombers able to make the round-trip ocean flight probably are on the drafting boards of many mili- tary aircraft designers. CWhen will they advance from the blueprint to the performance stage? Any ans wer would be just a guess).
 3. Suicide bombers" could take off from Europe today with small load of bombs, fly over the Atlantic under favorable weather conditions, drop their "eggs" on an eastern Am- erican town and then. come down somewhere in this country, Canada or the ocean.
 q Slight Military Effectiveness The suicide bombers might cause considerable property damage and : kill scores of people but their mili- tary effectiveness would be very Islight The raid probably would be as costly to the invader as the in- : vaded. Big bombers are expensive weapons. Big bombers are expensive weapons, costing $250,000 to $500.- 900, and the risk of losing them must be justified by severe blow to ar enemy.
 A most liberal estimate places the effective tactical radius of today's best bombing planes at 20O0 miles A more typical military estimate
 is that of Rear Admiral A. B. Cook chief of the Navy's bureau of aero ! nautics. He told congressiona committee recently that a bombins
 plane could take off from an air. plane carrier 1,200 miles out in tn, g Atlantic, fly to our eastern seaboare ], and back to the carrier. The Germans have developed Diesel-motored planes which reput. I lediy can cover a given distance witt 25 to 35 per cent less fuel than gaso. line engine planes Their flying range hasn't been divulged but mos1 of the Nazi bombers are designed for European operation, not trans. oceanic excursions.
 What our Army and Navy is do ing with Diesel-motored planes i < a military secret with a capital $ A well-informed officer, who has { ]. very high opinion of Germans air. craft engineers and their products told the writer that American mill ,tary men are not worried aboui \ foreign Diesel developments. He saie < the worlds foremost research work :, m the field is being done in this country.
 Nazi Lead Causes Worry
 What does worry American de fense planners is Germany's tre- mendous lead in three vital aspects of air strength. These are:
 l. The Reich's 10000 modern plan- | es ready for war service today. Tt ally has 5000, Britain, 5000, the Uni- ted States 4,O00, Japan 2,5O0 and France 2.200. These figures include modern planes of all types).
 2. The large and rapidly increas- ing number of German military pi- lots. Hitier's trained pilots are esti- mated at 10000 compared with about 5000 for this country.
 l 3. Germany's rapid production ot aircraft. The average monthly out l put was 500 during 1888, stepped up to 1000 in Nomeber. which is triple