Evening star., 1940-11-17
Giant Air bombers
To Help Guard u. 5.
Until Fleet Is Read v
Navy to Rely on Huge
New Worplones to
PotroI Atlantic
By DEVON FRANCIS,
Associated Press Aviation Editor

otbSs
BY DEVON FRANCIS,
Associated Press Aviation Editor
The Navy is buttressing defense
in the Atlantic with warplanes
which can fly half way to Europe in
search Of an enemy surface fleet.
They are designed for long-dis-
tance patrol work, to flash back
wireless alarm Of any hostile threat
and also for heavy bombing, to make
direct attacks on enemy ship con-
centrations, supply bases and avia-
ton depots.
The airplanes are rolling of the
assembly line in big volume and
their manufacture begins to throw
c0rlo LIGHT on the defense strategy
r. the Navy which faces the prob
- Of hemisphere defense in the
-'ccc. for the present, of two
! fleet
e Navy has been secretive
Atlantic defense.
key to its plans has been the
g Of huge contracts for long
patrol bombers for quick
Hction while shipyards get
I'd to the infinitely slower job
Of turning out more surface vessels.
New Bases to be Used.
Bases ACQUIRED from the British
under the administrations destroyer
trade and probably other bases
which will become available in Latin
America, in addition to ports under
the American flag. will be used by
the new fleet of bombers.
The patrol bomber, essentially an
American invention, grew out OF
me big. multi-motored flying boats
which braved the Atlantic crossing
hack in 1919. One, it will be re-
membered, did get to Europe. The
new flying boats, for all practical
purposes, are much like the clipper
rlanes plying between the United
States and Portugal. They are
smaller in point of tonnage by
more than half but they carry heavy
defensive armament and formid-
able load of bombs at a cruising
roeed of more than 200 miles an
hour.
The largest single contract for
this type of plane recently was
placed with the Glenn L. Martin Co.,
pioneer flying boat builder, at Bal
timore. The S106, 125 900 being spent
ut the Martin plant will provide ap-
proximately 400 of the planes, BIZ
motored and equipped with an odd
chaped gull wing
Take Pacific "In Stride"
Other contracts have been let by
the Navy from time to time to the
consolidated Aircraft Co. OF San
Diego, another veteran builder OF
both commercial and military fly
ing boats. This company, too, has
received fresh order for long
range bombers
Even though the British should
want half the United States patrol
bomber output several hundred will
be available for hemisphere defense.
in the next II months. Already In
service are Consolidated flying boats
which have taken the Pacific in
stride on routine" flights.
The new 2O-ton Martin planes
principally because of the rapidity
with which they are being produced
at the expanded Baltimore plant.
In addition to being exceptionally
fast for flying boats with hulls that
create drag" problems at high speed
',e Martins, known as PBM-l's, have
--'ires which thrust upward from the
rcct to place engines and propellers
TT of the reach Of water in rough
as.
Bomb System Is Secret.
They have four visible gun en-
~~ments for defensive fire and at
-.. one more which cannot be seen.
",~'e living quarters are provided
=. the crew to relieve the strain OF
',Nc hours at sea. A secret and
,joue system of storing and drop
lg bombs is intended to make
.em bad news for any enemy sur
tone vessels.
In a paper included in the Naval
institute proceedings published last
week, 1t. Comdr A. B. Vosseller,
skipper Of squadron Of patrol
hombers, remarks, The question of
whether bombers can sink battle
SHIPS is, of course, of little impor-
tance, but the incontrovertible fact
that ships can be bombed and un-
cucstionably damaged must be con-
s.tiered by those charged with the
responsibility for the national de-
fense."
He adds that patrol bombers in
formation, with concentrated fire
power, ought to be almost immune
to attack except by vastly superior
numbers of enemy fighters. In other
words, it would require the air fight
ing power of several enemy aircraft
carriers to cope successfully with the
patro! bombers which, in the next
few months, can be marshalled to
meet any threat of invasion by sea.
For mid-ocean patrol purposes the
new planes can be refueled at sea by
tenders if necessary. Their hulls
are built to take the shock of land
ings and takeof1s in pretty rough
water. Armor. for crew protection,
Gurrounds the bridge and gun sta
tions. Self-sealing gasoline tanks
are insurance against loss Of fuel
or fire from bullet punctures.