Evening star., 1940-06-02

ports of German pursuit craft which
continued to operate though subjected to
bursts of machine-gun fire. The pilots
are thought to have been equipped with
helmets, breastplates and leg pieces of
steel
The most serious discovery was that
on many of their combat planes the
Nazis had supplemented or replaced ma
chine-guns with small-bore rapid-f1re
cannon. The latter were aimed like
machine-guns through the noses of pur-
suit craft. But in the tails of bombers
had been installed turreted wells, each
with two cannon having a 12O-degree
cone of fire. Vessels thus equipped and
flying in close formation, Gen. Arnold
explained, are able to give mutual sup
port and keep interceptor craft at re-
spectful distance. That Is one reason"
he commented, why pursuit planes are
not getting as many bombers in this
war"
200 One-Pound Shells a Minute.
All American military planes are at
present armed with 80 and so caliber
machine guns, in batteries on the largest
of as many as nine. Each weapon dis
charges 300 bullets minute 1t was
proved in several instances that from
5000 to 10000 actual hits were needed
to bring down an enemy bomber One
hit from a 37-millimeter cannon has
often sufficed. Fed from an ammunition
belt, this gun fires up to 200 1-pound
mi, Ttc IL,
no greater than that of the 50-caliber
machine gun. But range is of small i'm
portance in air battle. The most effec-
tive attacks it has been found, are
made from distances centering around
$50 yards
Though beSet with awkward difficult
ties of technique, the addition of armor
and anti-leak tanks offers no insuperable
problem. AS hurriedly as possible mill
tary and naval pursuit planes and bomb
ers are being sent back to the shops for
equipment with these two devices But
the change of ordnance is a redesgn job,
so deep-seated and costly that the Air
Corps has decided to forego almost en-
tlrely any effort to regun its present
battle fleet Information on this point
was withheld by the Navy
For the future, however both sea
and land establishments promise that all
tactical planes put in service will be pro-
Vlded with leaklesS tanks and armor,
and that such proportion of new bomb
ing and pursuit craft as is deemed neces-
sary will be equipped with shelf firing
! cannon.
Suggested Programs Vary.
suggested programs vary between Gen.
| Arnolds sober estimate of 10000 planes
by the end of l94l and President Roose-
velt's reiterated demand for facilities to
produce $4,000 annually. The starting
point of either project will of necessity
be the current resources of the Govern
ments two air-War services Rigid ac-
curacy is not claimed for all the sta
tistics that ensue. When approxima-
tions are ventured, they are the closest
obta,nable under official regulations.
On May "a the Air Corps, in Regular
Army and National Guard, possessed
some $500 useful planes The number
on the same date for the Bureau of
Aeronautics, including Regular Navy.
Marine Corps and Naval Reserve, was
1913. This gives total of Alb for both
establishments.
The Army's combat strength of about
1,340 planes was divided somewhat as
follows: $50 observation planes, 46O pur-
suit craft and $40 bombers of which 1853
were light, 300 medium and So heavy.
The Navy's armed aircraft numbered
u,h o1o
observers, 519 scout bombers, 1872 fighters.
144 torpedo bombers and 240 patrol
bombers, or flying boats" Testifying
week ago before the Senate Committee
on Naval Affairs. Admiral John H.
Towers. chief of the Bureau of Aero
nautics. said only 1872 of the Navy's
combat planes are less than year old
and that others range as high as seven
years Senator Byrd of Virginia, mem
Der of the committee, calculated that 500
of the Navy's battle planes have become
out-dated for modern combat.
No War Reserve of Planes.
Neither service can at present muster
a single plane by way of reserves against
war. Never have We been able" testi-
fed Admiral Towers, Ito get enough
money to accumulate war reserve of
planes" OF the Nays armed air force
679 planes are assigned to sea duty
There are three for each of Is battle
ships, or As: an average of four each on
81 light and heavy cruisers, or 148: and
about 81 on each of six aircraft carriers
or 486. The Marine Corps has about
100 combat planes.
The Air Corps utilizes some 1850 of
its planes for transport. cargo and train
ing purposes For similar functions the
Navy employs los utility planes, is large
and 9 small transports, 230 primary
training planes and So for advanced
training.
The personnel of the Air Corps. ac-
cording to recent tables. is 1928 en-
listed men, 2.142 Regular Army officers,
100l Reserve officers and 1912 flying
cadets. 1t listed on May rated pilots to
the number of 1888. seven non-rated Of
ficers. 80 balloon pilots, five balloon OBJ
servers, los non-rated students and no
parachute troops. The total of Reserve
pilots available was given at 1900
The latest figures at hand on the
Navy's air manpower are those of June
30, 1899. which may not have increased
materially to date At that time the Navy
possessed flying duty personnel tpHots