Evening star., 1940-06-09
Fighting to Save Neutrality Down More German Planes
Air Corps Disp|acing
Obsolete Graft
Al Rate Of a Dav
Deliveries Are Up to \
Schedule, Soy Officials
Of War Department
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
AT the rate of four or more planes
q day, the Army Air Corps has
started displacing virtually all its
fighting aircraft, made semi-obso-
lete almost overnight by European
war standards.
War Department ofiitials said yes
terday that deliveries were ''up to
schedule" and the schedule called
for completion last month Of 90 Of
the latest type pursuit planes and
Tour long-range four-motor bomb
ers, aside from miscellaneous craft.
The rate Of substituting the new
est for older models is to be stepped
up materially this summer, as air
craft plants undertake to more than
double their present output under
pressure from the Army and Navy
and from the hard-pressed Allies.
Until the process reaches an ad-
vanced stage several months hence,
however, the Army air forces, by Of
ficial estimates, will be outclassed in
individual combat effectiveness by
the German and presumably the
British air forces, and in numbers by
at least two other powers.
Temporary Inferiority.
The relative inferiority will be
temporary, if President Roosevelt's
goal of $1,000 operating planes,
backed by facilities to replace them
every year, is realized in substantial
measure.
The newest warplanes completed
Tor the Navy as well as the Army
are being equipped with leakproof
fuel tanks, with heavier guns and
with armor to protect their crews.
First appearance of these factors in
the Nazi conquest Of Poland resulted
IN . sharp downward revision of
omcial estimates of relative Amer
ican air power.
None Of the existing combat craft
more than 1000 fighters and
bombers- what Mai. Gen.
Henry H. Arnold, Air Corps chief,
termed indispensable "gadgets," and
he told Congress that only about a
half dozen" could be altered to add
the needed equipment.
He made it clear that until new
planes were substituted for old the
Air Corps would consider American
military aircraft unable to combat
the latest German craft on anything
like even terms.
Rated at Least on Equal.
The "gadgets' are essential only
to the fighting planes. Existing
American observation and training
planes are rated at least the equals
OF their foreign counterparts.
AS Of April /, the Army Air Corps
counted 2,709 planes of all types,
compared with 2,2O8 IS months
earlier. Exact numbers of each
type are confidential military in
formation, but in round figures there
are about 100 bombers, 400 fighters,
400 observation planes and about
1000 used In training new pilots.
aside from miscellaneous cargo and
other planes.
Estimates awaiting final congress
sional action provide for an expan-
sion to approximately 1000, double
the goal of $500 planes set last year,
and when this Is realized the pro-
portions will be different. Schedules
call for approximately equal num-
bers of bombers and pursuit planes.
Most of the Air Corps front line
planes are a part now of the gen.
eral headquarters air force, organ
lied five years ago and now COM
manded by Maj. Gen. Delos C. En-
mons. It numbers about 800 and
the rest Of the Army's planes are
scattered among the overseas gar.