Evening star., 1940-07-28

time as action combat planes, 5000
are to be held in reserve for replace
ments or emergencies, and 1000
are to be used in training.
The air corps impetus started at
the close of the fiscal year June 30,
1899, when there were 56 squadrons.
BY the close of the calendar year,
December 81. 1899. it had been in
creased to 50 squadrons. Then came
the expansion program deadline of
July l, 1941. calling for l22 squadrons
and $500 planes This was heralded
as an "air armada and it was held
that it will bring to full fruition the
vltally important air defense pro-
gram the basis Of which was initially
instituted in 1888 by Public Works
Administration grant of S7,500000
for new Army aircraft And now
that number of planes has already
been doubled 1t must be under
stood that of the $500 planes. $500
were operating planes, and not
necessarily combat planes. while
2200 were to be in reserve or
undergoing repairs, and of the $500
only 1855 were combat planes-the
others were for training and mis-
cellaneous use. And from the ,965
must be subtracted those used on
air service missions rather than as
a striking force. Some were on
observation duty and some with the
National Guard That $500 plane
expansion called for an expenditure
of S300000,000, and provided for
As 900 enlisted men and 4,600 officers
Including Reserve officers on eX-
tended active duty. The next big
step for aviation was an appropria-
ton for 1900 training planes. per-
mitting pilots to be trained at the
rate of 1000 a year, and for 200
bombers. What the ultimate size
of the air corps will be if the
emergency continues is purely
problema tical-even to the Army
experts coping with this problem
of preparedness.
Pilots in Training.
Supplementing the air corps own
training of pilots. the Civil Aero
nautics Of the Department of Com
merce has had 5000 pilots in
training during the last year,
sponsored by the Army and
Navy They are given n primary
course of 35 to so hours, averag-
ing about 40, on light planes: and
t2) the more promising trainees are
given secondary course of as hours
on high-powered planes This train
ing is intended to be equivalent to
10-week primary course in the
air corps. The Army and Navy take
as many of these students as can
qualify for Army and Navy stand
ards. Civil Aeronautics proposes to
train $4,000 pilots this year in the
primary course and to give secondary
training to about 5000 of the most
promising. Some 5000 instructors
are being selected to. standardize
this program of pilot training.
There is another very important
phase of aviation training which is
generally overlooked. The air corps
trained 9,110 aviation mechanics
and technicianS of all kinds last
year. and 8795 new students started
July /, this year. This exceeds the
program which called for 1900 to
be trained This training was given
at Lowry Field. Denver, Colo; Cha
mute Field, Rantoul, Ill; and Scott
Field, Belleville, Ill, plus seven ci-
william schools all over the country,
under contract with the air corps
for 1900 trainees. For the present
year contracts have been made with
six additional civilian schools, the
program calling for 81 900 more tech
nicians. That adds up about 10000
trained technicians within two years.
These tecnnicians are airplane
mechanics, machinists. welders,
metal workers, armorers, parachute
riggers, carburetor. electrical inStru-
ment and propeller specialists; link
trainer instructors. teletype special
lists, radio repairers and operators,
aerial Photographic experts and
weather observers.
German Type Adopted.
Patterned after the famous pam
zer division of the German raiding
force-the United States Army is to
have an armored corps of two divi-
sions at first, to be expanded later.
There are light and medium tanks
on hand and on order for quick de-
livery, sufficient to equip these two
divisions: with heavy tanks to sup
plement them just as soon as the
number required. the proper weight,
and the requisite industrial expan-
sion have been agreed upon. A re-
lated problem concerns adequate
highways, strength of bridges, and
the theaters of operation.
This new combat arm of the Army
has been placed under command of
Brig. Gen. Adna r. Chaffee, pre-
sent commander of the mechanical
force, with his headquarters con-
tlnuing to be at Fort Knox, KY.
In this armored corps will be con-
centrated the armored vehicles
heretofore assigned to the cavalry
and the infantry, and it will in
clude field artillery and motorized
infantry Under Gen. Chaffee, It.
Col. Serene E. Brett, who COM
manded tank units in the Meuse-
Argonne and who has been an out
standing infantry tank officer, has
been named chief of staff of the
armored corps Brig. Gen. Bruce
Magruder former commander of
infantry tanks. has been DESIGNATED