Evening star., 1941-02-28
Peril Seen in Move
1oCurtail Output Of
Commercial Planes
Experts See Transport
Croft as VitoI to U. S.;
Postwar Effect Cited
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERTON.

Increasing doubt of the wisdom
Of attempting to curtain the build
ing Of new air transport equipment
even in the face of the existing
urgent need for new warplanes fol
our own armed forces and Great
Britain is being expressed by leaders
in every branch of aviation, civil
and military, and may lead to an
easing of restrictions against such
construction.
British and German experience in
the present war has demonstrated
that fleets of air transport planes
are needed in modern warfare All
available information indicates that
both belligerents are using transport
equipment on large scale.
Germany, according to official
British estimates, has $500 trans
port airplanes in a total aircraft
strength, plus first-line reserves, of
ating strength of the German all
force available at one time is eSti-
mated as $4,000 aircraft, of which
1000 are transport planes.
$50 Commercial Planes.
an other words" officials of
the National Aeronautic Association
point out, transports make up
about Is per cent of the German
air force"
In the United States, approx
No1x 0En al iya
commercial airline service. This
equipment would provide a trans
port reserve of only l per cent in
the IS ,000-airplane program of the
Army and Navy.
All observers know how effectively
the Germans have used their trans
ports in landing troops or dropping
them with parachutes. The British
have begun training parachute and
special troops to be carried by air
and have made a test drop of para
chute troops in Italy.
The United States Army and Ma
rine Corps today are training para
chute troops as the nucleus for
large force of such "air soldiers"
but are at once up against a short
age of suitable aircraft to trans
port them.
According to information avail
able in Washington, neither Ger
many nor England. in spite of
need for warplanes which constitutes
a paramount national emergency,
has abandoned the construction OF
transport aircraft.
Race for Air Trade Routes.
Great Britain already has in
formed the United States of in
tention to resume transatlantic air
transport service this spring. She
has been building aircraft for this
service even during the peak of her
war effort, it is understood.
German aviation leaders have
been making preparations in South
America and other ports of the
world looking to a tremendous de-
velopment of air transportation the
moment Nazi hands are freed. Brit
ish development also is being point
ed toward the days beyond the war,
when such a race for air trade
routes as the world has not yet
seen is anticipated. Both Germany
and England will have fleets of air
transport planes available for such
service in the early days after the
war, if information as to their
present efforts is accurate, as it is
believed to be.
With our own transatlantic
flights crowded to capacity with
mail and passengers, and with i'm
portant officials waiting their turn
in Lisbon, we are given a preview
of the urgent air transport problems
which we would face in event of an
emergency anywhere in the Western
Hemisphere, N. A. A. leaders pointed
out.
Grave Setback Faced.
Col. John H. Jouett, president of
the Aeronautical Chamber of Com
merce, predicted that air transporta-
ton will continue to grow at the
rapid rate of the last two years.
provided that the present defense
effort does not seriously curtail de-
velopment of commercial air lines by