Evening star., 1941-05-13
Air Force
Grows, Says
Arnold
Getting Ready For
Trial by Battle,
He Declares

An air force that must be second
to none, capable of meeting any
other, plane to plane and man to
man, is rapidly getting ready for
trial by battle" Maj. Gen. Henry
H. Arnold, chief of the Army Air
Corps, said yesterday.
Gen. Arnold addressed members
of the Women's National Democratic
Club in the last of a series of in
formation hours" sponsored by the
clubs Educational Committee, on
present Developments in Air Corps
Preparedness"
Although much has already been
accomplished by the Air Corps since
the Inauguration of the national
defense program a few months ago,
Gen. Arnold declared that the Army
Air Corps is just beginning the job
outlined-to be able to achieve
command of the air in whatever
theater assigned, and to make the
command absolute"
He touched on the four most i'm
portant steps toward preparedness
airplanes, training pilots to fly them.
securing enlisted personnel to keep
them in the air and constructing
bases for plane operations.
Remarkable Production Figure.
Quoting figures announced by the
Office of Production Management
for April. he described as "a truly
remarkable figure" the 1,427 mill
tary planes produced last month by
the Nations factories, in comparison
with the number produced last year
at this time.
"It does not mean we have
achieved our goal" he added. But
1t does mean we are hitting our
stride"
With plans rapidly proceeding for
completion of $500 bombers, Gen.
Arnold said that the Presidents
recommendation for $4,000 airplanes
for the United States, which some
people thought was dream" prob
ably "can and will be done-lt Is
reasonable proposition, after all,
he continued.
He spoke of the Airacobra, one OF
'lthe worlds fastest pursuit air
planes. now IN production in the
tJnited States; of the "B-17s-the
famous Flying Fortresses"; of Amer
ican "Lockheeds, which daily carry
out patrols over the North Sea from
arctic Norway to Holland and Bel
Ci,1n." and of American Martins,
working daily over the Med1ter-
ranean."
'That should give an answer to
critics who claim our planes can
not be used in combat overseas" he
asserted.
EXPLAINS Pilots Qualifications.
Explaining the qualifications for
young men training for commls-
sions as Air Corps pilots, Gen.
Arnold declared that these young
men are the finest in the world
thew can meet the best from all
other nations on better than even
terms"
The first of the new flying schools
scheduled to train 10000 pilots
wear will be at Dothan, Ala, Gen
Arnold said, and is but l OF IL SUCH
schools now under construction.
Highest standards are also re-
uuired of the enlisted personnel OF
the Air Corps, the general added
seclaring that "the lives OF our air
men depend upon the skill OF these
mechanics we train"
The bases from which the Army
Air Force operates are so located
that we can concentrate our air
force at any point within "a hours,
Gen. Arnold said.
Standardization Is Difficult.
Svnchronization of training pl-
lots. navigators and mechanics with
the production of planes and the
construction of bases, so as 10
have them all come out even at a
predetermined time to form flght-
ing unit" is the most difficult part
of the air force program, Gen. Ar
mold declared.
He also told of new program TO
Kermit enlisted men, able to quaIl1y
physically, to be trained as pilots.
Until quite recently, he explained,
onlv candidates for officers COM
missions were trained as pilots, but
the "washout" from flying schools
has been so great that 1t has been
decided to permit enlisted men TO
take the pilots course. If later they
are able to pass requirements, Gen.
Arnold added, they will be gwen
commissions.
With American preparedness be-
coming stronger and more efficient
each day, Gen. Arnold described as
misguided croakers" those who ex-
press doubt as to the efficiency OF
the air force.
"I have no patience with those
uninformed and misguided croakers
who look with thick-lensed glasses
for indications that the Air Corps
is helpless" he asserted, that the
Air Corps is not properly trained or
euuipped-cannot be made ready to
fight, and is being furnished with
planes inferior to those of England
or Germany"
1--WE will have an air force in
time" Gen. Arnold concluded. 1T
is well on its way and will be ready
when called upon"
The speaker was introduced by
Mrs. Francis Biddle, wife of the
Solicitor General. Mrs. Meade
Fletcher, jr., chairman of the Edu-
cational Committee, presided at the
meeting.
K. Coe