Evening star., 1941-01-03
Gun Output Mounting,
Air Corps Doubled,
Army Tells Congress
Ordnance Production
Reported so Per Cent
Over 1889 Level
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Members of Congress intent on
realizing President Roosevelt's an
nounced objective of making the
United States "the great arsenal of
democracy got general picture of
the status of the program today in
a progress report from the War De-
partment
Robert P. Patterson, Assistant Sec
retary of War, told a press confer
ence yesterday that:
Man power of the Army Air Corps
has been virtually doubled in the
last six months, and by January IS
will include 6,18O officers, 1000 flying
cadets and $4,000 enlisted men.
Orders have been placed within
the past year for $4,000 100000 worth
of guns, shells, tanks and other ma
! terial, exclusive of fighting planes.
Ordnance production was up more
| than 500 per cent over the 1899 level,
with 100000 Garand mi-automatiC
rifles on hand and a total Of 400, 900
| of those weapons expected to be
ready by the end of the year.
Some Construction Delayed.
Fifty-seven construction projects
in the 81 ,137 100000 emergency pro-
gram for building cantonments and
munitions plants were on time or
ahead of schedule However, induc-
ton of more than $4,000 National
Guardsmen into Federal service had
to be postponed because of delays in
other portions of the big construction
program. Mr.. Patterson said the de-
laws were caused by unfavorable
weather, lumber strikes. and "other
conditions over which the War De-
partment had no control.
The Department also announced
that expenditure of $50 ,389, ,095 had
been approved by the President and
the National Defense Commission
for expansion of plants and pro-
duction of airplane engines and
other Ge1enSe pfOQuCtS.
Plane Plants Expanded.
Included were expansion of facll-
tiles and the production OF alrplane
frames at North American Aviation
at IngleWood, Calf, totaling S2,27O,-
4O5: expansion of facilities and pro-
duction of Wright airplane engines
at the Studebaker Corp. plants at
South Bend, Ind; Fort Wayne, Ind,
and Chicago at an estimated cost
of S36, ,799 300; expansion of facilities
and production of Pratt and Whit
ney airplane engines at the Buick
Motor Division of General Motors
at Grand Blanc township, Genesee
| County, Mich, at an estimated cost
of S24,313,150; construction of a
new airplane supercharger plant
and production of superchsrgers by
the General Electric plant at
Everett, Mass, at an estimated cost
of S5,873 800; and construction OF
Government owned ammonia
plant at West Henderson, KY, at
an estimated cost OF $1l, 1872, ,440.
The number of units to be pro-
| duced under the contracts and the
dates when the new facilities will
go into operation were not an
nounced.
Sharp Expansion Planned.
! Army Air Corps orders were an
nounced yesterday by which scores
of groups and squadrons which have
existed only on paper will come into
being on January IS to form the
complete framework for the force
of 10000 operating planes contem-
plated ultimately.
Organized by splitting existing
units, most of the new squadronS
will operate only in skeleton form
until warplanes flow from produc-
ton lines in adequate volume.
! There was no estimate when the
full fighting force of 54 combat
groups would be fully manned,
trained and equipped.
Last June 80 the Air Corps in
cluded 1922 Regular and Reserve
officers, 1894 flying cadets and 45,914
enlisted men, the War Department
said.
The goal of 81 combat groups calls
for approximately $4,000 officers and
166 900 enlisted men. Toward this
objective it was predicted that by
next June 80 there will be 10000
officers, $1,000 flying cadets and
Isl 900 enlisted men.