Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-16
Powers Hunt
FeverishIy for
Night Fighters
Defense Against Bombing
in Dark Needed
BY PAUL MALL0N

StNltA vi al wal HtNiNAH -
the desperate effort to develop a
defense against night bombing.
The Germans are working on it
as hard as the British, although
only the British have admitted
II.
Prime NJ mister Churchill's
bare promise of an answer soon
referred TO a radio device de-
signed to pick up the sound of
an invading motor and lead
British pursuit ships right to it
through the darkness. This in
wolves a lot of eXtraneous prob
lens, such as identifying foe
from friend, providing accurate
firing range, avoiding collisions.
German bombers are perfectly
camouflaged a dull gray. Their
engines are crosS-muffled so that
no exhaust flames can be dis
cerned. As matters stand now
the best of British planes could
not find German in any given
spot on a dark night if he knew
the German was there. But
even when you can see them, il
is impossible TO gauge distances
accurately for firing or pursuit.
THE ungilded truth is both
nations are practically de-
fenSelesS against this type of
attack today. Anti-aircraft guns
make lot of noise. but bring
down few assailants. Balloon
barrages may catch a plane a
week. The British have even
ceased TO claim that they have
shot down any appreciate num-
Der of night attackers lately.
Actually the only limitations
on this type of unmilitary de-
Struction so far have been the
conSciences, if any. of the bel
ligerents. and the number of
bombers available.
Daylight bombing has prac-
tically ceased. Winter weather
over England may have held
this type of attack down, but the
defense provided by fast pursuit
ships has made daylight raiding
very dangerous and Impractical
in any weather.
NEVER has there been an at
~ lacking weapon conceived.
for which there was no ade-
quate defense. Night defense is
just tougher nut to crack than
anything else developed so far
in this war, and it may take
some months more.
No doubt the ultimate answer
will be an efficient night fighter
plane. just as the answer to day
light raiding was the fast pur-
suit ship. If the radio device
is used, however, it will have to
include a lot of satisfactory
supplementary instruments be-
fore it can be conceded the
solution.
STORIES out of London lately
~ have been casting some
aSpersions at American planes.
They are supposed to be inferior
not only to the German but the
British. One story recounted
that only last week was the
first American plane put into
action with the result that
German pursuit ship was shot
down.
While such matters involve
information that might be of
help TO the Germans and there
fore cannot be talked about in
the open, there is another side
TO the stories more important
than the one which has been
. presented
Most of the planes sent to
Britain until recently were the
old army types which were con-
sidered obsolescent for many
purposes year ago. They were
mostly planes contracted by the
French and later turned over TO
the British. They were not
bought for blitZ combat but for
use in Africa (whcre they are
not obsolete) and as training
planes.
THESE and others were de-
Il ficient in only one point or
two. mostly firing power, armor,
leak proof gas tanks. All of
them were superior to the Ger
mans in maneuverability. which
is what the French needed
=. 1Yhc 1eSv production now being
delivered to the British is equal
/. in nearly any Tine and the Supe-
rior in some lines 10 anything
now in European skies. The
plane reported as the first in
combat may have been the first
of a certain new type. but the
fact is American planes have
been in the fight from the start
of the war.
CTRAIGHT-LINE reports from
~ the Balkans suggest TO Off
cials here the Germans have put
far fewer men into Rumania
than the 100000 reported. How
ever. they have been accompa-
MED with mechanical equipment
indicating they are going some
where and are not just there to
live off the land