Evening star., 1941-03-09
Air Officers Fear
u. :. Will Lack Planes
Even in 1912
New Book Says Bad Guess
On Aiding Other Nations
Moy Bring Disaster
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERToN.


unsound reasoning" concerning the
extent of aviation aid the United
States should give other nations, at
the expense of our own air defense,
later may mean national disaster"
Is sounded by Maj. Gen. Henry H.
Arnold, former chief of the Army
Air Corps and now deputy chief of
staff for air, and Col. Ira c. Eaker,
Air Corps, in their new book,
Winged Warfare"
They point out the dangers to
our own security of situation in
which American factories are at
tempting to build aircraft for our
own services and for foreign buyers
who are hard pressed in battle"
resulting in IAN inSiStent demand
to forego delivery to our own mill
tary forces in favor of those hard
pressed foreign purchasers.
Determining factors in the amount
of aid we should give, they point
out are "our own involvement, the
time when our air force may be
required either for fighting or to
influence other countries in inter
national negotiations"
The best opinion" Gen. Arnold
and Col. Eaker state, seems to in
dicate a policy of providing combat
planes to equip our air force units,
then utilizing our total production
of planes for foreign air forces, as
q very wise determination"
Big Shortage of Planes Seen.
Funds appropriated for United
States air defense through 1889 and
1910, the authors pointed out, will
provide about $1,000 airplanes, of
which only about half will be COM
bat airplanes and the others train
ers. This will equip 288 squadrons
with modern combat aircraft by the
middle of 1912, with a minimum of
replacementS They estimate that
for hemisphere defense. we will re-
quire at least 400 squadrons and
that the end of the 1912 fiscal year
therefore, will still find us far short
of required air strength.
That is not a large air force
measured by standards of modern
warfare" they commented. TT is
not as large as the German or the
British 1t will be third among the
worlds air forces"
They point out that the time ele-
ment has become critical. although
it still is difficult to evaluate.
During 1889 and 1910, the speed
with which nations we're ravaged
makes it apparent that the briefest
possible time in which we can build
an air force will not be too soon to
have one ready at hand" Gen. Ar
mold and Col. Eaker say. IF the
battle of Britain turns favorably to
our mother country, such an air
force in our hands will be a tre-
mendous diplomatic weapon at the
peace tables. If it turns unfavor-
ably for the stout-hearted British,
it will be imperative that there exist
in the Western Hemisphere an air
force of sufficient power, speed,
range and performance to match
the air forces which will be riding
high in the Eastern Hemisphere"
Mitchell Visioned Air Infantry.
Although the tempo of modern
battle has been speeded up by the
Panzer divisions and the motorized,
mechanized brigades of the blitz-
krieg, the ultimate in our time"
will not be such ground units but
parachute troops and air infantry,
A1-r,A oh
1T has long been overlooked, but
many now recognize the fact that
Gen. William Mitchell returned from
the first World War with this con-
ception of parachute troops" the
co-authors say. "At his direction 1t
was demonstrated at Kelly Field
before the procedure became COM
monplace in Russia and Germany,
that troops with machine guns could
be and were landed by parachute
with their automatic weapons.
After these early experiments the
use of parachute troops languished
in this country. Such was not the
case abroad, however.
They advocate that the United
States build up parachute troops
and air infantry and the transport
and cargo airplanes to carry them.
This would involve not only military
cargo carriers but also the stimula-
ton of peacetime air transportation,
which they believe is essential to !
national security, especially in the
field of international transportation.
Air Tank Carriers Designed.
The presence in England of a
German airline before the war "is
now aiding the Germans tremen-
dously in the location of targets" it
was pointed out. and the same thing
must be prevented in this hemi-
sphere by building up American air.
lines 80 efficiently and so success
fully as to drive the foreign COM
petitor from the field"
Designs of a giant glider capable
of carrying light tanks or troops
have been completed in this coun-
try, the book reveals. Such gilders
would be toWed by airplanes in
trains" and cut loose over enemy
territory to glide silently and with
out warning to airdromes which
would be seized and occupied by the
troops and tanks.
1t would be possible for a nation
to "demobilize the opposing air force
if it could occupy all airdromes
simultaneously and without warn
ing it is stated. Gliders would be
economical to construct, compared
to airplanes. and could be built in
quantity at great speed, it was ex-
IA,