Evening star., 1941-01-11
u. 5. ArmyProfits
ByBritishl Lessons
In Air Defense
System Being Worked Out
To Coordinate Various
Military Branches
b. the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Britain's costly experiences In CO.
ordinating her air defenses are
quietly being applied by the Army
to the perfection of plans for pro-
tecting the United States in event
of air attacks.
War Department officials are
talking little about these activities.
But informed sources say the work
has been going on steadily for about
year, chiefly under direction of
Brig Gen. James E. CLANCY, head
of the relatively new Air Defense
Command. That unit. first of its
kind set up in the United States,
is responsible for correlation and
| coordination of the activities of
anti-aircraft organizations, air raid
warning systems and Warplane
squadrons under its Jurisdiction.
Gen. CLANCY, whose headquarters
are at Mitchell Field, N Y, recently
returned from an official trip to
England where he had full oppor-
tunity to observe how the British
air defense setup functioned. Au-
| thoritatlve quarters said careful
study was being given the British
system, evolved after many years of
planning and improved in the light
OF the grueling tests imposed by
German raiders.
Co-ordinating the various serv-
ices involved, such as Army and
naval aviation units, has been a
difficult task for the British, and
| instances of lack of complete unity
were witnessed in the ill-fated Nor
wegian campaign.
Decides Who Gives Orders.
officials here said somewhat SINH
lar questions were at least partly
responsible for the careful develop
ment of the Air Defense Command.
The Army calls the problem the
establishment of the chain of COM
mand."
In other words. who is going to
boss whom and under what circum-
stances one army officer explained.
| To illustrate the complexities in
volved, he said situation might de-
velop in wartime necessitating de-
tense of the Hampton Roads area
from attack. In the area is navy
yard commanded by rear admiral,
an Army Air Corps base with
general in charge. some anti-air-
craft batteries, couple of coast
defense fortreSses and observation
plane units stationed at Baltimore.
Figuring out whose would be the
supreme voice in that area in event
| of an attack, who would tell the
! fighter plane squadrons when to
move and the anti-aircraft batteries
when to hold their fire is just one
OF the things that has to be ironed
out In planning this countrys air
defense, the official continued.
Four Districts Created.
The problem might be duplicated
in the case of every major coastal
city and. to lesser degree, in each
vital industrial area
Authoritative sources said more
rapid progress probably would be
made once the recently created four
air districts. into which the Nation
has been divided by the Air Corps for
organizational purposes. are fully
organized. Tactical units are Just
now being transferred to their
permanent stations under that set
up.
The question of educating the
public on what to do in event of
air raids, instruction of police de-
partments on the handling of traffic
In such situations and coordination
of re-fghting services for their
all-important tasks also are related
closely to the military problems,
and defense authorities have been
at work on most of them.
Enlisting public cooperation in
air raid warning systems already
has been tried rather extensively by
the Army in both regular and spe-
cial maneuvers, hook-up of five
or six States having been achieved
at last summers maneuvers in the
Louisiana area.