The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-10-07

War Is coming to Connecticut this week: Marked for destruction by giant bombing planes are such mili- tary objectives as the states coast al defenses, its great, busy indus trial plants, Its railway lines and Its airports.
 But Connecticut will not be de- fenseless: Up from airports at Bridgeport and New Haven and Groton will climb the interceptor command, the pilots of It's swift pursuit ships charged with the task of driving off the invading bonb- CT and fighter planes.
 It's all a game" of course, but grim and deadly earnest game to train the men of the United Stases army air forces In their all-import- ant job. The bombs will be sacks of flour, the machine gun bullet duds, the winner decided by ref- erees.
 But the importance of this game Is self.evident, for 1t will demon- strate whether Connecticut, with It's lack of ground defenses, is vul- nerable to attack from the air, or whether an invader could be suc- cessfully repulsed by aerial de- lenders.
 Less spectacular, but none the less important, is the job which has been assigned and in large part accomplished by another, humber army in preparation for this war in the air--the ditch-digging sort of a job of the soldiers" of the WPA.
 Six years ago-even one year ago, these aerial maneuvers over Con- necticut would have been an inl- possibility: there would have been no airports along the Long Island coast suitable as bases for the de- lending forces.
 Changes Made
 Bridgeport, New Haven and Gro ton until recently have had little more than flying fields, much Jeo small and lacking the paved run ways needed for the giant, speedy birds of war.
 Today October D ground crews will move in and Thutsday (Oc- tober O army air force units VIII be established for action at these three airports, now enlarged, im- proved and ready for this first ma jor" assignment.
 To this end, hundreds of WPA workers have been laboring day by day for many months, filling in swampland, tediously raking stone for runway bases, digging ditches for drainage and putting in wiring for field lights.
 At the Bridgeport Municipal air port in Stratford they have built two paved runways $500 feet long and are just finishing 2500 feet of Q third runway, which will be ex- tended, in coming months, to B. 800 feet.
 Filling in @ salt marsh, construct ing a dike and ditch and needed de-gates, they have built an air- port three times as large as old Mollison field, so named in "honor" of the fact that Amy and Jim Mol- lison finished a trans Atlantic flight-just off its edge.
 Ready not only for this weeks war games, the Bridgeport airport will also see the beginning of com- rnercial airline service on Novem- Der 1, and is now regarded as a suitable alternate landing field for New York's LaGuardia airport.
 At the New Haven Municipal air. port in East Haven, which has been doubled in size, two paved run ways, one 4,0o0 feet and the other $500 feet long, have been com pleted and are ready for the use of the army planes.
 AirIines to Start
 New Haven's airport, for which further improvement Is in store, is also going to see extended service in peacetime use, for American Air lines is ready to start daily trips to New Haven as well as Bridge port the first of next month.
 The states Trumbull field at Gro-