The Daily Alaska empire., 1942-09-09
Cargo By Air
CBremerton News-searchlight)

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 There is nothing basically the idea of using cargo airplanes to suppant water-borne transport It has long been urged by such authorities the strength and the adaptability of airpower Major deSeversky. And Hitler himself has made excellent of the cargo plane. In the Crete campaign, for
 instance, the British had superiority in seapower But the Germans took to the air and used their air freghters to bring in men, materials and supplies The result that British superiority proved to be of almost importance The British men-of- dominated the lanes-but they could do mo- thing to the Nazi air transports which flew safely by overhead. What is is the magnitude of the plan recently proposed by Henry J Kaiser and sup ported by number of the principal builders of air craft.
 The German planes so far used have been rela- lively small-Mr. Kaiser envisages air freighters of 200 to 800 tons. The German planes due to the Reichs geographical position have not had to have any great range-Mr Kaiser envsages freghters which can cross the and still have capacity for tremendous amounts of cargo. The German planes it is believed, were and being produced slowly and in relatively small numbers-Mr Kaiser talks of building planes of under mass -produc- tion system which will turn them out as quickly as Detroit assembly lines used to turn out motor cars
 No one can deny that the cargo plane idea, if it workable will prove at least partial solution to the most difficult problem the United Nations face So far as production for is concerned, this country has generally realized the arsenal of dem ocracy goal laid down by the president. But get ting that production to the far-flung battlefronts of this global war is a very different matter The hard truth is that the Axis is sinking more ships than the United Nations can replace-and it is sinking with them enormous amount of vital sup plies. The Navy has not been able to solve the problem And some authorities are convinced that it is bascaly insouble-that terrible losses will con- tlnue and perhaps mount unless and until the freghters leave the water and take to the skies
 Even the biggest cargo planes far built cannot carry great deal in trip But over a period of time, their speed will make up for that lack It is said, for instance, that 40 flying boats of the TO- carrying capacity. An ordinary freighter can make only three round trips to and from Australia in the course of year-and cargo plane can make 26 A cargo plane might make TO or more round trips carrying freight and troops to England
 So far as the practicaty of the planes themselves is concerned, there seems to be little question The gigantic flying boat Mars built as an experiment by the Glenn Martin Company, has proved com petely successful in it's trials Tn Armys B79 larg- est land plane ever built, has also proved it's worth And far bigger planes still are now on the drawing boards of the designers The advocates of cargo planes also say that they would be extremely diff cult to intercept and destroy. Their range and speed would be so great that they could constantly change their routes. When approaching their des- tinaton Allied fighters could be sent out to screen them in. Due to the time element alone, merchant ships must closely follow certain definite and pre- scrbed routes and they must, at the end of their Journeys converge ports which are known to the enemy The planes, in brief, would be infinitely more flexible.
 Steps are being taken to get the Kaiser program started The skeptics are waiting and watching with their fingers crossed-while the plans packers seem to have no doubts at all. Inside a year. the country should know which side is right