Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-07-17

and Pilots License No. 20 and at Sc
still can take his turn at the controls
of any plane in which he flies.
One of his many escapes, and per-
haps the narrowest of all, came as
he was engaged in another pioneering
endeavor, the demonstration that good
pictures could be made from a plane.
At Fort Riley, Kansas, with friend
as photographer, his Wright pusher
plane went into power dive and
4 headed for a crash on the commanding
officers lawn. Fortunately Arnold
managed to level out the craft just
above the tree tops and glide to a safe
landing. This, incidentally was anoth-
er first" to his credit for prior to
that no pilot had ever righted plane
from such a dive and scores had
! lost their lives when such occur
red. His companion on the trip, fail
ing to realize the danger and en-
crossed in his picture-making, wanted
a repeat performance. Arnold
speeches. and shaking, finally found
voice to say, well, it's a good thing
we didn't mess up the old mans
lawn"
General Arnold is a family man,
regretting that the long hours his
job requires of him gives so little
time for the fireside at home. His
wife, like so many of his intimates,
calls him Hap" He has three sons,
one in the Coast Artillery, one at
West Point and 13-year-old young
ster at home. His only daughter is
married to Navy flier.
He was a friend and champion of
the late Billy Mitchell and received
an official spanking for his efforts,
dropping from an important post in
Washington to the command of a
five-plane squadron in the West.
He may have been little discour-
aged but his faith never faltered. He
believed in aviation as one of the
most vital parts of any successful war
machine and in 1926, more than Is
years ago, he wrote in one of his
books:
"The next war between first-class
powers probably will start with a
host of aircraft arriving unheralded
from strategic points. Anti-aircraft
guns will bark their protests from the
ground and aircraft will rise to give
battle and drive the invaders from
lition bombs will destroy, or cause the
evacuation of concentration centers
and munitions factories; but follow
ing precedent, the largest and best
equipt air force will be victorious,
thus leaving the vanquished at a
serious disadvantage.
"The long-range airships will travel
across oceans tc make strategic re-
commissioners and to launch their
protecting airplanes. Airplane car
riers will secret themselves in out-of-
the-way roadsteads and send forth
their planes to augment those dis
patched from mother airships. Trans
ports and liners will land partly as
sembled planes on beaches, where they
will be assembled and take to the air.
Thus points that heretofore have been
far removed from the dangers of at
tack, in the next war will be we'll in
side of the theatre of active opera
lions. No town nor city that manu-
features military supplies mo matter
if at a considerable distance from the
frontiers, can consider itself immune
from aerial attack.
"The aerial attack for the destruc-
ton of strategic and tactical positions
and concentrations, such as munitions
production centers, environments, de-
pots, docks, navy yards and surface
fleets, will follow quickly the initial
aerial engagement. The raids will
take place at night as we'll as by day.
Troop concentrations in camps and
armies marching along roads will be
forced to scatter and seek shelter to
avoid the rain of machine-gun bullets
and bombs that will be poured on
them by low-flying ground attack
planes, which will announce their APP
proach only by swift, unheralded
attack
"Warships approaching an enemy
coast without aerial protection will
be attacked without warning by pur-
suit planes diving upon the ships
from all directions at a speed of over
200 miles an hour These planes will
spray the decks with machine gun
fire, and at the end of the dive drop
incendiary, gas and augmentation
bombs to prevent efficient employ
ment of the anti-aircraft guns against
the following bombing planes"
Now, sixteen years later, the pres