Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-18
fhe War
Today
:: "
IT, S. Heading
M Superiority
MWarplanes
f3x-MAJ. Paul {. RABoRG
Nrtsss Especially fof IHtsrnst'onsi Sew
Scrs1ce and The Detroit Times

Nrttsr Especially for International Sew
Scr,4ce and IN, Detroit Times
No official statements that have
been released 10 the press have
ddNc-uore good for the citizens OF
| o,R<nlintrN and the United States
ln5Ssnersl than those authorized
bv1t. Gen Henry H. Arnold chief
Of the army air corps.
There arc individuals in tho
UHifed States who have advanced
their personal theories OF air
power by ,mjustihed criticism OF
thai arm Of our country.
The statements Of fact which
were suthorlzc7 by General Arnold
VIII immediately cure this SItua-
too and make our public an large
rca}sxe that actually the United
StSteS air services have performed
! micscleS which our enemies did
not believe possible
I I'm going ia 9Hats-a 1lllr2hcG
Of STATEMENTS because Of tho great
benefit they Give 10 the peoples Of
an nations They inspire faith m
our OWN citizens. those Of the
upited Nations and tear in those
OF our enemies, the ANS powers.
L. s. PLANES BEST
The initial statement is as fol-
lows,
"Tested In the crucible Of
modern war on battle fronts
around the world. every type Of
American combat airplane in use
BE- the army air forces has per-
formed crediiably and many Of
Them. exceeding expectations,
have proved 10 he the best OF
their types I'm the world today.
.ReportS from all war thea
ters shave shown that in actual
battle every type Of combat air
plane sent into action from
. United States production plants
has made a positive contribution
20 the destruction of enemy
power in the air or on the sur
face"
And in conclusion of this para
graph, the news release states
s'In every theater, our air
iosses have been smaller than
Those of the enemy"
Butof greatest interest TO me is
the Following statement:
There have been no authentic
mote authentic) reports by
qualified observers mote quail
fied)-that any United States
Army warplane has failed to
perform with credit 10 itself,
It's designers, Its builders and its
crews"
- FALSE STATEMENTS
Ever since the declaration OF our
national emergency there have
been periods when layman observ-
ers have deluged the country with
statements which. when they were
all summed up, declared that our
aiFa power was no good or obSo-
lete, 9ad these have particularly
cdhdeNned our fighter planes II
iss Indeed time that these mis-
statements Of fact were discred-
tied.
Last week ] wrote
FOur country also has In mass
production . fighting plane
which Is unequaled in the world.
IL can fight at 10000 feet. or
seven and one-half miles high.
Heretofore the modern bombing
pIanes had a greater capacity
for sltitude than did the average
fighter and because Of this they
could escape attack by going 10
heights which were impossible
for fighter planes.
eThis new ship has power
dive OF $50 miles an hour and
400 miles an hour level flight
Furthermore. it, pilot protective
armdf Is thick and its arma-
ment very heavy.
OF Che Republic Pr Thunder
bolt Fighter. the government news
rele7te states as follows
'This airplsne IL expected
yee aeon 20 demonstrate its
sbtDc 10 outfly and Outright
srst:known airplane."
sCoBRAs PRAISED
AID for the benefit Of thoS,
critics which state our sights ar'
neither set high or Ugh or fai
enough into the distant future n
sirPane construction, will agar
quote:
.'Tt has been stated nv II.
Gen. Henry VI. Arnold. chief of
army air force. that there are
In various stages OF development
'pQuIit types which will make
current types look obsolete"
A Soviet statement IS Of inter
est. l quote H.
a Russian report states that
one squadron ~ P-39 AiracobraS
has destroyed q German planes
with the loss OF only two
'CobIas.