The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-01-14

forces. They don't dispute its value
for offensive and defensive pur-
poses, but they contend that it's
more effective as an adjunct Of
their two services than it would be
as an independent unit. To this
Senator McCarran replies pretty
tellingly that they didn't employ 1t
very effectively over Honolulu and
Pearl Harbor. There's no doubt
that that initial Jap raids success
was something that the surface
folk find il extremely difficult to
explain satisfactorily. They do try
to make the point that the Japs
surprised their aviators as much
as anybody else, but the senator's
come back is that that was be-
cause the flyers were tied by the
leg under orders from surface
commanders.
The airmen Enthusiastically would
like an organization Of their own.
The average cloudland enthusi-
asst isn't even prepared TO agree
with, Senator McCarran that he's
merely GO important" with a
grounding or a seafarer. He be-
lieves he's MORE important than
either Of the other two.
Planes Advantage
There's considerable testimony
to the purport that, at least for
certain utilities. he IS. If a bel
ligerent powers objective is quite
largely to shatter an enemys civil
ian morale, 1t obviously can be
done from overhead in the meanest
way. A hostile area can't very
well be occupied and held from a
vertical direction. Parachutists can
be landed in it, but even civilians
can kill 'em off about as fast as
they land. To bomb a city, from
aloft, into stacks Of rubble, and
then scoot away. is a simple
enough stunt. though, and darned
nard to guard against. Some
planes can be shot down, but
they'll have done their dirty work
first, and what aviator minds
crashing into eternity, in wartime
One o. Washington's suburbs. by
the way, has an undertaken as III
air raid warden Appropriate
what?
AS an alternative TO Senator Nc.
Carrans plan, the suggestion's
made that consolidation of army
navy and aviation under a single
command would be better - tc
unity rather than to split EN- up
However, they already are unified
under the president, as comman'
der-in-chief. That's a unity that
the senator doesn't propose &c
break up. All he wants is a triple
rather than a dual subdivision. I'M
der specialists, sub-managing fol
each triplet. Collectively, the pres.
ident's 10 continue to boss 'em all
Some aviatorial authorities pre-
dict that the current conflict will
resolve itself presently into an al
most exclusively overhead war
that surface forces won't signify
much before its end.
Senator McCarran's notion is tc
give the three groups Of scrapper'
a reasonable amount Of inter.
changability. That is to say. If 9
general or an admiral needs a de.
tail Of flyers for his land or sea
outfits assistance, such flyers a!
he requires will be assigned to hin
temporarily Or, if the aviation
chief wants a few ships or a detail
Of earthly troops. zen get EN-
while the necessity exists Therel
be more or less Topping back anC
forth between the war and navy
departments, too.
Asks Three Departments
But there1l be three distinc'
cabinet departments. as a perman
ency. If Pat has his way.
That there's a good bit of inter
departmental jealousy is recog
nized.
The armys and navy's Interests
don't clash frequently. so far al
the earths surface is concerned
but they do clash as to their re
spective aviatorial demands ar,
concerned. they're both jealous o
aviation's development and tn.
aviators resent being subjected t
1. A.