The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-03-25

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Washington, d. C.

FLYING MINUTE MEN
(The brass ring, good for one free
ride on the Washington Merry-Go-
Round, is awarded this week to the
Civil Air Patrol.)
This brass ring goes not to n
man but to SO, 900 men and women.
They are members of the Civil Air
patrol who have been fighting the
var in little single-motor planes fly
ing within the boundaries Of the
United States, and who carry the
torch for the future of civil aviation
in this country.
How long they will be allowed to
carry that torch is the important
question. At present they r or
phans Of the storm-carrying mill
tary responsibilities without mill
tary standing. They fight subma-
rines, but they had to fight for weap-
n first. The army and WPB are
slowly throttling them by refusing
new equipment or repair parts. Thus
in order to keep their gradually de-
teriorating machines going, the Civil
Air patrol is almost certain to be
swallowed by the army.
The army has been wanting to
take over because civilian fiers in
wartime are considered a nuisance
by the military-with justification in
some cases.
Youths and Fathers.
But the owners of Is. 900 private
planes thought they had something
to offer. The younger ones went
into military service. Others, many
being married men with families,
organized the Civil Air patrol, which
for more than a year has been flying
the coastal waters and maintaining
a courier service throughout the
United States.
These are the Flying Minute
Men" At first their submarine pa
troll was merely a spotting job. If
they spotted a submarine, they were
supposed to radio a shore base and
then hover around waiting for a
bomber to come to the scene Of
action. But they had so many heart
rending experiences. that they clam
ored for bombs of their own. They
would dart low over the water, dis
cover a submarine location, radio
to a shore base, hold the contact,
hover and ~pursue-and then some
times lose the prey because the
army never came along.
For months they called in vain for
bombing equipment. War depart
ment insisted that no civilians are
allowed to carry weapons. and thus
the Civil Air patrol should not be
armed. The army would not even
release life RATS, and as a result
several CAP pilots have lost their
lives OF submarine patrol.
Finally the restriction was waived,
and today these little single-engine
planes carry small bomb racks,
bombs, and bomb sights.
But they have not been allowed to
reveal the success of their subma-
rine patrol. War department calls
it military information" and in
sists that CAP shall say no more
than that they have attacked" SUBJ
marines-without indicating the re-
suit.
Subs Sunk.
But we can reveal that submarines
spotted by CAP observers have actu-
ally been sunk. The authority for
this statement is Maj. Gen. Follett
Bradley of the army air corps, who
also emphasizes that these Flying
Minute Men" have provided their
own planes, tools, radios, and other
equipment.
A year ago German submarines
e sinking merchant ships within
sight of the Atlantic coast. This
brazen activity ceased after estab-
lishment of the Civil Air patrol. The
submarines we're driven into deep
waters. for the small planes. flying
low and flying slowly, we're able to
do a better job of spotting than big
patrol bombers which whizzed past
the scene too rapidly for close OBJ
servation.