Evening star., 1943-01-09
Aberdeen Scientists
Now Are Confident
Writer Tells Of Improvements
Achieved by Ordnance Stoff
At Nearby Proving Center
Bu Herbert F. Corn.

6y HefOcTL r. corn.
Up at Aberdeen, Md, where the Army
has collected the best ordnance scientific
brains of the country, there is now a
calm assurance that the United States
is winning the war
Here where all our weapons, old and
new, are tested and improved. daily re-
ports from the far-hung war fronts
South Pacific and Africa particularly
are confirming the laboratory and field
tests which brought about the improve
ments that are enabling our pilots to
knock the Japs out of the skies, Gen.
Montgomery's British to destroy Rom
mel's Afrika Korps tanks.
From now on it's a case of getting
production of our improved weapons"
these scientists declare. "Of course. we
have had lot of weapons which were
not the best. After the British losses
we had to have weapons in hurry and
we produced them. Then came the
breathing spell, when we could afford
to slow down to improve. These i'm
proved weapons are now getting to the
front and the results are obvious to the
men who have worked out the ballistic
characteristics and worn out the mechan-
isms in tests of their durability"
There was the case Of the much -touted
superiority of the Jap Zero fighter plane.
American Flying Fortress pilots who went
up against the Zeros were not pleased
with the performance of some of their
guns Aberdeen went to work on the
problem. just what they discovered
still is military secret, but airmen from
the Solomons now report almost daily
that the Japs flee their approaching
planes and often avoid giving battle to
the Fortress.
The Germans tried to meet the SUI
perior fire power of the American planes
by certain improvements in protective
arms. Aberdeen went to work on the
problem Immediately after the North
African invasion. Out of it came a
strange conclusion, since proven correct.
The hasty changes by the Germans
actually were assisting their American
opponents.
Aberdeen furnishes striking evidence
Board, an aftermath of the last war,
center of much controversy because of
the charge that much of its work had
been tossed overheard in favor of the
new WPB setup, have had a big part
in Americas gigantic task of converting
American industry from a peace to a
war time basis in year. And in this
task Aberdeen itself has had no small
part in Strengthening out the bugs"
which developed in the rapid conversion
to production line manufacture of
weapons. For instance, the first machine
guns turned out by a motor manu-
facturer had definite defects. In a week
Aberdeen's scientists had discovered the
faults and now they are being made by
the thousands by this plant which 1s
months ago was working on a new model
automobile.
And there was the problem Of better
side arms for officers and noncoms. The
Ordnance Department for years has dis
liked the pistol. In their own words it
left these men at the battle front with
only defensive weapon. Out of this
has come the new semi automatic car
bine. short rife which can be carried
by sling from the shoulder, weighs
only pounds and for short ranges has
all the effectiveness of the famous Gar
and, and shoots twice as long without
reloading
Aberdeen feels that American ineen-
uity definitely now is being felt in the
war.