Evening star., 1943-05-16
WPBAnnouncesP|ans
To Speed Production
Of Heavy Warp|anes
Wilson, Services Officials
And Manufacturers End
Three-Doy Conference
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

ny CAhl EN- bHOOkE JONES'.
With Americas bombers already
taking a major part in devastat-
ing raids on Axis Europe, the shape
OF things to come for the aggres-
sors was sketched yesterday in an
announcement by the War Produc-
ton Board of plans to speed up i'm
mediate production of "the heav-
ier types OF combat planes"
Not content with the present rate
OF production, high though it is,
WPB disclosed new system of
turning out the big craft with de-
laying factors eliminated so far as
humanity possible
The plans were announced by
Charles E. Wilson, executive vice
chairman of WPB, and they fol-
lowed a three-day conference of
airplane manufacturers, aluminium
fabricators, Army, Navy and WPB
officials with the Aircraft Produc-
ton Board, of which Mr.. Wilson
is chairman.
Control Group is Planned.
A planning and control group will
be established under the Aircraft
Production Board. This group, to
be set up on "a somewhat infor-
NAL basis" will include representa-
tives of airframe manufacturers
and producers of various plane
parts, the aircraft scheduling unit
of WPB and it's aluminium and mag
nesium division.
Part of the job of this group"
Mr.. Wilson said. will be to study
inventory positions in the field of
fabricated parts where the demand
is increasing, so that the month by
month OUTPUT of these parts can be
used to the fullest advantage in
current production"
Mr.. Wilson explained that "even
with the provision of greatly in
creased facilities for aircraft manu-
facture, which have been coming
into operation at a vastly accel-
Grated rate, the Aircraft Production
Board is determined to. bring about
still greater increases in the pro-
duction of the heavier types of COM
bat ships"
The military and naval officers at
the conference were reported to
have urged swift concentration on
production Of bombers as the best
means of shortening the war. The
speed-up in the assembly lines Of
Flying Fortresses and other types
of bombers will mean bad news for
Germany and Italy and equally sad
tidings for Japan.
While the production Of light
fighter planes is not being neglected
it was pointed out unofficially that
bombers SOW the destruction which
has proved invaluable in North
Africa and the South Pacific. More
over. American Army and Navy
bombers have shown their ability
to go out unescorted. fulfill their
missions and fight off enemy in
terceptors. Fighters are. of course,
imperative in combating enemy
raids.
Wilson Finds Meeting Productive.
Mr.. Wilson described the meet
ing with the aircraft board as most
productive" adding that cit brought
from all those present unanimous
approval of this new planning and
production control system, which
involves all of the items whose sub
stantially increased production and
distribution for the balance of the
year is necessary to insure the great
est possible production of fighting
ships of the types desired by the
services"
Decisions reached by the group,
Mr.. Wilson said, represent a re-
finement of production planning
designed to bring about the great
est possible production of certain
parts required for the manufacture
of the heavier combat ships and
their proper distribution to the air
craft manufacturers to whom the
Aircraft Production Board is look
ing for accelerated production of
these ships"
The board, set up in December
includes, in addition of Chairman
Wilson, 1t. Gen. William S. Knud-
sen, chief Of Army production; Maj.
Gen. Oliver P. Echols, chief OF the
material command Of the Army Air
Forces; Rear Admiral Ralph E.
Dawson. assistant chief Of the Bu-
reau of Naval Aeronautics, and
Theodore P. Wright, director of the
Aircraft, Resources Control Office