Evening star., 1945-10-10
HOW U. S. PLANNED TO INVADE JAPAN

u ] IHININII ~ hNVNI
full life of every individual on earth.
And 1t will at the same time affect
every instrument and technique OF
destruction. But the atomic bomb
is not alone among the scientific ad-
vances that make the possibilities
of the future so terrifying. The
development of aircraft and rockets
and electronics has become equally
incredible.
Reports Future Potentialities.
In order to prevent any possible
misconception of the terrible po-
tentialities of the future, I asked
the commanding general OF the
Army Air Forces to prepare an
estimate of the capabilities of other
modern weapons. His report is con-
fined to the certainties but, as is
obvious from the atomic bomb, the
developments of the war have been
so incredible that widest imasina-
ton will not project us far from
the target in estimating the fu-
ture. Much of the information has
until now properly been classified
highly secret in our development
research laboratories. at our testing
establishments, or in the combat
units. However, it is now so impor-
tant that the people of the United
States realize the possibilities of the
future, that here quote from
Gen. Arnolds report:
At the start of this war we had
bombers capable of 200 miles per
hour with a combat radius of 900
miles, effective operational ceilings
of $4,000 feet, and bomb load ca
pacity of 5000 pounds. Today our
development of this type aircraft
has given us bombers capable of
carrying 10000 pounds of bombs to
targets 1,600 miles away at speeds
of $50 miles an hour and attitudes
of over $4,000 feet Radar has i'm
proved our bombing technique so
that we can now attack a target
effectively even though it be OBJ
scured by weather or darkness.
We will produce within the next
few years jet-propelled bombers
capable of flying 500 to 600 miles an
hour to targets 1,500 miles away at
attitudes of over 10000 feet. De-
velopment of even greater bombers
capable of operating at stratospheric
attitudes and speeds faster than
sound and carrying bomb loads of
more than 100000 pounds already is
certainty. These aircraft will
have sufficient range to attack any
spot on the earth and return to a
friendly base.
Aerial Speed Increases.
In 1941 our propeller driven fight
ers were limited to speeds of 300
miles an hour, a range of 200 to 800
miles and effective ceilings of 20
600 feet. Today our conventional
fighters have speeds of 500 miles an
hour, combat ranges of 1900 miles
and effective ceilings of $4,000 feet.
Improvement of our jet fighters may
well produce within the next five
years an aircraft capable of the
speed of sound and of reaching
targets 1000 miles away at alti-
tudes of above $4,000 feet. When
the barrier of compressability has
been hurdled, as it surely will be,
there is no practicable limit to the
speed of piloted aircraft.
At the onset of this war demo-
lition bombs ranged in size from
20 to 1000 pounds with a few light
case 4,000-pound blast bombs. The
explosive filling of these bombs was
standard TINT. During the war, new
bombs have been developed the en-
tire range from small 4-pound anti
personnel missiles to 22,0O0-pound
deep penetration city smashers. Al
this very moment we are making
a single bomb weighing 45,0OC
pounds to keep pace with the
bomber, already under construction
which will carry such a load. All
ordnance engineers have blueprinteo
a bomb weighing 100000 pounds.
When the war began we had nc
rockets. So far the most Spectacu-
lar rocket of the war has been the
W.. This weapon has extended
artillery range to 200 miles with
little sacrifice in accuracy. Defense
against such weapons requires pi-
loted and pilotless aircraft capable
of fantastic speeds, or powered mis-.
siles capable of finding, intercept
ing, and destroying the attacker in
the air and at his launching sites
or by methods and devices as yet
undeveloped. We can direct rockets
to targets by electronic devices and
new instruments which guide them
accurately to sources of heat, light
and magnetism. Drawn by Their
own. fuses such new rockets will
streak unerringly to the heart o1
big factories, attracted by the heat
of the furnaces. They are so sensi.
tive that in the space of large
room they aim themselves toward
man who enters, in reaction te
the heat OF his body.
Danger From the Air.
All these weapons and their pos.
sible combinations make the all
approaches of a country the point.
of eyfronoe dau0er MANY Anoeri