The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-03-27
Three Stars In Air
By ARTHUR KROCK

ing officers, particularly those OF the Army,
in such profusion that the Senate Military
Affairs Committee today questioned Gener-
al Marshall about it. The committee was cur
ious to know why the rank of four-star Cen
eral reserved in the past for one outstanding
war commander is being so greatly expand
ed. the interrogation arising from the fact
that on March Is the President nominated
nine three-star officers to be full Generals:
the largest high promotion list in American
histroy
1t is big war on many fronts; there are
more citizens under arms than there ever
were before: and doubtless General Marshall
gave to the committee these and other rea-
sons for the Presidents list. But there is an
other aspect to these and previous promo
tions in the Army and the Navy for which the
reasons are less obvious, and to many far
less satisfactory This is the fact that Navy
Air has no four-star Admiral to speak for
that branch of the service exclusively, while
the Army has one with the new five-star
insignia-General Arnold-and in the promo
tons of March Is two Air Force Generals
Spaatz and Kenney-moved up from three to
four Also it is reliably stated no Air officer
is on forthcoming list for the full rank of
Admiral.
On the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Army Air
Force has for its spokesman its five-star Gen
eral He is also member of the Combined
Chiefs of Staff (Anglo-American) who plan
|
his voice for Army aviation is powerful in
the corridors of the Pentagon Admiral King,
also a member of these staffs, wears a pi-
lots wing as well as his five stars, wing
he earned at 48; and Admiral Halsey, who
has the four-star insignia, made his career
in Navy aviation But both these have mixed
commands and are not exclusively concerned
with air forces as Generals Arnold, Spaatz
and Kenney are. And Admiral Horne, an air
| observer, has mixed duties too. Thus the po-
sition and prestige of Army Air is not match
ed by that of the Navy, in the field on the
| big stats or in the department.
OF air Vice Admirals there are seven
Towers, Mccain, Fitch, Mitscher, Bellinger,
Murray and Hoover They have worn their
three stars for varying lengths of time, some
for as much two years But while they
were advancing to or remaining in this rank
Army Air Generals Wer plucking Virtual con-
stellatons from the armament promotion.
Each time the President has sent Navy list
to Congress, the Navy Air forces have scanned
it eagerly to see if their branch was to re-
ceive anything, like comparable recognition.
But General Arnold moved up from two to
three, three to four and four to five; Cen
erals Spaatz and Kenney came along just
behind him; and quite a while ago the avla-
ton of the Navy stopped where it is now.
There is more than recognition involved in
the disappointment and resentment Of the Ma
to branch which has performed and is
performing so brilliantly and which had
long, grim struggle with the battleship Ad-
mirals' before it could get any recognition
at all The prestige and power that goes with
these stars and stripes is very real and can
be measured in terms of their numbers. An
extra star is very tangible asset in joint
councils and in the departments themselves.
And when it opens the doors of the Joint and
Combined Chiefs of Staff, its effectiveness is
proved even more thoroughly. Army Air, with
General Arnold, is behind those doors; Navy
Air is strictly on the outside
In an Army Navy conference Admirals
King, Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance or Leahy can
discuss and dispute on a level with Generals
Marshall, Eisenhower, Macarthur Stilwen,
Arnold or Clark as opposite numbers, and
the weight of rank is equal on both sides.
But there isn't Admiral, exclusively con-
cerned with aviation, who can displace that
much weight with any of the Army officers,
and now Generals Spaatz and Kenney are
about to add to the inequality. The only bal
ance of the two aviation forces is to be
found on the civilian side. The War Depart
ment has an Assistant Secretary for Air
Mr.. Lovett-and the Navy Department has
an equivalent official-Mr. Gates.
The seagoing birdmen cannot believe that
the President is especially aware of or di-
rectly responsible for what they feel is a
and its importance in the scheme of war.
They know that Mr.. Roosevelt is a saltwater
sailor and lover of ships and their gear.
But they do not think this prediction has
produced the existing situation, and members
of the COMMITTEES of Congress Naval Al
fairs do not think either. Nor do any of
these assign the responsibility to Secretary
Forrestal, who would fly in and out OF his Of
flee window every day if he could find an
airplane suitable to the purpose.
The rail of suspicion leads to the awesome
doorway of Admiral King. The Commander
in Chief Of the Fleet may be wholly innocent
| of the belief that it is he who has decreed that
no more than there stars shall fall on a Navy
alrman, but he is suspect just the same. In
the Navy Department and out with the car
riers, however, this opinion is expressed in
an undertone and around the scuttlebutt. The
"Cominch," with his icy eyes and granite
visage-not to mention his five most puissant
stars above an estuary of gold lace-s
chief whom inferior officers do not argue with
if they think he has made up his mind
New York Times
SO THEY SAY