The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-14

cal advance of military aircraft that at this very moment the logis- ticians are faced with the possibil- ity that the internal combustion engine may be obsolete for aircraft of the future if the gas turbine, or jet-propelled engine, lives up to it's present promise. No one can today give an exact answer to this proba- bility, but it emphasizes what pro- curement men are up against.
 NO GUIDEBOOKS
 AVAILABLE
 Because there were no experience data on airplane performance in desert, amphibious, arctic and high altitude warfare, there have been no guidebooks on which supply off, cers could base their requirements estimates. Only in the last few weeks have the experts been able to compile what they might call a "logistical bible," bringing together all the experience in air supply for this war. It is still a highly imper- feet document, subject to numerous and frequent changes. But it is a start at making handbook for one of the newest branches of military science.
 Even the Germans, smart as they were about some of these things, had to change their book as, for in- stance, when they discontinued the production of bombers, converted all their arcraft facilities over to the production of fighters for defense against Allied bombings, then turn ed to the production of robot V bombs. Things like that are hap pening all the time to throw off any one who would plan war.
 Ordering up for an air war begins with the planes. It is a surprising and sad fact that up to this point in the war perhaps not more than one out of every five planes pro- duced is in action on the front. Training in the United States re- quires many, planes undergoing re- pair or maintenance accounts for others, planes in transit or reserve number many more. Planes actually lost ill combat checks off half the GOLdl III SOIIle CdLeROTleS.
 The now prevalent idea that all fighter planes can be flown to the aterS of operation is branded as hoey. Most of them still have to be crated and hauled in ships and only now have the Air Forces acquired vessels specifically designed to carry this light but bulky cargo.
 BIG ITEM IS GASOLINE
 Bombs make up from 6 to 21 per cent of Air Force supplies by weight, but the one big item is gasoline, which is GO per cent of the supply problem by weight. It was only last September that the supply of avia- tion gas became greater than the demand. Production in March of this year is estimated at only 50,00O barrels a day above requirements, but this margin has been obtained only by taking a big allotment of butylene from the synthetic rubber industry and by reducing the grade of the gasoline from 14O to 130.
 Throwing around all these sup plies - 2 1-2 tons per day per plane takes manpoWer and the supply of that is something of a problem, too A rule of thumb is two and Q half men on the ground for every man In the air at base, but this only begins to tell the story. In certain Pacific operations last year, to keep 45O men in the air required 10000 men on the ground, to keep 8l5 planes going took 38,0OO These fig ures include, of course, air engineers who can fight their way in to build an air strip as well as the more skilled technicians for some of the newer radar and electronic equip ment which the inventors can now modify and improve faster than men can be trained to service it and operate it. It's like that with a lot of the stuff that has to be supplied in this war of gadgets.