Evening star., 1945-11-12
Atomic Warfare
Possible, Arnold
Report Warns
Use Of Very Heavy
Bombers' to PutroI
Europe Disclosed
BY NELSON M. SHEPARD.


Army Air Forces, today gave
America a startling glimpse into
the "foreseeable future" of aeri-
al and atomic warfare.
Into weird pattern Of robot
weapons he injected the "unques-
tionable" employment of space
ships. capable of operating outside
the earth's atmosphere" and equip
ped to launch 5000 mile -per-hour
atomic bomb rockets on any enemy
from unexpected directions"
The space ship-rocket was sug-
gested by the AAF chief as the al
tentative CONFERENCE.-THE which
might well be used by this or another
nation should effective defenses be
developed against improved rockets
OF the Va type delivering atomic
explosives at supersonic speeds.
Space Ships Believed Near.
If defenses which can cope even
with such a neutrality-suspicious.
projectile are developed, we must be
ready to launch such projectiles
nearer sthe target, to give them a
shorter time of flight and make
them harder to detect and destroy"
Gen. Arnold said. I'VE must be
ready to launch them from unex-
pected directions.
This can be done from true space
ships, capable of operating outside
the earth's atmosphere. The design
Of such ship is all but practicable
today; research will unquestionably
bring it into being within the fore
seeable future"
Gen. Arnold said three types of
resistance against the atomic bomb
are possible: Make certain that no.
where in the world are atmoci bombs
being made secretly; devise every
possible method of defense against
them; disperse cities and move vital
industries underground, which
would be overwhelmingly expen-
sive."
Requirements Outlined.
Reminding the Nation of its un-
preparedness for two world wars
won at great sacrifice, Gen. Arnold
warned in connection with these
terrifying predictions: ANY air
force which does not keep its doc
trines ahead of its equipment, ana
its vision far into the future, can
only delude the Nation into a false
sense of security"
The report which Gen. Arnold
made today to Secretary Patterson
highlighted immediate as well as
future requirements of the air
forces. 1t was his third report on
the successes of the AAF in the
war and In view of his recent an
nouncement that he intends to re-
tire soon. 1t probably is the final
report In his present capacity.
Gen. Arnold, mindful of the claim
Of civilian board that Allied air
power was decisive in the war in
Western Europe. made the same
claim for the role of land and car
rier based air power in the Pacific
war.
Fully recognizing the indispens-
able contributions of other arms, I
feel that air powers part may fairly
well be called decisive" he wrote.
The collapse of Japan has vindi-
Gated the whole strategic concept of
the offensive phase of the Pacific
war. Viewed broadly and simply, that
strategy has been to advance air
power, both land and carrier-based.
to the point where the full fury of
crushing air attack could be loosed
on Japan itself, with the possibility
that such attack would bring about
the defeat of Japan without invas-
ion, and with the certainty that it
would play vital role in prepara-
ton for, and cooperation with, an
invasion. No invasion was neces-
sary."
Heavy Bombers for Patrol.
Gen. Arnold disclosed for the first
time, in discussing the occupation
air force in Germany, it is planned
to use very heavy bombers" to
patrol Europe.
Remaining in Europe to guard
the peace, under present plans" he
said, will be light bombers, fighters.
troop carriers, reconnaissance, night
fighters, liaison squadrons. and very
heavy bombers. The AAF does not
plan to retain in Europe such bomb
ers as the Fortresses and Liberators
which helped so much to defeat
Germany"
BY these very heavy bombers, he
had reference to the B-29s. which
had been employed exclusively in
the Pacific, and perhaps the even
bigger B-36s soon expected to be
available for service.
Gen. Arnold packed 72-page re-
port with vital recommendations on
the development of civil aviation,
the coordination of national de-
fense with air "co-equal" with
land and naval forces. But in that