Evening star., 1949-03-07
Nonstop B.5O F|ighI
Demonstrates Need
For Big Army, Navy
Seen Proving Necessity
For Bases Protected
by Non-Air Services
By Dav1d Laurence

stop flight just completed.
It's a lesson which teache!
more forcibly than all the debate
that has gone on between the
services that an Air Force, nj
matter how we'll equipped, !!
helpless without bases strategic.
ally located around the earth.
It teaches that unless a Navy
and Army can take and hold those
bases and occupying troops car
maintain those bases against op'
position, there can be no long
range bombing of a sustained
nature.
The plane which made th'
round-the-world nonstop fiigh'
was refueled first at the Azores
then at Saudi Arabia. next at the
Philippines and finally at Hawaii
Portugal owns the Azores anc
submarines of a hostile navy
could interfere with the Landing
of supplies at such a base, ever
II Portugal surrendered hel
sovereignty and allowed America
to use the Azores.
Near East in Turmoil.
Saudi Arabia is in the middle OF
an area of political turbulence In
. the Near East. Unless the United
States we're permitted to occupy
bases there during peacetime with
enough men and supplies to refuel
our planes, there could be no use
of such a base for sudden de-
fense by our planes against at
tack or for offensive operations II
war came overnight.
The Philippines are a friendly
country but in the last war hos
tile Navy actually wrested from
the United States the bases there
on which American strategy had
counted for decades.
Hawaii is an American base, but
unless the Pacific is made safe
against submarine attack on the
supply ships, gasoline required for
refueling nonstop planes and the
food and equipment for the troops
stationed there cannot be counted
on to be available when needed:
The fact that planes can stay
up for five or six days while being
refueled could be proved without
leaving continental United States
Many such experiments in re-
fueling on endurance tests have
been successfully carried out be-
fore.
What. then. was the purpose OF
the round the world nonstop
night? Was 1t done to impress
Russia with the speed and scope
Of our planes? Or was it done to
give Congress the impression that
it should appropriate more money
or the bulk OF national defense
funds for big planes and that 1t
can afford to forget about ground
armies or a navy such as helped
win stategic bases in the Pacific
in the last war?
The idea of airplane stunting to
impress Congress is not novel, but
1t would be a disservice to the
cause of national defense and Sc
curity If the impression were given
that the round -the-world flight
has introduced any element that
was not known before or any ele-
ment of strategic strength that
permits neglect Of either strong
Army or a powerful Navy.
Navy Endurance Flights.
Actually. Navy fiers have flown
longer without refueling than did
the Air Force. The Air Force
could doubtless fly just as long as
any other service, but all this was
pertfnently disregarded because
the Air Force fiiers had to refuel
where there we're bases available
The approaches to three OF the
four bases used are today protect
ed by the Navy, which Is rapidly
developing air defenses against
submarine operations of all kinds,
and this means escort carriers
and supply ships to help keep the
bases intact against Interruptions
to the flow of gasoline and food
While theoretically long-range
bombing from the continental
United States is possible, it is not
yet regarded as being as effective
as bombing directly from stra-
logically located bases. Such
bombers cannot venture back and
forth without the protection of
fighter planes and nobody has as
vet come forward with fighter
plane that can accompany bomb
ers on long-ranse missions such
as have just been dramatically
portrayed by the round-the-world
diers.
Nobody, moreover. has arisen
from any quarter, including the
Air Force, to claim that long
range bombing can be carried on
in sustained fashion from CONT
mental United States. The Rus
slams are well aware of this. and
1t remains to be seen whether
the peoples of any other countries
will be misled by round -the-world
flights, endurance tests or similar
stunts.
While bombing ranges have
been increased since vi day
nothing is as yet available to
change the fundamental concept
of the need for bases away from
our shores. Either fixed locations
must be obtained by agreement
ahead of time with friendly
powers or else floating bases must
be built in the form of huge air.
craft carriers which can approach
the seacoast of any potential
enemy and launch for sustained
operations planes carrying the
atomic bomb.
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