Evening star., 1951-08-27
Assault Airplanes
Seen Ending Use Of
Mass Chute Jumps
By Don Whitehead

80
FORT BRAGG. N. c.. Aug. ~.
.l-Army and Air Force generals
predicted today that mass para
troop jumps by airborne infantry
may soon be outmoded by big as
SAult landing aircraft.
They were impressed by the first
tests Of the C-122 as q fast car
rier of heavy equipment in the
war games which reached their
flna4 phase here this morning.
And they see no reason why in
fantrymen couldn't be landed with
the same efficiency.
UmpireS said that the 43rd and
28th Infantry Divisions, aided by
5000 paratroopers of the 82nd
Airborne Division who jumped
over the week end, Knocked OUT
the, enemy aggressor.
The infantrymen and the para
troopers linked up for the final
push that overwhelmed the enemy
as the 2-week Exercise Southern
Pine closed. The maneuver, big
gest field training exercise since
World War II. involved 10000
soldiers and airmen.
Enemy Turned Back.
Theoretically, the enemy came
up from the Caribbean area,
landed in South Carolina, and
drove through North Carolina for
the Raleigh Durham industrial
area. He was stopped cold today
Mn the country around Fort Bragg
and Southern Pines.
The mass jumps and dropping
of heavy equipment by para
chi1teS are daring and spectacular
but sometimes they are costly
in both men and equipment even
under ideal conditions.
1t. Gen. John Hodge, COM
mander Of the maneuvers, said he
believes the C-122 assault aircraft
has tremendous possibilities" for
transporting both men and equip
n1ent into battle.
I'VE should do all we can to-
develop the assault landing craft"
he said.
'Chutists Still Needed.
Air Force Mai. Gen. w. r. VOL
finbarger, deputy maneuvers COM
nfander, said the assault craft
have great possibilities in elimi-
mating the mass paratroop Jumps ~
@And we should work toward
this end,'' he added.
This wouldn't mean the end of
the well-trained paratrooper en-
tirely. For paratroopers still
would be needed to chute to the
ground behind enemy lines in
small numbers to prepare crude
landing strips and guide the
planes in.
"There will always be some sit-
uatiOns where paratroop jumps are
needed" Gen. Wolflnbarger said,
but developing an assault landing
craft would mean we could move
the bulk of equipment and men
by air."
The big C-122 ships were used
to land jeeps, howitzers and other
heavy equipment during the drops
OF 5000 paratrooperS and their
equipment in the past two days.
All the ships landed safely on a
makeshift landing strip, and the
airborne lnfantrymen quickly got
the equipment into action.
Men Hurt, Gear Smashed.
In the parachute drop of equip
ment, some was badly smashed.
One paratrooper was killed and
26 others hospitalized with serious
injuries during the mass jumps.
Hundreds of onlookers watched
In horror while 20-year-old Pfc.
Salundore j. Camarena plunged
1,200 feet to his death. His para
chute failed to open.
Evt. Camarena was the lone
''colnbat'' casualty among the
10000 men who took part in the
tWo-weeks' exercise. His mother,
Mrs. Macaria Camarena, lives in
Los Angeles, Calf. Thirteen other
deaths during the games were
attributed by the Army to nom
combat causes.
Reviewing the exercise, Gen.
Hodge said the Army and Air
Force had been able to settle all
their disputes amicably at the
operational level.
cat the operational level" he
said, "The Army and Air Force
have worked well together. There
has been no dispute we haven't
been able to settle very amicably." :"
Silent on Air Rift.
Gen. Hodge declined comment
on the Army-Air Force high-level
dispute over the control and use
of tactical air power. He said
these disagreements "are above
my level" and involve policy mat
ters on which he could not COM
ment.
Some top Army men believe the
Air Force should concentrate
tactical air in close support Of
ground troops as the Marines do.
And they think the operational
control of the aircraft should be
in the hands Of the Army.
The Air Force does not want to |
give up operational control of its
planes and insists the problems
of tactical air support should be
handled by joint control as it now
is being done.
Also the Air Force insists close
tactical support should mean hit
ting enemy targets far behind the
front lines as well as giving the
infantry help against enemy guns,