Evening Star Newspaper, May 10, 1931, Page 74

H%a — - f2 5 " THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, MAY 10, 193f. " visional Pursuit Wing, officlal observers and - e . of the 1929 and 1930 maneuvers has beerf: The detachment at Bolling Field will total : L i s < e e S 268 planes, more than 250 officers and nearly as Ll - X many enlisted men, and will constitute the . & N : e p greatest assemblage of planes ever seen on a £2 ] b i : " ~WING to the small size of the Afr local field, exceeding even the great gathering b PRERSS ¢f Navy planes here a year ago during the fleet e o P & 75 /¥ it is necessary that its units be scat maneuvers. { * A § . & - - throughout the country &t small statio | ; that there may be a nucleus for em 'HE main demonstration over Washington i ’ vip i P S i . ‘operations at all points. on Memorial day will bring together from -y -4 “ " their ‘scattered airdromes all the planes of the _ S, | Although the Air Corps as “wings, division. The resulting spectacle, with more } § o, 4 : concentration of two groups, on paper, than 600 planes of all military types partici- e, : b5 e corps has no actual wing in operation pating, is expected to be the mightest aeria) ? i g B . where in the United States. The 2d mmeu:eg:gc.fm:u g:v:: — mxtltl‘r‘wo:vul{:_the X ardment Group has had to train by § 0! e army o e an ¥ - b wmerial foree so great that, even in olese-forma- . b 2 Virginia, the 1st Pursuit Group by ‘!be tion, the column stretches a distance of more < b e i Michigan, the 3d Attack Group by itsel than 20 riles, A ! Texas. . After the demonstration here the squadrons . il s i i It was necessary fo bring the groups tog will return, without landing, to the stations as- i B 3 5 Pt > ; ; &% | signed them at Langley Field, Baltimore and § § o : ’ . ; - 8 for a month so training could be carried Middletown, and will put in the following day " : ’ N ” " the use of each branch ef aviation in eo-4 getting in shape for their return to home sta- : : ation with other branches, as well as to tions all over the- United States, beginning ) , 3 out certain theories in the tactics of com} June 1. : : A 4 “Briefly outlined,” it was explained by Mr. __ W : aotion, since it has been found repecatedly Davison, “the prinelpal features of the tests to ¥ ; SGIO % ! militdry history of the country that thec be conducted during the field exercises fall into R e ¥ 3 paper and in practice may prove to be enf the following major classifications: Problems of . : X different things. v command incidental to handling huge volumes 2 % > i 3 The largest air organization of this co of personnel and equipment in the air and on ¥ . N in time of war would be an Air Division the ground; expanding and developing combat A R would have 2,238 airplanes, mostly bo theories; teaching the various units within the and pursuit; 4,000 officers and 29,000 enl| Air Corps to function as a ‘team and, last but men. It might have to be moved from not least, means of subjecting both planes and place to another and moved in a hurry. personnel to exacting endurance tests. Moving n:irgg: ‘l;x:ve ;o m&\:% a long ?I;t;x:’c:. an entire air army-— mechanics, spare parts, N b . al vision is & genera uai staff and all—over battle sectors that are hun- in addition to the sviation auachedmw d:v dreds of miles apart and in a few hours, de- g corps and armies. In the pe;hce time Ar“ mands perfect organization and one that ean will there is mo air division. e cor‘x.cjen - be ‘built up only through experience, and such this year will be merely a provisional experience can only be obtained under actual division, skeleton in formation and in character. It will be the first, hcwev li e i to the one to be employed this year. It is necessary, he declared, that they should take place because it is only by putting tactical technical theories to the acid test of prac- Jearn shely M it 3 - 4] g [ -] gde 4 8 | ! AfL i thorough tests of peace-time train- 1 ods. could be Tought in time of peace. planes penetrated far into enemy territory and i B § § wo and one-half miles The planes also must have| to climb to and fight at high alti combat ceiling of pursuit planes two was about 21,000 feet; today it s in i Rl 2 demonstrated 1 ground by pursuit planes and broy flagmes. other words,” it was explained, “mod instead of coming within formation flying wing th machine guns, may bardment from comp4 i a8 5ES Egi: TER ] il il g Brig. Gen. Foulois, in charge of the T S emm:y .:au” m“l:‘ r}r!w,:ty’: e i i hour to climb) dale equipmen: planni . Davison told the airport operators, “I have not e the slightest doubt but that the experiences of of victories and whether or not bombing and ! the Air Corps will reveal that present landing attack raids had been successful or whether the pursuit aviation had really cleared the skies es of op : g air forces. B “In | fiigh econcentra~ Airplane erews learned what to expec! uor:n m un: :u';fi turo: 2:,.“_-- Mr. airplanes were used every day for several weeks, Davison explained, “Air Corps units will fiy s were out in the open without shelter and had over every State in the Union, Bvery large to be maintained without the mechanical con- airport will be used, and many others not so . veniences found in the hangars at home sta- large, in addition to the Army airdromes tions. In & bigger way engineering officers already established. Gas, oil and other supplics learned what the crew chiefs did. The flying will be laid down at these airports, OCom- ofilcrers lenrnh:;i t:m }—rre:}tmgeal concem‘!.ngmmm.l tems er information . warfare; w] ces were of a! o e B the observation of the enemy or of facing & 672 planes for the maneuvers, according to pursuit formation for the safety of friendly Department chiefs, this does not mean territory or of keeping the skies clear of hostile all these planes are fighting planes fit to go sircraft. The fact is, 2%t Is Staff officers who disposed the ground forces and staff officers of the Air Corps also Jearned commereial s ® great deal from those 1929 maneuvers, both or a group flles into a field and must be Thi air- at the time they were carried on and for a long serviced and the personnel cared for iIn a time afterward, when they made reports of minimum period of time, that afrport will ex- planes which could play no active part i ve- their 'part in the maneuvers and made recoms- perience s condition similar to commercial pelling enemy invaders. mendations for the retention of or changes in operations 5 or 10 years from now, and its The object of the maneuvers, it is said, s certain features of tactics or equipment. operators and superintendents will learn for not to create an impressive picture of merial In 1930 the Air Corps held a large concentra~ ‘what they must prepare in the growth of com- strength ‘which tion of Air Corps organizations at Sacramento, mereial : possess—as the J Calif. Here, t00, to a certain extent, hostile “About 75,000,000 people will have the oppor- 1 forces were organized and a number of im- gtnity of seeing one or more or all of the units to test tactical theories, equipment and person- portant problems were worked out. The result units are being equip as possible with planes that those of two years observation planes have sea miles per hour, as agd 1929. Another impo: is that planes c: standard equipm mths ago could th. e a;gé i 2 H 53 2] ; 8 H Eo .ga 2 . £ g + | -4 <] E : | s vancement in att] k plane, which is somewhat the low- ggggggasgg : g