Half A Million Pilots

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 1 (Supplement)

Half A Million Pilots

THE United Stales Army Air Corps had two high officers with literary inclinations and considerable writing experience, and together they found time from their arduous job of air force building to write a book, which they designated "Winged Warfare." It has created quite a stir in American circles. Both authors saw service in the first World War; both lived through the two decades of air power starvation that followed in the United • States and watched Germany build up her air forces, and both are taking part in the tremendous expansion efforts now under way in America. Major-General H. H. Arnold at present holds the vital post of acttag deputy chief of staff for air, and Colonel Ira C. Eaker commands a fighter group at the great aeroPlane base at Hamilton Field, near San Francisco. General Arnold's military aviation career began in 1911 after the Wright brothers taught him to fly. Colonel Eaker Joined the air corps in 1917. Both have participated in history-making flights and both are holders of the Distinguished Flying Cross. It would be extremely difficult to find two men as well qualified to present the real story of air power as General Arnold and Colonel Eaker. Leslie E. Neville, editor of the Magazine "Aviation," in the course of a detailed comment on "Winged Warfare," says:—"lf the airconsciousness of the present generation equalled that of our youth, America would never have been caught with a shortage of aircraft f or defence. But It required the westward sweep of the Nazis to convince the man in the street that tan?- anes were to take an imporJ™*_« not a decisive part in the Warfare of the future, fnr m n l with the hysterical demand «» clouds of 'planes overnight came

"At present we have about 500,000 men in the United States who fit the exacting requirements for military pilots." . . ■ "Three thousand planes per month are expected by the close of 1942." .. . These and other interesting facts concerning United States air expansion are given in this article, a review of a book written by United States Air Corps leaders.

a popular thirst for knowledge on the subject of air power. To satisfy this insistent craving, pseudo experts arose through the length and breadth of the land and distributed misinformation in floods. And they are still doing so, with the result that most of our citizens have a jumbled and almost completely erroneous impression of our place in the international air armament race." Down to Fundamentals Mr. Neville then proceeds to introduce the two writers of "Winged Warfare," which he says is a well-balanced and easilydigested diet on the whole subject of air power. Its framework is simple and direct. Without waste of words, it gets down to the fundamental requirements of an air force—'planes, men and bases, and their co-ordination. Next there are chapters on tactics, strategy and defence against air attack, followed by aircraft production, research and development. "The aeroplane as a new weapon," says Mr. Neville, "never was given a chance to develop its full stature during the first World War. In another six months even the conservative leaders of 1918 would have realised that artillery had sprouted wings. France would have looked above the expansive mass of concrete and steel once called the Maginot Line. England would- have looked above her^huge

floating fortresses. And Germany would not have been permitted to build up her air force, which is now estimated at 7000 combat 'planes in" fighting units and two to three times that number in reserve. "Military aircraft are divided into five classifications: — Fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and observation 'planes, cargo carriers or transports, and trainers. Each class has several subdivisions and many functions. Each type must be present in the proper proportions to produce an effectively balanced air force. Comparing aeroplanes, type for type, with those of the present belligerents, we have no apologies to make. Our ships are in all cases equal and often superior to those fighting daily overseas. "Naturally, the air corps has learned which types are most useful by observing the activities of the present war. Among the other lessons learned has been that of the necessity for limited personnel armour, bullet-proof or self-sealing fuel tanks, additional and in some cases heavier armament, and a better disposition aboard 'planes for defensive guns. "As soon as these facts are reported by the continuous flow of air corps observers from overseas, change orders are issued on existing contracts to incorporate all the necessary improvements. This sometimes interrupts production, but it ensures that the air force we are building is thoroughly up-to-date. Half a Million Pilots "At the outbreak of the first World War there were about 1000 trained pilots in the world. Four years later there were 100,000. At present we have about 500,000 men in the United States who fit the exacting requirements for military pilots. The present air corps training programme has an output of 7000 pilots per year, and it will be 'stepped up to 12,000 per year in the spring of 1941. "Under war-time pressure this rate could be increased to 50,000 per year. But we have need for many more bombardiers, aerial engineers, navigators, radio opera tors, machine-gunners, observers

and aerial photographers. Of the projected air force of 160,000 men, less than 12.000 will be pilots. "Although the usual ratio of ground maintenance men to pilots has been about 10 to 1, the increasing proportions of larger bombardment aircraft, with multiple combat crew, reduce this ratio to about 5 to 1. Parachute troops were tried in this country after the first World War, but it remained for the Germans to use them in actual invasion. A parachute platoon is now training at Fort Benning, Georgia." After a detailed description of a permanent air base with its flying fields, bombing and gunnery ranges, night flying practice areas, radio stations, homing devices, blind landing systems, underground storage for gasoline and bombs, and other tactical necessities, Mr. Neville writes:—"A major strategic mistake of all of the combatant nations was the failure to provide themselves with a proper proportion of long-range bombardment aircraft capable of reaching any target in possible hostile countries. Now they are struggling frantically to obtain them. "Our own strategic problems include decisions as to what areas must be defended and whence trouble is likely to come, and how large an air force will be needed to do the defence job. We know that the air force we are planning will not be as large numerically as that of Germany or England. Funds appropriated from 1939 through 1940 provided for 21,000 'planes (nearly 10,000 combat 'planes) and equipment for 288 squadrons. "Behind this air force stands an aviation manufacturing industry capable of producing about 1200 'planes per month now, with a capacity objective of about 3000 per month for late 1942. "Capacity to produce replacement aircraft is vitally important in actual warfare. It is reasonably safe to say that a 10,000-' plane air force, attacked by a larger force, might well require a replacement of 30,000 'planes per year. "Few people realise the magnitude of the present industrial expansion programme behind our air forces. During all of 1938, 1800 military aeroplanes were built, including those produced for export. Total production of all types for the year was 3675 units, or about 300 per month. In October, 1940, the industry produced 1170-pianes, and-3000<per-montta. is

expected by the close of 1942. And even as this is written new and larger production programmes are in the making. "The most complete assortment of 'planes and men and bases cannot be called an air force unless it is properly organised. There are basic differences of opinion on how this organisation should be set up. At present our military and naval air forces are components of these branches of the services. Many feel that eventually our defensive air force should be given a status co-ordinate and commensurate with that of the army and navy. "The authors present both sides of this problem and warn against haste in rushing for the separate air force idea, with a zest for radical reform. They feel that the change, if it is desirable at all, should come about by evolution rather than by revolution. They intimate that the recent appointment of a deputy chief of staff for air and the placing of the general headquarters air force under the direct command of the commanding general of the field armies may be a step towards the separate air force."