WORLD'S AIRCRAFT

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 28, 3 February 1938, Page 22

WORLD'S AIRCRAFT

THE AMERICAN LEAD

DEVELOPMENT IN PLANES

A British survey of world aircraft has noted an "enormous" increase, in the size and .efficiency of the United States Air Force to'"one of the biggest arid ' possibly the .'most. efficiently, armed" in the world, says a London message to the "Chicago Tribune." C G Grey made the ranking in his preface to the 1937, edition of Jane's "All the World's Aircraft" He credited German'fighting planes with being equal in power and, performance to, American and British craft, "though not in numbers." ■ Asserting that all countries were building light bombers, of tremendous' speeds, he told, how fast American and German airliners had produced "a complete turn around" from, heavy bombers., It was a "ridiculous situation," then, he declared, which found passenger airliners "nearly twice as fast as heavy bombers in all air forces. In fact,, a year ago some big and medium American passenger machines were fast enough, if fitted with guns, to chase most ,of the. world's high-speed fighters out of the sky." : Since then, he cited British development of tlie Blenheim bomber, able to exceed 300 miles an hour, and German concentration on high-speed twinengined aircraft under the guidance of Ernst Udet, stunt flyer. ,C WEAKNESS OF BIG CRAFT. //Grey observed that large bombers needed big crews, and could be downed witix one enti-aircraft shot jsvhile smaller craft split the risk, and had higher performances, ■i Other points made in his survey included: 1. France has fallen behind other Powers in technical advances. . 2. Indiscriminate bombing of .large cities to break the morale of the populace "alWays is dangerous to" the bombing country, because it may stir tip a' national; spirit which hitherto has riot been particularly concerned with war-" ■ ■■■'■' 3. Aerial warfare in Spain in the last has been between "Italian and German supporters" of the insurgents, and "French and Russian supporters of the Government." None of the first Spanish planes survived, he said. In reference to the successful performances attributed to "Russian planes in support of the Red (Madrid) Government in Spain," Grey said flatly: "Those planes definitely have been of American design: and most likely of American construction." The volume' said little was known of Russia's air force, although it was conceded to be' "enormous." Russian planes seen outside the Soviet, however, the book added, either frankly were copies of other countries' designs or "a combination of antique ideas."