PLANES FOR THE ALLIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 108, 3 November 1939, Page 7

PLANES FOR THE ALLIES

The American • United Press story, >?£ that 700 aeroplanes are stored in the v j United States or almost completed, for f shipping to Britain and France as soon '. r^ as the Neutrality Act is revised, is no. - k more than the truth. The crated planes -a and motors have been gathering on\the - •)> docks in San Pedro, California (Doug- fiA? las Aircraft, Lockheed Aircraft, and~ y. North American Aviation Incorporated -^ are all in the Los Angeles area), Balti-i ZX more, Maryland (where the Glenn'l*»\\* Martin Corporation is), and in various -Sf. warehouses in New York.- Other ZA% i planes, ready for flight, are in various Zs, 1 airports on both coasts. In . thej | I twelve months before the war began ;V~ the American aircraft manufacturers^...!. 1 under contract from the British anil $ French Governments delivered material" ;£ i valued at approximately 69,000,000 :;;§ I dollars. , Contracts still held call torXATi ' the delivery of 755 more warplanes, '■ mostly light twin-engined bombers-. 1 "# capable of speeds of up to 300 mijes, 4| an hour. Of this" total 290 are being ;;| built for Britain and 465 for France.' -¥ The French orders were Placed late, ■$■ and consequently have not' been as=' ;>V far ahead as the British. The con-V-a, struction of the planes has been rush- '-% ed ahead, not because of faith of tha % aeroplane builders in the course which _';^ will be taken by Congress, but be- -1 5 cause the firms concerned are fully protected .against losses as the result y of any embargo, and have been so-,J_ protected ever since the contracts :-: were drawn. Payment was to be made ;,$ even though shipment was impossible . & under the terms of the Neutrality Act, A/^. In some instances the two Govern- -'4 ments have been taking delivery of "'-§ the machines at the docks, in other ji;, cases they have been accepted even <*;* at the factory door. Most of the -,-~ British planes in the original order 'fl were North American trainers power-.,""-" ed with 420 h.p. Wasp motors —400 of _'y them. There were also 250 Lockheed /-\ Hudson bombers powered with 1100 y h.p.- Cyclone motors. The French, '// orders were for all sorts—almost A"' equal numbers of pursuit planes, which "'%[ are of the Curtis P36 type, powered' Z: with 1200 h.p. Twin Wasp motors, Zs Glenn Martin attack bombers with Z two 1500 h.p. Twin Hornet motors, and ;| North American bombers, also' with ■£* two 1500 h.p. Twin Hornets. There; ■£) were also Douglas bombers and some.-?i 40 "cruising seaplanes" from an un- ■«. revealed source.- Manufacturers have " refused to disclose the progress of A_ work on the orders.