INVASION WEAPON

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24342, 3 August 1942, Page 4

INVASION WEAPON

MAMMOTH PLANES UNITED STATES PLANS I h TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT y WASHINGTON. Aug. 1 II The 'Curtiss Wright Corporation, l l with Government approval, has il announced tho mass-production of giant twin-engine transport planes, which will be a formidable invasion a weapon, capable of carrying parait chute and ground troops with Jeeps 1- and other mobile equipment. '0 The speed and carrying capacity of i. the now plane, which has been named e the Commando C-16, are army secrets, 4 but they far exceed those of any type is so far used. Two Pratt Whitney r engines, of 2000 horse-power, give the n Commando planes a speed approaching that of the combat planes which cross the Atlantic in nine hours, y Artillery and Tractors y The vice-president, of the corporation, ■s Mr. Burdette Wright, said the transportation of troops and scout cars is o only one task for the Commando plane, o but, the structural framework has been i- strengthened to accommodate artillery, tractors, trucks, engines, oil drums and c other supplies for a modern army. Mr. Wright added that 35 Commandos could have carried the 30,000 tons of materials which 7700 trucks transported ' along the Burma Road in one month. In case of invasion, the Commando will roar down from the sky, pushing d out specially designed ramps which will 0 allow heavily armed troops with Jeeps to disembark within a few seconds. The number of parachute troops and Jeeps that could be carried is a military secret. Mr. Henry Kaiser, testifying before the Defence Investigating Committee 1 of the Senate, enthusiastically advocated the construction of giant cargo s planes. Ho said that given the materials n lie could within 10 months produce i } a 70-ton plane capable of flying a ■- 21-ton load to Honolulu, and within 14 months a 200-ton plane having a proportionately increased capacity. Plenty of Action 1 The chairman of the War Production Board, Mr Donald Nelson, said the - board was much interested in the pros posal to build 5000 such planes in west 1 coast shipyards, if the engines and other components needed could be built without disrupting the military aircraft programme he would get plenty of action, > Mr. Nelson told Mr. Kaiser the board 1 was ready to co-operate to the limit r in any practical plan for heightening 3 the effectiveness of war transport. 1 Two engineers, Messrs. Horace ChapI man Young and Eric Langlands, of the Aerodynamics Research Corporation, r told tho committee that they had de- , signed a revolutionary type of cargo 1 plane which could bo lifted and pro- | polled by a unique combination of engines, helium gas and air tunnels. , The plane could be used as a carrier 3 of a dozen speedy fighting aeroplanes. [ With a single wing the combination 3 cargo-fighter-carrier craft would have 5 a flying deck of 200 ft. or 180 ft. from , which 12 fighter planes could take off. It would carry sufficient helium gas to lift 36 tons, and with its engines could lift 70 tons. SIX CARRIERS LOST [ REDUCING JAPANESE FLEET 1 ' 5 . UNITED STATES CLAIMS \ . WASHINGTON, Ang. 2 The United States Navy Department . has announced that since Pearl Harbour six Japanese aircraft carriers have | been sunk, one probably sunk and two , others damaged. ; One aircraft carrier was probably sunk by an American submarine oil t January 26 and on February 12 a carrier was sunk off the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. On Starch 9 another carrier was damaged by an American submarine, while the Coral Sea battle communiques of May 7 and 8 gave one aircraft carrier sunk and one damaged. Four carriers were then sunk in the Midway Island action early in June. FORCE OF 10,000 JAPANESE IN ALEUTIANS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 The United States Navy spokesman said that 10,000 Japanese were in the western Aleutians, half of whom were afloat and ashore. He added that aerial reconnaissance had failed to disclose the presence of Japanese in the Pribilof Islands, 200 miles north of Dutch Harbour. Mr. Anthony Dimond, Alaskan delegate to the United States Congress, previously assorted that Japanese forces had landed in the Pribilof group. CABLES IN BRIEF Malta's Toll of Planes.—A communique from Malta says that sin«o tho war started 886 enemy planes have been shot down over the island. King Peter Returns. —King Peter of Yugoslavia has arrived safely in London with the members of his Government after the visit to the United States and Canada. Death of Duchess. —Tho Dowager Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, who has been Jiving in America with her daughter, the present Grand Duchess, and her grandson. Prince Felix, has died in hospital in New York. She underwent an operation a few weeks ago. Irish Harvest. —Northern Ireland has had a magnificent harvest this year, and since the war has increased land cultivation 100 per cent, says the British official wireless. A new voluntary land service scheme has been launched to provide farmers with sufficient labour to gather in their crops. Legation to Embassy.—The Soviet ' Minister to Norway, M. Bogomolov, .has informed the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Dr. Lie, that tho Soviet proposed to raise the Soviet Legation to the Norwegian Government and the Norwegian Legation in the Soviet Union to the rank of Embassies. Canadians in Britain.—The Chief of the Canadian General Staff, LieutenantGenera 1 Stewart, has arrived in tho United Kingdom. He said ho had several matters to discuss with Lieuten-ant-Genera.] McNaughton, Commander of tho Canadian Corps Overseas, and he hoped to visit as many Canadian formations as he could in the time i available. Civilian War Effort.—The extent of i | Britain's civilian war effort was out- | lined by the Minister of National Sit- ! vice, Mr, Ernest Bevin. when lie said i ,ihat out of 33.000,000 people l.rlween j the ages of 11 and 65 years 20.000.(.'00 i were engaged in work connected with the war. t fifty thousand -women were being interviewed each week and were going into industry and the auxiliary services at the rate ot 20,000 m week. In addition, about 2,000,000 were doing part-time work.