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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1943)
PAGE Rise of American Air Power Led to Reverse War's Trend By REUEL 8. MOORE United Pren Staff Correspondent t r , . .. . J . ) - -. Washington UR Growing allied air power wms a dominant factor in the almost complete reversal of allied and axis fortunes .which occurred during the second year of United States participa MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNEr MEDFORD., OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1943 tion in the war. - . , Generally speaking the first year of the war for the United States saw the axis on the of fensive everywhere, the allies on the defensive. With the excep tion of the skies over Britain, axis air power was superior in every combat theater when the United States entered the war. Thanks mainly to American airplane production, by the end of 1942 the allies were challeng ing the axis in the air on every front and during the second year of American combat, the allies won aerial superiority in every theater, including over Germany itself, save for the Inner defenses V of Japan beyond the reach of American heavy bombers., ... This transition in the air en abled the allies to take the offen sive a year ago. The English sneakine allies moved into North Africa Nov. 7, 1942. setting off a chain of events that led to the clearing of the axis from Africa and the Mediterranean. ' Before' each jten in the Medi terranean the allies first achieved aerial domination over the areas conce'rned. The allies first carried out sys tematic strategic bombing of en emy supplies, communications and defenses throughout the Mediterranean. When the time was ' ripe these ' attacks were brought to a tactical focus and Lthe enemy was helpless to resist invasion. In the case of Pantel leria the enemy capitulated to aerial attack only the first time in history an island was captured from the air alone. Japanese aggression In the Pa cific proceeded unhalted until the series of successful American naval actions Coral Sea, Mld- the attitude of both the army and navy on air power. Army thinking on this matter evolved so far that the current army field service regulations, on command and employment of air power, issued July 21, 1943, as serts, "Land Power and Air Power are co-equal and interde pendent forces; neither Is an auxiliary of the other." The army air force is now ap proaching its maximum top pro jected strength in personnel, and is rapidly expanding in number of planes and facilities. Last year Gen. Henry H. Arnold command ing general of the army air forces, said the ultimate goal was to keep 185,000 planes flying and fighting. The navy's air arm now possesses close to 20,000 planes. Air plane production, a prime factor in Americas air power. has steadily increased. October production was 8,362 planes. American planes are equal or su perior to the enemy s in every category. An entirely new and unnamed army fighter is on the way, while it was recently dis closed the giant new B-2 . bomb er, dwarfing the Flying Fortress and Liberator, will shortly be in combat. - Superiority of American planes and personnel is reflected by combat scores. From Dec. 7, 1941 to Sept. 1, 1943, American army combat planes flew a total of 233,758 sorties, dropping 105,- 649 tons of bombs. On those mis sions army - planes destroyed 7312 enemy planes, probably de stroyed Z18B and damaged an ad ditional 2535, for the loss of only 1867 planes. Comparable figures for the navy have not been pub lished, but cross-sections show that naw nlanes are brinffins way, Bismarck Sea and others 'down the enemy in about the 1 In which air power again played a dominant role. Air power held the Japanese back after they had nearly reached Australia. - ' Meanwhile the strategic bomb ing of German industry, commit - nicatlons and defenses proceeded from Britain with the object of reducing the enemy's ability to resist to the minimum before a landing of ground forces was attempted-. Lately the'alies have begun similar strategic bombing &ot German industry, communica- ' tlons and defenses proceeded from Britain with the object of reducing the enemy'a ability to resist to the minimum before a landing of ground forces was at tempted. Lately the allies have begun similar strategic bombing of Germany from new bases in Italy, exerting a gigantic aerial pincer on the Nazis' stronghold. Some allied strategists would not be surprised if Germany ca pitulates to the aerial hammer ing from the west and the enuh. ing blows of the Russian armies in the east before a western front can be opened by ground forces , uirown across the English chan nel, though they have not been counting on that. . . . Growth in importance, actual ly and relatively, of air power Is shown by the fact the army air foces today number close to 2, 800,000 officers and men, while pilots are trained at the rate of 75,000 yearly. This compares to the total acmy strength of around 7,500,000 men. In 1918 the air force numbered 1800 officers and 20,000 men. At the start of the first World War the army had only two fly ine fields and 55 planes, of which 51 were classified as obsolete and the other four obsolescent, while the air service numbered only 1200 officers and men. In the interval between the two wars army airmen constantly battled for greater recognition It was asserted that army "brass hats" were not air-minded, and viewed air power as an auxiliary. The same struggle proceeded in the navy. The war in the Pacific not ably such events as Pearl Har bor, the sinking of the British capital ships Prince of Wales and Repulse off Malaya, and the bat tle of Midway revolutionized same ratio as the army. E OFFERS PLAN FOR RETURN OF GOLD A monetary plan, which he believes would pay off the na tional debt, pay for the war and insure returning soldiers an adequate income, has been worked out by H. H. McClung, Box 131, Rogue River. Mr. Mc Clung has submitted his plan to both Senator Charles L. McNary and Senator Rufus Holman and has received replies to the effect that it would be turned over to the secretary of the treasury and the senate finance committee. Mr. McClung would have the country return te a complete gold standard, raise the price of gold to $100 an ounce and put the gold coins into circula tion, retiring all currency. Mr. McClung states that this nation now owns 90 per cent of the world's gold and that at $100 an ounce, anyone, a returning sol dier or even women and chil dren, could mine gold and make a living. The author of the plan oper ates a small mine near Rogue River in spare time off from hli work as a saw filer for a logging outfit in the Grave Creek dis trict and points out that working full time at the mine he could make a very comfortable wage with gold at $35 an ounce. Most of the gold which he mines of a purity to bring from $27 to $30 an ounce and much of it tie disposes of to dentists of the valley. Mr. McClung stated that be believes the plan would work and he is Interested in receiving comments and questions from readers. Mr. McClung was Medford last week for medical care and was at the home his son, George McClung, 812 Boardman St. Helps Prevent -Ji M I Many Colds from Developing!.. Works Right Whera Most Colds Start! Beware of colds! At the first warning sign of a cold first sniffle or sneeze put a few drops of Va-tro-nol up each nostril. This spedaliied medication is designed to aid natural fpr ft defenses against colds and so help prevent many Vlfc4 colo from devdcmg if used in tune. .TPfVJIOI. Try itl Follow directions in package. VH IkW HWI .: f ft t .i An : r-st ;., i-,-,v i ' , ' . j ! i; : v ! .i :i ' ;. . .-. i ., . AIRLINE is composed of many parts... planes, hangars . . , terminal? and ticket offices . '. . commis- . sary kitchens . . . machine shops . . countless other units. And it is made up of people the organization of people v that run the airline. . . ' v We're mighty proud of each and every one of them. Alert, competent pUot8...painstaking mechanics., .pleasant nd attractive stewardesses.', .weatherwise dispatchers.. courteous ticket agents . . '. busy cargo handlers all have a sincere pride in the service which they perform for pas sengers on United Mainliners. . , Today, of course, 85 of United's business is of a mili tary nature. But we are looking to the peacetime days to come when United, as before the war, will again not only meet but anticipate the business and pleasure travel re quirements of this community' and the many cities it serves on the Pacific Seaboard and from coast to coast. The men and women who work for United, like all their neighbors here in the West, are looking to the future with confidence. They know that the growing empire of the Pacific Coast means greater opportunities for them in time to come just as it does for this city. They are helping tQ plan the expanded air service that United proposes immediately following the war . . . the . giant new 4-engined Mainliners pictured below . . the new schedules that will clip eight hours off flight time to New ' , it i... ...i.. - -a.' i i11'.s1a Li a 'mi' J' 'v- v . . iom ana ine rjwt . . .ine luxurious uigni accummouauona -. i ; ,(-v. . , that will be featured.-. They know that United inteqds to . , . spend iuixuuub vi uuutua; iu auuiuupip cwfiuiciH awi ,.' v .. , , ' facilities on its strategic routes from California to Caaada .' . ...... sum suuug uic iuwu uuo auw.uwu ww. w jmm -t ,r.- v f T' '- - ' Ana-so me people 01 umiea, tura w 01 vs am-oa : . : n the Facinc Voast, are looking aneM to tne great new sjqo-ii-,.., ' striving to make the coming peacetime days an age of ' ,l...u:i- r..n r..L IT.:.J A :- T : ...ir .' ' . ' :t fMl n dn rwmnn.ihilirv in heinv a narttwr in Out nrOff. -; p -r . r " j, o , ; . . : ' resfiof the Pacific Coast. ' ' Msfan to "IN TIME TO COM I" Cvtry Sunday, t:30 p. m.-CBS Pacific Ccwsf Ntfww ; UNITED AIR l LINES MunlelpaLAIrport TaUphonti 7111 ; . ' . - - ., .:-:('.; .!;; i - k A Partnw In Mio Progmt of thm Pociffe Coast if WEST COAST CITIES ON UNITED , AIR LINES' ROUTIl Los Angeles . . . San Francisco . . . Oakland . . . Portland ". . VTacoma ', . .' Seattle . . '. San Diego . . . Long Beach Santa Barbara . . . Del Monte ... Monterey . . , Fresno ... Bakersfield . , . Sacramento . . Red Bluff . . . Medford Eugene . . Salem .. . . Bellingham . . . Vancouver, B. C . . . Spokane . . . Walla Walla . . . Pendleton . . . Reno r 9
