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