Show U U. U S S. S BOLSTERS ISLES lAIR AIR UNITS I WASHINGTON Feb 27 UP The The United States moved Thursday Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day to bolster its air forces in Alaska and the Philippines with six additional army air corps units scheduled for Alaskan service and two more pursuit groups assigned i to the far eastern outpost Secretary of War Henry L. L Stimson disclosed the dispatch of air units to Alaska announcing three of them already had been sent from Fort Mason Ca Cal and I that three others will leave within two months The Philippine transfer Involving involving involving ing an estimated 50 planes and 65 pilots was revealed earlier by other war department officials Withholds Alaskan Totals Stimson declined to disclose the number of planes and men involved in involved involved in- in in the Alaskan move He said he does not want to make the war department a center of specific information to go to our friends or our abr abroad ad The units units which already have left Fort Mason are the Eighteenth pursuit s sq squadron u dron dr n headquarters ers sr squadron n o of the Twenty Twenty-e Twenty eighth composite group and the Twenty- Twenty third air base gf group uP They al already already already al- al ready are in Seward Alaska He said a detachment of the Twenty-third Twenty air base group will leave Fort Mason March 15 for Seward and that the Twenty- Twenty third bombardment squadron less flying personnel will leave Seattle Seattle Se Seattle Se- Se attle Wash March 22 The flying flying flying fly fly- ing personnel of the squadron will leave McChord field Washington April 15 for Seward The decision to send more planes to the Philippines came in the midst of increasing far cast east tension Keep Plane Ty Types es Secret Secret Officials would no not disclose what types of planes were in involved involved involved in- in or from where they would be sent It If was recalled that theair the theair theair air corps has asked fo to construct surface hard-surface runways in the islands to accommodate the modern high speed fighting ships No runways have been provided provided provided pro pro- vided by any previous legislation and inasmuch as this base Is of vital ital importance for the defense of oC the Philippine islands it isco is co considered essential that these runways be provided the department department department depart depart- ment has said |