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Show 500,000 Citizens to Be 'Eyes and Ears' Of Army Air Corps Defense Program Men, Women Volunteer as Plane Spotters for Air Defense. By DONREID LAWNFELL (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) WASHINGTON, D. C Enrollment En-rollment of 500,000 U. S. civilians civil-ians as volunteer observers for the army air corps is proceeding pro-ceeding under the direction of Lieut. Gen. Delos C. Emmons, Em-mons, commander of the general gen-eral headquarters air force, whose headquarters is at Boiling Boi-ling Field, D. C. Thus a million eyes and ears join in another forehanded forehand-ed step in the accelerated national na-tional defense program. The war department asserts it has no desire to alarm the general gen-eral public, but points out that the active co-operation of the citizenry at large is needed for the success of national defense de-fense measures. Organization of this volunteer corps will constitute a nationwide civilian force who will act as spotters spot-ters for the four air forces of the army air corps. They will be affiliated affili-ated with the interceptor commands of each air force. Modern Paul Reveres. These modern Paul Reveres who are being welded into a compact unit of defense "minutemen and minutewomen," may not adopt the slogan, "One if by land, two if by sea." But their words in the mouthpiece mouth-piece of a crank driven model telephone tele-phone from an Iowa farmhouse, or a terse message from a shiny new dial instrument in New Jersey, will send fighter commands, anti-aircraft artillery and balloon squadrons squad-rons into action. From the rooftops of their homes, in the towers of churches and skyscrapers, sky-scrapers, on prairies, farms, fields and beaches, Mr. and Mrs. Average American Citizen will watch for that speck and listen for that telltale hum that may reveal the presence of an air enemy. Patriotic organizations like the American Legion, and their women's auxiliaries, forest fire wardens, weather observers, CCC and the coast guard, would of course, cooperate co-operate in flashing an alarm to headquarters. head-quarters. Public utilities, telegraph, telephone, tele-phone, railway and light and power systems will take an enormous part in the warning system, for the alarm flashed would be sent over their communications. The importance of air-warnings cannot be over-estimated, says the war department. To know where the attacking force is poised, where it strikes and where it may be expected ex-pected to strike, is essential for defense de-fense of the country. Here is where the volunteer watchers play a vital role. Organized in their home communities, com-munities, in grid fashion, they will man listening and watching posts in established time shifts. At the first sign of danger, they will call "Army Flash" into their telephones. In time of attack they would maintain their positions and continue their reports of the enemy's movements, concentration, concen-tration, numbers, etc. Plan Is Workable. This method of aircraft warning has already been tested and proved feasible. An experiment was held in the New York-New England region, re-gion, under the supervision of Maj. Gen. James E. Chaney, commander '('" "c J . , --u3jEt i ami S9W!r In event of war the above scene in war-torn London would undoubted- ly be re-enacted in all large American cities. The picture shows air-force officers and auxiliary air force women plotters watching enemy move- ments over Britain. Housed many feet below the surface, they receive a continuous record of information, supplied by scattered detecting posts, similar to the ones being created here. Thus they are enabled to chart ' defense and attack plans, from a subterranean nerve center, protected from air raids by thick steel and concrete overhead. of the First air force. A corps of civilian observers was organized by the American Legion, to work with the army. The American Telephone & Telegraph company and its affiliated affili-ated companies handled the communications commu-nications over their network. Results were excellent and the experience ex-perience and knowledge gained from the tests, laid the groundwork for the present program. Also taken into consideration were methods used abroad, as reported by American Ameri-can army officers stationed there. Ail-Around Air Defense. Modern air defense is divided basically ba-sically into active and passive phases. Included in the active phase is the "defensive" attack, carried out by fighter planes. It embraces also the network of civilians giving the warnings of enemy aircraft. Anti-aircraft artillery, pouring barrages bar-rages of exploding steel into the skies, and balloon barrages that compel com-pel enemy aircraft to fly too high for effectiveness, partly complete the picture of active defense. To obtain information of the movements move-ments of hostile air threats, to attack at-tack these threats in the air, to provide pro-vide simultaneous protection of all sensitive home areas, will be the objectives of these agencies of active ac-tive defense. Co-operating in a combined com-bined effort, they will make possible possi-ble a positive, aggressive and coordinated co-ordinated counter-blow to sweep enemy en-emy fighters and bombers from the skies. Close liaison will be maintained with the agencies engaged in passive pas-sive defense. To them, also, warnings warn-ings of approaching enemy aircraft are vital. They will warn the civilian civil-ian population and industry, warn home guards, police, fire departments, depart-ments, anti-gas and medical workers work-ers to stay on the alert at their stations. They will enforce blackouts black-outs of lighting and radio broadcasting broadcast-ing which might guide enemy aircraft air-craft to their targets. This is a phase of civilian air raid defense, however, howev-er, for which separate, detailed plans will be made. The Four Air Forces. The First air force is commanded by Maj. Gen. James E. Chaney. It covers the northeast and includes the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jer- sey, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, that portion of North Carolina north and east of the line extending from South Boston Bos-ton in Virginia and Cape Lookout in North Carolina; West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Second air force is commanded command-ed by Maj. Gen. John F. Curry. Embracing the Northwest, it comprises com-prises the following states: Washington, Wash-ington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, Da-kota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The Third air force, under command com-mand of Maj. Gen. Barton K. Yount, embraces the southeast region. The states in this area are: North Carolina Caro-lina (except that portion attached to the First air force), South Carolina, Caro-lina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. The Fourth air force takes in the Southwest. It is commanded by Maj. Gen. Jacob E. Fickel. Included Includ-ed In the area of this force are the following states: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Bomber and Interceptor Commands. Each air force is divided into two components, a bomber command, which is controlled by the air force commander, and an interceptor command, which includes fighter planes or pursuit aviation, anti-aircraft artillery and balloon barrages, supervises and controls the entire observer and warning system, and delivers the counter-blow. Each interceptor command is under un-der the direct control of a brigadier general who is subordinate to the air force commander. The heads of the interceptor commands are as follows: Brig. Gen. John C. McDonnell, McDon-nell, interceptor command, First air force, Mitchel field, Long island, N. Y.; Brig. Gen. Carlyle H. Wash, interceptor in-terceptor command, Second air force, Fort George Wright, Washington; Wash-ington; Brig. Gen. Walter H. Frank, interceptor command, Third air force, Tampa, Fla.; Brig. Gen. Millard Mil-lard F. Harmon, interceptor command, com-mand, Fourth air force. Riverside, California. Tests Will Continue. The present air districts Northeast North-east air district, Northwest air district, dis-trict, Southeast air district, and Southwest air district are to be designated hereafter as air forces, as follows: First air force, (formerly Northeast North-east air district); Second air force, (formerly Northwest air district) ; Third air force, (formerly Southeast air district); Fourth air force, (formerly (for-merly Southwest air district). The air defense command was originally formed to provide experience experi-ence and the basis for future developments de-velopments in defense against air attacks, which are now being applied ap-plied in this new organization. The air defense command co-ordinated control of anti-aircraft units, pursuit-planes, and aircraft warning service of signal communications, all elements for the protection of an area against hostile air attacks. Now that these functions are to be taken over by the interceptor commands, the air defense command will remain re-main as a laboratory group at Mitchel field, New York, consisting of Major General Chaney, four stall officers and 34 enlisted men. They will continue "lest sector" experiments experi-ments and develop principles, tactics tac-tics and doctrine to be used by the army air corps. |
