Show NEWS THIS WEEK by LEMUEL F PARTON consolidated features service N EW YORK something like ho JI 1 gratius at the bridge or the little dutch boy with his finger in the dyke is the american col C L chen and his air circus pilot r i american wings spread lots guard ober dver burma road ing the bur ma road and dropping the japanese e as fast as they come their score is more than 60 japanese planes downed including 24 bombers with a possible ble score of around taking into account the enemy planes hit but not downed on the spot doing all this with antiquated planes and so far lost only 10 of them six years ago colonel chennault headed the army team of precision acrobats which spread heart failure among the crowds attending the seventh annual army air races at miami lie he and his mates J H williams and william mcdonald put on probably the diz biest air show ever seen and at the same time a demonstration of the amazing maneuverability of airplanes under highly expert control the colonel a lean dark quiet wiry man was 45 years old when the above air show came off he retired from the army and holed up in a neat little house at waterproof la he had his books and his dog and he was going to enjoy life with his friends however he kept up his studies of air tactics and strategy having written two authoritative text books on these subjects in 1937 he be was approached by a representative of the chinese government who proposed that he become air adviser to the chinese government this led to his four years service ein jn china in which he organized and commanded the present or american volunteer group which is now outfighting the japanese along the burma road when he was here in january 1940 he said that the chinese planes were liquid cooled and at a great disadvantage against any up to date machine A quiet reserved officer with no dash of the swashbuckler in his makeup make up he says that he and his boys can hold the road it if they can just get a few more fairly fashionable planes edid THE HE united states marine corps did not need the saga of guam and wake island as a reminder that it is an old established firm the is two ris i ir corps gen holcomb deep years year older in tradition of than the U S marine corps present united states government and on november 10 of this year will celebrate its anniversary niver sary its anchor globe and eagle em blen fand its semper fidelis have been pretty nearly everywhere and historically speaking it will be old stuff to the marines wherever they land just now it has its highest ranking commandant in history with the presidents elevation of commandant thomas holcomb from the rank of major general to lieutenant general general holcomb 12 42 years with the corps is a quiet spoken heavyset businesslike business like off officer who like his leathernecks Leather necks has been around a lot and has a way of making himself at home under inhospitable conditions his world war honors won in france include a citation by general pershing the navy cross the silver star the purple heart and the legion of honor ribbon he entered the marine corps as a civilian his rough and ready military education later was supplemented by a course in the command and general staff school in 1925 he saw service in china and the philippines back in the dawn days of manifest destiny and in the world war he commanded the second battalion of the sixth marines in the st mihiel meuse argonne offensives ile he was assigned to cuba in the postwar post war years and by 1935 had attained the rank of brigadier general in 1936 he was made a major general and commandant of the marine corps |