Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 9, 2018 12:57:13 GMT 12
This is an interesting take on how well the USA really did in the air war in WWI, from the Northern Advocate, dated 20 JULY 1921. I had no idea how poorly the USAS did, and how much propaganda was involved in making them look good!!
THE BLACK HAND.
"FLAMING COFFINS"
AMERICAN AVIATION STRANGLED
The most amazing story of The Black Hand in the War is revealed by official reports on the failure of the United states Air Force.
America spent more than £210,000, — or three times the amount expended by Germany on her whole army before she launched her attack on Belgium — and yet not one American-made fighting airplane crossed the line in France! It has been, described as probably the greatest financial failure in human history.
The almost unbelievable story of the failure begins in April 1917, when America undertook to have 20,000 air planes ready for war within nine months. At the end of 18 months her contractors had produced 11,754. None of them were fighting machines. Thousands of them were obsolete; some could not fly, others were deathtraps for their pilots.
Only 196 of these 11,754 machines reached France. They were purely bombers, as distinct from fighters, and they earned this terrible reputation from a star pilot with the American Forces, Captain Rickenbacker, who downed 26 Huns: — "From every side Fokkers were piquing upon the clumsy Liberty 'machines, which, with their criminally constructed fuel tanks, offered too easy a target to the incendiary bullets of the enemy that their unfortunate pilots called this boasted achievement of our Aviation Department their flaming coffins.
"During that one brief fight over Grand Pre I saw three of these crude machines go down in flames, an American pilot, and an American gunner in each 'flaming coffin' dying this frightful and needless death."
The whole sorry business was investigated by Judge Hughes, the present Secretary of State, who made astonishing discoveries and declared that "in the face of delays in production a series of misleading statements was made with official authority."
One example of the manner in which a hundred million people were gulled is typical. Early in 1917 there arrived in France the (then) latest things in two-seater airplanes. They were the famous British do Havilland 4's, especially constructed for bombing up to 20 miles behind the firing-line, in daylight. At that time all two-seaters. were escorted by scouts (fighting machines), to protect them against the enemy. On the same 'drome was a squadron of these scout machines. They were known as "Baby Nieuports." According to custom they took off to "protect" the bombers. At 11, 000 ft, their engines were gasping for breath —the oxygen was too scarce for them.
By the time they had struggled to this height the de Havilland 4's had reached 17,000 ft., settled in formation, and disappeared over the line. The British authorities packed up the "Baby Nieuports," and sent them home . Their day was done.
"THE TERROR OF THE AIR"
Yet 12 months later the 'Committee of Public Information in America released for publication photographs and descriptions of an airplane which they modestly termed "The Terror of the Air." This was the description:— "This Nieuport monoplane, the fastest machine in the world and used extensively by the French in it this war, has been loaned to our forces 'Over There' to teach our aviators now in France how to chase and bag retreating German flyers." To appreciate fully the magnitude of this official fraud it is necessary to understand that the "Baby Nieuport," was a big improvement on the Nieuport monoplane, which, described by official America in 1918 as "The Terror of the Air," had been discarded by France two years before and was at that time being gazed at in an English aviation museum with the reverence due to the aged, by budding Australian pilots.
The writer recalls sitting in the London flat of a worried and completely puzzled aeronautical engineer during the war. The engineer flourished a bundle of official papers and swore mysteriously until he taunted one into inquisitiveness. Then he burst out. "The matter? Well, if I didn't know Americans I should think they were all mad. This wretched bundle of papers represents frantic cablegrams from America. Half a dozen of their best pilots have been killed on our previous Bristol Fighters, and they declare they are dangerous."
The Bristol Fighter was the joy of the two-seater pilot in France. It was only at it he tail end of the war that No. 3 Squadron of the A.F.C. obtained a few of them. The writer had left the squadron then, but he recalls stories of harassed flight-commanders who could't keep their pilots from "looking for fight," instead of doing their observation work, with these new machines. Under those circumstances it was natural to be amazed at the experience of America.
THE BUSY ENEMY WITHIN
"Now, my dear chap,'* said the engineer "you won't believe me. They have stuck their cursed Liberty engines in them, and naturally the engine has pulled them to bits. Fancy a 400 h.p. engine in a Bristol, which is made for a 250! "
Perhaps this blunder supplies the answer to the lament of. Mr H L. Scarfe, formerly a captain in the United States Air Service, that aviation fatalities in US.A. reached a much higher figure than those which occurred in Europe.
"There were 650 enemy aliens employed in the factories of three concerns making aircraft for the Government," says Judge Hughes, and he specifies this case: A test pilot went to a factory to fly a completed machine. He was told that a surface inspection was unnecessary, "as 20 men had already examined it." But, like Hawker, he believed in "twanging the wires." This is what, he found: The wings were wrong, the front struts were on behind. Any of these faults were sufficient to cause the pilot's death!
The head of the drafting department in one of the plants making Liberty motors was a citizen of Germany, and was reported for repeatedly making pro-German remarks. A conference of the management was held, and, according to the minutes of this conference reports were read from various members of the drafting department who were in touch with the situation, and who felt that the department was practically a pro-German institution! His removal was refused, and later a close personal friend of this man was found with photographs and drawings of the plant and was interned.
These instances and others make up an amazing story, and truly a strange harvest to reap from the thousand million dollars and hundreds of "free American" lives.
THE BLACK HAND.
"FLAMING COFFINS"
AMERICAN AVIATION STRANGLED
The most amazing story of The Black Hand in the War is revealed by official reports on the failure of the United states Air Force.
America spent more than £210,000, — or three times the amount expended by Germany on her whole army before she launched her attack on Belgium — and yet not one American-made fighting airplane crossed the line in France! It has been, described as probably the greatest financial failure in human history.
The almost unbelievable story of the failure begins in April 1917, when America undertook to have 20,000 air planes ready for war within nine months. At the end of 18 months her contractors had produced 11,754. None of them were fighting machines. Thousands of them were obsolete; some could not fly, others were deathtraps for their pilots.
Only 196 of these 11,754 machines reached France. They were purely bombers, as distinct from fighters, and they earned this terrible reputation from a star pilot with the American Forces, Captain Rickenbacker, who downed 26 Huns: — "From every side Fokkers were piquing upon the clumsy Liberty 'machines, which, with their criminally constructed fuel tanks, offered too easy a target to the incendiary bullets of the enemy that their unfortunate pilots called this boasted achievement of our Aviation Department their flaming coffins.
"During that one brief fight over Grand Pre I saw three of these crude machines go down in flames, an American pilot, and an American gunner in each 'flaming coffin' dying this frightful and needless death."
The whole sorry business was investigated by Judge Hughes, the present Secretary of State, who made astonishing discoveries and declared that "in the face of delays in production a series of misleading statements was made with official authority."
One example of the manner in which a hundred million people were gulled is typical. Early in 1917 there arrived in France the (then) latest things in two-seater airplanes. They were the famous British do Havilland 4's, especially constructed for bombing up to 20 miles behind the firing-line, in daylight. At that time all two-seaters. were escorted by scouts (fighting machines), to protect them against the enemy. On the same 'drome was a squadron of these scout machines. They were known as "Baby Nieuports." According to custom they took off to "protect" the bombers. At 11, 000 ft, their engines were gasping for breath —the oxygen was too scarce for them.
By the time they had struggled to this height the de Havilland 4's had reached 17,000 ft., settled in formation, and disappeared over the line. The British authorities packed up the "Baby Nieuports," and sent them home . Their day was done.
"THE TERROR OF THE AIR"
Yet 12 months later the 'Committee of Public Information in America released for publication photographs and descriptions of an airplane which they modestly termed "The Terror of the Air." This was the description:— "This Nieuport monoplane, the fastest machine in the world and used extensively by the French in it this war, has been loaned to our forces 'Over There' to teach our aviators now in France how to chase and bag retreating German flyers." To appreciate fully the magnitude of this official fraud it is necessary to understand that the "Baby Nieuport," was a big improvement on the Nieuport monoplane, which, described by official America in 1918 as "The Terror of the Air," had been discarded by France two years before and was at that time being gazed at in an English aviation museum with the reverence due to the aged, by budding Australian pilots.
The writer recalls sitting in the London flat of a worried and completely puzzled aeronautical engineer during the war. The engineer flourished a bundle of official papers and swore mysteriously until he taunted one into inquisitiveness. Then he burst out. "The matter? Well, if I didn't know Americans I should think they were all mad. This wretched bundle of papers represents frantic cablegrams from America. Half a dozen of their best pilots have been killed on our previous Bristol Fighters, and they declare they are dangerous."
The Bristol Fighter was the joy of the two-seater pilot in France. It was only at it he tail end of the war that No. 3 Squadron of the A.F.C. obtained a few of them. The writer had left the squadron then, but he recalls stories of harassed flight-commanders who could't keep their pilots from "looking for fight," instead of doing their observation work, with these new machines. Under those circumstances it was natural to be amazed at the experience of America.
THE BUSY ENEMY WITHIN
"Now, my dear chap,'* said the engineer "you won't believe me. They have stuck their cursed Liberty engines in them, and naturally the engine has pulled them to bits. Fancy a 400 h.p. engine in a Bristol, which is made for a 250! "
Perhaps this blunder supplies the answer to the lament of. Mr H L. Scarfe, formerly a captain in the United States Air Service, that aviation fatalities in US.A. reached a much higher figure than those which occurred in Europe.
"There were 650 enemy aliens employed in the factories of three concerns making aircraft for the Government," says Judge Hughes, and he specifies this case: A test pilot went to a factory to fly a completed machine. He was told that a surface inspection was unnecessary, "as 20 men had already examined it." But, like Hawker, he believed in "twanging the wires." This is what, he found: The wings were wrong, the front struts were on behind. Any of these faults were sufficient to cause the pilot's death!
The head of the drafting department in one of the plants making Liberty motors was a citizen of Germany, and was reported for repeatedly making pro-German remarks. A conference of the management was held, and, according to the minutes of this conference reports were read from various members of the drafting department who were in touch with the situation, and who felt that the department was practically a pro-German institution! His removal was refused, and later a close personal friend of this man was found with photographs and drawings of the plant and was interned.
These instances and others make up an amazing story, and truly a strange harvest to reap from the thousand million dollars and hundreds of "free American" lives.
