"Greater Shanghai"

In the billion-dollar Japanese holocaust at Shanghai (TIME. Feb. 1, 1932 et seq.) several million dollars worth of damage was done by Japanese bombing planes. If and when they ever return, China hopes to be ready with a hot reception. Lately 75,000 slant-eyed Shanghai patriots cheered a zipping U. S. Curtiss Hawk combat plane just right for shooting down bombers. While they gasped and squealed, the 700-h.p. ship tore around Shanghai at 200 m.p.h., dived at 350 m.p.h. to annihilate an imaginary bomber and flattened out with a roar like 47 Chinese dragons just above the head of Mayor Wu Techen of Greater Shanghai.

When the Hawk was finally landed by Major James H. ("Jimmy") Doolittle, Chinese swarmed around to pat it and the ship was christened Greater Shanghai by Mayor Wu's beaming wife. Soon 36 Hawks, costing $1,000,000, were ordered by the Chinese Government. The first ships left the U. S. this week.

''Our biggest order this year!" grinned Curtiss Vice President T. P. Wright. ''The Hawks we are sending to China will be single seaters having the same type of nine-cylinder engine being used by Col. Lindbergh on his present flight. . . . We sold 24 Hawks to the Turkish Government last fall and several are in service in South America."

Last August 16 U. S. flyers began training Chinese pilots at Shanghai. Later the school was moved to Hangchow "to be out of range of foreign warships." Ostensibly all China's new Hawks will be Chinese piloted in any fighting which may take place. During the Shanghai battle at least one U. S. pilot, handsome Robert Short of Tacoma, Wash., took up a lone Boeing against six Japanese combat planes, killed one Japanese pilot and was shot down to death in flames (TIME, May 2, 1932).

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.