Flying Flagship

What dolls are to little girls, war games are to little armies. Last week the little U. S. army of the air--the GHQ Air Force --began a fortnight's play at war under the toughest conditions it could find, in winter-ridden New England. Since there was no "enemy," no "tactical problem," but merely a fight against Nature, the maneuvers themselves proved of little interest to the public. Using Mitchel Field, N. Y., Concord, N. H. and Burlington, Vt. as bases, 62 pursuit, attack and bombing planes carrying 216 men, began chasing back & forth over snowy hills to test equipment and find out, among other things, if machine-gun oil will lubricate at sub-zero temperatures. What made last week's war game newsworthy was the presence of the world's first Flying Flagship. A twin-motored Douglas DC2 transport, it is the first of three ordered by the Air Force at $85,000 apiece. Under the direction of Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews, it has been equipped as a complete flying headquarters with offices, radios, kitchen, but without armament. In it General Andrews acts as air admiral, flying above his fighters, directing them by radio. With its ceiling of 23,000 ft., the flagship will be out of range of antiaircraft guns, while its 200 m.p.h. speed will permit it to outrun most existing fighters. Its significance lies in accenting a prime military theory: fighting enemy aircraft with aircraft, not with ground guns.

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