Maneuvers Concluded

From New England last week the Army's 639-plane armada wheeled about and flew back toward New York. Skimming down the Hudson, a group of pursuit planes dropped out of line to salute the cadets at West Point, who had been let off classes to watch the show. The pursuit planes formed first an A for Army, then an AC for Air Corps before rejoining the parade. Then the fleet took its first 24-hr, rest on airfields in the metropolitan district, and that night occurred the first civilian scare of the three-week maneuvers.

Shortly before 10 p. m. when citizens of upper Manhattan were taking a breath of air in the warm night, two claps of thunder and two tremendous white lights appeared low in the sky. Some of the citizens thought the Army had changed its mind, was putting on the night demonstration called off three weeks ago; others became frightened, then angry. They reported 30 broken windows to the police, swore that the explosion occurred low over the city, jeopardizing lives. What had happened was the explosion of two

3,000,000 ,000-candlepower Army flashlight bombs dropped from a lone plane which had been ordered to take night photographs of Riverside Drive. Published next day, the photographs proved that the bomb had been released well out over the Hudson River. Next and last phase of the armada's operations was to save Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington from a mythical fleet which was steaming up Chesapeake Bay. Combining showmanship with strategy, the planes flew in review formation over Philadelphia's Broad Street. Baltimore also got its show before the ships settled upon Logan Field, Boiling Field (D. C.), Langley Field, Va. The demonstration over the capital took place for one hour on Decoration Day, concluded the maneuvers of the largest peacetime concentration of aircraft in U. S. history. Without serious mishap (Army statistics had forecast six deaths), the 639 ships had flown 2,000,000 plane-miles in three weeks. In retrospect, Brigadier General Foulois, in charge of the operations, tendered his highest praise to the U. S. Weather Bureau which, in conjunction with Army experts, had broadcast half-hourly reports throughout the great flight. Having personally directed the formations over Boston, Major General MacArthur, Chief of Staff, sent to the armada's personnel the Army's (& Navy's) terse stereotype of highest praise: WELL DONE.

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