THE "WAR HAWKS"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 166, 16 July 1942, Page 4

THE "WAR HAWKS"

WILL TAME THE JAPS.

WHAT U.S. INDUSTRY IS DOING

(By A. M. SMITH) BUFFALO, May 31

Curtiss-Wright Corporation's large machine shops and assembly plant in this area are in full swing of production of the War Hawk combat plane, a considerable improvement over the famous Tomahawks and Kittyhawks, made by the same company and frequently cited in war dispatches for their remarkable performance.

Three of these War Hawks, speedier, with more deadly striking power than their predecessors of the Hawk family, took the air this morning to demonstrate to the newsmen of the "production for victory" tour, in a half-hour of formation and individual flight, what the enemies of free people are up—really up in the air— against. Flashing past us at low altitude at an excess of 400 miles per hour, they came and were gone so quickly that one seasoned veteran of the air remarked: "I don't believe a ground gun could aim and fire fast enough to touch one of them."

This is the kind of stuff American industry is putting into the air to bring down Japanese Zeros and any other craft the Axis Powers may use to challenge the freedom of people. How efficient these "Hawks" are was told briefly, but with thrilling effect on us, by Byron A. Glover, of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, who arrived in Rangoon, May 18, 1941, to receive a consignment of planes to be operated by the famed American Volunteer Group pilots against Japanese squadrons outnumbering them ten to one.

Some of the A.V.G. planes would return with a hundred or more bullet holes through them, yet with the pilot untouched, and the plane not vitally injured. Hair-raising Exploits

"On one occasion word was flashed to a group of the A.V.G. pilots, then at high altitude, that a formation of Japanese planes wag headed for their home base. The A.V.G. boys dived down, caught the Japanese within a mile of the airport, knocked them dcwn or scattered them with not cne shot from the Japanese planes at the landing field." But this picture of speed and hitting power, with devastating results, was offset to some extent by Glover's statement that "the Japanese war pilots are capable, highly trained, straight shooters, and are utterly regardless of their own lives, and the Allies have a real job cut out for them in the Orient." One A.V.G. pilot's exploit in a Hawk plane lifted our hair, so to apeak, as Glover told it.

"This pilot saw a Japanese on the tail of one of our bombers, and came down after him. His gun jammed. But he came in close to the Japanese plane, made a quick roll, knocked down the Japanese with one of his wings, lost 4ft of the A.V.G. plane wing, but the pilot brought the plane safely to ground, despite that." Huge Cargo Plane Another development of the Cur-tiss-Wright Corporation is the huge cargo plane for mixed service, now coming off the assembly line in large scale production. This plane is about the largest airliner of its type in the world. What loads it will carry and of what kinds, is not for publication at this time. Inspection of the interior of this ship, and seeing them rolled out on to the field, adds greatly to our assurance that American industrial management and American workers will never stop the high speed with which they are turning out war munitions until the Axis Powers cry "Enough!" But we are also convinced that more and more of this material, at still higher speed of production, must be the consistent programme if the war is to be won.—Auckland Star and N.A.N.A,