The White Falcon - 24.03.1945, Síða 3

3
ONE LESS "NEBELWERFER"
This five-barreled German “Nebelwerfer” gun was cap-
tured by 5th Infantry Division troops when they overran
enemy positions in Luxembourg. The Germans failed in
their efforts to destroy it with dynamite.
CAA TAKES NO ENTHUSIASTIC VIEW
OF POSTWAR JOBS IN AVIATION
Horde Of Swindlers
Lay Plans To Take
Vets To Cleaners
(This is the first of a ser-
ies of 2 articles on post-war
employment possibilities in
the aviation industry, based
on a survey by the Civil Aer-
onautics Administration.)
By Camp Newspaper Service
There will be jobs for vet-
erans in post-war aviation
after the shooting ceases> but
“the industry cannot poss-
ibly maintain employment
approaching the present
level.”
That is the opinion of res-
ponsible officials of the Civ-
il Aeronautics Administrat-
ion who have surveyed the
field.
We have a $20,000,000,000
annual aviation manufactur-
ing industry today. Some
sources say we will be lucky
to have 2% of that operating
in peacetime. That would
mean a $400,000,000 indus-
try employing 50,000 per-
sons. J. A. Krug, chairman of
the War Production Board,
estimates only 5%' to 10% of
today’s industry will survive.
There are, however, some
important variables, which
may knock these estimates
into a cocked hat. One is
the helicopter, which the
CAA says “is developing
fast.” Another is the always
possible development of an
entirely new kind of plane
so useful that it will be
manufactured in quantity
and sold at popular prices.
Neither of these is “in
sight today for the near fu-
ture,” CAA men say.
As for the commercial air-
lines, CAA officials say “it
is evident, and airline offici-
als emphasize this, that the
airlines will not be big em-
ployers of labor after the
war.”
Men from the Army Air
Transport Command or the
Naval Air Transport Service
are generally conceded to
have the best chance for any
of the comparatively few op-
enings, flying and non-fly-
ing, which may develop in
airline operation.
On the ground, the outlook
is a little brighter. Congress
is now considering the Nat-
ional Airport Plan, drawn
up by the CAA, which would
double the number of air-
ports (from 3 to 6 thousand)
—90% of the increase being
the smaller fields for private
flyers. CAA estimates these
new fields will producec
63,000 operational jobs and
125,000 jobs in all.
PLASTIC BULLETS
LEND REALISM TO
FLIGHT TRAINING
A new practice bullet
which disintegrates harm-
lessly into powder when it
hits its target, and a special
armored target plane that
registers like a cash register
ringing up sales, have just
been announced by the Army
Air Forces as the newest
training aids for AAF gunn-
ers.
Known as the “frangible
bullet,” the new invention
makes it possible for gunn-
ers and .fighter plane pilots
to get the “priceless exper-
ience” of shooting live am-
munition at real fighters in
hot aerial sham battles be-
fore they go into actual com-
bat.
The bullet itself — an AAF
Training Command invent-
ion — is a 30 cal. machine
gun slug made of lead powd-
er and plastic material
which is hard enough to
withstand being fired
through a machine gun, yet
soft enough to splatter harm-
lessly into a fine powder
when it hits the special ar-
mor plate of the target plane.
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A new schedule was
announced this week for
the Art Club at Red Cross
Club 14. The group will
now meet on Wed. and
Sat. nights, 1900 to 2200
hours, under the supervis-
ion of Tec 5 Phil Schuss.
Both beginners and ad-
vanced students are invit-
ed to attend the classes,
in which a few openings
now exist.
Eager beavers among the
postwar planners' are a
horde of swindlers, primed
for their biggest killing, the
Better Business Bureau said
recently. Their intended vic-
tims are 12 million home-
coming servicemen.
The swindlers know that
(1) servicemen own a good
share of the nation’s 130
billion dollars in accumulat-
ed savings, (2) some 12 mill-
ion servicemen and women
will possess up to $1,000 ap-
iece in War Bonds, pay de-
posits, mustering-out pay
and travel allowances and
(3) seven percent of all men
in uniform have indicated
their intention to apply for
GI business loans.
Not all sharpies are wait-
ing for the war to end, eith-
er. A real estate racketeer!
in Philadelphia recently
sent letters to Negro soldiers
in the Pacific, seeking to
interest them in a proposed
all-colored subdivision in
suburban New Jersey. The
land, investigation found,
wras almost as bad as the
jungles in which these men
had been fighting.
Along with servicemen,
the folks at home are being
duped. An unknown “pu-
blisher” recently made pro-
posals to the citizens of
Missouri to include any man
in uniform in their family in
a book on war heroes from
the state. All the family htrd
to do was agree to buy the
book for $24.75 in advance.
Investigation offered little
assurance that the book ev-
er will be published. Another
fellow was caught soliciting
funds for a monument to
the Unknown Soldier of
World War II.
The Better Business Bur-
eau warns ex-fighting men
against the following types
of swindlers: (1) the “front
money operator,” who can
get you a loan for a fee —
and usually his help ends
when the fee is paid; (2) so-
called fur farmers who offer
biological “proof” of stagg-
ering profits on a small in-
vestment; (3) the fake bus-
iness broker who “finds” the
right business for you — for
a fee, of course; (4) the
“Partner Wanted” advertis-
er who, likely as not, is after
money — not a working
I partner; and (5) promoters
of cooperative nut or citrus
farms, always situated in
another part of the country
and nearly always fictitious.
The bureau says that the
“swindler will always try
to rush his victim into hasty
action and, of course^ seeks
to prevent him making an
investigation.”
^ ----------- \
Survey Reveals Only Five
Percent Of GIs Want Govt.
Employment Following War
About five percent of
Arm)’ male personnel have
definite plans to obtain Fed-
eral employment after dis-
charge, a survey of postwar
plans of troops by the Army
Service Forces indicates.
The Postal Service led all
other occupations specified.
PHILIPPINE CAPITAL WRECKED BY JAPANESE MADMEN
A city in flames is Manila, capital of the Philippine Islands. As American troops approached the city, fires de-
stroyed a large part of the downtown section, and during the night TNT charges, planted by the Japs, exploded.
Many ouildings were wrecked and fire added to the devastation.