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MILLING, T. DEWITT, BRIG. GEN. USAF. - BIOG. FILE - FOLDER NO. 2 ITEM NO. 5A

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM

DRAFT

was agreeable and took on the duty [[strikethrough]]l[[/strikethrough]] of handling the gun himself and did me the honor of asking me to be his pilot.

The Lewis gun was air--cooled, weighed about 25 pounds and fired standard Army ammunition which was loaded in a circular drum and held 50 cartridges mounted on top of the gun. It was adjustable for rounds of fire between 3 and 7 hundred shots a minute but it was tested at the rate of about 500.

Using targets of cheesecloth in varying lengths and widths and flying at an altitude of 4 to 6 hundred feet the fireing was found to be as accurate as could be expected. We, of course, were greatly pleased and very anxious to purchase some of these guns. A request was made to the Chief of the Signal Office, General _______ for the purchase of 10 and he approved the recommendation. Gen Crosier, Chief of Ordnance, was much against the purchase and insisted we should use guns supplied by the Ordnance Department. His short--sightedness is most obvious when you consider that Lewis was forced to go to Belgium to manufacture his guns and that after we entered the War in 1917, we purchased guns from him to equip our planes.
(See Page 33 for insert here MA. [[Arnold?]]

[[Left Margin]]See Chandler 255 - MA.[[/Left Margin]] 

[[Left Margin]]Mil Avia - July 1912[[/Left Margin]]

Maneuvers were held in the vicinity of Bridgeport, Conn., from August 10 to 17th. Of course, we and the War Department were most anxious to take part as airplanes had never been used under such conditions in this country. Capt Hennessy, Lieut Kirtland, Fulois, Graham, Geiger, and myself were ordered to report to the maneuver headquarters. We sent one Burgess-Wright airplane, one Curtiss, (single seater) and one Curtiss (two seater)- the Wright plane to be flown by Lieut Fulois and the Curtiss planes by Geiger and myself. In addition to the officers from the Army, a member of the National Guard, Capt Bechwith Havens, was present with a two-place Curtiss plane. From a military standpoint, we were able

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