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32.

A.  That is very true. But here you have a definite target, something absolutely concrete, and all that is necessary is to hit it or hit in the vicinity of it and get a mine effect. Certainly you can get more hits against a ship than you would with your coast artillery at long range. Taking a distance of 60 feet from the ship standing still at 3,000 feet we have been able to get from 60 to 75 per cent. hits in that way.

Q.  Yes, but they can fire a great many more projectiles. They can sustain their fire a long time?

A.  We can send one flight out after another.

Q.  We have got the guns. We haven't got the flights?

A. I know we haven't. That is one point that should be considered. The air force is going to be the first thing to be employed, while the mobilization of the army is taking place.

Q.  It takes it two years to produce?

A.  That is the reason you ought to start in and help us get it now.

Q.  I think so. (By another officer.) What is the life of a bombing plane?

A.  Under war conditions?

Q.  Under peace conditions?

A.  Under peace conditions they will last about a year, or two years if properly taken care of; a year is about the life. During the war the life was one to two months.