European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 9, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Page 8 the stars and stripes saturday March 9, 1968 Engineer raft sinks 42 soldiers rescued f Rhi River Oppenheim Germany special forty two Ameri can soldiers were rescued from the Swift flowing Rhine River Here thursday after a raft Sank during a training  of the men drifted As far As a Quarter of a mile downstream before they were picked up within minutes by . Army Power boats from j the 502nd and 552nd engr Bridge co. There wore no deaths or injuries in the Accident an army spokesman said. The spokesman said the Accident occurred when a Pon ton of the Metal raft was suddenly flooded by Waves caused by passing barges and a stiff  the raft began to sink about 20 Yards from the Shore the 40 enlisted men and two officers of the 249th engr in wearing life vests jumped into the water. The raft Sank dragging the Power boat  rescued in addition to the 42 americans were three Power boat  a request from the . Engineer unit the German 735th River engr co from the Wiesbaden Schier Stein bund Estehr Garrison sent a three Man diving team headed by  Hans Krey. The German divers hooked cables to the sunken Power boat and with the Aid of Bull dozers ashore the Craft was easily recovered thursday. The raft was recovered Friday. The 24th engr group stationed at Kaiserslautern is conducting a week Long Bridge training exercise with two of its units the 249thand the 293rd engr in. R us. I Milmah ��s3saves at left a German diver emerges from the Rhine River after helping Hook up cables to the Power boat. At right a go is pulled to safety. Army  navtj9s Corsair ions defense of Khe san it by Bob ii Orton Washington a Navy planners report a new Navy plane has been thrown into the Campaign to beat Down vietnamese troops threat the Marine outpost at Khe .North ening  s Sair plane own the snub nosed Ata Cor ii a Workhorse attack which literally carries its weight in bombs and mis Siles and appears destined to be one of the most bought planes in  first 14-bomber Squadron was sent to South Vietnam Only last november but has already chalked up More than 500 com Bat sorties Over North and South Vietnam sources said.a7a project men just returned from checking on the plane s performance in the War one give it top  were extremely pleased to find the a7a operating Asef fic gently As the older squad Rons one test Pilot said in an interview. Normally the introduction of a new plane opens a Host of technical or maintenance prob lems which must be ironed out Over a period of  a7a was practically Bug free which May explain Why the Navy was Able to put it to use so quickly in rocket and strafing attacks on North Viet Nam positions around Khe Sanh. Navy men slightly embarrassed by the weight heavy problem Ridden f111b fighter which still has t gotten off the deck find it a Welcome Relief to be Able to brag about a plane and  is one of the easiest planes to Fly that we be Ever had one of the Navy project officials stated. It s a piece of  other things the plane has an automated system which allows a Pilot to land on an air Craft earner practically hands off the  bombing missions a com Puter figures out when to re lease the bombs or missiles which is done automatically after the Pilot flips a couple of  at its near supersonic speeds pilots say the a7a rides As solid As a limousine it does t thrash All Over the sky As one put it. The ordnance includes bombs and two sidewinder heat seek ing missiles plus 600 rounds of 20mm Cannon rounds weighing three quarters of a Pound each. With internal fuel stores alone the plane can remain airborne nearly five hours an unusual amount of loiter time for an at tack Jet. In addition to the automatic weapons delivery system the plane is equipped with a com Puter operated map system which spins a map like a reel on a screen for the Pilot s viewing and automatically displays his location. The plane s 80-mile radar screen shows a precise picture of the geography even Down to such minute detail As Small Riv ers and Hills. The Navy already is buying 199 models at a flyaway Cost of $1.4 million each and plans to Purchase about 200 More of a very slightly modified a7b ver Sion. Arab israeli War Cost Egypt 40,000, Gen. Says by James Gunter is Munich Bureau chief Garmisch Germany is Hamilton h. Howze ret National chairman of the army aviation association of America Kaa agave army aviators meeting Here an inside look at some of the facts and figures oblast june s Arab israeli War. The general visited battlefields on which the israelis won their lightning Victory shortly after the end of hostilities Howze told delegates to Thea aaa convention that the British scientific Institute estimates the egyptians lost some 40,000 men and 600 tanks plus thousands of other vehicles in four Days. You Cun look a Long Way into the Battles of world War ii to find casualties of such Magni tude he said. The general said neither Side had any Success with  officer casualties were very heavy because the officers were leaders not pushers he said. On the other hand Leader ship was extremely poor on the other Side with the single exception of the jordanian  is still three times More important that soldiers be prop Erly motivated As that they of properly  general said Kylian president Gamal Abdel Nasser talked of total annihilation Ana talked his enemy into total a  spoke of the tremendous advantage of jumping off or the political decision even to us in America has got to vein full recognition of to he said. The  a. Of Surprise increases Rathur than decreases As weapons of a \ pc helicopter sle the general said israeli copter pilots had pm l Al r?j,r.1instfully schooled in tactics Uain fighter planes. The kept right in front Molthen dived at the Gro Drew a laugh when to sput the Arab Jet pilots position of an Asci in Init. Ening  said tremendous i isted Between israeli a units in the desert Ami thib it easy for air mob penetrate. " ill