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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0851.PDF
SEPTEMBER 21, 1912. ram AEROPLANES IN THE ARMY MANCEUVRES. AT the end of last week an important Memorandum was issued from the War Office by the Director of Military Operations, on the value of aeroplanes in warfare and the use to which these machines are being put during the East Anglia Army Manoeuvres. Since its issue, the temporary prohibition of the use of monoplanes has been announced. The Memorandum is as follows :— " 1. There can no longer be any doubt as to the value of airships and aeroplanes in locating an enemy on land and obtaining information which could otherwise only be obtained by force. All the principal Powers, therefore, are expending much energy and money in the development of an air service for employment with their land and sea forces in war. " This air service is, in our case, provided by the Royal Flying Corps, which consists of a Naval Wing, a Military Wing, and a Central Flying School, the latter being a school common to the two services where fliers, both officers and men, can be trained. " The two wings not only have a common school, but, as far as their different functions permit, are organised on similar lines. In addition, a reserve of fliers common to both is being built up. " 2 In this year's Army manoeuvres each force will be provided with a detachment of the Royal Flying Corps, consisting of: " One aeroplane squadron (about eight aeroplanes). " One airship detachment (one or two airships). " The Naval wing is providing a flight of four aeroplanes for one of the aeroplane squadrons, while a proportion of the personnel employed with the airships will also be drawn from that wing. "The employment of both airships and aeroplanes on the manoeuvres this year must be looked upon as experimental. The aeroplanes used will be of many types, both monoplanes and biplanes, while the airships employed have been constructed with a view to the training of the personnel, and not for war. Moreover, the transport is of an improvised nature, and for this reason the aircraft must largely depend upon fixed depots for repairs and maintenance. " 3 The detachment of the Royal Flying Corps forming the Air Service with each force will be under the immediate orders of the Commander, who will employ it in co-operation with the other arms, and more particularly with the cavalry for obtaining information as to the movements of the hostile force. 14 Primary Task. " Though aircraft will probably have several uses in war, their primary duty is searching for information, and consequently their alliance with cavalry will be of a close character. It may even be said that the use or misuse of aircraft will affect the action of the masses of an army in so far as it helps and influences the uses to which the cavalry is put. The view, however, which is sometimes put forward that, as aeroplanes and airships possess a power of reconnaissance superior to that of cavalry, the raisan cTilre of cavalry has ceased to exist, is erroneous. The work of cavalry will undoubtedly be greatly aided by a well-trained aeronautical service, but, except to a certain extent in long-distance reconnaissance, air craft can in no way replace or revolutionise its action. The com mander who has to his hand more actively co-operating and highly organised, equipped and trained cavalry and air services than his opponent should, even with numerically inferior forces, be far on the road to success. " The three roles whereby cavalry can help its infantry main columns in war are : " 1. Gaining information ; " 2. Affording protection ; and " 3. By action on the battlefield. " The uses directly affecting cavalry and thus, indirectly, the main masses of the Army to which aircraft may advantageously be put, have little to do with the last two and occur almost entirely in connection with the first, namely, information. They may be roughly classed in order of importance as follows : strategical reconnaissance, tactical reconnaissance and the service of inter communication. " Wide Reconnoitring Range. " As we know, the value of information depends to a great extent on the length of time that has elapsed since the events occurred to which it relates. As regards strategical reconnaissance, a General is probably now justified in requiring a well-trained flyer, flying a modern aeroplane, to reconnoitre some 70 miles out and return 70 miles. This would be done at a speed of, say, 60 miles per hour in ordinary weather over ordinary country. Thus, within four hours, allowing a wide margin, a report as to the approximate strength, formation and direction of movement of the enemy, if he is within a 70-mile radius, should be in the hands of the com mander. " A similar result would probably take officer's patrols, sent out from the strategic cavalry, at least three days, while the prospects of acquiring the information would be less. " Turning to tactical reconnaissance. The aeroplanes will be ready to undertake a tactical reconnaissance of, say, three hours' duration, whether to obtain infoimation of the enemy's position and movements (when in such close touch that the cavalry can no longer advance), to ascertain the nature of the ground to the front, flanks and rear of a position, with a view to subsequent movements or to find suitable targets for the artillery. " As regards the service of intercommunication. This includes the transmission of information between forces, help in the co-opera tion of all arms and also the supplementing of the telegraph and telephone services in obtaining news of what is happening during a battle when the front covered is wide and roads and other communi cations are blocked or difficult. " Reports of Observers. " 4. During the present manoeuvres, the reports of the aerial observers will only be communicated to commanders through the responsible umpires, who will judge from the information as to height maintained during flight, &c, supplied by the observer?! as to how far they would have been successful in war in obtaining the details contained in their reports. " Umpires with troops have instructions to observe the action of hostile aircraft, and should the latter, in their opinion, have been exposed to the fire of the troops at effective ranges, they will report at once to their Chief Umpire to that effect. " 5. In addition to the aeroplanes with each force, some aero planes will be at the disposal of the Director of Manueuvres for observing and intercommunication purposes." ® ® ® ® AIRCRAFT AT THE BRITISH MANCEUVRES. FOR the first time aeroplanes and airships have seriously taken part in the British Army manoeuvres, and the work accomplished by both types of aircraft in East Anglia during the past fortnight has demonstrated the revolutionary importance which attaches to their use in military operations. The airships, " Beta" and " Gamma," both renovated and considerably improved, and the " Delta," a new ship designed as a result of the experience obtained by its pre decessors, together with a score of various types of aeroplanes, have been employed daily in reconnaissance work, and have been the means of obtaining most valuable information as to the disposition, &c., of the " enemy's" forces. It is impossible to give reliable details ol all the work which was accomplished, by rearon of its official nature, but there are one or two achievements which stand out prominently. Lieut. Spencer Grey on his monoplane on Thursday last week, accompanied by a bluejacket, went from Hendon to Cambridge in 55 mins., and on the following day Lieut. Longmore arrived from Oxford after a 65-min. trip. In the afternoon, Lieut. Fox took Major Sykes over to Thetford, and Commander Samson, Capt. Raleigh, Lieut. Malone, and Lieut. Spencer Grey each made good flights. In view of the order from the War Office on Saturday suspend ing the use of monoplanes, two biplanes piloted by Lieu ts. Mack worth and Longcroft were sent from Farnborough to Cambridge. Another arrival was Capt. Gordon, from Eastchurch, who had flown to within a short distance of Cambridge on the previous evening, and had then been forced to land owing to the gathering darkness. Col. Cody started to fly from Aldershot, but landed at High Wycombe, while Lieut. Barrington-Kennett, with Serjeant Hunter as passenger, landed in a mist near Letchworth. During Saturday, Commander Samson with Lieut. Malone and Lieut. Fox each made recon naissances lasting nearly three hours. On Monday, no less than twenty-seven aeroplane flights were made, each averaging about 70 miles. One of the "Red" machines did a trip of 190 miles, while the best flight to the credit of the " Blues" was 150 miles. Col. Cody arrived during the day and took Major Sykes up for a trip of an hour and a-quarter. The " Blues " had the mis fortune to lose two of their machines, one having to come down for adjustments, and the other landed to render assistance, both being captured by a detachment of hussars. Col. Cody, on the '* Blue side, was out early on Tuesday morning, and at 6 a. m., after a circuit round Cambridge, scouted to the eastward. On Friday, the three airships left Farnborough, and " Gamma " safely reached the camp at Kneesworth, Cambridgeshire, but the other two had to put back. The " Delta," later, was able to get to Thetford, Norfolk, and on Sunday the " Beta" arrived at Cambridge. Both the " Gamma " and the " Bete," the former with the " Blue," and the latter with the " Red " Army, were continually cruising over the battle area on Monday and Tuesday. 85I
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