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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 1012.PDF
[/OGHTJ OCTOBER g, 1914. which can have no secrets for the commander who has at his disposal an adequate aerial arm. If we consider a little, however, we may arrive at the matter in more detail than this, and discover that there is a why and a. wherefore in Germany's thus sacrificing her artillery's efficiency in districts on the grounds officially specified. We must bear in mind that during the last fortnight the German authorities have been making still greater use of their amazing strategic railway systems for taking their soldiers on excursions, for this has undoubtedly been a campaign of railway excursions. Masses of troops seem no sooner to be brought to one centre than they are shifted to another and their places taken by yet others. No unit seems to be allowed to remain long in any one area, with the result that vast numbers have been with drawn from the scenes of the most strenuous operations for quite appreciable periods during the waging of these struggles. In other words, you can perchance make too much use of your railway systems for moving troops from point to point in the middle of a campaign. Be that as may be, however, we know for Still certain that the cream of the German the Doctrine Airmy JS now °PPosed» not t0 France, but of Necessity. t0 Russia. Into the wisdom of that move from a military point of view, we need not enquire, because it is a mere dictation of necessity. Germany must therefore take the chance of her first line, which has been well shattered in France, where it has learned that it is not invincible, but only able to fail of obtaining its objective according to programme, having enough nerve left and sufficient remaining confidence in her officers and system to face the Russians, of whom the rank and file of Germans have always entertained fears as lively as the contempt in which they held the French and British forces previous to the outbreak of this war. For us, in our consideration of the aerial phases of the campaign, it matters merely that with Germany's first line go the pick of her aerial service, who are therefore being employed now rather against Russia than against France and Britain. There has been no official announcement to this effect. But such occurrences as that officially recorded in the terms referred to above can only mean that Germany is short of military pilots, and is therefore using the pick of her aerial forces, not in the west, where she cannot hope to get the aerial mastery of the enemy, but in the east, where she assumes that her enemy has no equivalent personnel with which to match her. The argument, too, is no bad one. Russia has to import the bulk of her aerial armament, apart from which it is but a natural assumption that after two months of war the Germans must have learned at least something from making ® ® Round the World Race Cancelled. ACCORDING to a message from New York, it has been decided to cancel the round the world race, which was to have been held next year in connection with the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The reason given for this action is that all the foreign entries have been with drawn. Chinese Aeroplanes at Tsingtao. IN a letter dated August 28th, Mr. Herbert Chatley, who is a Professor at the Chinese Government Engineer ing College, Tangshan, North China, and on whom the University of London recently conferred the Degree of contact with the French and British aerial forces, and therefore have some substantial reason in conjecturing that such knowledge may be mighty useful when employed against the Russians. Furthermore, m the Austro- German operations against the Russians, vastly greater numbers are being employed than in the western theatre of war. It therefore follows that the proportion of aviators to land forces engaged is on both sides in the eastern theatre vastly less than on the British and French sides in the west. Indeed it is up to us and our Ally to help the Russians to the utmost of our power in the Aerial Arm, for the outstanding lesson, as we always anticipated would be the case, of this war to date is that, provided you possess sufficient aerial arms, the enemy can spring no surprises on you. Germany knows that she can spring no Attempting surprises on us in the west, but she hopes to Surprise r . , V. • 1 Russia. t0 sPnng surprises on the Russians in the east, or, at the least, to prevent the Rus sians springing any surprises on her. In fact, though the war is only two months old, there are sound grounds for concluding that Germany is beginning to find herself in a cleft stick in an aerial sense, as well as regards her military operations on land. The further she goes the tighter is the corner in which she finds herself. The fact that she can produce as many aeroplanes and motors as she requires does not solve the problem. You must besides have ample supplies of fuel, and in that direction she is getting in a very tight corner indeed. Further than that is the problem of producing the personnel. It is one thing to be a good civilian cross-country flier, and quite another to be an aerial observer of real worth. Of course, in her predicament Germany must be content to make good her losses, or even to endeavour to in crease her Aerial Arm, by employing all classes of civilian flyers in combination with expert military observers. But that is a game at which two, and even more, can play. Britain, France and Russia have all their plans made full well ahead towards this end. Therefore, from the point of view of the Aerial Arm, the campaign has speedily reached an intensely interesting stage. It is not unreasonable to expect Germany to enjoy some appreci able advantage in aerial reconnaissance, if not actual attack, against Russia from now on, but that will be off set by the corresponding advantages the Allies will enjoy in the western theatre of operations. Whether or not it will be possible at a later stage so to assist Russia as completely to turn the scales in regard to the Aerial Arm of the Austro-German forces is matter of speculation at the moment, therefore we shall not indulge in it, being instead concerned solely with actual occurrences in the course of this mighty and revolutionary campaign. ® ® Doctor of Science (Engineering), mentions that the Chinese have sent two Caudron biplanes to Tsingtao to watch the siege. Lectures on Aero Engines. ARRANGEMENTS have been made by the Faculty of Engineering at King's College, London, for a series of ten lectures by Mr. G. A. Burls, on " Modern Explosive Engines used in Automobiles and Aircraft." The lectures will be given on Thursdays at 6 p.m., commenc ing Oct. 8th. Drawing and design classes in connection with the course will be held on Thursdays from 2 to 5 P-m. 1012
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