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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0644.PDF
squadron attacked the station and electrical installation at Mulheim in the Grand Duchy of Baden. In addition to the foregoing there were innumerable and incessant minor attacks by aircraft of each of the Allies, all of which go to build up a magnificent monument to the efficiency of the Allies. It is true the official German versions of these raids, where they mention them at all, minimise the mischief resulting, whilst embellishing the details with just sufficient truth to suggest a certain amount of doubt as to the correctness of the French official note, to anyone reading and comparing the two. When the time comes pre sently, as we hope it may, for the strictly true story to be told, it will be extremely interesting to be able to place side by side a rhumi of the exact amount of damage done during each of these individual adventures, with the versions as given now from "information received." When we glance at the contra side of the war in the air, there certainly appears to be a very heavy deficit in effective work to the credit of our enemies. The activity of the German pilots is nothing like as great in any case as with the Allies' squadrons, and we are not very impressed with the suggestions of their holding back hugh fleets of all sorts of fearsome aircraft until " der Tag," when they will spring a great surprise upon us by letting loose clouds of machines, which will overwhelm our flights and turn the tables upon those who hold that the Allies' flying services dominate the air for aggressive and scouting purposes. The Germans may possibly make a bid for redeeming some of their lost effectiveness in this direction, but that they will reverse the present position, except very temporarily and in isolated areas, we do not for one moment believe. They would certainly be making a more strenuous bid for ascendancy than by such a demonstration of weakness as their attempt to attack Paris by aeroplanes on the morning of Saturday last, when half-a-dozen pilots made a concerted approach to the French capital, but were ignominiously driven off by the French air guards, one o( the enemy's planes—Aviatik C 311-150-1,075—being brought down, ooth pilot and machine being destroyed, the rest of the visitors making every haste to get back from whence they came, after dropping some bombs haphazard, at various outlying districts, resulting in a bag at Com- piegne of two nurses and one child killed. If further corroboration were needed of the general policy of air work in relation to military requirements, whilst conforming to the international laws of war, and the violation by the Germans of all the rules hitherto governing civilised nations in this respect, it is surely to be found in the letter of Mr. Balfour, the First Lord of the Admiralty, which we reproduce elsewhere this week. This communication, which has been issued by the Press Bureau, deals mainly with the reasons for and objects of suppressing the names of places and all particu lars of the Zeppelin raids upon England, a procedure which readers of " FLIGHT" will appreciate, as it was mainly at our suggestion that this course was adopted. But incidentally, whilst it brings out the utter futility of the Zeppelin policy as carried out, it is a strong indictment against the shameful and piratical tactics of the German High Command in this connection, and will for all time stand in history as an official protest against the brutal and murderous methods of the Kaiser and his advisers. How in contrast the methods of this country's flying services stand out, both in their every individual member and in their work as a whole, is evident, and is appre ciated the world over. With last week we have in this connection reminders in the honours lists, including the V.C. awarded to Captain Liddell, and in the death of Captain Mapplebeck, of earlier deeds of distinction, whilst, by way of a final mark of recognition, came the list of Russian decorations to the British forces, names from the Royal Flying Corps being well represented in this record for distinction. Altogether an epoch-making week in the history of aviation. * * «• Some time before the war started, follow- R.A.C. jng the desires of a number of the Facilities c^u^ mernbers for the extension of the social side of the Royal Aero Club, as a natural outcome of the splendid work done by the club as a society of encouragement, and by way of recompens ing its early supporters for the missionary work which had so greatly helped to its success, a movement was in contemplation for enlarging its sphere in this direction by taking premises more in keeping with the important position which by their work the club had attained. The war intervened, and for the moment, for various obvious reasons, the idea had to be shelved tempo rarily. But it was speedily evident from the first that, so far from the war affecting the club adversely, there was every prospect of aviation developing so rapidly that the end of hostilities would in all probability see it founded on an unassailable foundation. We took this view ourselves and expressed it in these columns, prophesying a highly prosperous career for the club in the coming days—and we are more than ever convinced of this being the outcome of the present activities. With the memory of what aviation, through its pioneers and exponents, has done for this Nation and the Civilized World in general, as a result of the war, it should become more than ever a privilege and an honour to be numbered amongst the members of the Royal Aero Club, and wehave every confidence that a very large influx of members will be forthcoming in the not very remote future, which will assist the committee to carry out in sound form the wishes of the members in regard to acquiring a clubhouse worthy of its occupants. Signs are not wanting that the tide is beginning to flow that way, and we therefore welcome the official notification to which we drew attention last week to the effect that the committee bad arranged for the present premises to be open, as from September 14th, daily, including Sundays, from 9 a.m. until 10.30 p.m. This is a distinct move in the right direction, and will give a large circle of members hitherto debarred by reason of the restricted clubhouse hours a much better chance of meeting and exchanging views day in and day out. It should also induce new members to join up, and thereby help to spread the movement generally, and we congratulate the committee upon the very wise move which they have inaugurated by way of a prelude to further development. The possibilities of the strength of the club may be in a way gauged by the rapidly-growing roll of pilots, now close upon 1,700. These men, irrespective of the large number associated with aviation who do not actually fly, must necessarily require some common ground, where they can be sure of getting together and being able to discuss the subject with which they are most closely concerned. Within the precincts of their own clubhouse should be ideal in every respect for this object. So we hope to see presently a distinct spurt in the candidates for election, and to find the clubrooms the recognised gathering place for all who matter in the world of aeronautics.
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