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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0090.PDF
psychology, provided the machines can be spared, and as nothing else would appear to touch their moral sense, it might be advisable to give this method a thorough trial. Where the weakness of both Paris and London defence lies is that neither of us are in the position to fight the aggressors with their own weapons, that is by mobile dirigibles. The moment we are able to pit properly-equipped airship against airship, we shall hear little more of air attacks over capital cities. From this aspect of the use to which their Zeppelins can be put, the Germans hare, it must be admitted, scored. But what civilised nation could ever have contemplated the perpetra tion of such iniquities as have been carried out by the Huns unden the cloak of waging civilised war ? From this point of view our Government are hardly to be blamed, as, regarding the leviathan Zeppelins merely as engines of attack under civilised military conditions, they had little faith in their use as fighting units, and preferred—and rightly too— to pin their faith to the more mobile aeroplane. Had it been realised that the Zeppelins could have been put to such base uses, we do not doubt but that proper provision would have been made in good time to nullify the kindly intentions of this barbaric nation. But the question is, ought not the authorities to have realised years ago, from the fact that the Germans continued to build these dirigibles with such persistency, that there were objects other than legitimate ones for which they were to be employed ? In the columns of " FLIGHT " their construction was advocated for this very reason, and there is little excuse, therefore, for the parsimonious policy in not risking a few hundred thousands, so as to have been prepared for any eventuality that might occur. Our power to retaliate in kind and also to fight airship for airship, or even in more favourable ratio, would have had a very wholesome reaction upon the intentions of the Zeppelinites and this country would have been spared the consequences of the many nocturnal raids, which help to hearten the German public so much, however cold and implacable they may leave our own people. Even at this late hour, is there any reason why we should not be able to make up leeway in this connection ? It is inconceivable that we cannot either build or procure airships sufficiently efficient to make it less worth while the Germans venturing their own aircraft other than in their proper sphere of scouting, and sea-scouting chiefly at that. We believe not; in fact, we could put the authorities upon the track of a batch of strafers, if they are possessed of any enterprise and imagination. The difficulties in the way of fighting air ships with aeroplanes are of a very substantial order. When to these difficulties is added night in its blackest form, the complications of the problem scarcely need elaboration. There are, however, some weaknesses in our defence organisation which require a little light letting in upon them. Whilst quite appreciating the impossibility at the present time of patrolling the whole coast line continuously—a handicap which week by week should become less—there is a happy medium, and it does appear to be unfortunate, to put it as mildly as possible, that when daylight attacks are made at points already fully equipped for defense and offense, it should find us so unready as to enable the enemy pilots to effect FEBRUARY 3, 1916. their will upon us for the best part of half an hour or so and then get clear away. The reality of the dangers attaching to the Zeppelin raids is appreciated apparently, judging by the result of the interview which a deputation of Members of Parlia ment—amongst whom, by the way, we were glad to notice Mr. Warwick Brookes, the newly-elected Mile End candi date^—had last week with Lord Kitchener and the First Lord of the Admiralty. We trust that the great improve ment in London's anti-aircraft arrangements announced at that meeting may prove its worth in good time. It was, perhaps, but a sign of the times that it emerged during the reply of the Ministers to the deputation, that in the common task of organising the defence " the War Office and the Admiralty had worked most harmoniously together." If aviation is the means of bringing about such a blessed state of affairs as this foreshadows, truly the nation will have another huge obligation to aviation for which it must be thankful. Maybe the creation presently of the Third Service—ultimately to be the First —will be the solution of the aloofness of the two services one to the other. The air service, upon a proper foundation, might easily become common ground upon which the other two could learn to understand and know each other a little better. In these words the official despatch from "We have tjje British General Headquarters in Maintained ~ , . , T Q UJ. .trance, dated at 9.30 p.m. on January Supremacy." 25tn> concludes its message. The refer ence follows the statement that "aircraft on both sides have been active." Whether these very gratifying words were penned without any ulterior view or not we are ignorant, but it is well that so emphatic an announcement should have been made at the moment, as it figuratively puts the official seal to the remarks which we found it necessary to make last week in regard to " the deadly Fokker " stunt which appeared to have got most of the ha'penny press in its toils. By some curious co incidence, since our strictures upon this Fokker boom appeared, the whole fabrication seems to have fizzled out, and the Fokker may for all intents and purposes never have been. However undesirable these sort of scare campaigns may be, it may be that they bring about a lively interest in closely allied directions, and associated as the " deadly peril" apparently was with the advocacy of the air candidate's election for the Mile-end constituency, in this particular instance it may have effected some little good by drawing more particular attention to the desira bility of our maintaining our supremacy in the air. Mr. Pemberton-Billing may certainly lay good claim to having by his fight thoroughly roused up the members of the House to their individual responsibility for seeing that the air service is not relegated to a minor position. It is fairly reasonable to ascribe to this Parliamentary contest the bringing about of the deputation to Lord Kitchener. It is still more certain that to the election programme of Mr. Pemberton-Billing is due the keen interest which his opponent, Mr.Warwick Brookes, took in aviation during the contest and since he was elected. Whatever " P.-B." may determine to do in the future as to Parliamentary honours, he may well be satisfied that his efforts have not been in vain. He has made it more than ever patent that success in war, not only in the future but in the present, is likely to be greatly influenced if not governed by supremacy in the air. 90
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