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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0195.PDF
Flight, March 1, 1917. HUGHHT First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. X OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 427. (No. 9, Vol. IX.)] MARCH I, 1917. rWeeldy. Pile* la.L Post Fr»a, 2d. Editorial Office I 44, St. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegrams : Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. Ss. &J. Abroad .. .. .. 13s. oa. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: « FAGI The Ups and Downs of War 195 National Service 196 Feeding the Essential Trades • 196 Using the Wrong Comb 197 The Roll of Honour 19S The Wright-Martin Model " R " Tractor Biplane 199 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices .. 803 Airitms from the Four Winds 304 " Mentioned in Despatches " 206 Aviation in Parliament .. .. 207 The New York Aero Show 209 The Aeroplane of To-morrow. By L. de Bazillac .. *i2 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information ^. 213 The British Air Services .. 314 Personals 216 m EDITORIAL COMMENT. T would seem that the figures recently published in " FLIGHT " setting forth the enemy claims to the destruction of British and' Allied aircraft have produced something of a feeling of disquietude in the minds of t many who have taken the trouble to dissect the statistics. We do not think there is any necessity to feel worried about the comparison to be drawn between the numbers of machines the Germans claim to have destroyed and "those of the enemy which our own official despatches note as having been " strafed " by British or French airmen. To begin with, we cannot take the German figures as being truthful, either with regard to their own losses or where they relate to claims against the Allies. In a note in a recent issue of " FLIGHT " we showed, for example, that while the Germans admitted a loss of 34 aeroplanes during January on all fronts, the British and French com- muniques alone recorded that 40 enemy machines were destroyed during that period, without taking any account of 14 others which were reported by Sir Douglas Haig as having been driven down in a more or less damaged condition. The Russian communiques, in addition, reported the destruction of several enemy machines during the month, so if we are to accept our own figures as even approximately correct, we see that TheUps and Downsof War. the enemy's aerial casualties are very much heavier than he admits. Why he should take the trouble to issue elaborate statistics of losses which are abso- lutely false and misleading is one of the things that fail to be understood. It cannot be to deceive the Allied staffs, since the destruction of an aeroplane while flying is not precisely the kind of thing that* can escape unnoticed, even when there are other things happening to preoccupy the mind of the observer. Probably the object is to assist in keeping up the failing heart of his own people. Unless it is this, then it seems to us a futile sort of procedure. Some students of statistics point out that even when we take the figures of our own communiquis, certain months show to the advantage of the Germans in the matter of numbers of aeroplanes destroyed in aerial combat or brought down by the anti-aircraft guns. As a matter of fact, it would be surprising if this were not so. We cannot expect always to have things out own way in a war such as this. Of course, we are met at once with the argument that it is claimed that we have now become definitely supreme in the air, and that therefore our losses should be considerably smaller in comparison. That is an entirely fallacious argument. The facts, when they are examined, are all the other way about. One of the first tasks of the British air squadrons at the front is to reconnoitre the enemy's ground and to prevent him from carrying out aerial reconnaissance over our own lines, and that is what they are doing— and doing pretty effectually. To effectively carry out their work, our airmen are constantly flying over the enemy's positions, exposed all the time to the fire of " Archies " and the attack of German battle- planes. We are bound in the nature of things to lose machines at this sort of game, and it further follows that, if we are losing machines over the Hun lines while the enemy is not risking his over our positions, our losses must be the heavier. There is another aspect of the matter which is often the subject of discussion, and that is the com- parative merits—if the term is permissible—of British and German fighting machines, and very often one hears our own types heavily discounted. Again the reply is that we cannot expect to have it our own way all the time. We ourselves have not hesitated to speak out when we considered that there was neglect and delay in supplying our gallant pilots with the right machines for their work, but we have never indulged in unreasoned or unreasonable criticism of the authorities who are charged with the supply and administration of the flying services. To expect E
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