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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0352.PDF
assuredly continue to possess and exercise. It is true thatthe Germans have entirely reorganised their air service since the battles of the Somme, when they were practically on thedefensive throughout, and it would be futile to deny that they are now an efficient and bold body of warriors, who.frequently take the offensive, but they never retain their initiative for more than a few days at a time. Given 'anunbroken spell of fine weather, our airmen are confident of their ability so to demoralise the Boche flyers as virtually toclear the air of them. For the Boche airman is at his best in changeable weather, when he can emerge from the clouds and*get away again. He has always shown a lack of staying power when it comes to continuous effort. " In our service the aeroplane has always been regardedas essentially a weapon of attack and not of defence. The pilot has unlimited manoeuvring space, and he knows byexperience that, with determination and skill, no number of machines acting on the defensive will prevent him fromattaining his objective. Herein lies the true explanation as to why the casualties are bound to appear high, but hereagain we have an instance of misconception. If a battalion goes into action and accomplishes all that it is set to doat a cost of one quarter of its strength, we deem this a perfectly satisfactory operation of war, but if our airmen achieve a APRIL 12, 1917. result which is of infinitely more value to the wider issues of acampaign on the same terms, we are apt to regard the sacrifice as illustrating a most disquieting state of affairs. Then, again,let it not be forgotten that the casualties in the Royal Flying Corps must all be regarded from the relative point ofview. " The number of losses seems to be steadily increasing, butthe growth of the service is increasing in probably considerably greater ratio. And because nearly all the gallant victims areofficers, the casualty lists arrest more public attention. I find that the pilots and observers who are serving in this countryare consistently optimistic, and as .a rule express wonderment that people at home should take any other view of the casualtylists of their corps than to appreciate how effectively these demonstrate that they are carrying out their work withcomplete success. We nearly always gather when one of our machines is brought down that this happens in enemyterritory. It is very seldom indeed that we hear of a German aeroplane being brought down in our ground. The distinctiondoes not need labouring. We carry the war to the foe, and oblige him to keep a very large proportion of his best machinesand a large number of his anti-aircraft guns well away from the neighbourhood of our troops The moral effect of thisalone is of great value." 4- AIR WORK IN THE ADVANCE. MR. W. BEACH THOMAS, writing to the Daily Mail from theWar Correspondents' Headquarters on April 3rd, said :— " I should doubt if our airmen ever combined theirfunctions with more brilliance. While some were finding the targets and reporting them to the artillery, others diveddown like hawks and emptied many drums of cartridges into the assembling Germans, whom they could see tumblingover right and left. Very much at the same time another of our fighting planes brought down a German behind ourlines, and the pilot and observers are now among the prisoners. In conjunction with the infantry they very nearly succeededin capturing a battery of German field guns. Nevertheless, the battle is to be regarded as chiefly an infantry battle ofwhich England and Australia should be proud." Mr. Philip Gibbs, writing to the Daily Telegraph on the sameday, said :— " Our aeroplanes were up and circling round, in spite ofGerman shrapnel puffing white clouds about them. They signalled down to our field batteries, and the gunners foundthe target, this human target, moving between two villages. In the words of one of the officers directing the operation,' we made a mess of them,' and that is an exact description. " A second attempt suffered the same fate. Our flying menwere more than usually audacious, and stooped low enough to join in the kill, swooping above the heads of the Germaninfantry and playing machine bullets into their mass. Two German flying men were brought down, whether by ' Archies 'or an aircraft duel is the subject of rival claims, and were captured alive." The French expert commentator, writing on April 7th, said :" The most striking event of the day was the extraordinary activity in the air. The British and French squadronseffected very numerous bombardments and fights. It seems to be that the greatest battle which has taken place duringthe war was delivered to-day. The losses of our Allies, who, moreover, announce them with a very sporting honestyand coolness, were appreciable, but they are in proportion to the considerable number of machines which took part inthe "fight, and to the superior number of enemy machines put out of action. We shall soon see the results of the workof our own airmen and those of our Allies. Aeroplanes, as is known, are the eyes of the artillery." The Times correspondent, writing on April 8th, said :— " The changed weather has been even more favourableto increased activity in the air than elsewhere. You have heard officially of the tremendous fighting which has occurred,exceeding anything since the beginning of the war, when in two days we drove down 46 enemy machines and 28 of ourown were missing. " As always, the fighting took place far over the Germanlines. On the other hand, this gives them the advantage of knowing to a certainty the condition of all machines, whetherours or theirs, which are brought down, while we only know which fall, and cannot tell their final fate. Our 28 is themaximum of all our mishaps, while they may have- had many catastrophes of which we know nothing, because they couldnot be observed from above. " After the winter, with the reorganisation of the GermanAir Service which has taken place, we knew the enemy would do his best with the return of spring to regain some share ofhis lost supremacy. We have shown ourselves ready for him. The aerial war is still in his country, and all his efforts to winthe dominion of that field which would give him observation over our lines are futile." Writing on the same day, Mr. W. Beach Thomas said :—" Even the amazing communique, issued yesterday gives no real idea of the new fighting in the air. The latest aero-planes on both sides are of a quite breathless speed. " The fighting is now so quick and skilful that the slower,older machine has about as much chance as a fieldfare against a hawk. I am told that all records were broken by one ofour newest and fastest machines, which destroyed five of the enemy in one flight. " The art of high diving has increased beyond telling.From 16,000 ft., where they are scarcely visible, or from the ambush of a cloud, the planes come down like a plummetto bomb a train, to fire a balloon, or to riddle a body of men with machine-gun fire. Firing at small objects on the groundis daily practised like the game of tent-pegging. So quickly do the divers come and go that men with loaded rifles onthe very spot are often in their astonishment too slow to fire till the plane is well out of range. The German authoritiescomplain bitterly that their infantry fail altogether to use their rifles on such occasions. " The enemy has concentrated a number of his best airmen,just as earlier he concentrated a group of his best gunners, in what is known as the travelling circus, which gatherswherever he meditates an offensive. It is a mobile unit of expert fighters and photographers. " The clear air and compact April clouds with well-definededges give ideal conditions for air manoeuvring, and some of the experts on both sides have exhibited almost uncannyskill in ambushing in clouds and escaping back into them. This activity is visible all over the front. The Frenchmachines are much admired by our men, who watch their manoeuvres in the neighbourhood of St. Quentin. " We have fought several hot fights as far behind theGerman lines as Douai, and considerable groups of planes in as regular fighting formation as attacking infantry haveboth bombed and bombarded much more distant spots." Writing on Monday, Mr. Philip Gibbs said :—" It was dawn now, but clouded and storm-swept. A few airmen came out with the wind tearing at their wings,but could see nothing in the mist and driving rain." Mr. W. Beach Thomas in his despatch said :—" Near Arras our troops leapt to the attack in the midst of such artillery fire as the world has never seen. It wasaccompanied by an onslaught of strange engines- of war, while overhead, as soon as the clouds allowed, our aeroplanes,moving at 130 miles an hour, rushed to tackle any German machines they could find. " The battle began, of course, days ago. I had watchedour latest aeroplanes go out to sweep the air, and, exulting in flashes of April light that threw into relief every Germantrench and emplacement, take deliberate photographs of the enemy's lines, new and old. " Our airmen have never faced a more unfavourable wind, nor so disregarded adverse conditions." 352
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