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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 1156.PDF
NOVEMBER 8, 1917- ~;« ~3 Service would please everybody. However, the minority, among whom our correspondent numbers himself, may lay it to heart that the new scheme has only been brought to practical fruition after the most careful study and examination by men who have given the case very thoughtful consideration from every angle of view. They have, wisely as we believe, decided that it is in the best interests of the Empire that we should have a single Air Service and, that being so, we see nothing for it but that our young friend " Flight Sub-Lieutenant " should pocket his annoyance and get on with his share of winning the war. He need not be afraid of the ruin he antici- pates—all will be well if he and those who think with him will have a little patience while things work themselves out. For reasons that are sufficiently obvious, ofth<T very few details have been aUowed to .. Services, transpire regarding the expansion of the Air Services since the outbreak of war. Even the worst informed, however, know that the aerial arm has grown to dimensions that are relatively to its size three years years ago colossal, while even those who are closely in touch with its development are not always able to appreciate the exact ratio of expansion. The figures given by the First Lord of the Admiralty with reference to the growth of the R.N.A.S. during the war are, therefore, of more than ordinary interest. He told the House of Commons that the service which, at the beginning of the war, consisted of 700 officers and men has increased to a personnel of 41,000. Its duties, as Sir Eric Geddes pointed out to the House, are varied, of great value and of absorbing interest. Its airships and seaplanes are the terror of the enemy submarine. During a single month the aircraft patrol round the British coast alone is more than five times the circumference of the earth. During the month of September 64 raids were carried out on dockyards, naval depots, aerodromes and other objects of military importance in Flanders beyond the enemy lines. No fewer than 2,736 bombs were dropped by the R.N.A.S., totalling 85 tons of explosives. There is no doubt, he said, that these raids result in great material and moral damage, and on many occasions their effect is shown in the aerial photographs to be such as to hamper and restrict seriously the enemy naval, military and aerial undertakings. These figures, incomplete and to some extent tantalising as they are, nevertheless throw a strong light on the vast importance to which the war in the air has attained, and on the unexampled growth of the British aerial arm. In taking these figures into account we must bear in mind that they have no reference at all to the growth of the R.F.C., the " military wing," which has probably been even greater than that of its sister service. If the statistics were available they would give the ordinary citizen furiously to think. Certainly they would tend to drive home the lesson we have so constantly preached upon—that the future and the safety of the British Empire lie as much in the air as on the sea. We cannot have the full figures until the war is'over and done with, but when at long last they are avail- able for study they will prove to be more convincing of the truth of our thesis than even those who are closely in touch with the movement dream of now. II Imagine what it means ! Before the war aircraft were ,; regarded as being more or less in the way of scientific 5 toys. They approached the practical, but even -• among serious students of war there was a cleavage > of opinion as to the exact measure of their use. So :: that we might not be altogether unprepared, a certain number of aircraft were supplied to our fighting - services and, thanks to the prevision of men like Mr. J: Churchill and Commodore Sueter, the Navy had a < very useful nucleus Air Service^ Under the stress of war that nucleus has been expanded in its personnel alone nearly 600 per cent. By#what per- centage its material has increased we do not know and are not likely to be told, but we may be very sure the ratio of increase is not lower than that which applies to the personnel. And then to these encourag- ing figures we have to add those relating to the R.F.C. which, in all probability are, as we have said, higher still in relation to the pre-war establishment. True, other branches of the fighting services have grown correspondingly, but we have to remember that in their case the expansion has been more normal, so to say. That is, we have increased the number of our infantry battalions, for example, in proportion to the magnitude of the war in which we are engaged. That, of course, is equally true of aircraft but with , this difference, that in former times wars were decided by the infantry, which was an ancient and well-tried arm, while the air services are the creation of this • war and have passed from the hobby of the enthusiasts to the decisive factor in great battles. The more one regards the subject, the more is conviction emphasised that the mastery of air means everything to the future of the Empire and the more is one inclined to be thankful that at last the realisation of this has come home to those in authority. Major-General Ashmore, who is re-The ( R i aids sponsible for the defences of London, London. nad one or two interesting things to say at the opening of the Air Serviced Exhibition at Mile End last week. He remarked that London was now as much a part of the battlefront as any town on the Continent and that the Germans come, and will continue to come, as often and in as • great strength as they could. The effect of the arrangements for defence was that of the German aircraft which came over, nine-tenths failed to reach their objective. We cannot, he said, make it certain yet that no German machine could reach a great place like London. If we had all the guns, lights- and machines in the world we could not prevent this —at present. (We fully grasp the gallant General's meaning, but supposing, as he said, we had all the machines in the world— ) On the occasion of the last raid seven attacks were made, six of which were stopped by the barrage and other defensive arrange- '; ments. In the seventh attack, two, or at most three, :. - machines got through. Those responsible for the defence of London were doing their best, night and ..: , day, to defeat the Huns who came over. " I do not 4r think," he said, " it would be altogether politic to - -.. hang us whenever a bomb is dropped in London. * It would be expensive from the point of view of - personnel, and I am not quite sure that you would be . much better off when you had hung us all." * We have heard and read speeches much more ornamental but far less convincing than this of Gen. Ashmore's. He went straight to the heart of the .. 56
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