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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 1343.PDF
DECEMBER 20, 1917. FORESIGHT.—TWENTY-FOUR YEARS AGO. A GOOD many With the flimsiest justification are so anxious to announce What they prophesied in the days that have gone, that the following forecast of aerial Warfare, by Colonel (then Major) J. D. Fullerton, R.E., contributed to the " Opera- tions of the Division of Military Engineering," Chicago Exposition, 1893—note the year—will be fourjd more than usually interesting. * SOME REMARKS ON AERIAL WARFARE. By Major J. D. FULLERTON, R.E. ----- 1. Aerial Warfare now Possible.—Recent investigations in aeronautical science seem to point to the fact that in the near future a new and hitherto untried branch of the art of war will have to be taken into consideration by the com- batants in future campaigns. A large navigable balloon has sailed through the air with fair success, improved ones are in progress, and some of the —__ ablest engineers in the world are now at work at flying machines, which give every reasonable promise of solving the "*-_• long-tried-for problem—the problem of aerial flight. It "> should be especially noticed that the recent experiments and ^~ investigations have been carried out With a skill and care hitherto unknown in aeronautical science and that it is only c-j. of comparatively late years that the resources of science have been such as to enable these experiments, most of which require exceedingly delicate and accurate recording instru 1-' raents, to be carried out. ; 2. Desirable to examine the Effect on the Art of War.—It ~; seems desirable to examine the probable effect of a satis- factory solution of the problem of flight on the art of war, because recent history shows that every new discovery likely to increase the power of nations is eagerly adopted by the •L navies and armies of the present day. Steam has revolu- tionised naval Warfare, the telegraph has considerably altered -; war by land, and there can be no doubt that successful air- .;i'\ ships will in the future cause as great a revolution in the art '4 of war as the discovery of gunpowder did in the past. '..:'•;. 3. Classes of Aerial Ships likely to be Used.—Aerial ships .,.""' may be divided into two distinct classes, viz., (a) navigable ^ balloons, or machines lighter than the air; (b) flying -"-/ machines, or machines heavier than the air. The chief -• characteristic of the former being that the weight is lifted ..." by the gas in the envelope, while in the case of the latter, rr lifting power is obtained from the resistance of the air when :, the machine is moving at a high speed. 5" 4. Navigable Balloons.—The best form of navigable balloons ; • seems to be a fish-shaped envelope, underneath which is - slung by netting the car containing the machinery,, pas- sengers, armament, &c. "La France," the balloon con- structed by the French Government, was of this type, the ., envelope being 165 ft. long, about 23 ft. in diameter, total - weight lifted about 4,000 lbs. The propelling machinery .'"'- consisted of a screw-propeller in front of the airship, worked by an electric motor. A speed of about 15 miles per hour was attained on a calm day. In future steam or gas engines will probably be used instead of the " La France " type :'."• of motor as electricity is not at present light enough for "_;; aerial work. The new navigable balloon now being con- : - ri structed by the French Government is an improved and V larger "La France," and it is hoped to attain a speed of about 25 miles per hour in a calm. The advantages of ••".- navigable balloons are : First, that since the gas takes the ,"". weight, only propelling power has to be provided. Second, -" that any convenient speed can- be adopted, while travelling '••-.r. through the air, and it is possible to stand still. , The disadvantages are: First, the envelope, on which everything depends, is very fragile. Second, no very great speed can be obtained ; probably 30 miles an hour in a dead calm is the maximum as far as can be seen at present. Third, the risk of setting lire to the envelope if a steam or gas engine is used. Fourth, the difficulty of driving the machine against the wind. Fifth, unwieldiness in bad weather. 5. Flying Machines.—At present no full-sized flying machine has succeeded in leaving the earth, but several pro- mising .machines are in course of construction. A very general type is that adopted by Mr. Maxim, the well-known inventor. It consists of a large aeroplane, underneath which is hung a car containing passengers, engines, armament, &c. The machine, when starting, is run along a sort of railway line, the air pressure on the aeroplane lifting it up when a certain speed is attained. Very high speeds are expected from these machine?, and 90 to 100 miles per hour does not appear to be an unreasonable estimate of their rate of " travelling. Another type of machine is that invented by Mr. Phillips, who uses a " sustained " or " aero-surface " in shape like a Venetian blind, but having curved instead of plain slats. The advantage of this type is that very heavy weights can be lifted, and consequently it is not necessary to build specially light engines for use with them. The advantages of flying machines are : First, very high speed, and consequently less vulnerability. Second, the higher the speed the less the power required to drive the machine (within certain limits). Third, an opposing wind is an advantage, as it increases the lifting power, while a following wind is not disadvantageous if the machine is travelling faster than the wind. The disadvantages are : First, it is necessary to move at a high rate of speed in order to keep up in the air. Second, the danger in case the aeroplane is destroyed (mere stoppage of machinery would not be dangerous). Third, the risk of carrying steam or gas engines in the air. Fourth, the difficulty of making accurate shooting when moving at high speeds. 6." Armament of Airships.—The armament of any class of airship is of two kinds. (1) That required for use against other airships ; (2) that used to fire at objects on the earth or sea. The aimament for use against other airships will probably be of a light pattern for two reasons. In the first, it is not likely that any very large airships will be built and consequently heavy guns could not be carried. Again, it is of the greatest importance to have only a moderate shock or recoil, otherwise the machine itself might be injured or shaken when the gun is fired. Probably therefore some light pattern of quick-firing gun will be used and the gunners will have to be specially practised in time of peace in firing at marks while moving at a high rate of speed. The guns used for firing downwards need only be of very small calibre with small propelling power as the force of giavity acts with the shells. Probably some form of pneumatic gun worked by- compressed air or explosive gas will be used. As regards the projectiles the long cylindrical type will be adopted, heavily weighted with powerful explosives. 7. Aerial Warfare as Affecting War by Sea.—It will be readily acknowledged that existing navies are quite incapable of fighting against the airships described above ; in fact it is no exaggeration to say that a good airship could destroy the best fleet now afloat in an hour with ease and safety to itself. What the type of sea ship will be in the future it is difficult to say, but it is plain that considerable alterations will have to be made in naval design and policy and that the introduction of airships will materially affect the pesitien of those nations which depend for their defence chiefly on navies. 8. Aerial Warfare as Affecting War by Land.—In War by land one great advantage to the side which possesses the best airships will be the power of reconnoitring and ascertaining the position and movements of the enemy. With machines capable of moving at the rate of 90 to 100 miles per hour, far more extended reconnaissances will be possible and infor- mation will be transmitted far quicker. On the battlefield artillery and cavalry will be the chief sufferers while extended order must be generally adopted by all arms. Fortresses will still be of value, but the principles of their construction will have to be considerably altered, substantial head and gun cover being the first consideration. 9. Warfare in the Air.—Of warfare in the air, viz., airship versus airship, it is difficult to write. Probably the general lines of action will be similar to those of naval warfare, but far higher speeds will be used. The flying machines will no doubt be faT superior to the navigable balloons. 10. War in the Future.—Wars in the future will probably commence with severe fighting in the air, the victor following up his successes with sea and land attacks (aided by air- ships) whenever possible. But the chief Work Will be done in the air, and the arrival of the aerial fleet over the enemy's capital will probably conclude the campaign. - • _ _.. : 11. Summary.—To sum up :— '- : ' First.—It seems quite probable that in the near future aerial warfare will have to be counted upon. Second.-—This Will, practically speaking, revolutionise the art of War. Third.—Owing to the high rate of speed, which airships will attain, it will be necessary for all nations to maintain them- selves ready for War at very short notice. Fourth.—The nations; most affected by the introduction of 1343
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