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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0581.PDF
Flight, May 30, 1918. ENGINEER? First A«ro Weekly im the World. . Founder and Editor t STANLEY SPOONER. A Jotmal 4«TOt«d to tk« InUr««U, Praeti««, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion **4 Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. NO. 492. (No. 22, Vol. X.) MAY 30, 1918. fWeekly, Price 64.L Post Free, W. L1J Tie Aircraft Engineer. Editorial Office I 3*. GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. ». Telegrams: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone: Garrmrd 1818. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. iZs. id. Abroad 33s. od. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: • rAGB The Delayed Offensive 579 The Last Exhibition of Kultur .. .. .. 580 Prizes for War Work Records 580 Women's Part in the Air War 0 The German H.W. (Hannoversche Waggonfabrik) Biplane 582 The Fokker Triplane 583 Trade Parliaments and their Work.—VI. By Ernest J. P. Benn .. .. 587 In the Hands of the Enemy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 588 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices 589 The Roll of Honour 589 The Sideways Buckling of Loaded Beams of Deep Section. By J. Prescott, M.A., D.So 5go The 240 h.p. Mercedes «• •• .. .. ,, ., ., .. 591 Airisms from the Pour Winds 594 Personals.. .. „ 507 The British Air Services 9 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information .. 601 Side Winds go- Imports and Exports, 1917-191S .. ., .. .. 604 " Newspapers are an essential part of our war organisation."— Sir Auckland Geddes, Minister of National Service.) pii^ilijlLTHOUGH the attacks which developd *"" early in the week may prove to be the prelude to the renewed enemy offen- sive, there is no doubt that this is considerably overdue. Many have been the hypotheses advanced for the delay, but there is more than a little reason for believing that it is princi- pally due to the disorganisation created in the German arrangements by the tremendous activity of the Allied air services. Sir Douglas Delayed **a*& ^as to^ us that in two months Offensive. we have destroyed a thousand enemy aeroplanes and dropped over a thousand tons of bombs on railway junctions, ammunition stores and points of concentration. This activity never ceases. Every hour of the day and night, provided the conditions of weather do not make flying impossible— and the weather has to be very bad for that—our machines are engaged in bombing raids far in rear of the enemy's line, or our low-flying machines are spreading death and demoralisation in the German trenches. It goes without saying that all this activity in the air must produce its effect on the German preparations for a resumption of the great offensive, and must cause a great deal of disorganisation in the enemy's plans. Such an offensive as the Germans undoubtedly contemplate requires meticulous prepara- tion if it is to have the slightest chance of success. It cannot be launched until everything is ready " down to the last button on the last gaiter," and whatever the faults of the Hun, we must admit that he is, at least, a master of organisation, and withal painstaking in his methods. We may be sure, therefore, that the German Command will not strike until the last detail has been arranged, and that it has not arrived at what it considers the ultimate state of organisation for attack is clearly due to the Allied air offensive, which has held back the preparations. The more we study the reports from the Front, the more we become convinced that the day is fast approaching when, as we said a few weeks ago, the existence of armies above ground will become almost impossible in face of an enemy who has secured com- mand of the air. At this present stage of the Great War, it cannot be said that either side has established " command " of the air, at least in the degree that the Allies hold command of the sea. Nothing but an absolutely overwhelming superiority of material can give that command, and although we have un- doubtedly obtained a very definite superiority, that is not quite the same thing. Still, we are able to see already that even such superiority as we do possess has a potent effect on the operations on the ground. Had it not been for that effect, it is reasonably certain that the Germans would have been able to deliver their great blow three, or possibly even four, weeks ago, when the circumstances were a great deal more favourable to them than they are now. Briefly, what the delay imposed on the enemy command by our aerial offensive has meant is that, in the meantime, the whole of the Allied defensive line has been materi- ally strengthened ; we have been able to reorganise at leisure the divisions which had suffered in the fighting of March and April, or to relieve them with fresh troops ; to make good—and more than good— the losses of guns and material and the expenditure of ammunition ; and, most valuable of all, time has been given for many thousands of American troops to arrive to strengthen the man-power resources of r 2
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