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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 1323.PDF
sooner was a retirement started than it was brought to anend by the overwhelming action of the aircraft on the re- treating columns. The result was that in 36 hours the rightwing of the enemy was in complete disorder, and this extended to his centre, and ultimately to his left wing. In every casethe retreating columns were brought to a standstill within 7 miles of their original point. To this the action of the AirForce, by its extraordinary and decisive effect on the opera- tions in so short a time, was, in my opinion, due." Speaking of the Naval Air Service, Lord Weir said thatGerman submarines had feared no enemy more than the wire- less-carrying aeroplane engaged on patrql work, out of sightof land in many cases, work carried on by means of aeroplanes which could only keep afloat for a few hours, the only landingplaces sometimes being a minefield where rescue was im- possible. Innumerable reconnaissances had been carried outby which flying boats had penetrated from our coasts right into the Bight of Heligoland itself. Many reconnaissancesof great importance had been carried out from the ships of the Fleet themselves. The bombing of Durazzo involved aflight overseas of 340 miles. No ship had ever been sunk which had been und2r aircraft escort. Aircraft in co-opera-tion with the Navy had contributed in a large measure to the maintenance of the bulldog grip and the elimination of theU-boat peril. The Independent Air Force had been criticised chiefly as adispersion of effort. He had to admit that he was in thorough agreement with that, but the effort that had been dispersedwas Germany's, and nothing in the war had caused such a gigantic diversion of Germany's effort, of Germany's man-power, as the moral and destructive influence of the work done by the Independent Air Force., More evidence of theeffectiveness of the Air Force in general had yet to come ; .^we still had to hear from the enemy. "** The Air Force had been criticized for not standardizing itstypes. It had standardized its types, but not unduly. Standardization before a proper state of development hadbeen reached presented a very great danger, and into that danger Gsrmany fell. In that lay one reason for thesuperiority of our Air Force. The number of potential NOVEMBER 21, tgi8 pilots and observers in training last week represented 22,000persons. He was not a pessimist in regard to commercial aviation.The possibilities, he thought, were great, the probabilities were not so great. He referred to the immediate future. A word ofcaution was necessary against those who predicted an imme- diate far-reaching and successful development of commercialaerial enterprise. The actual practical limitations were still great, and just as at the beginning of the war we had to lookforward to a period of pioneer work for military aviation, so we must look forward to pioneer work in commercial avia-tion. In that work, which would be extensive, the State must play a large part and must continue to play a part. Ithad supported the industrial development of aviation through- out the war, and he considered that it must assist thatdevelopment and training until commercial aviation was well on its feet. He was in a few days meeting representatives ofBritish aircraft manufacturers, and had hopes that by dis- cussion and agreement with them methods might be devisedby which the State might be enabled to lend its support to the industry in the difficult times which were coming. He couldpromise that the existing restrictions on the activity of those who desired to be energetic in commercial aviation would beremoved very quickly indeed. The general joy at the glorious end we had now achievedhad, perhaps, in the case of the R.A.F. and the industry been slightly tempered by regret that the times did, notpermit certain ambitious enterprises to be undertaken. Machines designed and developed for extreme range workmust now be devoted to more peaceful ends, and to demon- strate to the world by means of long voyages from the home-land to different parts of the Empire the latest and most out- standing examples of our designers' abilities, which not onlyshow the possibilities of aerial transport, but help to maintain and develop the most remarkable of all the many industriesof the war, an industry which to-day is able to produce in 24 hours more completed aeroplanes than the entiretotal establishment of the Royal Air Force when the war broke out. It would be the function of the State to help itover its difficult times. " Flight" Copyright At the opening by Lord Weir of the Enemy Aircraft Exhibition at the Agricultural Hall, the proceeds of which will be handeJ over to the Air Force Hospitals and kindred charities. The scene outside the Hall in Upper Street, Islington. THE OPENING OF THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT EXHIBITION ON Friday of last week (November 15th) the exhibition of captured enemy aircraft, held at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, was opened by the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force (Lord Weir), who made a very important speech to which reference is made elsewhere. After the opening ceremony the exhibition wa's opened to the public, who thus had, for the first time, an opportunity of examining at close quarters the numerous captured aero- planes and their accessories. To readers of " FLIGHT " many of the exhibits will be familiar through detailed illus- trated descriptions. In addition to the captured aeroplanes, which include large bombers, smaller two-seater general -utility machines, and single-seater fighters, there are on view a great number of engines, instruments, tanks, machine guns, &c, from which the careful observer will be able to form a very good idea of the state of aviation in Germany. The machines are housed in the gallery of the main hall, which has been partitioned off so as to hide the ground floor of the large central hall which does not form part of the ex- hibition. In the front entrance hall on the ground floor are housed the engines, many of which have been dissected so as to show more readily their internal construction, and the smaller accessories. The exhibition is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until January 18th. The admission is 15., and the proceeds will go to the Royal Air Force Hospital Fund. Passes will be issued to manufacturers for the benefit of designers, heads of departments, charge-hands, &c, as hitherto, on application in writing by the employers to C.T.D., Ap. D.(L.), Central House, Kingsway. These passes, however, will only be available for admission on Tuesdays and Fridays, when the general public will not be admitted. On Saturday and Monday fhe number of visitors to the exhibition was well over 15,000. . m W ,;._;»'.;- M •••• • A Real Aeroplane as a Prize To stimulate interest in aeronautics the Air Ministry is offering, to the public schools whose members send in the greatest number of essays of equal merit as a result of a visit to the exhibition, a complete German aeroplane as a per- manent memento. A similar task has been set for the Boy Scouts movement, the award being a German engine. J324
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