The Press. Thursday, March 21, 1918. The War in the Air.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16166, 21 March 1918, Page 6

The Press. Thursday, March 21, 1918. The War in the Air.

One "of tho mosy^e^ sl,rill 6 features in our war news iff late is the evidence that the Allies fare showing a marked superiority in air warfare. • This superiority should become even more marked as the American forces increase in numbers op the Western front, since it is wellrknoyjrji that tliej are suecfalising in aircraft. The Germans "hofced to end tho war in their own favour iy moan.? of their underwater craft.' This hope is now known to be fallacious, and ft lopke as if aircraft would fllay part in bringing about a final decision. Not only are aeroplanes and observation balloons of immense value as t' lo "of the army," but therp has been a great devolopmept iji the use of bonibincr aircraft for offensive warfare. In an interesting article bv Messrs Claude Grahame-Whitc and Harry Harper, which appears in the "Fortnightly Re- " view" for January, eome very suggestive remarks will be found as to the uso likely to be made of aircraft during the present year. It is pointed out that in the early stages of bomb-drop-.ping, when m&chiijes had an extremely limited radius of action, it was on y possible to attack objectives within the war zones; but*with the growth in the range and dependability of aeroplanes, in their weight-carrying power, and m thqit ability to fly during adverse • weather, it ha a become possible not only to penctrato some distance behind

tho enemy's battle-front, and harass him along his routes of supply, but to drop such missiles on selected points as really do an appreciable amount of damage. Daring the present year a ' largo number' of air-raids have been made in Germany itself, while a record made by tho Gazette" shows | that the Allies' airmetr4*ave scored 843 victories since January Ist, of- which 484 were British. Seven hundred German* machines were destroyed, includ- . ing seaplanes. I Messrs Grahame-White and Harper I show that air attacks, if they are to

j C really successful, must be carried Dut 011 the grand scale. Hitherto tn° has. not been possible because wc ha* c not had enough aeroplanes and P 1 °* s - Railways have been attacked, for example, and have been seriously damaged, but then the enemy has hat what ho should never have been allowed to have-that is, a breathing space between attacks, during which it ias boon possible for him to repair e damage done to the railway, and Ket Ins supply train, ining again. This period _ for ipair should bo denied him it at . liv air could be made constantly. A railwav should be bombed, and a gap blown'in it at some important point and those attacks should be rcpeato , 0 frequently that the enemy's working parties are scattered every time tha„ an attempt -'is made to repair the ■' damage (lone. A broach once made "must, in fact, be kept open/' It will be easily understood that vigorous and persistent attacks by aircraft on the lines indicated might havo the cfl'er-t of seriously demoralising the enemy, and materially interfering with any plans lie might havo m one rat ion for a major offensive. But tho expert, we have quoted anticipated that something even more drastic than the interruption of the enemy's supplies while they were on tho way to the. front might be carried out. Naturally, tlioy write under reserve, not wishing to give away, anything of use to tho enemy, but they foreshadowed c::tensive air raids, penetrating far behind tho enemy's lines, and striking so deeply into his homo territory, that we might destroy the factories in which his war munitions aro being made. The point on which tho experts lay spo:-ia stress is that wo must have enough oi these latest machines if thc-y aro to be effcctivo —enough, that is to say, foi < really elecisivo offort by air maintainod if necessary from week to week, ever in face of tho hoavy losses of men ane machines which such a dctoiminec effort must entail. The aim is t< i; makc life intolerable, not only foi " tlu* enemy's troops in the field, bu " a!>-o for tiie great mass of worker i; in Germany's munition centres." H opens up an appalling prospect, but ii is evident that there is to bo no pros pert of peace, and no hope for civilisation. until Germany has been thoroughly crushed. The sooner this result is brought about tho hotter. Thai the help we shall receive from America jn the mattr.T of air-lighting will he oi :i substantial character is plain irom a statement made by the ibecrctaiy ol War, Hi- Bakpr, on January 10th. He said that the Aviation Corps had grown frpm 05 officers and 11(K> men to 4000 officers and 82,000 inoii. This department alone is spending £148,000,000. or live -tinios the total Vv'ar Department appropriation in 1915. As there is reason to bclievo that tho Allies arc also making tremendous efforts to increase tho number of aircraft and trained airmen, it is cloar that tlio land campaigns of 1018 will be very largely influonccd by "the war in tho air."