The Dominion. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1914. THREATENED AIRSHIP RAIDS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2279, 13 October 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1914. THREATENED AIRSHIP RAIDS

The German Press has been predicting Zeppelin raids on England, and the appearance of a hostile airship over London is certainly within the bounds of possibility. But tho British naval ana military authorities areVquite prepared for such a risk. A writer who has given special attention to this matter states that the Naval Wing of the lloyal Flying Corps has reached a state of perfection ''which is/undoubtedly as great as anything achieved elsewhere to date, and ahead on many points." Hostile visitors by aeroplane or airship would not hnd it an easy matter to get across the sea unobserved, for the Navy is on the lookout for them, and . if any should manage to make the voyage they would certainly get a very warm reception. ''Our airmen are keen and daring.' They know their work and are ready and eager to do it at all hazards. Mr. Runciiian tells us that thirteen of them are pledged , to dash ■ their machines through any Zeppelins that may cross the Channel. The Germans have no monopoly in air warfare. It is a game at which the British and French are just as expert as the Kaiser's best airmen. The recent bomb-dropping episode at Dusseldorf may. bo garded as an example of what the British Flying Corps can do. But aeroplanes and airships have their limitations. They can do wonderful things whon everything is in their favour, though it is a great mistako to think that they can sail about just where and when they please. They arc- at the, mercy of tho weather to a very;large extent, and many' difficult problems have yet to be solved before the air can be said to have been completely conquered. Tho carrying capacity of the aeroplane is comparatively small, and the bombs it can drop cannot- do very extensive damage. Airship bombs may bo much larger, but the airship is more vulnerable to attack,, whereas r the aeroplane may land safely even after being injured by gun fire. It is not likely that a raid on Britain by German aircraft could do much actual damage.. The main object of such an invasion would be to terrify the people and create something in the nature of a national panic. If the country was not prepared for such a possibility, and did not possess the means of dealing effectively /with .the enemy in the air, as well as on land and sea, the arrival of hostile aircraft might be expected to cause a considerable amount of alarm—probably more alarm than their powers of destruction would justify; but the British public have been fully warned on the subject and have sufficient confidence in the foresight of the naval and military authorities and the ability, and dash of British airmen to save them from any undue alarm over German threats to drop bombs on London. Apart from the moral effect of such a raid the result likely to be achieved would hardly justify 'the cost and risk involved. It is by no means an easy matter for an airship to drop explosives with accuracy from a. great height, and it must maintain a considerable altitude in order to keep boyond the range of the guns which have been specially constructed to disable aircraft. It would be extremely difficult for a bomb to bo dropped on a warßhip, but in tho case of a town a missile would have more chance of doing damage, but even then the risk is not very groat.