The Dominion. FEIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1914. AIR RAID POSSIBILITIES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2288, 23 October 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. FEIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1914. AIR RAID POSSIBILITIES

The Berlin correspondent of a Dutch journal states that the Germans are now unable to disguise the fact that the opportunity of a Zeppelin raid on England has passed owing to the approach of the winter storms. The efforts of the enemy to alarm the British public by continual threats of an attack on London .from the air have so far failed conspicuously; and, if the. Kaiser _ really intended .to send an expeditionary force across thejGhanncl, that hope also seems to have been shattered By the successes of the Allies in repelling the German attacks in France. The Daihf Mail's correspondent is of opinion that if an invasion of Britain should be attempted the attacking force would go forward to certain destruction. As a-matter of fact an attempt to send a German army across the Channel could not possibly succeed unless,the British Navy'had first been defeated.. The Kaiser and his military advisers, of course, know this, but perhaps they hoped, that their fleet would have been able to play a more effective part in the war than has proved to be the case. _ But-whatever the German fleet might or might not have done, the army is now so hard pressed by the Allies that there are no men to spare for an expedition to England. Now that the KaiserJs forces are not able to hold their own in France any hopes that may. have been entertained' of carrying the war across the Channel _ must have got very close to vanishing point. , The. possibility of a Zeppelin raid may still exist, but the longer it is postponed the less will be its likelihood of success. The- weather is such an extremely potent factor in aerial" warfare that the stormy season which is now beginning _in Europe will greatly reduce the likelihood of visits ' from hostile aircraft for some months to come. The danger has not, however, -beep entirely .removed. In discussing the possibility of an attack on London by German aircraft Mr. H. Massao Buist, writing in the Morning Post, states that the idea .of an aerial raid over England has long been a dream dear to German hearts, but'tho course of events -in the present war has so far made its realisation impossible. It would, however, be very unwise _to jump at the conclusion that nothing can or will now be attempted. There is .always the possibility of the enemy'taking advantago of a fine spell of .weather. regardless of the season. It is stated that the first step in the direction of an aerial invasion of England would be the establishment of an airship base at. Calais or its vicinity. This is hope-, less at present, and wlllprobably become still more so as time goes on; but something may yet bo attempted from a. base further away. _ The newer type of Zeppelin is said to have a speed of nearly a mile a minute, with a radius of action of about 800 miles. In size and,armament capacity it is. inferior to the older type, but it can be handled much more easily, and requires less housing space. Though their airship fleet has not so far come out in force, the people of Germany have been led to expect 1 so much from it that it is only reasonable to assume that preparations are being made for some bold stroke. "As long as the war lasts," says Mr. Buist,_ "we must'not consider that an airship raid over London or other important centres in England and Scotland is out of the question." Constant vigilance is necessary, and it is well known that" every precaution has been taken by British airmen to avoid tho possibility of-being taken unawares, and to deal _ effectively with the enemy's airships it they should get across tho Channel. An aerial raid would not be as serious a matter as some peoplo seem to suppose. It might do a certain amount of damage to life and' property, though the main object would be to create a panic. Bomb-dropping would naturally cause a considerable amount of alarm in tho vicinity of the occurrence, but this method of attack, instead of assisting the enemy, would in all probability have 1 quite the reverse effect by arousing the people of Britain to an even more active \ determination to wage tho war against Germany to the utmost limits of the resources of the Empire.