The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1915. THE WAR IN THE AIR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2594, 16 October 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1915. THE WAR IN THE AIR

A Nt/iiBER of soldiers and civilians (including women and children) have been 'killed -as a result of the latest German air' raid on London, and others have been wounded; but from the military point of view nothing of outstanding importance has been achieved. The German Press has told the German people from time to time that the Zeppelin has struck terror into the hearts of the British public, and that the country is in a chronic state of panic. It is, of course, inevitable that these raids should create a considerable amount _of local exoitement in tho districts visited; but instead of terrorising they have rather had tho effect of hardening up tho determination of the pcoplo to carry through the war to a successful conclusion. It is a well-known fact that a visit from the enemy's aircraft has generally been followed by an increase in recruiting figures. The slaughter of British women and children in their own land rouses the fighting spirit of British men, who are naturally more impressed than ever with the urgency of tho need of keeping so brutal an enemy awa-y from British shores, and inflicting on him adequate punishment for his orimes.

Zeppelins have performed some remarkable flying feats since the commencement of the war, but their achievements have not come up to expectations. Thoy have neither been a great success nor a definite failure. In an article in the Morninn Post entitled "A Year's Zeppelin Enterprise," Mh. Mahsac Buist expresses his disagreement with those people who talk glibly of the Zeppelin fiasco. He points out that most useful scouting work over the North Sea has been done by Zeppelins, and that they have succeeded in making long voyages for bomb-dropping purposes. The disasters which liave overtaken them have been remarkably few considering the nature of tho tasks they have been called upon to undertake. They can be navigated at suoh high altitudes that the best anti-aircraft weapons find it very difficult to damage them. Not one of the Zeppelins which have come to England has been destroyed during its visit or on the homeward voyage. Theio facts do not mean that the Zeppelins have so far played a firstrate part in the present conflict, or that they are likely to do so; but it cannot bo gainsaid that they have done useful work from the enemy's point of view. _ No good purpose can be served either by over-rating or under-rating the fighting value of theso machines. The main thing is to find means of nullifying their activities, and of hitting back effectively. One result of the latest raid on London is that public men are _ now seriously considering tho advisableness of inaugurating a system of air reprisals. Up to the present our airmen have limited their attacks to the enemy's naval and military forces and establishments, and the destruction of railways and war material. They have hitherto refrained from indiscriminate onslaughts on undefended towns. It may, however,'be found necessary to give' the Germans a taste of the "frightfulncss" which they mete out to their opponents. Are 'they to be permitted to break all the laws of war with impunity 1 Are we debarred from all forms of effective retaliation'/

In this war the role of aircraft, taken as a whole, has not been so sensational as a certain class of imaginative writers led us to expect The aeroplane and the airship have not revolutionised warfare, although the aeroplane and the seaplane have played important parts —far more important than the airships. One .authority tells us that "up-to-date we can say that aircraft have not altered any of the traditional principles of war in their fundamentals, while, on the other hand, they have proved a. far more manageable, precise, and calculable branch of the service than even their warmest supporters foretold." The predictions of weird battles between great fleets of rival aircraft have not been fulfilled, though many thrilling encounters buvc taken place. Indeed, fights between aeroplanes are of almost daily occurrence. A typical engagement of this sort is thus described by Lieutenant Mark Nelskx, who brought down a German Aviatik in July last: —

f left tih-o aerodrome til II .1,111. mul matlo off for Xpr«. I jvas flying QVcr

that town at a height of (!500fl. when my observer saw an Aviatik in tlio distance. The German saw. us and (lew off. In about ten minules I was Hying abovo him. lly observer fired his machine gun, but only hit tlie planes. The German replied and a bullet struck only four inches from our petrol tank. I then, as a stratagem, caused my machine to fall nearly at right angles. The German, thinking I was done for, shut 61V his ignition and started volplaning to tlio .ground, but I righted myself about (500 ft. from earth and rose al>ove tho enemy. As wo passed mv observer lired a coujilo of rifle shots. The first bullet struck tho German in the arm, but he continued to pilot his machine. The second bullet hit his petrol tank. The Aviatik burst into (lame and fell. Both the Occupants were killed;

But the work of the airmen is not usually quite so exciting us the incident described by Lieutenant iSEt.Si!N. Most of it may be more nvpsaic, though equally useful. Their principal duties consist of all forms of reconnaissance and the destruction of enemy troops, munitions, and such like. There are good reasons for believing that aircraft will achieve greater things in the second year of the war than in the first. Tho experiences of actual war-faro aro being put to good use, and improvements are continually being made. All tho belligerents realise tho vital importance of making their air services as effective as possible. In tho House of Commons recently Mr. Tennant made an interesting statement regarding the British air service. Ho said he could not be expected to say what steps had been taken to increase its strength, but a definite policy had been decided upon and was being carried out as rapidly as possible. Two civil training schools for pilots had been t-aken over, and tho one original military school had been increased to eleven schools. The wastage of aeroplanes h?ld been very large, but it had all been mado good. An enormous number moro had been supplied, and many more non-commissioned officers and men "were being trained. It was remarkable that Britain, which did not profess special eminence in the air sorvice, had been so prolific in the invention of scientific appliances which had won the admiration of everybody.