The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1916. THE MASTERY OF THE AIR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2694, 14 February 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1916. THE MASTERY OF THE AIR

There are many indications! that the year 1916 will sec some sensational developments in air warfare.. Imaginative minds have long revelled in the task _of _ describing the wonderful possibilities of air fighting, and since tho beginning of tho present struggle there has been an unending stream of startling stories, of marvellous inventions in which' fact and fiction arc mixed up in inextricable confusion. < But there have also been definite happenings, and the recent Zeppelin raids havo indicated a steady improvement in this class of aerial monster. So much so that the problem of aerial defence and the genera,! question of air warfare—offensive and defensive—has received a new impetus, an 3 is being vigorously discussed in Britain ana elsewhere. Experience has proved that the air defence of Britain is ineffective and inadequate, ' and tho people arc getting impatient. Cable messages which we publish to-day state that meetings are being held in various parts of the country to protest against the inadequacy of the protection at present afforded. An important conference has been held at the Admiralty, and it is beliqved that the Government is considering tho appointment of an Air Minister. Such a step may not produce the great and immediate results which some people appear to expect from it, but it would make a particular Minister definitely responsible for this department of tho war. That, assuming the right man is placed in charge, would be a clear gain. It is also suggested that there should be an air director whoso functions would be limited to the provision of aircraft and the supervision of actual operations. It is quite impossible to discuss usefully tho merits of this proposal without knowing in some detail what is at present being done, and the available information is extremely vague and limited. The authorities cannot be expected to disclose the nature of their plans and preparations as regards air warfare. A friendly critic of the Government recently stated that it is abundantly plain that London is not yet sufficiently defended against aircrait attack, but he felt justified in giving an ■ assurance, based on personal knowledge, that the authorities are getting to work on really scientific lines. The demand is being renewed that the Government should build a large fleet of aeroplanes for offensive purposes. This sounds very well; but it must, always be remembered that a strain is at present being put upon the resources of the nations 111 regard to the production of aeroplanes, and as one writer remarks, "vou cannot order anything you ? lease to-day and get it to-morrow." n advocating raids even to Berlin, the editor of tbo Aeroplane refers to the improvements that have been made in our aeroplane engines since the beginning of the war. The air experts have met with a large measure of success during the' past year in applying the science of aerial navigation to warfare. Some of their achievements were recently pointed out by Mr. Massac Buis'i in an article in the Hominy Post. The long range multi-engine, large scale, weight-carrying aoroplano has been standardised and successfully used, and the ordinary size single engine aeroplane and hydroplane have been employed to operate with all manner of miKsilßs, including the \aree»

varieties of bombs which it was for- j merly thought could only be handled I from airships. Bomb-dropping has t become so scientific that the element : of luck In accuracy of aim has been I almost entirely eliminated. The use : of scientific instruments has _ taken ; the place of guesswork or instinctive marksmanship. One result of this,has been an improvement in the tactics ol massed attacks. Mi:. Buist remarks that the aerial marvels of the past yciii" embrace, besides the proof of Germany's boast that she could drop bombs from Zeppelins on London, the destruction of enemy submarines by bomb-dropping from an aeroplane piloted by a British officer, and some wonderful work j under difficult conditions in locating the German cruiser Konigsberg, lying up an African river,- hidden from view of the warships, and directing the guns of the British vessels that destroyed her. What tho future holds for airships and aeroplanes can only be vaguely guessed at, but both tho Allies and their enemies arc displaying marked activity in preparations for aerial waifaro. A German newspaper declares that an is to be made to destroy Britain's supremacy on tho seas by means of Zeppelin attacks. This prediction may not be based upon any special knowledge, but it is interesting as an indication of the expectations which arc being raised in the minds of the German people. In England an agitation has been started for great Ueets of aeroplanes in order that the war may be carried right into the enemy's territory. Pressure is being brought to bear on the French Government with the object of securing the establishment of an incontestable superiority in aircraft. It is proposed that a supplementary fleet of no less than 5000 aeroplanes should _be built for tho purpose of attacking the enemy in mass with bombs and torpedoes. It is contended that with this increase in its strength the French air fleet co«»Id not only bombard tho enemy's positions, but also' destroy his air fleet and be free from his air spies. A league has been formed to attain these objects, the founders including such well-known public men as MM. Bakthou, Barrf.s, and Clemehceau. The enormous difficulties of trench warfare are causing people to seek for some new method of attack on a large scale. There' is plenty of room for free movement in the air. "You cannot," says Mr. Buist, "dig trenches in the air, therefore in the air one has always the power to manoeuvre." This writer gives reasons for a widely-held belief when lie remarks that the increased power ot aeroplane engines,' the immense strides made in regard to the reliability of their working, and the much larger scale on which these ! craft are being constructed, both by 1 the Allies and our enemies, all ensure that much more ambitious attacks than any yet recorded will soon , he undertaken.