The Dominion TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1917. MASTERY IN THE AIR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3138, 17 July 1917, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1917. MASTERY IN THE AIR

The statement made by Mr. Lloyd George to a deputation, of London members of Parliament which interviewed him on the subject oi aerial defences clears up a, number of uncertainties and puts a very grave question in an entirety new light. Naturally tho ordeal London has lately undergone of being on a number of occasions bombarded from the air has given rise to a great deal of criticism, and has led to demands that tho Government should take effective action to protect tho capital both by improving its defences and by subjecting the enemy to reprisals in kind. Assuming that tho means were available it would obviously be incumbent on the Government to meet theso demands. Driven into a, corner by his critics, Mr. Lloyd George has admitted in plain terms that the means of effectively defending London while at the same timo maintaining aerial superiority at the front are not at present available. , His answer to tho charge that London was not adequately defended on tho occasion of the recent enemy raids is that air squadrons were sent from' England to tho front in response to tho pressing request of Sir Douglas Haig, whom all military advisers supported. Tho Prime Minister's contention that even tho defence of London must bo subordinated to the safety and efficiency of tho armies at the front is' unanswerable. It will no doubt bo acoeptcd as conclusive even by tho people of London, upon whom existing conditions bear most hardly. Mr. Lloyd George has gone far in his frank disclosures. Iri effect, ho invites tho, people of London to submit if necessary to further tragic ordeals in order that British aerial supremacy _ in tne Western theatre may be maintained. Ho intimated very bluntly that this was the policy by which his Government was prepared to stand or fall. Admittedly this outspoken presentation of tho -facts—made necessary by too insistent criticism—puts a new aspect on tho enemy raids on London. They must now bo regarded as intended largely, if not mainly, to divert British aerial strength from the Western theatre, where it tells with maximum effect, and heavily- influences tho general trend of tho war. To obtain the forces needed to defend London at the cost of disastrously weakening tho armies on the fighting front is a policy impossible to a nation at war. The timo will come when Britain will be able at once to maintain an overwhelming preponderance of aircraft in the war theatres, and make all necessary provision for the defence of her homo territories. But for the timo being a choice has to bo made between impaired military efficiency of homo defences weaker than they might be. As tho spokesman of his Government, Mr. Lloyd Geouge lias declared in straightforward fashion that military efficiency in' the theatres where it is vital must bo tho first consideration. This decision directly_ affects tho welfare of every, soldier in tho fight-,

ing lines. _ To realise how completely it is justified it is only liecessaiy to consider what an overwhelmingly important part tho aerial services play in the war theatres. Just how important, that part is many peoplo probably fail , rca,l i s ®; M «- Lr 'OYD cJborqb spoke of the safety of the soldiers tho front, and it is a fact' that tho aerial force needed to avert a score or two of fatalities in London may easily save many thousands of lives in an equal period on the battle front. It is almost impossible to exaggerate the advantages that accrue to an army possessed of a predominant air service. In the \\cstcrn theatro British and French aircraft arc to-day freely observing tho enemy's dispositions and lm- . parting to artillery bombardment a deadly _ precision which without their aid would be utterly unattainable. Machines of special construction act as'most effective instruments |of destruction' and others "perform essential functions in connection with that wonderful coordination of artillery and inattack which has enabled the Allies to overcome the enemy's most formidable strongholds. These services and the advantages they confer are _ magnified by the fact that the Allied aviators have established a mastery of the air which enables them to confine the activities of the German air service within relatively narrow limits. It "is a familiar fact that Germany's inferiority in tho air has cost her dear .in many battles, and indeed throughout a great part of the progress of the Western Campaign. Equally it/ has saved the lives of many thousands of British soldiers owing to its crippling influence on the effectiveness of enemy artillery fire. Tho statement by Mr. Lloyd George to which reference has been made serves to emphasise the .fact (liablo perhaps to be overlooked) that Allied mastery in tho air does not represent a crowning and completed achievement, but is maintained at the cost of a ceaseless struggle, which makes unprecedented calls upon human, daring and resource. "Britain is richly endowed in the factors that mako for supremacy in tho air. Her technical and manufacturing resources for the produc-/ tion of are now highly organised, and it .is commonly agreed that the personnel of her air services is unsurpassed by that oi any nation at war. The British temperament has found as congenial a field of enterprise in the air as it found long ago upon the sea. The result is seen in the enemy's definite and established inferiority in tho Western theatre and in the invariable failure of his efforts to rise out of that condition. It is seen also in tho developing scope and effect of tho British aerial attacks on cnenjy land and naval establishments in Belgium and elsewhere. Thcsp are definite achievements, expanding and extending as time goes on, and telling with increasing effcot ion the enemy. But tho strain theyj impose on tho resources of tho nation is indicated in Mr. Lloyd George's plain-spoken admission that! in order to maintain the requir&d pitch, of aerial efficiency on tho fighting front it is'neoessary for tho flimo being to let the defence of London go in part by default. Fortunately there is no reason to doubt that tho pronounced aerial superiority already established by the Allies will be intensified as time'goes on. They aro bringing their resources to bear .with increasing effect despite tho 'fact that tho enemy is also continuously improving his aerial organisation in face of defeat. On occasions, as when they introduced the Fokkor towards the end of 1915, the Germans have gained some, momentary advantage, but in general their utmost have been definitely surpassed. Like tho Al- ■ lies, they are rapidly training aviators and turning out new and improved machines in great numbers. Their inferiority is nevertheless clearly established. After nearly three years of war they are in the position in the Westorn, theatro (Jf suffering much greater losses than tho Allies, although their aviators are largely restricted to flying ovei; their own lines. Already in a position of decided inferiority, they will certainly fail to keep pace with the increase in the Allied air forces. France has perhaps approached as nearly *is Germs-ny £i maximum point in tho production of aeroplanes and the training of aviators, but Britain is capable of enormously expanding her existing aerial forces. The Minister of Munitions (Dr. Apdison) stated recently that the British production of aeroplanes in March was twice that of December, and that the supply would greatly increase in the next few months, in pursuance of a vast programme. A very great reinforcement may be_ expected also from America, possibly before this year is out, and certainly in the earliest days of next year. It is mentioned in tho news to-day that Congress has made a heavy appropriation for aeroplane construction m the United States