WHAT WAR HAS DONE, FOR FLYING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 252, 18 July 1919, Page 13

WHAT WAR HAS DONE, FOR FLYING

GRIM, INCENTIVE TO RAPID PROGRESS.;/ Stern necessity stimulated British EcienCT,.". tific genius to brilliant efforts in the nfc,-...,;, tion's- cause during the -war., The fun. ..'•_' story of their achievements 'has told, for much that was accomplished■'Jias£.t'*i. been carefully veiled right up to the sign-; v: - ing of the Treaty. The stress of war, the"" .'.' desperate urgency of the many military.' ".".- problems ilhat had to be faced, spurred',,',; invention and developed discoveries years., ,; in advance of the normal rate of'scieh-.!.'.'" ; - tific progress. Flying received a tremens."".." dous impetus, for it soon became evident.'..,;; that supremacy in tho air was a sine' , -.• qua noh of victory. The aeroplane'eii-., .'l'.'l tercd the war as <; scouting machine; Uny counters by rival scouting machines, de-,'.V veloped.'planes adapted for offensive"pur-' •. -' poses as well, and then followed a period..*" ' during wlvudi various forms of air fight-" ing developed, from duels to formal en-' gageuients by air squadrons deploying to !' attack in accordance- with tactical plans, "bombing excursions, madhine-guu; .war-... ..'• faro by flying low over the:.. ' enemy, and long-distance night-bombing'" \' raids into the enemy's territory. ' As 'a.. '.""'■ corollary, communications between.",, tho;.;;.;,; sky-fighters and tho land forces were de-" "' veloped from primitive methods of sig- ".'•"" .'•"' nalling/to wireless'equipmo'nt. So vital'" did the air force become, particularly to the artillery arm, that a defeat iu the clouds meant the blinding of a'W'h'dlo army. In the later stages of the war,.'. the aeroplanes had a definite function as an integral part of the advance, in nd-' dition.to. their special role in the higher altitudes. Flying low, they pioneered the troops, rounded! up arid captured de : taclnnents of tho enemy's forces after" , the manner of pursuing cavalry, relieved some isolated- posts; and carried food sup- ' plies .to others. In fact, with every development of the great struggle the aeroplane ■ assumed fresh importance. The night-bombing raids, at first looked upon as rather doubtful ventures, were soon recognised as vital factors in undermining the enemy's moral, and scientific energy lent itself to tho perfecting of a type of machine that would bo capable of carrying out an invasion of Germany by highly organised squadrons. By 1918 the Royal Air Force had reached practically the zenith of its efficiency and importance, and in November last plans were ripe 'for a great attack on Ber; liri. Then, to the airmen's sore disap : pointment, the Germans asked for an armistice, and the Fatherland ©scaped what would have been an appalling experience. ' -All these factors lent a grim zest to the competition between tho aeroplane designers of the combatant nations, and with unlimited money and vast construe- - tion yards "ut immediato call, and tho tragic lessons, of the battle-arena as a guide, the science of aeronautics was given a wonderful opDortunity for achieving, as it did, a -fihenomenal advancement.