OUR AIR FUTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 February 1920, Page 4

OUR AIR FUTURE

GERMANY PLANNING HER NEW FORCE.

General Seeley, the late Under-Sec-retary. for Air ,'who resigned because he thought that the Air Service was suffering as the result of the arrangement by which Mr Churcill is both War Minister and Air Minister, writ, ing in the London Evening News yesterday, says:

LONDON, December 23. In the future, and not tfio far distant future, the increase of .air power and air development will alter completely all our conceptions of strategy and jfri.tcrnafcional relationships. Other countries realise this fact, especially Germany.

Germany is at this moment subsidising a very large number of aerial transport companies. France, in response is subsidising similar companies and is already devoting many millions of francs annually to this purpose. There is the uncomfortable fact that the conversion of peace machines into war machines in the air is an affair of a few hours, or even of a. few minutes. On land, it may take years, as it did in the last war, even with great numerical superiority, to menace the seat of government or powers of production and transportation of the enemy. But from the air the heart of the enemy is open to instant attack, and it follows that the wise nation will stand on the defensive on the ground while it attacks with all its power in the air. . [ Any Power which gains initial com. mand of the air will lie able within, a very few weeks to destroy the whole, of the enemy’s merchant ships, all his main railway stations, and, by a combination of explosive and incendiary fire, all his large cities. If chemistry be Galled; in aid, results far more terrible to human a(nd : animal life must follow.

Moreover, should the attacked be a maritime State bis armed fleet will not help him, for even with our present most imperfect methods surface ships have a poor chance, and in days not far distant that chance must disappear altogether.