ALLIED AIR SUPREMACY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1755, 4 September 1917, Page 2

ALLIED AIR SUPREMACY.

THE extent to which the allies hold the command of the air is perhaps not fully appreciated in Great Britain, says a correspondent from the western front. It is not realised by the civilian public, or even by the troops in the trenches. The soldier does not see the combats that take place far more often over German territory than above his own head. Proof of the superiority of the French is given by the fact that in the Aisne battle no fewer than I,O!JS aerial duels took place over the Gorman lines, and only 395 over the French lines. In this connection the tactics adopted by the enemy before the Aisne battle, which pro still followed, have a special interest. In the air the German was purely on the defensive. lie had something over two hundred aeroplanes to oppose a genera! attempt by the French to gain the command of the air. He seemed to have known that he would be outnumbered as well as out-manoeuvred by the French airmen, and all lookouts were instructed to keep the sharpest watch for any sign of a general aerial attack. If such a sign was observed, every aviator in the army was to hold himself in readiness to start at the shortest notice, but they were not to go up until the a(ack actually took place. Every aviator in the air. was to return at once to his camp, refusing combat. Ail balloons were at once to bo lowered. The German aviators were to make no attempt to repulse the first French onslaught, and the infantry must expect nothing from them: It was left to the anti-aircraft guns to chock (he first assault. Eventually, however, orders were to’be given by (he German command for its aeroplanes to lake the air. Then, flying as low as possible, they wore to tty away from the French to points of rendezvous at least twenty miles behind the front. Having reached (his relative security they were to rise to fighting altitude, and finally, on masse, not less than three-quarters of an hour after taking the air, they wore to circle round and oiler battle. The aviators, however, were warned that they must fight over the Gorman lines and not pursue the enemy within reach of the French antiaircraft guns.