AIRCRAFT IN WAR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 15, 4 September 1914, Page 4

AIRCRAFT IN WAR.

A year or two ago General Sir John French, who is now commanding the British expedition in Europe, gave some opinions about the possible effect of aircraft on the wars of the future. The role of the cavalry, he said, would be much the same as in the past, though, no doubt, it would receive con. siderable assistance from aircraft and a good deal of work which would have been done ordinarily by cavalry at the expense of much would be undertaken by aeroplanes, and the cavalry would be released to assist the other arms in their tactical employment. The artillery would benefit very largely by having better targets pointed out to them, and by obtaining surei results through a more accurate knowledge of the effects of their firing. This has come out exactly as surmised. The infantry Avould doubtless, he said, be the least affected of the three arms, but a good deal of extra work and hardship would be thrown on the troops because they would have to conceal themselves as much as possible from overhead scouts, and because the activities of aircraft would increase the night work. Presuming an extensive development of the aerial arm, General •French remarked that "tactical and strategical movements could no longer be made successfully in secret and attempts at deception would lose much of their effect under the close observation of aircraft, and the game would have to be played with the cards on the table far more than ever." In this connection it is of interest to note some remarks made by Colonel Repingtqn when discussing the probability of the Germans using aircraft to drop bombs oil s ome of the most populous centres in England, He said:-—"My yipw as that great ,tow,u like Loudon and Edinburgh are .to ,some, extent protected against aerial bombardments by the inherent uselqssnpss j and, (inexpediency of, such: measures even ; from the G erwjW, PQ/.ut, of, V-PJe • !^ r ?' lt Powers like England and Germany do] not make war oil women and peaceful citizens. Ido not think it would profit 'tlie cause of Germany in the least to bombard London or Edinburgh from the air. Such an act would only infuriate our people, and make them ready for every sacrifice. If we heard that a Royal or plebian nursery, a crowd of peaceful clerks or beyies of young women in the Telephone Exchanges-- exasperating as they somelimes are—had suddenly been swept into eternity, the .war .wp.ukl become,, one of extermination. Humanityaside, 1 do not think it would pay Germany to provoke a war of that kind with the British Empire. We shall be under the disagreeable necessity, in case of war, with Germany, of temporarily incarcerating all German citizens in this country of a military age—that is to say, between the ages of seventeen and forty-five. There is such a. thing as the stern law of reprisal-, and I hope that no enemy may over impose, it on us." But in one thing the Colonel was mistaken : these Prussian bandits, on by German William's threats and commands, do make war on women and children and peaceful citizens. They are outlaws and for such the only remedy r< extermination.