The Stretford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, JULY . 25, 1916. MAKING PROGRESS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 96, 25 July 1916, Page 4

The Stretford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, JULY . 25, 1916. MAKING PROGRESS.

The progress made on all fronts against the enemy is most satisfactory, and with splendid heroism ihe soldiers of the Allies are driving back the ruthless hordes 'opposing them. It is cheering also to find that so far as aerial warfare is concerned the airmen of Britain and France are maintaining control of the air, checking enemy activities and reconnaissances, and inflicting much damage of real military value. In some of the important fighting on the western fronts, enemy observation balloons and aircraft have been prevented from acting as the eyes of the army, while British and French airmen carried on their work unhindered. In this department of modern warfare Germany had a very great advantage at the start, but this advantage has more than disappeared. Ait the beginning of the war it was generally considered that it was fairly safe to fly at anything over 4000 ft. It was soon discovered, however, i hat machine guns could reach 4000 ft. without difficulty, and could even make* themselves unpleasant at 6000 ft. Thereafter 8000 ft. was taken as a safe height at which to fly,, because it was out of reach of the machine guns, and, although well within range, of the anti-aircraft guns, it was found ' that either the guns were not sufficiently accurate or the gunners wore not sufficiently experienced to make anything like docent shooting at that altitude. But great advances have been made and it is now a recognised fact that to | be a first-class wav machine, an aero-, plane must be able to do at least ninety milqe P fi1 ’ hour, and climb to a i, least 15,000 ft. In fact anything; between 12,000 ft. and 15,000 ft. is ( now considered quite a reasonable, height for reconnaissance. One au-| thority gives the world’s record for’ speed”is 135 miles in an hour, made by a French aviator, and the world record for height as 25,750 ft. made by a German aviator just before the, war. Bearing these figures in mind it is almost impossible to ebuceive what ( the aeroplane or air-ship of the future mnv accomplish, but we may at least rest assured that British, French,! and Russian engineers can more than keep pace with the Germans m the improvement and greater fighting e ficacy of air craft. Therefore wo-may expect that when reprisal for brutal outrage by German airmen is taken, as the French have given full warning they intend to do, Germany may be sorry that this phase of ness” was over thought of..