The Daily News. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1918. ALLIES' AIR SUPREMACY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 May 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1918. ALLIES' AIR SUPREMACY.

A recent cable stated that 10!) German aeroplanes were destroyed on the West front in two days, the British accounting for eighty-one. The Germans, however, can still spare a considerable number of their machines for raids on London and Paris, and the Allies can attend to the bombing of certain German towns. The results of these raids have widely differing effects, for while the casualties and damage inflicted in Britain serve to intensify the determination of the people to win the war and to make reprisals, the people of Germany have liecome more or less panic stricken and are calling out for steps to be taken to put an end to the death caused, ignoring the fact that Britain and Trance were goaded into making these reprisals by the persistent German raids on towns and hospitals. All recent reports oil the air services show that the allies are supreme. The review from the Secretary of State for the Colonies published recently stated that during April the allied fleets had dropped eleven bombs for every one dropped by enemy machines. The High Military Authority said that between April O and la British airmen brought down 71 enemy machines against 19 of ours missing. Sir Douglas Haig's reports for weeks past have emphasised thev growing importance of I the air service, efcd have given in detail

iiie iacls which establish Britain's J superiority. German airmen in the battle area are 'being harassed at every point. The losses being sustained in men and material must enormously handicap the enemy in his plans and movements; tlit-y cannot fail to disturb his confidence as to the prospect of renewals and the future of his air service- Seeing that the air 'fighting' takes place over the German lines, and that the enemy has developed a policy of lying-in-wait, the figures given above are certainly extraordinary. Yet the German aviators are not deficient either in daring or courage, and there is no lack of tactical efficiency on their part. The chief German fighting machines are the Fokker, the Walvet, and the Albatross, and up to a short time ago we liad not captured a single specimen of the Walvet, thanks to the caution of the Germans in fighting only over their own lines. These German machines have been encountered by the French with the Nieupnrt and the Spad, and by the British with the Bristol Bullet, the Sopwith, and the Vickers ScoutThe latest typo of Albatross is said to bo exceptionally formidable, and it is equipped with a peculiarly deadly ma-chine-gun device. It carries no less than three of these weapons, and they are so mounted and pointed that the streams of bullets converge and cross at a distance of about 300 ft from the muzzles of the guns. The streams of bullets thus form a kind of double cone, converging to a point and then opening out again. 'The tactics of the German fighters consist of. lying m ivait at a tremendous altitude above the clouds, and swooping down like a hawk upon any allied machine which crosses the fighting line. The force of gravity, aiding the driving power of the propeller, gives a speed rivalling that of a ibullet, and the aviator steers straight at his intended victim, as though seeking a collision. His real object, however, is to catch him within the cone formed by the three streams of bullets, and as these converge rapidly as lie closes in, the vie- i tim has small chanco of escape if this aim is realised. At close quarters the German swerves to avoid an actual collision, and if, as sometimes happens, he has missed his aim, he swoops right on and down to his aerodrome without renewing the com'bat. It is conceivable that a certain measure of success can be obtained Iby these methods, yet the allies' superiority is clearly evident both in the work of observation and that of destruction. In the last enemy offensive on the West front the allies' aircraft proved a magnificent help to tlie forces by their deadly activity in preventing the arrival of reserves and m dispersing enemy troops- It is only reasonable to assume that in the coming operations they will again prove their value in the same direction, and now that the Americans are taking part in this work an additional measure of success should be achieved. The services that aviators can render to the army are innumerable and they can demoralise the enemy to a considerable extent by ceaseless activity, day and night, giving him no rest and keeping him in constant fear of overhead attack. Under present circumstances the latest arm of the service is proving of the greatest utility, justifying the wisdom of the authorities in developing the aerial armj into its present state of superiority over tlmt of the enemy. It. is this superior'ty _ which cna'bles the aviators to achieve the great successes which have been gained on land and sea, a striking instance being afforded in connection with the operations at Ostend and Zeebiugge. The allies are now reaping the reward of their enterprise in obtaining this superiority which they are bent on retaining. It is deplorable that raids on towns should (be undertaken, but these are only subsidiary to the main s"ork of aircraft-that of a„ attacking squadron co-operating with the armed forces. The performances of the aviation ileet are one of the marvels of the ■war.