DEADLY AIR INVENTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1919, Page 8

DEADLY AIR INVENTION.

"FLYING TORPEDO-BOATS."

BRITISH WAR MACHINE

London, Doc. 27

The description is now available of the wonderful British flying torpedoboats .illicit were recently perfected. This allows how narrowly the armistice saved the German fleet and the German naval harbors from a tremendous aerial bombardment. The bonipletencss of the defences screening the hidden German ships made the approach of submarines or destroyers nearer than 30 miles most dangerous, and challenged the ingenuity of British designer?.

As a result there was a gradual development of powerful and rapid aeroplanes, of which the secret was most jealously guarded, with a speed of 150 miles an hour, carrying an ordinary submarine torpedo.

The machine was capable of suddenly diving from the clouds and levelling out 50ft above its objective. After the torpedo was launched the aeroplane could mount at a - high speed, leaving the enemy no chance to reply by gun fire. It was one of the first completed mystery aeroplanes which sank the Turkish transport with 3000 troops. Kiel was marked out for a heavy and concerted onslaught- on the eve of the armistice, and it is believed that the German anticipation of this attack and their knowledge of their inability to counter it, hastened the acceptance of the Allies' terms.

The original design was almost defeated owing to the difficulties of ensuring the safety of the aeroplane after (lisehurstißg its torpedo, sometimes weighing a Lor:, owing to the sudden lightening. The wings of cue machine collapsed, hurling the pilot to death, i,ind i'i another instance the torpedo hit K water at an awkward angle, ncoeh- ; demolished a machine which ivfre ' v ' :>n "fpHTi *"' u ' A ' r Ministry secured ft <tanc» c i x northern mumlions l-*-^rOft< > r many efforts and changes uosign stability was secured.