The Detroit times., 1908-08-01
GERMAN AIR FLEET
AROUsEs ACTIVITY
OF NATIONS
OTHER NATIONS COMPELLED TO
TAKE NOTICE OF PROGRESS
MADE BY kAisgR's ARmY-Ex.
PERTs DISCUSS PLANS.

BERLIN, Aug. when an author
ny like Major Gross declares calmly
that the German government would
construct an aerial feet containing
different types OF airships, large and
small, to be used for different pur-
poses. just az a navy consists OF bat
tleships. cruisers and torpedo craft,
each with its own functions, II may
be taken as granted that military bal
looming In Germany Is accepted SER
iously as an actual part OF her arma-
ment
When such distinguished anglo
phobe as Prof. Theodore Schiemann
announces that Germany has out
stripped the world In her force OF bal
looms as effective weapons OF war"
one can understand why England and
France are anxiously measuring their
aerial forces.
Airships for Aggression.
Discussing the question whether
airships can be employed for aggres-
sive purposes In war at sea and on
land. or only for scouting work. Maj.
Gross said:
Il am convinced that the airship
will, for the present. be primarily used
for scouting and observing the enem-
les position or movements, and only
secondarily for attacking the enemy
by dropping explosives.
1T is true the French have. from
the very beginning. designed their air
ships with the intention of dropping
explosives from them, and 1t cannot
be denied that experiments undertake
en- to test the possibility of using them
for this purpose have been very sue
cessful.
Explosives have been dropped
from French airships upon batteries
which served as targets. My own OPP
inion Is that In cases In which air
ships can aim at large objects such
as large bodies of troops. whole forts.
or big battleships. no great difficulty
will be experienced In hitting the OBJ
ject OF attack.
"Airships cannot at present carry
explosives weighing more than 66O
pounds. so that the damage each aer-
ial vessel could infict would be CORE
spondingly limited.
Il do not think a modern battleship
could be put hors de combat by ex-
plosives which one airship would be
able to carry.
Moreover, as soon as airships be-
gin attacking warships afioat.' add
ed Major Gross, "battleships will be
Quilt with decks sufficiently armored
To protect them from such attacks.
and armed with guns capable OF FIR
ing vertically or in any other direc-
ton.
AT the same time one must re-
member that attacks from airships
will demoralize those attacked, who
Al flrst will nave. the feeling OF being
unable TO protect themselves from the
mysterious foe in the clouds"
Heavy Weight Carried.
Discussing the weight which air
ships will be able TO carry. Major
Gross pointed out that the Zeppelin
airship In its present size only carries
~ persons besides the crew OF four
required TO navigate the vessel and
tend its motors. Major Gross added:
1T Is thus evident that 1t Is abso-
lutely impossible TO transport large
bodies of troops from Germany to
England by airships, for the present Ii
appears impossible TO build aerial
vessels larger than the Zeppelin type.
True. 1t Is theoretically possible to
construct much larger airships on the
same lines. but 1t is doubtful whether
they are actually practicable
Discussing the cost OF modern air
ships. Major Gross said:
The French airship Patrie cost
100000, Count Zeppelin's new model
cost $3.50, 900. The Parsival airship
of 10000 cubic feet cost $4,000. l
cannot divulge the cost of airships be-
longing to the German war Office
Major Gross discussed another in
teresting question regarding the
height at which airships would be
compelled to operate In order to es-
cape hostile artillery. He said:
I'VE assume that guns as they ex'
list at present cannot hit an airship
sailing at a height of 5000 feet, so
that airships must be able to reach
this height in order to avoid danger.
Count Zeppelin has never reached
height exceeding 1900 feet. the
French airships reached an elevation
of $40 feet our military airships
reached height OF 5000 feet, but
this elevation was involuntary.
Regarding the speed of airships,
Major Gross said:
The Zeppelin can do thirty miles
an hour under pressure, Parsival
about % miles, and the French air
ships a trifie more. The new airship
of the German war Office will have
speed of about 30 miles. An improve
ment In motors will enable airships to
attain greater speeds In the compare
lively near future"