Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-15
AER0S TO AID FIRING
Will Be Used to Direct Work
of Artillery.
DECISION OF GOVERNMENT
Two Machines Will Be Detailed for
the Experiments.
TESTS WERE MADE IN FRANCE
Good Results Obtained by Aviators
Who Reconnoitered Fortress
in Four Machines.
TESTS WERE MADE IN FRANCE

AeroplaneS are to be used in the United
States Army for directing artillery fire.
This matter has been under considera-
ton for almost a year the wish of the
United States to install such a system
for the control of artillery fire following
the successful experiments of the French
army.
The present plan is to detail two aero
planes for the work. Whether they will
be some of those now at College Park or
some of the new machines ordered has
not yet been settled. The future station
of the artillery aeroplanes will be either
Fort Leavenworth. Kan, or Fort Sill.
Okla, both places being we'll suited
to artillery trials Of the nature contem-
plated.
The necessity for aeroplane control OF
artillery fire came from the fact that all
ners do not see the object they are shoot-
ing at. The French, who are conceded
TO have the finest artillery in the world,
developed the system Of masked fire.
This was afterward tGken Up byEiermany
and England. In directing such fire there
have been portable towers made for bat
terry observers, and the artillery officers
also have taken advantage of trees,
church steeples and other elevations
Frequently none of these is available,
Tests by French Army.
The first extensive experiments with
aeroplane control of gunfire were made in
August, 1911, by the aviators of the
French army from Verdun, who were
accommodating the French fortress of
Toul There were four aeroplanes, one
monoplane and three biplanes used in
g.,
sent over the fortress and from height
of from 5000 to 1900 feet they made
sketches. took photographs and made
notes. and in two hours returned to their
home camp, having covered a distance of
$50 kilometers. Their reports were pre-
cisely what the commanding general need
ed for an attack on the fortress.
One of the most satisfactory results of
the expedition consisted of the photo
graphs, made by special apparatus. and
carried by Capt. Bellenger. With this
camera he had taken close detail pictures
from height Of 5000 feet and travelling
at sixty miles an hour.
On the following day experiments were
made in controlling the fire of field bat
terry. This is the work it is intended to
duplicate at Fort LeavenwOrth. The aero
planes in this case fly high enough to be
out of danger from terrestrial fire and
locate the objective of the artillery on a
map. The report is given to the COM
mander of the battery and the aeroplane
again takes wing, going this time to the
rear of its own battery. The battery ha s
located itself for the aviators by laying
down two broad strips of white cloth
pointing in the direction the battery is
trained.
Drop Weighted Cards.
The battery commander then fires two
salvos al ranges 200 yards apart. This
constitutes bracket" The bracket may
be short or it may be an over" The
aeroplanes see which it is and note the
result on weighted cards. These are
dropped down to the battery, and the
salvos are repeated till the bracket
incloses the objective. Then the ranges
are brought to converge on the objective
until it is destroyed.
So far the American aeroplanes have
done practically nothing in the develop
ment of communication between the
aeroplanes and their base. The signal
service here has built a very good light
weight wireless set but there has been no
chance to use it satisfactorily. There
also has been developed a visual signal
called the Means signal With this the
aeroplane observer can telegraph in
Morse with dots and dashes of smoke.
This and the card-dropping system have
not yet been tried.
1t has been definitely decided to locate
one ydro-aeroplane station at the WASH
ington barracks. There will be two ny
dro-aeroplanes located at the new school,
probab bly, Curtiss and a Burgess Wright
Two more hydros will be bought and sent
to a station about to be established at
Governors Island
Orville Wright. who has been in WASH
ington for three days. and yesterday at
tended tn efuneral of Lieut.. Hazlehurst.
left at noon today for New York. where
he will look after some business matters
before returning to Dayton.