Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-11

AIRMEN AS SCOUTS.
AeropIane Disseminated as the Dove
of Peace-Makins War Impossible.

Aerial scouts will make war on iand I'M
possible by rendering military strategy
| impossible.
Such Is the opinion expressed secretly
| by great military experts; openly by the
people.
| Like the general staff, Emperor Will
| liam is immensely interested in the
| glorious muddle' in which the British
army maneuvers ended so suddenly and
absurdy. These experts recognize. sadly
that the military birdman has made 1t
impossible to play war game as it used
| to be played.
| From on high the aviators look down
| on every move on the military chess
board and report il to their headquar-
| tiers almost before 1t is made. Under
such circumstances, strategy. hank
movements and efficient handling of bod
| les of troops, which prove great general
! ship, are eliminated. Hereafter. the ex-
| pefts whisper. battle will be only
lslanghter. bayonet to bayonet, or there
will be no. battles.
France Maintains Lead.
Military experts are peculiarly inter-
ested in the fact that the French easily
| maintain their lead over all their rivals
| in the air For nearly two weeks, dur
| ing which the French army maneuvers
| lasted, 60 scouts in aeroplanes lowered
and fitted over the opposing armies
Not an accident happened to the Keen
| eyed birdmen not a gunner nor snap
shooter but acknowledged he could not
| hit such dim, swift target as an aero
plane 1890 feet in the air.
| The socialists are rejoicing. telling each
other that the conquest of one nation Ds
another Yet the maneuyers were never
| on grander scale than this autumn
While the diplomats are crying Pence
lpeacerr while the chancelors are assur-
ing each other of their undying esteem
| and friendship, the purpose of the man
euvers was perfectly frank and open.
| Germany assembled 10000 soldiers, I'M
der the emperors eye. The problem
worked out was how to resist an attack
coming from the Russian frontier uhth
the main German army, having thrashed
I the French on Frances frontier could be
transported eastward.
| German strategy reckons upon the
| slowness of Russian mobilization as
compared with the German, to give Ger
many free hand for three weeks before
! the Russians, Frances ally, can really
threaten from the east. 1t is said that
| the defending army was defeated at
| the maneuvers Perhaps that statement
| is not as frank as their purpose.
/ AeropIanes Prove Utility.
But over the vast army. as it passed
| the kaiser, fioated 20 aeroplanes and two
war balloons Had they dropped explo-
sives the magnificent array would have
ibeen dissipated: the best trained soldiers
| in the world would have been impotent;
the vast field. trembling under charg
hau
been Uttered with dead and dying.
| France, too, called out 10000 troops
! for her grand maneuvers. There the
/ problem was the opposite of that in Ger
many. The French sought to hold out
against German army superior in num-
bers until British expeditlonary force
should arrive. Dispatches say the re-
isisting army won.
| In England the manuevers Were never
on greater scale; $4,000 infantry We're
on the field; 1872 field guns, 1875 machine
guns. 1t was perfectly plain that the
practice was directed against this buga-
/, boo" Germany; against the arrival of a
German invading force
King George watched the mock battle
which ended so absurdly. The battle
was fought in that part of England
nearest the GeTH1dn COdSt, WHERE llNou-
4 ers would land to make dash for Lon
don. The two armies campaigned over
Norfolk and Suffolk, and the military
aviators made futile all the plans of their
commanders
Troops Scattered Over Field.
! Dispatches say that when the troops
were dismissed and King George rode
away in disgust the troops We're so scat
+, tered over the field of campaign that not
even Won Moltke could have assembled
the divisions. Why?
| 81 would give five years of my life II
I could see the other side of that HILL
exclaimed a great general, planning his
attack when almost face to face with
the enemy.
| During the English maneuvers the
aviators saw both sides of every hill and
scanned the plains. the holows. the
anlbushes, the masked batteries,
1 There were maneuvers in Switzerland