Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-09-17
A Real Test for Military Aircraft.
(Scientific American.l

military status of the dirigible and
the aeroplane. Aircraft are still mill
tary enigmas. No one can pretend
that the desultory use of the flying
machine during the Morocco and Bal
kan campaigns disclosed it's possibili-
ties and limitations in war. Indeed,
the dirigible has not yet been thor
oughly tested in anything like a real
battle.
OF the value of the flying machine
for scouting there can be no question.
Bloody as the present war may prove
to be, it is not likely that we shall
see German army plunging into
whole French center, under the i'm
preston that it is a mere retreating
rear guard-a blunder which cost the
Germans thousands and thousands of
men during the war of 1S70-1S71 at
Vionville and Gravelotte, and which
might have terminated disastrously
had it not been for the stolid and
unwavering bravery of the German
troops in action. Nor are we likely to
see a 203-meter hill captured, lost
and recaptured again, not for the pur-
pose of planting guns upon it in order
to shell beleaguered Port Arthur,
but for the purpose of stationing on
its crest scouts, whose telescopes may
discern how effective was the fire of
a fleet that could not see it's target.
Aircraft may prove instruments of
mercy; for the aeroplane and dirigi
BILE have miraculously transported the
all-seeing eye of a commanding Of
ficer to height where the whole ter
rane lies spread out before him like
vast typographical map on which an
enemys every battery may be seen.
! Information which could hitherto be
| cleaned only by a reconnaissance in
force at a cost of human life too terri
} BILE to contemplate will now be OBJ
tanned by few pilots wheeling high
in the air on high-powered machines.
But it stands to reason that a gen.
eral will not permit this bird-like
scrutiny of his position without at
: tempting to thwart it in some way.
Both in Morocco and in the Balkans
5 rifle fire was relied upon, not alto
gether with success, to drive off the
e inquisitive aviator officers. In the
Il Balkans two pilots were killed in
this manner; but, on the whole, rifle
fire seems only to have sent the scout
to higher level, where observation
while not so easy, was at least fairly
II safe. Both the Germans and the
Il French have developed special artil
u lery for the purpose of assailing re-
l. connoitering aircraft. The effective
IS ness of this ordinance is doubtful
against machines speeding along a
'e a height of 5000 feet and more al
l. the rate of at least sixty miles al
3 hour.
8 Can it be, then, that in sheer self
defense reconnoitering aeroplane'
e will be fought off in the air itselfi
10 Will commander who seeks to masl
J. his movements and his defenses pi
his aeroplanes against those of hi
enemy? In other words, are we like
s. ly to see real battles in the air? The
fact that military flying machines
IL have latterly been armored and pro
. vided with light machine guns would
seem to indicate that some such pos
c sibility exists. That the giant Zeppe
Ii Inns of the German army are expected
'e to fight has long been known. They
'e too, have been both armed and arm
ored. Their speed has been increased
to over sixty miles an hour, obviousl!
for the purpose of enabling them t
y cope with the swift aeroplane.
ly The relation of the dirigible to tn,
d aeroplane is not clear. The war will
Y probably decide that moot point. Per
re haps drigible and aeroplane will
Of stand to each other in much the SAM
relation as battleship to torpedo boat
t. 1t is conceivable that a whole flocl
n of aeroplanes may be sent to annihil
lie ate single dirigible and conceivable
r too, that, thanks to its superior arma
W mant and its great speed, Zeppeli
he may successfully fight off such an al
t. tack. Heroic officers can probabl
be found to attempt the ramming G
re a formidable airship-a feat whic
a. rumor with untruthful picturesque
mt ness attributed to Roland Garros 6
he the outbreak of the present conflic
a and which was unintentionally accon
plished with frightful results durin
cy the last Austrian maneuvers. 1t ma
1t be doubted If flying machine coul
ever approach another aircraft close
enough in the face of machine gu
). fire, unless 1t be under exceptions
circumstances. Naval strategists ha'
ed long since abandoned the ram, II
so much the same reason.