Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-12-28
Dropped a Few Bombs and
Got Away with Loss of
Only Half the Airships
AIRSHIPS USELESS
EXCEPT FOR SCOUTING
Fact that British Warships
Passed Through Mines
Safely Is Significant
By ], w. T. Mason
(Former London correspondent for the
I'nitad praus


United Press.)
New York Dec. 2S-Great Britain IS
aerial attack on the German naval base
Of Cuxhaven creates paradox. The
British should be satisfied with the
raids result because it seems to have
been attended by no serious damage to
the enemy. If the aerial raiders had
succeeded in inflicting heavy losses
upon the Germans they would simply
have demonstrated England S own in.
security.
As it is, one more proof has been
furnished of the fact that offensive air
tactics need cause no present uneasi
ness among the people Of the British
isles.
The British navy so heavily out.
classes Gemany's that there is no rea.
son why much anxiety should be felt
concerning the possibility Of an in.
vosion by water OF an attack on Eng.
fish soil by big fleet of hostile air
ships there has long been considerable
fear, however. This is why, by showing
that such fears are grOundless, the in
effectiveness Of their owe -tid on the
German coast should be o source of sat.
isfaction to the English.
Conditions Favorable.
The conditions under which the Cux.
haven Point was undertaken were ideal
for the working Of most tremendous de.
struetion. had such a thing been posi-.
BILE for the airmen.
The aviators were ferried across the
North sea by warships and apparently
did not use their machines until they
were very close to the German coast
Thus they were quite fresh for their
bomb throwing enterprise, having un.
dergone none Of the nervous strain
which would have been incidental to a
long flight and suffered none Of the
benumbing effects of the present win.
ter temperature.
Nevertheless, they appear to have
done no damage of any consequence and
one Of their own number was lost.
The inevitable deduction from this
bears out all previous airship lessons of
the war thus far
That aviation has not yet reached q
stage Of development which it must
achieve before II can figure on an i'm
portant scale from an offensive stand
point.
The British light cruisers success in
venturing into German waters and re.
turning unharmed is a tribute to the
skill and daring of English seamen.
II was supposed that the North sea
was heavily mined in Helgoland' .
vicinity. Yet the British vessels moi
only ventured within the dangerou,
area but remained within it for some
time, conducting the rapid maneuver
Incidental to their errand.
Germans Feared Trap,
The inference is that the German
espionage system is not the only one tC
have reached n high degree Of ef
ficiency, since the British admiralty
must have been provided with accurat,
charts Of the German mine field to have
permitted the making Of the raid il
safety.
The kaiser warshps did not emerg,
from their fortified harbors to engag,
the visitors failing in this respect Il
make the effort TO force fight, sucl
as the British at least sought when th,
Germans bombarded Hartlepool, Scar
borough and Whitby. Instead tn,
Teutona contented themselves will
futile submarine and aerial attacks,
Their reluctance 20 send their surfac,
ships against the enemy was probabl,
due to the fear that trap had beer
laid for them.
Another tnidg whith the rnid prcye
IL that the British spirit is fully a
high as the one whl'h inspired the Ger
mans in their attngt nn thu Englisl