Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-08-12

est air force, that nation towering
heAd and shoulders. above any of the
other countries IN dirigibles and hav-
ing approximately an equal number
OF aeroplanes with France. The fact
might be stated here, also, that the
German end Austrian ayiators hold
all the important aeroplane records
expect the. speed record. which is
held by France, but speed IS not the
dominant factor IN war air craft, ow-
ing to the fact that by increasing the
speed Of an aeroplane It's lifting ca
pacity Is reduced. Therefore the
speed record amounts to very little in
comparison to long distance, dura-
ton climbing, lifting and altitude
records. t:f .s's 81, 2 @
Germany's Dig Air Fleet.
Germany now has eighteen Yep
pelins and twenty two dirigtbles OF
the nonrigid type, such as the Par
seval and Gross type, and it can put
into the field Immediately more than
1000 aeroplanes. There are also fac
tories in Germany which can turn out
in the neighborhood Of two dirigibles
monthly and about two hundred aer-
oplanes monthly.
france, as the second aerial pow
er, can muster about twenty dirigi-
bles together, which, with the excep-
ton Of one Spiess rigid airship, which
Is somewhat similar to the Zeppelin
in construction, are All non-rigid and
semtrigid types. France also has in
service today more than fourteen
hundred aerOplanes and haaY factories
which are capable OF turning out Sc
least two hundred aeroplShAs each
month. q.
Next in aerial strength comes Rus
sias with eighteen dirigibles and about
eight hundred aeroplanes. Austrij
can muster seven dirigibles and ap-
proximately four hundred aeroplanes,
while England has nine dirigibles and
about four hundred aeroplanes. In
figuring out the strength Of the OPP
posing forces. with Englknd, France,
Russia, Belgium and 6eBviA on one
side, and Germany and Austria on the
other, 1t seems to me that the aerial
contending forces are very nearly
equal in strength, although it is Just
possible that owing to the tremen-
dous advantage Germany holds with
its great Zeppelins Germany and Aus
tria maybe considered slightly In the
lead. During the last ten years Ger
many has expended approximately
$10Q, 100000 to produce its great war
air fleet, while It has cost france an
proximately $60;0O0,O 900 for the same
purpose.
Guard Secret Of Air Strength.
In presenting these figures, Of
course, | can do so only approximate
", for the reason that year ago the
different governments decided to
keep their air fleets and government
al expenditures absolutely secret.
but base my figures upon a pre-
vious estimate I prepared for the
United States Congress, which re.
CURED more than two years work to
compile; and judging from the prog
ress made In the different countries
in the production Of both kinds Of air
Craft since and knowing the number
and capacity Of the different aero
plane factories in these, different
countries 1t becomes more or less an
easy matter for me to give the ap-
proximate aerial war strength Of the
European governnents, 80 that these
l.gures which have prepared can be
considered as accurate as It IS pos
sible for any human being to compile
at the present time.
To furnish anything else but APP
proximate figures would but prove
that the compiler did not understand
the subject at ALL