The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-09-25
(By Herbert Corey.l

LONDON, Sept. 24.-Aircraft have
utterly failed to justify themselves as
instruments of battle in the great
war. AS instruments of reconnois-
sance they have been of great value.
This formula was suggested to me by
an officer of the British flying corps:
"One howitzer is of greater value
than twoscore of dirigibles. One aero
plane may conceivably be of greater
value than squadron of scouts"
Confirmatory opinions have been Sc
cured from two of the leading flying
men of France Mr.. Bleroit, the first
nan to fly the English channel, and
now one of the leading aeroplane
makers of France-his factory is at
work day and night: turning out air
crafts for use in the made this
statement:
"The dirilgiles have done nothing.
The aeroplane has been useful-but
The last word remains with the guns"
What an Avitaor Thinks.
M. Pegoud, who has figured in sew
eral daring exploits, is quoted as fol-
lows:
"From an areoplane one sees-but
one does not always know what it is
one sees. The airman may see that
the enemy is in possession of territory,
but the work of developing in what
strength it is held must still be car
ried out by cavalry or motor scouts"
Little has found it's way into print
as to the details of the work done by
dirigibles or planes in the war. Cos
sip from the front, heard in London
and Paris, is that innumerable at
tempts at aggression have been made
by the aircraft of both sides. In one
case German "dig" floated over the
city of Brussels and discharged nine
powerful bombs.
From the airman's viewpoint con-
ditions for this savage raid were
IDEAL. There was no wind, and the
motor balloon was unanswered over
The city as easily as a catboat in a
breeze. The bombs fell upon Dense
1y througed city, thereby assuring the
maximum OF cost to life and property.
Only twelve persons were injured.
Of there only five were killed. One
shell from six-pounder would have
wrought infinitely more ruin, and,
falling the same space, would have
cost more life. The Germans were
at the time within ten miles of the
center of the city of Brussels at one
point of their line.
The siege howitzer of today has an
effective range of more than twelve
niles. A projectile discharged from
such gun would have absolutely de-
molished any building upon which it
fell.
Field Guns More Successful.
To the objection that howitzer is
heavy and unwieldly piece of artil-
lery, and is therefore not fitted for
field operations, it may be pointed out
hat the Germans are using a new
siege gun which is equally heavy and
1nwieldly. These guns are drawn by
teams Of from IL to 80 horses, and are
so immensely heavy that ordinary
country bridges were often rebuilt be-
fore an effort is made to cross them.
Their shells are charged with a
new high explosive, of which little is
known except that its effects is ap-
palling. It is to this gun that the
German success in reducing forts
which had been considered practical
ly impregnable oattack is due.
Flew Over Germans.
Another successful attempt at war
from the air was that exploit of
which NJ. Pegoud was the hero. With
one companion he flew over a series
of German encampments near Ora