The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-28

Uselessness in Attack Has Now
Been Demonstrated.
The British Had an Excellent
Chance at Cuxhaven.
(By J. w. T. Mason.)

New York, Dec. 28.-The British
air raid on Cuxhaven created a para
dox. The result should be satisfac-
tory to England chiefly because no Sc
rious damage seems to have been done
to the Germans. If the English avn
atOrs had been able to inflict impOr-
tant losses on the enemy, the raid
would have demonstrated England 8
own insecurity against an air raid.
AS it Is, one more proof is now
forthcoming that offensive air tactics
need cause no present alarm to the
British Isles.
The conditions of the Cuxhaven raid
were ideal for working destruction on
the Germans. The English airmen
were carried across the North sea by
warships and apparently did not use
their machines until very near the
German coast. They were thus quite
fresh for their bomb throwing exploit
and had not been subjected to the
nervous influence of a full flight over
the North sea nor to the benumbing
winter temperature. Nevertheless. the
afrmen seem to have failed to do any
damage of consequence and one of
their own number was lost The in
evttable deduction bears out all the
other airship lessons of the war: avi-
alton has not yet reached the plane of
development necessary for serious Of
fensive tactics.
No Fear OF Mines.
The success Of the British light cruis-
ers in conveying the airships to German
waters and in returning unframed is a
tribute to the skill and daring Of British
seamanship. It has been supposed that
the vicinity of Helgoland is heavily
mined and yet the British ships not
only ventured within this dangerous
area but remained there some time and
conducted rapid maneuvers to escape
submarine attacks. 1t seems, therefore
that the German espionage system is
not the only one which has reached a
high degree of efficiency. Apparently
the British admiralty has secured ac-
curate charts of the position of the Ger
man mine fields.
German warships did not venture
from their fortified harbors to engage
the British cruisers. In this respect
they failed to make the effort to force
battle which an English squadron al
least attempted when Scarborough
Whttby and Hartlepool were lombard
ed. Instead the Germans contented
themselves with futile submarine and
air attacks
Germans Seemed Suspicious.
The reason for the reluctance to
send surface craft against the enemy's
ships was probably suspicion of a
trap. The Germans possibly thought
that the British light cruisers and sea-
planes were decoys and some distance
in the rear lurked heavily. armored
ships. Hence, no chance was taken te
overwhelm the light cruisers in a sur
face engagement and the Germans
declined the challenge to come out.
The spirit demonstrated by the Brit.
ish raid is fully as high as shown by
the Germans when they shelled the
Yorkshire coast. Berlin natural,
emphasizes the fact that no damage
was done by the hostile airmen. YET
the fact remains that light British
warships have been able to make q
temporary base in Helgoland waters
for an air raid on the German main
land. This is serious matter in prin-
ciple. 1t demonstrates that two car
play at the air game and England has
means for retaliation If the develop
ment Of air fighting shows the way tc
an efficient offensive in the near fu-
ture.