The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-11-04
Nv HERBERT COREY

(Copyfight. 1915. ~ Herbert Csrey.l
PARIS. Nov. 4.-Tvo important
conclusions have been reached by
aviation experts in comparing the
practical immunity Of Paris from
aerial attack with the fact that
London seams to be as open as a
barn door to its winged assailants.
The first is that the Zeppelin Is
military success instead Of being
the failure II has been proclaimed.
The second il that aircraft can
only be successfully attacked from
the air. In their present stage OF
development anti-aircraft guns are
a. useless as popguns against Zep-
pelins.
In spite Of the fact that thousands
Of people are reported to have left
London. following the attacks by
Zeppelins upon three successive
nights. from each OF which the as
sailants escaped unscathed. 1t will
be conceded by those who know
anything of England that the NOR.
ale OF the inhabitants has not been
injured. In that respect the Yep
peIin attack may be said to have
failed. Against this may be set the
undoubted fact that the Zeppelins
have done precisely what the Ger
mans planned they should do.
They have flown straight to the
mark from their homo port In Bel
gium. As II to show that the flrst
visit was not an accident the visit.
was repeated The explosives
dropped By them did great material
damage. The objection that they
failed TO hit . bank or . dock or Z
warehouse II beside the mark. Those
VINO have seen the traces of their
visit say that their great bombs
produced the effect Of one Of the
high explosive shells tho Germans
occasionally fre into Dunkirk OF
Ypres. Not ono shell In q dozen
fired from . gun reaches q really
important target.
Two British experts have made
haste to concede the effectiveness
Of the Zeppelin. II. Massac Duist
writing In the Morning Post upon
the appointment Of Admiral SiI
Percy Scott to control tho ant-air
craft defenses Of London. says tina,
''the necessity for such measure II
quite obvious, despite the fact thai
4 large section Of tho students o'
aeronautics have not got beyond the
stage OF sneering at what they arr
pleased 10 style the Zeppelin fiasco.'
Continuing. he writes that 9Th.
work OF defending any large cit,
must be entrusted either to anti
aircraft guns or to airships a. lars'
a. the Zeppclins II has taken Ger
many nearly half a generation 4
evolve. The latter plan Is imprac
ticable at present"
| Mr.. Buist states that ~Zeppeli,
airships have been developed rrc
portionately TO greater extep
|, than anti-aircraft gunnery. a. W
have been employing II In these ir
ands." He takes hope, however
| from the fact that the latest Ge'
man anti-aircraft gun IL reported I
have range Of $4,000 feet, cor hai
as high again as the maximum ell,
walton At which II Is Mt preser
found practicable to navigate Zel
pelins sent out over long distance
to conduct offensive operations
The Zeppclins which assaiied LoI
don are believed to have flown b
/ tween 10000 and 10000 feet high
A super-zeppelin will be require
1 for defense. Ia the equally fran
admfssion Of c. q. Grey, editor ,
the Acroplane. although he says tn,
given sufsciency of anti-aircra
guns and searchlights in partic
lar place on the ground Il can
made impregnable to aircraft a
tack Under certain condition
however. the defense must be fro
~ ais. ~An aIrship can sy an
Il. ~