Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-10

which the European powers are i'm
porting aircraft American factories
are working full capacity. Predictions
, Of future aerial battle at Essen have
long been current and 1t Is a well
known fact that all the belligerents
are spending large sums In increasing
their aerial forces According to one
military authority, the war will end
only when one nation succeeds In IN.
venting a weapon that Is capable OF
destroying the enemy's aerial power
Under these circumstances, 1t IS I'M
possible for one army to make
single move that Ia not spied upon from
the air by it's opponent. II German
commander decided to flank hundred
thousand men against what he IS IN
formed by his air scout Is a weak posi-
tion the French army Is Immediately
aprised of it by its airmen and moves
| up men to meet the situation, forming
deadlock. With the air scouts hying
overhead-ditlicult targets of the most
proficient marksmen-a surprise AT
tack is out of the question.
The work Of the air scout Is PROB
ably the most dangerous of all the dan
gerous work OF the war, since the only
protection OF the aeroplane Is usually
It's speed. The men In the trenches
are not to be envied, and duty on a
battleship is not by any means sine
cure, but the sensation OF peerins
down at the enemy who is engaged IN
firing projectiles thousands OF feet m
to the air with the idea Of hitting you.
could hardly be termed sport, as one
optimistic Englishman described IT:
Yet II you were an air scout you Wouiu
doubtless take the same risks anu
proudly count fresh bullet holes In the
wings of your machine every day TO-
gether with the rest Of the flying corps,
as Is the custom in Europe. Among
, his other requirements, which include
watching Paragraph, speed guage.
topograp hical map before him and
compass while keeping an eve on me
enemy, listening to the rhythm OF MS
motor and acting quickly In an emer
gency the air scout Is not allowed 10
have nerves.
The only way to combat his vigil
ance, besides firing at him with tne
anti aircraft gun, is to trick his eye.
Thus the English army, on perceivlng
a German dirigible approaching drop
ned their kits and fed into an adJa-
cent wood. The Germans. thinking
the kits were men, opened tremen'
dous bombardment upon them, destroy
inc the kits but leaving the soldiers
unharmed. Another time. the Germans
made a peaceful retreat by means OF
several dummy trenches displaying
German helmets. which were reported
as the German army by French AIT
scout.
A British air scout nving high above
the German lines one day was greatly
surprised by the constant arrival aions
certain road Of thousands OF provi-
sion. wagons They were still arriving
when the German guns opened hre, up
on him and he was compelled 10 return
| to his own lines. The next DAY now.
ever, he was back on scouting outy
and discovered the mystery OF Ine
numerous WAGONS. They were Delns
emptied Of soldier carefully hidden uu'
derneath the provisions
Most Of the aeroplanes now carry
wireless apparatus with which IN pat
tie thew direct the fire OF the artlilerS
| far below. Fnr~,erly smoke pomDs
were used in The dav time and colored
lights at night. while the Germans
dropped silver balls to direct the nrlhs
mt now the officer talks to the men Dy
wireless while the pilot guides the ma
chine.
The aeroplane as Destructive
weapon has not yet become rormld-
able, although occasionally 1t mas Deen
/ able TO do considerable damage, Tor the
reason that it Is still in an experiment
Lal state. The dificnlty lies in the fact
that the weight of bombs and guns.
wireless apparatus, armor, field glass
90 camera, etc, can not be added WITH
ont the sacrifice Of speed. A two hun
dred horse power engine Is not any
more than sufficient to, run large ana
heavy craft. One German model OF an
armored biplane, with capacity Tor
twenty men, four machine guns. anu
craft pun and motored by eight lSo
horse mower engines, has 80 far out
stripped all other inventions IN 1ts
weight carrying capacity and speed.
INT others of far greater possibilities
are now In process of construction. y
Ia the slow moving dirigible at present,
however. which hovers over the enemy
and destroys him; the aeroplane Is
| too rapid and light to do more IMAM
direct the fire, scout and defend "
self It ia the aeroplane destroyer Tor
which the war waits to end.
While the aeroplane is demonstrat'
,np it's value as an agent of war IN
Europe, it is developing commercial
value In the United States. It Is to car
lrv the mails. When the war Is over
the nations Of Europe with their hun
dreds Of aeroplanes will probably fol
low the example of the United States
which has established the first aerial
mail service in the history of the
I e