Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-06-02

,nortancs of the aeroplane in the European has
greatly exaggerated, but these are hardly borne
out by the speed which the European powers are
/ importing aircraft American factories are working
full capacity Predictions of future aerial battle at
Essen have long been current and 1t is wellknoWn
all the belgerents spending large sums
in increasing their aerial forces. According to one
military authority, the will end only when one
succeeds in inventng weapon that is capable
destroying the enemy's aerial power.
Under these circumstances it is impossible for
army to make single move that is not spied upon
from the air by its opponent If German commander
decided to flank 100000 against what he is in
formed by his air scout is weak position the French
is Immediately apprised of by its airmen and
moves up men the situation forming a dead
lock. With the air scouts flying overhead-difncult
targets of the most proficient marksmen-a surprise
attack is out of the question.
The of the air is probably the most dan
gerous of all the dangerous work of since the
only protection Of the aeroplane is usually its speed
The in the trenches not to be envied, and
duty a battleship is not by any sinecure
but the peering the enemy who is
engaged in firing projectiles thousands of feet into
with the idea Of hitting you, hardly
termed sport" optimistic Englshman de-
scribed it. Yet if you air you would
doubtless take the risks and proudly count
fresh bullet holes in the wings of every
day together with the rest of the flying the
custom in Europe. Among his other requirements
which include watching Paragraph, speed gauge,
typographical map before him and a compass while
keeping on the enemy, listening rhythm
emergency,
air scout is not allowed to have
The only way combat his vigilance, firing
at him with the antiaircraft gun, is eye
Thus the English army perceiving German drigi-
BILE approaching dropped their kits and fed into an
adjacent wood. The Germans thinking the kits were
men, opened a tremendous bombardment upon them,
destroying the kits but leaving unframed
Another time the Germans made peaceful by
of several dummy trenches displaying German
helmets, which reported as the German army BY
a French air
A British air flying high above the German
lines one day greatly surprised by the constant
arrival along of thousands of provision
wagons. They still arriving when
guns opened upon him and he compelled
return his lines The next day, however, he
was scouting duty and discovered mystery
o numerous wagons. They being enptied
soldiers carefully hidden underneath the provisions
Most of the aeroplanes carry wireless appa-
ratus which, in battle they fire of the
artillery below. Formerly smoke bombs were used
in the day colored lights at night while the
dropped silver balls direct firing,
now officer talks to the men by wireless, while
the pilot guides the machine.
The aeroplane a destructive weapon has not get
become formidable, although occasionally it has been
able to considerable damage the that it
is still in experimental state The difficulty lies in
the fact the weight OF bombs and wireless
apparatus armor field glasses etc, be
without the sacrifice Of speed. A 200 horse
power engine is more than sufficient to run
large and heavy craft. One German model of
armored biplane with capacity twenty men, four
machine guns, anti-arcraft and motored by eight
$50 power engines has far outstripped all
inventions in its weight-carryng capacity and
speed, others Of far greater possibilities
in process of construction. 1t the slow-anovng
drigbIe present, however which hovers
enemy destroys him; the aeroplane is rapid
light do more than direct the fire. scout and
fend itself It is the aeroplane destroyer which
the waits to end.