Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-04-12
GERMANS Still
HAVE FAITH IN.
zEPPELINS AS.
A WAR WEAPON
Greatest Expectation for
Airships Is in the Re-es-
tablishing of Commerce
With World After the
War.
HAVE BEEN FACTOR
IN GREAT CONFLICT
Constantinople Saved From
England and France Be-
cause of the zeppelin-Al-
lies Have Solved Problem
by Use of Chemical Bombs
HAVE BEEN FACTOR
IN GREAT CONFLICT
By CARL w. AckERMAN

ton.
Constantinople would be
in the hands of England and
France today were it not for
Germany's Zeppelins.
Rumania would have col
lapsed much later than Dec.
6 had the Zeppelins stayed
away.
England would be able to
send more anti-aircraft ar
tillery, aeroplanes and
trained gunners to the con-
tinent we're it not for the
possibility of air raids.
The one big hope, besides an ultimate
victory, which German business men
have of establishing world CONNER
cial relations is the zeppelins.
CONFIDENCE IN ZEPPELINS.
Germany today looks forward with
confidence to the day when Zeppelins
Will De 48g1HS ilOlll lieilliAOA = W ANS''
York in 40 hours and from Constanti-
nople to Peking in three days.
Most Americans believe the Zeppe-
Inns have been great failures. England
and France discount them absolutely
as military weapons. But what are the
facts?
During the two years I was in Ger
many I met commanders and first Of
fcers of Zeppelins who had raided Lon
don, Paris, Bucharest and Boulogne.
met in Budapest a man who for Is
years was the confidential co-worker
of Count Zeppelin. I visited in Hun
gary a Zeppelin harbor. AS far as
knew I am the only neutral correspon-
dent who saw a Zeppelin base and who
had an opportunity to learn at first
hand what the Zeppelins have accom-
plished.
NOT A DECISIVE FACTOR.
It Is true that as far as air raids on
London and Paris are concerned the
Zeppelins have not been decisive
military factor. ] believe there was q
time when the Zeppelins could have
destroyed a great deal in either London
or Paris had it not been for the oppo-
sition within Germany to the use of
Zeppelins in this fashion. The Catho-
hes have always been against Zeppelin
raids. Bavaria has never supported
Prussia In these schemes. Karlsruhe
and other western German cities, in
Guiding Metz and Munich, which have
suffered by allied raids, have brought
strong pressure to bear upon the gen.
eral staff Eighteen months ago when
the Zeppelins were prepared for a 81
gantic raid on London the internal OPP
position was so great that the plans
had to be modified. But now the Eng
lish and French have practically solved
the Zeppelin danger by using a chemi-
cal bomb, which when It eXplodes with
In 100 yards of a Zeppelin sets it aare,
provided the big gas bag has already
been punctured by shrapnel. This Is
the reason the last few raids on Eng
land and France have resulted in the
loss of so many Zeppelins.
HOW TURKEY WAS SAVED.
At the beginning Of this article I
said that Constantinople would not he
In Turkeys possession were 1t not for
Zeppelins. l heard first from Turkish
sources, from Turk who is known in
the United States, about the work of
Zeppelins when the allies were pound
ing at the Dardanelles. His story was
amazingly interesting, but doubted 1t,
until | met the captain of one of the
Zeppelins which had taken part in the
operation. He confirmed everything
the Turk told.
After the allied fleet had pulverized
several Turkish forts, and after troops
were landed on the Dardanelles, the
whole world expected the fall of Con-
stantinople within a few weeks, If not
days. Turkey was spending every
shell she possessed to defend her
positions. The German and Turkish
battleships had to give up their sup