The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-10-30
VAST AIR SQUADRON TO RAID
CFRMAN CITIES WILL Be Manned
BY EXPERT AMERICAN AV|ATORS

CONGRESS TO SPEND
MILLIONS FOR PLANES
Military Experts Hope Fleet will
be on French Front by
Spring
BY MAJOR JOSEPH TULAsNE,
Head of the French Commission on
Aviation.
Copyright, 1917, by the Newspaper
,-.Epterprise Association.)
TheN1lies are anxiously awaiting
the aid of the American air fleet. II
this feet comes in time for the 1918
battles, 1t will be the deciding factor.
The summer Of 1917 has been
marked by very spirited battles for
the supremacy of the air. During these
battles the losses of the allies have
been great, but those of our enemies
still greater.
At present we are getting ready to
profit by the lull which the winter
rains will cause in air raids, and or
ganize large fleets of we'll armed and
equipped planes for the spring of 1918.
Blind the Enemy.
The American people have under
stood admirably the part which Amer
ican aviation is to play in this gigantic
struggle, and the enthusiasm of the
American people and its will to inter.
vene in order to blind the army of
the enemy has enabled congress to
pass an aviation bill Of $640, 100000.
The officers in charge of the organ
ization and development of American
aviation, and the business men who
have spontaneously offered their serV-
ices and business experience, have
done a great deal during the last six
months. Aviation schools have sprung
up all over the country. Several are
at present working at full speed. Hun
dreds OF pilots, full Of dash, are being
trained there with the same zeal which
they showed in the university games.
American engineers, acting for the
United States signal corps and the
aircraft production board of the coun-
Gil of national defense, have designed
and constructed a powerful motor,
and the workshops for motors and air
planes arenat the height Of their or.
ganization and development
Anxiously Awaited.
In France and the other allied coun
tries, provisions have been made to
place at the disposal of American avia-
tors the airplanes necessary to enable
them to take part in the air battles OF
next spring.
On the whole western front, extend
ing from the North sea to SwltZer-
land, the arrival of the American air
fleet is anxiously awaited. This fleet
must consist of a mighty battle fleet
and huge bombing squadrons as we'll
The battle feet is the decisive ele
.ment in the supremacy OF the ar
The allies must have large number
of pursuit squadrons, efficiently armed
and piloted by daring aviators.
The American feet of battle planes
will enable the allies to secure indis-
putable supremacy Of the air. But
they must come at the earliest posi-
Bile date and take their place in the
struggle, because the supremacy OF
the air for 1918 will be decided during
the first months of the spring.
The American air fleet therefore
must be at the front by early spring
in great numbers. 1t will be there II
American industry turns out its prod
ucts quickly on large scale.
The American bombing squadrons
also will contribute greatly to success.
Since 1915, French aviation has been
making bombarding raids. The raid
upon Karlsruhe in 1915, made by 20
bombing planes, brought upon the Ger
mans a justified terror In that expe-
dition over 200 persons were killed
and wounded, and for many months
that reprisal raid stopped German
bombing of French towns. But in
1917 bonn mbardment of defenseless Eng
lish and French towns by German
planes began again, in which London
and Dunkirk suffered most.
Public opinion in America has been
aroused against these non-military
bombardments, and has suggested re-
nrisals Such bombardments have
been effected, Dresden and Frankfort,
for example, having been visited ny
French planes.
But the people of America must rea-
lize that it is much more difficult Tor
the allies to carry out bombing expe-
ditions than for the enemy.
The same distance which will take
the German machines over London or
Paris, will only take the allied ma
chimes over Belgian or French towns
in the invaded territory. and still
quite far from important Germai'
towns
The problem of bombardment IS
more difficult for the allies: this IS
why we should go at it with all our
might.
At the request of the French
government, the government OF
the United States has decided to
organize powerful bombing
fleet
These bombing squadrons, like the