The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-06-26

its numbers into the hundreds OF
thousands.
AerODlane vitality Important
We know . good deal about the ma.
ehinery Of battle, about armies, big
guns, trench warfare, gas proJectiles,
and bomb throwing. These are, in q
way, tangible things, and have none
Of the seeming OF the familiar grim
instruments OF war, OF human de-
struetion, and yet war must go on a.
we have come to know II, with big
armies. trench lighting, enormous
artillery service, and all that
The aeroplane IL an auxiliary to
this great organization OF lighting
power, q branch OF service, and a
vitality important branch. Neither IL
now complete without the other. The
aeroplane service might well, It
seems to me. be so expanded a. to In
elude two distinct branches, one to do
the work the aeroplane IL now doing,
but to do It on 9 greatly enlarged
scale, the other branch, q branch Of
enormous numerical strength, to be
assigned exclusively to bombing raids
on the enemy forces, enemy lines OF
transportation, enemy submarine
bases, the enemy navy, and even to
rsprissis IL the enemy forces this
measure Of retaliation.
A squadron Of twenty thousand
aeroplanes in this branch alone, the
ranks always to be kept full, would
wreak such havoc on the enemy, with
the enemy air service crippled or
eliminated, that It should prove a
short cut to the ending of the war.
No nation, not even the great German
nation, with Its masterful resources
and Its genius for war, could stand
against combination OF this kind.
With Germany's capacity for the
production Of aeroplanes matched by
the productive capacity of France
and England combined. It IL easily
within our reach, great manufacture
Ing people that we are, to produce
aeroplanes Of the very highest type
in sufficient numbers to make the
allied nations masters of the air and
to add this great bombing branch to
the service now In force.
Begin to Realize Power.
Bombing q submarine base. or a
railroad. or q given point with an
aeroplane, or half a dozen, or a dozen
machines. is q very uncertain busi-
ness, as bombs are dropped from
great height and from rapidly moving
machines. Accuracy. or anything APP
preaching Accuracy, Is obviously i'm
possible. But with a thousand ma
chimes, ten thousand machines, twenty
thousand machines, dropping bombs
on a given point, destruction Is sure,
inevitable.
Within the past two or three weeks
America has awakened to an apprecIs-
tion of what the aeropIane has done
and Is doing In this war. and Is begin
ming to get a vivid realization OF its
power. Its possibilities. II multiplied
to a hundred thousand. or two hundred
thousand, to any number big enough
to eliminate the enemy air fleet and
do the things that come within its
scope.
Equipped a. the allies are for the
grind OF war. It would not seem ex-
travagant to say that 81 200. 000, 900
put into efficient aeroplanes by Amer
lea, and put in quickly. will go further
toward winning the war than $4,000
900. 900 would go II spent in trench
lighting. And Il would not seem ex-
travagant to say that every 5000
900 America 80 spends will save 100.-
900 thousand American lives, and pre-
vent twice as many other casualties.