The Washington times., 1917-03-10
GREAT CLAIMS MADE
FOR GERMAN PLANES
Teuton officer Predicts ~.
Hour Flight From Berlin
to New York.

The recent cablegram from Berlin
of Oswald F. Schuette caused quite a
stir in aero circles.
Schuette quoted a representative Of
the Prussian aerial forces as saying:
Future wars, and possibly even this
springs offensive, will be decided in
the air. We are confident of our su-
premacy. No other weapon has made
such progress in the war as the air
plane. Today no airplane is consid-
cred q lighting machine unless it is
armed with fve or six machine guns
and is capable of a speed of from 40
to 140 miles an hour.
1--WE have the best speed because
we have strong stationary motors,
while the enemy's rotary motors are
incapable of producing a speed much
in excess of 100 miles an hour.
Useful After War.
"The machines we are building will
serve in time of peace as well as In
war, and 1t will be possible to go
from Berlin to New York in twenty
four hours. Airships can now reach
d nelKnL Oh lOsOOO w. AAAASoJp
and photographs from them can be
made at a height OF 1000 meters GA
miIes), SO perfect that they show the
guns of the batteries. That is the re-
suit of German science and German
skill"
Commenting upon Schuette's dis
patch, Alan r. Hawley, president OF
the Aero Club of America, said:
"The statements made in this dis
patch are most extraordinary. 1t Is,
Of course, expected that future wars
will be decided in the air, and aerial
operations in the present war have
been extending so fast that 1t is quite
possible that this springs offensive
will be decided in the air. Both the
allies and the Prussians admit that
much. Likewise, both sides are conn
dent Of supremacy.
Carry Five Machine Guns.
again, the size and speed of aero
planes have developed tremendously.
and large aeroplanes are equipped
with five or six guns and
smaller fighting aeroplanes are ca
pable of a speed Of from 120 to
40 miles an hour. Both the allies and
the Prussians are beginning to get
aeroplanes capable of carrying five or
six machine guns each.
"a few days ago a dispatch from
England said that British aeroplane
had flown with twenty-one passen-
gers. We also know that Russian and
Prussian battleplanes have carried
from four to six guns. AS a matter
OF fact, aeroplanes of that size can be
obtained in AmericaQ
Can BE Made Here.
There are half a dozen manufac-
turers who have plans for large bat
tieplanes, and one OF the manufac-
turers has actually constructed and
sent to Europe an aeroplane that has
carried ten passengers, coo gallons of
gasolene, machine guns, and ammuni.
ton at a speed OF seventy-eight miles
while there are aeroplanes that
would be capable OF flying across the
shortest route OF the Atlantic, and no
one doubts that larger ones can be
developed to make II possible to 20
from New York to Berlin. the time
limit of twenty-four hours for such a
flight Is very small.
81 do not know of any aeroplane
being constructed or planned which
aims to do that, and while nothing is
impossible In aeronautics, can only
say that IL aeroplanes can be built
that will have such a tremendous
speed and weight-carrying power as
to make 1t possible to fly from Berlin
to New York in twenty-four hours,
then II would be well for the United
States Congress to appropriate $780,
100000 to help our manufacturers to
develop American machines of the
same efficiency, and give the United
States hundreds OF such machines.
Provide Strong Coast Defense.
Equipped with the torpedo launch
Ing device invented by Rear Admiral
A. Fiske and with machine |
guns. aeroplanes having even only |
part OF the speed which the Prus- |
slams claim for their new battle |
planes would give a most efficient |
system of coast defense. against |
which no foreign fleet could compete.
AN enemy having the faster aero
planes would, of course, have the ad- |
vantage. but they would have the dis. |
advantage of having to come from a |
far-off base
The statement that airships can
now reach a height OF 10000 meters ~
most extraordinary. So far as we have |
been able to learn, no Zeppelin has
gone higher than 5, 900 feet. which is
about half OF the height claimed for