New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-04
4 Week of the War
The British Official Commentary on Frances Part IN me
War and on Air Fighting
Bu General F. B. Maurice
British Director Of Military Operations

themselves, and their point Of view IS TINS:
They sag: We belong TO a service when IS
very conspicuous II is one which appeals 10
the public Imagination, and they are very
anxious to hear about our doings. But our
comrades in the trenches, who have TO lead az
tacks over the top Of the parapets, have far
more dangerous time than We have, and are
doing Just as vital things for the prosecution
CT the war as we are. and we wish 70 De
treated in the same way "a they are we
leave IL 20 the commander in chief to bring
Us TO the notice of the public in the same
way as those from the trenches.
This Is the point of view of our airmen in
the matter, and therefore, because you do not
find that Captain Sir Timothy Tompkins has
brought down his sixty-seventh aeroplsne, or
whatever the number may be, you must not
imagine that we have lot of men on our
front who have not brought down many
enemy machines. They have bigger records
20 their credit on the British front than any
ether army.
Air Facts and Fiction
/ came across a message which was clrcu-
larized in the American newspapers to the ell
feet that the foremost airman on the British
front Is a Canadian, and his closest rival IS
an American from Chicago, who has account
GOOD and gallant airman and has won the
Y. c.. but we have plenty more just as good,
With better record. As regards the Ameri-
can airman. with twenty-five machines to his
credit have no doubt he has brought down
as many German machines as he could, and
all credit to him, but we have many men VINO
have brought down more than twenty-five ma
chimes. As a matter of fact, the number OF
machines brought down by an officer, the
officer with the record number Of machines
to his credit will not tell you his name
is. | believe. forty-six. He is an English air
man.
| do not know where that message came
from, but | ask you gentlemen, who are as
anxious as am to win this war by helping
i'm every way. to avoid that sort of informa-
ton going out from you if you can help it. 1t
only makes mischief and it does no good
whatever.
] might say word. perhaps, on another
subject regarding the air. and that is the Yep
relin raids. ! do not know that our own
press has been very wise in the matter, but
perhaps it is not altogether their fault; but
anyway, they have attempted to produce the
impression in England that our airmen failed
altogether and the French airmen had con
sricuous success. OF course, the facts have
been made known now, and you are no doubt
familiar with them.
| would just like to point out that the
Fienchmen brought down four machines in
France in broad daylight, at the end OF very
long journey and when a great portion oi
the gas had escaped from their machines;
that these machines, before they we're brought
down, had in the night flown over the greater
rart of Northern and Central France without
being attacked, and they were not attacked
until it was daylight. The reason why our
attacks in England were not successful was
tine same which led to the destruction of the
1eppelins conditions were SO extraordi-
narily unfavorable These are the broad facts
of the matter.
do not wish TO make any comparisons
whatever between the French air service and
cur own. Comparisons are unnecessary. Nc
French airmen would ever think, | am certain
of comparing the job they had against semi
crippled machines with the task in front OF
our men, who are attacking machines which
ere completely effective in every way, in The
middle of the night; and ask you TO remember
that our airmen have brought down sxteer
Zeppelins under conditions of great difficulty
while there is no comparison between Yep
pelin flying at $4,000 feet at night and a Grip
pied Zeppelin flying at few thousand feet il
| the daylight.