Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-01
AMERICAN AIRMEN
ARE BADLY NEEDED
ON BRITISH FRONT
With Germany'S Aerial Eye
Already Badly Damaged I'm
Gle Sans Proposed Fleet In
SureS Air Supremacy

WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
THE FIELD. May 3I-Nothing that
America plans TO do IN fighting Ger
many has aroused more interest here at
the front than news received today of
plans for a vast fleet of seropIanes
manned BY thousands of American avi-
ators-
Gsrmany's aerial eve IS already badly
damaged. The allied supremacy in the
air has several times handicapped the
enemy 4 report recently found on a
captured German officer showed that
through lack Of proper aerial recon-
noisance the Prussian artillery has fire.
Quently turned it's FIRE on the German
instead of the British lines.
Four sucn instances were detailed in
tire report of this one officer. Eacn
time the Germans turned a terri1ce bar
rage fire into their own instead OF the
enemy trenches Their range had not
been corrected oy aerial observation. IN
these four instances reported, the kill
ing and manning of Germans oy their
own guns forced evacuation of the
-.euches thus HTsd upUr.
II America follows out her plan for a
vast aerial fleet. she has the chance
armies.
Not for ore moment i'm these bright.
sun,rery days do the British flyers stop
their eternal aerial offensive on the
--ruuJ below ere rrs.- lie periods 81
rest or IulIs where the opposing armies
are either dsadlOcked or resting-but
in Inc baUtIeheIds of the SKY there is
uueldirg war The P-Ussians are fully
aware OF the prime Importance or
.EH.rw- H~nG ma q
equality in the air and are fighting des-
b -stsI- % ECsd such 4 place "a Jue
sun.
Bit indications multiply that the en-
eny is hard pressed 10 keen up even the
Is sec 4 strength Of his aerial psttaI-
ions The German war planes seem to
o. u-cr5 rif1sfzy CT construction ono X.
r e. man today reported bringing
down Boche with 1--WE shots from his
colts automatic revolver. 1t wasn't a
lucky hit OF the piIot-but a smashing
Of some important part that sent the
te-ma7 machine whirling from high
aIoft. crJmp,ed and twisted out OF
form
Unless the unexpected happens few
here look for early peace Generals
speak Of plans for spring and summer
% 1915 quite as if the war is 10 con-
tIaue for years. so out of dozens OF
that the United states should push
preparations with much dispatch as
j consistent with eTCienc!-
TIE moss recent German prisoners Of
Ter visible and audible proof that Ger
man troops are not 10 b. splred If their
sacriice can help tine HOhenzollerns.
Leaa-fcced prisoners tell of INSULT
,Ieut food. OF brutal treatmen by their
officers. of being driven 10 the attack
1T 10 = h2~--
t-SuaII. the men accept kicks ard blows
,gz.H a use-s Inward pr-ms-e 10 make
saeEr fyrInsS na ~ full after the war.
: uvie~s Iu a French village recently re
-aNen from TIE Germans told me he hal
-rzu many cases of bad treat ment of
vucr o. their sUpeTiO-s- one day at his
house a German officer mad told him, he
aid. that German soldiers mad to be
driven IKE cattle and Just to illustrate
has point he called an orderly TO him,
struck him 4 powerful blow in the face.
so hard i'm fact that the soldiers eye
was black for days af;erward. telling
him u fetch something from the kltch-
- The soldiers ouly reply was
a.sE-E, click Of the neeis and a rigid sa-
lutte
THIS the Nay We keep them in
hand. said the officer TO the priest
i. prisoner Just taken from a Gren-
a cabaret in Confines with twenty or
thirty other Saxon troops who were
singing ribsId songs when six ofhcers
entered As the singing kept w one Of
the officers objected whereup0n the tune
was changed TO shouts OF "Raus NIT
~hirn.
In the main soldiers let themselves be
driven without protest. The. Prussian
ruling classes are daily drilling into the
masses the idea that the world wishes
10 zunihilzte the German people Such
Is the situation in the German army to-
Hav rs one views il after talking with
German prisoners
ON the other side Of the picture one
secs the British and the French dogged-
TX determined to fight 10 a knockout 4
IL takes another twelve months or any
number OF months.
So the war promises TO he long unless
the German people suddenly see the
light. And the United States must hold
Her part Of the line BY summer "
1915 the American army should have
taken over a third of the French front