The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-06-30
KAISER GETTING
VAST AIR FLEET
Counts on Victory Through
Winning Aerial Supremacy
Soon, Warns Barrett.

wAsHiNoroN. June 2s.-That Ger
many. realizing that victory would be
with the side equipped with the best air
service, is now feverishly building new
and more powerful airplanes In great
numbers In the hope Of overwhelming the
Allies next fall or next spring was the
statement made to the subcommittee or
the Senate Military Committee to-day by
John Barrett. director Of the Pan-Amer
lean Union. Mr.. Barrett gave as his
authority a high German officer whom he
had known before the war and whom he
had met at a prison camp in England.
HE told me-" said Mr. Barrett. that
the majority Of the several hundred Ger
man officers. whether military or naval.
held in that camp honestly believed that
Germany would win the war through its
ability to make use Of air service more
effectively and efficiently than could the
British and French. They believed, he
said, that in the long run the air service
would be more decisive than the sub
marine service despite the general Ger.
man confidence in the latter.
vast Equipment Planned.
This of,,cer further indicated as proof
Of his contention that Germany would
eventually win and as a reason why the
United States should not have confidence
In a final victory for the Allies that by
the autumn OF 1917 or spring Of 1918
"a little over one year from the time OF
our conversation) Germany would have
ready such a vast equipment Of new and
most powerful airplanes and Zeppelins
| then being planned or built that she not
only would check the British and French
drive but gradually would recover lost
ground and ultimately have Paris and
| London at the mercy Of her air squad
| rons.
He did not at that time think there
| was any prospect OF tho United States
entering the war and therefore spoke
with me as a neutral.
! From what he had personally seen
and from what English army officers.
engineers and others had told him In
Intimate talks. Mr.. Barrett said he had
| reached the conclusion that raids may
| vet be made which will carry extraordi-
nary destruction Of both life and prop
| erty to London and even to Paris and
other inland cities OF England and
! France.
Experts admitted that It may be only
! a question OF time when a large and
powerful enough feet Of German Yep
pelins and aeroplanes. operating under
+, favorable and protective weather condi-
tions, may be able to destroy by drop
ping Of bombs. aerial gunhre and con-
great sections OF London and other
cities. munition plants and even the as.
sembled dreadnoughts Of Great Britain'i
large navy.
Urges Defensive system.
FINALLY II Is to be emphasized thai
the consensus of opinion Of aeroplans
and other air service experts whom
met In England and France was that |,
was entirely possible that within an.
other year from then, the Germans
through their wonderful inventive skill
and acting under the same impulse a,
had enabled them to send submarine.
across the Atlantic. would develop Yep
pelins and monster aeroplanes which
could cross the Atlantic and do immeas
urable damage to such cities as New
York. Boston. Philadelphia and ever
washington before they would b,
brought down or obliged to land through
exhaustion Of fuel.
"Our plans. therefore, for the devel
opment of air service should include
great defensive as we'll as offensiv,
equipment