New-York tribune., 1917-07-23

Aside from the fact that they could widen
the horizon, American airplanes could de-
strov German batteries with considerable
ease and with less hazard. Instead OF going
out in search Of the batteries and then re-
porting their location, they would only nave
20 unload their bombs on the batteries
located. After the discharge of their cargo
they could Immediately return and make
way for another flock of bomb laden air birds
This kind Of operation could be continued
and manipulated with comparatively lew
casualties to the American aggressive avia-
ton corps. With the German batteries de-
stroyed by the airplanes, the French, Eng
lish and American forces would have no diif1-
Guilty in approaching the German lines
On the other hand, force Of sirp!anes
provided with mitralliers could descend be-
yond the enemy's lines and thus attack him
flom the rear.
A German Example
rhe Germans carried out this kind OF
operation in Rumania with success. At
distance Of few kilometres their airplanes
would descend in the rear OF the Rumanian
lines, down to the ground. They would first
select the place that suited them best, and
there on the ground, where the newly har-
vested wheat had just been removed, they
would settle comfortably and even go camp
ing. AS soon as such flock would be seen,
detachment of one or two Rumanian COM
panies would be sent TO attack them. This
they would do with the agility which only
the Rumanian soldier possesses. As soon as
the Rumanians would be within 100 feet Of
it the German arplane would ascend. Its
machinery would work hard, and the Ru-
manian soldiers, also the civilians (womsn
and children) that were In the proximity,
would be killed outright. A single airplane
in its mission Of death would leave thou
sands Of victims behind. The field would be
covered with corpses, and the more soldiers
sent to meet the visitor of the air the moro
would meet the fate Of those gone before.
The German tactics gave the Rumanian
commanders considerable concern. To pre-
vent the many casualties, an order was given
to approach descending airplanes with the
utmost caution. Notices were also published
and the villages placarded to warn the peo-
pie of the danger Of approaching the enemy
airplanes lying on the ground. Instructions
were also given as to what steps must be
taken in order to destroy the airplanes at a
distance, so that their hellish work might be
diminished. Thus have the Germans utilized
their airplanes in Rumania. Not only have
they destroyed many forces, but, what Is still
worse, they demoraiized the army, also the
civil population.
The same engine could easily be employed
by our American forces. A number Of our
airplanes would not only demorali1e the Ger
man army, but would also reduce or destroy
their defended strongholds.
What We Can Do from the Air
Before we consider the bombarding advan-
tages Of the airplane let US see what the
Germans did in the countries where they
had the supremacy of the air.
In Rumania the Germans had, besides su-
perior guns and ammunition, also the incon-
testable supremacy of the air Rumanis had
very few airplanes, but even these were of
an inferior type. The Germans, on the other
hand, had a better swifter and well equipped
machine.
How they employed their alrplanes have
already stated Their work was so arranged
and their time so closely calculated that with
only twelve airplanes at their service they
managed to keep constantly four airplanes in
the air, uninterruptedly throwing bombs on
the Rumanian army. By the time the four
exhausted their ammunition four others ar
rived TO continue their work, while third
batch of four was en- the way coming with
new provisions. What the effect Of such q
programme If carried out by greater Amer
lean force Of aviators would be one can
easily imagine.
Suppose that instead Of four we would send
them out in forces of 5000 each. Instead OF
dividing them into three groups, We would
create six. We would then have five thou
sand aviators continually bombsrding from
the air the German trenches in the rear. An
attack by thirty thousand airplanes, made up
OF six divisions of five thousand, four hours
day, each sirplane carrying forty bombs,
will show the following results:
Allowing one-half hour for each trip, We will
have six divisions of 5000 airplanes, making
forty-eight trips, dropping 100000 bombs
each trip, or total of 9,600,o00 bombs in
four hours.
Taking into account one little operation by
the French at Petritz, in February, 1915, in
which e took seventeen airplanes TO drop
200 bombs in twenty minutes, causing 1000