The sun., 1917-09-22
The Airplane as . Tactical Unit to
Win the War.

ue ueNciOpmeut OF tne submarine
and airplane as tactical units has
been the outstanding feature Of the
great war. As 1t happened, 1t has
fallen to Germany to make the most
Of the submarine. This offensive
weapon Is Of the utmost value in at
tacking lines Of communication. Such
lines, Of length and Importance
never before known in warfare.
stretch across the Atlantic Their
maintenance is vital to the life Of
the British. French and American
armies on the western front: indeed
upon the general security Of these
communications the existence Of ma
tions depends. Realization of this
fact is quite as sharp in America as
It Is abroad.
In the development Of the airplane
all the countries at war have played
a part. although the Entente nations
have derived advantage from Ger.
many's hlunder in wasting 50 much
time, materials and money on the
Zeppelin. The elimination Of cavalry
has thrown upon the airplane the bur.
den Of doing the cavalry's work. II
does it infinitely better than men on
horseback ever were able to do.
The airplane has been utilized
perfectly for scouting, reconnaissance.
observation Of all sorts; for the con.
troll and direction Of artillery fire;
for patrolling and blockading; for
raiding purposes. It has not been
produced in SUFFICIENT numbers to he
used in anything like its full offen-
sive worth.
We read Of aerial attacks on sub
marine bases or supply depots. Forty
tons Of bombs are dropped upon such
and such a fortification. ut is be-
lieved that great damage was done"
The damage may, indeed, have been
considerable; 1t Is generally nothing
to the damage that should have been
inflicted.
Not SO with the submarine. The
weekly. totals Of ships destroyed may
rise and fall. but the enemies Of Ger
many will be the first to admit that
she has utilized the submarine to
the utmost possible degree. We do
not mean to refer to her policy Of
sinking on sight; we refer to her
production Of submarines. estimated
at three a week; to her development
Of supersubnmrines, with a cruising
radius Of thousands of miles and
armed with heavy guns; to her per-
fectlon Of certain details Of sub
marine construction as known to the
naval authorities Of the United States.
The simple truth Is that Germany
has exercised her peculiar national
gift Of taking some one else's in.
vention and improving on it until
further improvement is well nigh
impossible. Germany has perfected
the submarine and is working 1t "for
all It is WORTH
Does any one believe that the ma.
tons opposed to Germany have per.
fected the airplane1
The answer involves no deprecia.
tion of what British. French and par
ticularly italian genius has done.
The answer merely indicates what
America has vet to assist her Allies
in doing.
The airplane, perfected as II must
and will be, cannot win the war un.
less its possibilities as an offensive
weapon are so extended as to he fairly
commensurate with the work of the
German submarine. This Is a prob.
lem, or a set of problems, quite apart
from the mecha nism OF aircraft. AZ
ter you get your improved airplane
you have got to know how most cffec
lively to use It.
The questions thus raised are purely
tactical. They are not such rs ought
perhaps, to be dea with as to de
tails outside the inner Offices Of the
War Department. What 1t Is essen
tial to point out Is that the mechani
cal improvement Of the airplane II
not enough. There must be tactica
improvements too. Now, new tactic,
call for originality. daring, initiative