The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-08-03
the French avions came along.
Build Special Destroyers.

The first of these was also two
hundred horsepower; 1t mounted a
thirty-seven millimeter quick-frer
gun aimed by maneuvering the whole
airship, and for a brief spell 1t was
master of the air. Then came big
German machines with a gun firing
grapeshot, in addition to two ma
chine guns. They we're too fast for
the Avion to catch. France came
back with a special aeroplane des-
troyer-"The Avion du Chasse"-
simply a racing aeroplane.
So keen has become this competi-
ton that the number of casualties has
depended, to a great extent, on the
placing Of the gun. The French
brought down many Of the enemy by
mounting the gun on top of the plane
The Germans, in their latest venture,
have followed this lead and added to
IL a rifle that is swivelled so that they
can shoot backward as well as to
either side.
So fast has been the race between
the contesting Powers that neither
can get commanding position in the
air. Superiority in numbers has but
little connection with actual suprem-
acy, because quality counts for so
much and the standard is raiser so
rapidly.
Hope was entertained when Ameri-
ca, first entered the war that aerial
aid from this country would suffice to
place such a large number Of planes
on the front as to enable the long
thought-of raids on interior Germany
to take place.
Steps were taken to rush an APP
preparation thru Congress for more
than $500, goo, 900. Factories were
surveyed for their ability to turn out
flying machines and other somewhat
hurried preparations were made. But
the work seemed distressingly slow.
The situation now appears gradual
" changing, and with aeronautical ex-
perts assisting the Government and
with all the money necessary to de-
yelop our air resources for a year at
least, most observers believe the L.
S. will in a few months or a year be
big factor in air warfare.
Zeppelin raids on England continu-
ed for part of the last year, then the
Germans seem to have suddenly given
them up on account of the heavy
losses involved. The English fliers in
their fast aeroplanes found it easy to
bring down the bulky and compare
lively low gas bags.
Instead OF dirigibles, the Germans
began to use against London and 9TH
er English centers large squadrons OF
their newest aeroplanes. These the
British found it difficult TO catch and
attack in force.
On May 26 German bonbers killed
seventy-isx persons in Dover and
Folkestone. On June 10 the great
est air raid London had experienced
took place. A squadron of Teuton
fiers killed 153 persons and wound
ed 43O, largely women and children.
Carries -Four Guns.
Germany sent over a new type ae-
roplane of giant size called the Gotha
TO raid London July Z. Each of these
enormous mechanical birds mounted
four guns. They were so large that,
flying over the metropolis at $4,000
feet altitude, the populace thought
them unusually low and daring. The
result of the raid was As killed, 1877
injured.
The principal object of these latter
seems to have been to draw British
air forces from the west front, where
they are superior to the Germans, for
the defense of the capital, The Ger
mans figured rightly that there would
be a storm of demand on the part of
Londoners for better air defenses.
Every great battle on land now
sees a second battle in the air above.
The British officially announced that
an engagement between air froces
July IL on the west front was 1.-The
most severe experience since the COM
mencement of the war;"
AS result thirty German and nine
British machines were brought down.