The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-10
NEED AIRPLANES
BUILT IN U. S. A.
SAYS W. A. WHITE
Kansan Writes of DUTY Con-
fronting Manufacturers.
Make Machines Rapidly and in
Great Numbers.
NO "AIR SUPREMACY" NOW
All Nations Building PLANES of
Power, Speed.
Horror Breeding Vessels May
Be Harbingers Of Peace.
NO "AIR SUPREMACY" NOW
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.
Paris.-The lines that follow shall
be devoted to the air game; somewhat
to the European air game; somewhat
to the American air game viewed
from a European angle. To begin, let
us admit the truth frankly-the al
lies have not the mastery of the air
Perhaps the Germans have no air
supremacy, for there may be no such
animal. Certainly the allies haven't
it. Indeed, the word supremacy
means so many different kinds of
things in the air game that to claim
it all in one phrase is a large order.
So that at the outset of this discussion
it may be well to consider definitions
and terms.
There is first of all the lowest kind
of supremacy-the largest number OF
all kind of aircraft Which means
little unless the ma jority is over
wheImingly on one side, and at the
present moment the majority is hardly
evident. In sheer numbers OF ma
chimes neither side has much advan-
tage. Next there is supremacy in
speed, which in a few cars seems to
lie with the Germans but not with
enough planes to make that kind of
supremacy important Then there is
supremacy of ceiling, the maximum
altitude to which a plane is capable
of rising to get the advantage of posi-
ton in an encounter. Possibly that
supremacy may for the moment rest
with the German fighting plane. Bat
tie lines in air now range well above
10000 feet-some Individual encoun-
ter battles have waged at $4,000
feet and a plane that stops at $4,000
feet, speaking broadly and allowing
for certain qualifications. to be made
later. need not go up at all. 1t is de-
feated at the hangar.
Supremacy in bombing cars-which
are not fighting cars at all, but cars
to be conveyed by fighters, rest so far
as size and quality of the plane with
the Italians Supremacy in planes to
be used for controlling artillery fire
seems to be with the French. AS for
supremacy of fighting air men
there is a drawn battle again and it
must be remembered that for every
hundred men who enlist in the air
service only one lone man proves
himself an air fighter of first quality.
The rest either go to the discard or
they man other than fighting planes;
observation planes, PHOTOGRAPHERS
planes or bombing cars or long dis
lance reconnaissance planes.
Chivalry of Airmen.
The Germans, the French and the
English have their aces" as these
air fighters are called, and no fight
ing air man is likely to claim the
supremacy OF the air LOT MS own
country. For-the esprit de corps OF
the fighting men is one of the finest
. things of the war. Indeed it seems
likely that history will say that in this
war there was no chiValry except that
of the airmen.
From these preliminaries it may be
well to go to the consideration of ma
tional aims as to the military value
and use of the airplane; these can
vary widely. The French believe
, craft in war is to furnish eyes to the
field gUnners. To protect their eyes,
the French believe that fighting
planes are necessary; they believe that
photographing planes help, and that
the use of bombing planes may be
expressed in the terms of counter ir-
ritants. But gun control is the chief
end of the air man in the French
catechisn1.
The Italians believe in bombing.
They have developed two types-the
biplane and the triplane, the latter a
big bombing plane-the Caproni with
three $50 horsepower engines. An
Italian plane flew from Turin to Lon
don in seven hours alf another plane
made much longer Right from Turin
to Rome and return without landing.
These cars can carry over ton of eX-
plosives. and before next year is well
in, the Italians hope 70 have a bomb
ing car plane that will stay up longer
anu carry d larger lOau tndn the pres
ent plane.
incidentally, it may be well to re-
member that all this time the Ger
mans are preparing an air campaign
to meet our campaign. 1t is known
that Germany expects to have 1000
big, fast battle planes on the western
front next spring.
The English were naturally in
clined to believe in fighting and OBJ
servation planes, but the air raids on
London have forced the British to See
something of advantage in bombing
planes. AS an answer to the Ger
mans raiding planes the English have
developed a London sky barrage from
the anti-air craft guns-a curtain of
fire thrown up into the heavens spray
ing shrapnel thru which the enemy
hesitates to fly. And above the upper
lip of the sky curtain English high
flying battle planes drop bombs above
the barrage, so that the German is
forced higher. But street traffic is
stopped also; for what goes up must
come down, and a considerable part
of the casualty list in London is caused
by English shrapnel during a raid.
Speed supremacy for the moment
seems to be with the Germans in Il
few machines. but not enough to be