New-York tribune., 1917-07-21

Our Government has at last come to reaize
the importance of the airplane as vital IL
no. the principal, factor in the present war.
A. maa.ing Of the Aero Club Of America
recently held 1t was stated that IN oruei
the Allies might come out victorious our
government must produce two Thousand AIR
planes annually. few days later an opinion
came from another source that thlrty-hve
hundred airpanes annually is the numner
needed Mr. Hawley, the. president OF the
club. afterward revised his figures by giving
"a ten thousand the number Of machines
necessary for the purpose OF putting the
German batteries out Of commission. oh
the 2lst day of this month, before the house
Committee on Military Affairs, Mr. Hawiey
increased his figures. In speaking OF tne
share which we will have TO furnish, ne saia'
ITO make a contribution substantial enough
70 enable our allies TO strike decisive blow,
there will probably be needed one hundreu
thousand airplanes and ten thousand TO
twenty-five thousand aviators, the airpianes
70 be manufactured and the aviators to be
trained in America"
No matter how nearly correct these figures
and tha. is the imperative need of airp!anes'
II is also shown that, in order to reach the
final goal-victory-su number OF aviators
must be placed in service. The order IN
which these figures have been given also
shows that we did not have the courage TO
face things as they actually are. Nor ala
we dare TO give the necessary figures that are
actually required to overcome the GERMAN
menace 1t seems that we, who are ALREADY
accustomed to see the seriousness OF condl-
tons at sea, still require some time 10
realize the sacrifice and effort necessary to
be made in order to conduct a successful war
10000 the Minimum.
Nevertheless. none of the figures given is
by any means the exact number approaching
the actual need. Twenty thousand, believe,
should be the minimum. But even this num-
her. If it could only be reached by October
will shorten the war by one year at least. In
this sense not only does urgent necessity
plead for the immediate use of these BIRDS
of destruction, but according to Mr. Hawley,
they will have to take care OF German bat
teries, German bases and in every other
respect be used wherever operations in the
air will be conducted
A personal friend Of mine, an author OF
note, lust arrived from Rumania, tells me
that the main use which the Germans made
CT their airplanes was for the purpose OF
demoralizing Rumanian troops.
During the Rumanian invasion of Bulga-
ria. in September, 1916, under the command
of General Avarescu, the army crossed the
Danube at Flaminda on a bridge built on
pontoons. He had under him forty thousand
men, His object was to attack the bulgar-
Turko German armies from the rear. The
enemy at that time had already reached the
Constanza- -Cernavoda line in DobrudJa. our
ing the crossing of the Danube twelve Ger
man airplanes threw bombs on the marching
Rumanian hosts. This they carried out IN
the following order: Four airplanes kept up
the bombardment in consecutive order, four
were on their way to their base at Rustchuk
and four were at the base taking ammunition
The operation Of the first four aviators took
ten minutes; going to the base seven min
utes. and twelve to thirteen minutes were
consumed in loading, ascending and reaching
their object. Thus the firing Of bombs was
so calculated as to be kept up without inter-
ruption, so as not 70 allow the Rumanlan
army time enough TO reform its lines.
German Operations In Rumania.
The airplanes began to throw their bombs
on the Rumanan army before it began to
from the airplanes fell into the Danube,
without impairing the bridge. But those
which fell among the marching soldiers
claimed hundreds of victims. Under this
bombardment many Of the soldiers, seeing
that the bridge was not being hurt by the
bombs, crossed it unhesitatingly Their IN
structons were that as soon as they crossed
they were to take refuge in the thick forest
in the proximity of the Danube. But the
bomb explosions continued. Even If they
did not cause any physical injuries, they had
a distressing effect on the soldiers. Ihey
were panicstrcken and could not be re-
strained. In consequence thereof great dis
order prevailed among those who had crossed
the Danube. The bombing airplanes followed
them continuously. However, the number OF
victims was not many-only few hundred.
But if out of that corps of forty thou
sand men thirty thousand had been killed,
the demoralzing effect could not have been
stronger.
Only the darkness Of the night could stop