Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-02
AERIAL WAR NEEDS
SPECIAL DIRECTION
British Air Ministry Expected
to Stimulate Effective
Operation.
DEVELOPMENT Is WANTED
Caproni and Handley Machines
Hold Big Possibilities for
Victory Over Hun.
DEVELOPMENT is WANTED

PARIS. December Until nearly a
year ago neither tho British nor the
Germans could spare much energy
away from the production Of high
speed quick climbing, fighting and
scouting airplanes. ana from providing
the vast number Of reconnaissance and
observation craft that were absolute
- indispensable. Throughout, the west
crn front it has been, all along, fierce
struggle for freedom Of aerial recon
noissancc and artillery observation;
and il has only been during tho past
year that the big bombing machine has
had II chance OF being fully utilized.
Two wears ago England produced tho
big Ifandlcy Page machine. and about
the same time the Germans were eS-
pcrimcnting with large high powered
aiTplancs. Th" CaprOni. also. has been
before tho world for about two years.
If there has been slowncss to take fun
advantage OF these machines, other
countries than England have been to
blame The fact is. the slowncss has
been largely due 20 unprcventable cir
cumstanccs. although England, having
the best OF the machines mentioned.
and possessing greater manufacturing
resources, is more definitely open to
criticism of having neglected an uppor-
;unity.
The failure was due in some measure
10 tho fact that the British aerial arm
has been controlled by sailors and
soldiers. and regarded as merely new
factor in sea or land hostilities. Eng
land needed separate department to
deal justly with the new instrument
Of war provided by the big airplanc.
which. because Of the great dcstruc-
tive force il can bring TO bear at long
ranges. Is entitled 10 be considered
as a strategic arm.
1t IL no disparagcmcnt to British au-
thoritics to say that they acted short
OF the possibilities. To them the air
plane was little more than an aerial
motor car; and no one has ever sug
Eesttd that the advent uf the motor
car called for the creation OF new
ministerial department. Ia the result
all that happened Was thar the navy
and the army went III for airplancs as
auxiliary To the sailors and soldiers
work as hitherto understood.
HOMnING or BERLIN
POSSIBLE: TO NEW CRAFT
Further the bombing operations OF
tho first two and 81 nuIf years OF the
war by comparatively small craft were
TO have any great value. And the big
machine. until Two years ago, was not
a great success. while certain authori.
tics claimed that there Was an obstacle
TO size development. owing TO conStruc
tIonal difficulties.
1t would probably be wise 20 re-
fran from mere speculation as 10 fu-
turc development in size. ON the othcr
hand. for England 10 frame her aerial
policy on the assumption that there
Will he no development At all would
be to repeat past mistakes. There
certainly will be both increase in size
and Improvement, and these will come
swiftly. We arc within the mark in
assuming that Il machine carrying =
ton OF bombs total air distance O.:
zoo or 500 miles is Immediately pos
siblc. An alternative load might be
thirty passengers tor 800 miles.
Before coming TO the latter point
however, 1t is well to remark in u few
words that bombing craft carrying ma
chine guns. flying in formation by day
at Il height of ll.O00 or 1900 feet.
and protected by mosquito fleet OF
lighting craft. can carry on their opcr-
ations without excessive casualties; and
that by night, flying in a different or
The present British i:pc of bomber
\ can carry magazine of three quar-
ters of a ton total air distance OF
SOC miles. That. means that he Rhine
war factories ar. within range. No
doubt. by carrying ii small bomb load
Berlin itself would be attainablr: but
it would scarcely be worth while
Eut to regard the big acropIanc
merely as long-rangc artillery were
absurd. There is another, and possibly
even more, important junction for it.
Tn sufficient numbers. such machines
could carry Il considerable force of
men and machine guns very swiftly
and unexpectedly to seize some point
or perhaps effect some operation CON
solidatins the work previously accom-
plshed by wholesale aerial lombard
ment.
The whole question Of til. aerial arm
needs to be tackled Independently. In
these days. fleets are rot commanded
by soldiers. as in Armada tines
AIR SERVICE APART
FROM ARMY OR NAVY
That Is the chief reason for the
creation Of an Air Ministry, which
could deal with vehicles of the air as
a new. arm operating in it's own cle-
ment and capable of delivering stag
Eering blows quite apart from any land
or sea operations at the moment in
progress. The ocean of air is a true
expression, and it means that every
inch of an enemy's territory is coast,
and every inland town an aerial port.
war thus really does take on IL new
aspect, now that means to navigate the
air have been found. Air power is a
thing apart. The allies need an air
service controlled independently of
navy and army; and that does not i'm
ply, as an opponent of this develop
ment has argued. that il would be In
charge of politicians!
IL such department of the air had
been in existence. the potcntiality of
'Ahe big airplane would have been seen.
and the question Of lighting Germany
through the air would have been dealt