The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-08
REORG AMBITION OF
GERMAN AERIAL FORCES
Entrance Of America Into War Has Led
Germany to Strengthen Its Avi-
alton Branches.

Paris, Sept. IT, correspondence Of th
, Associated Press The entrance o
America into the war and the probable
lily that il soon would be lending tn
allies tremendous aid in the aerial de
partment of the struggle has led Ger
many TO reorganize and strengthen IL
own aviation branches materially, nc
cording TO the Temps. This reorganiza
ton does not date exclusively from the
break with the United States. but rathel
! from the battle Of the Somme, but il has
been accelerated and intensified by I'll,
report that hundreds II not thousands OF
airplanes with the corresponding aviator'
TO man them are soon to be supplied
to the entente forces.
The reorganization of the German
aerial forces has taken the form OF ere
ating four principal divisions into which
the Hiers are now placed, roughly as
follows:
Army squadrilas or army fliers'
division" which are directly under the
command of the army chief of aviation
and the work of which consists mainly of
expeditions far TO the rear of the lines.
They also are employed for lombard.
ments, night flights, Photographic work,
and the airplanes employed are of the
most varied type, according to the char
acter of the work they are TO do.
Recently captured prisoners say that
recently constructed biplane of the
Albatross type is vastly superior to any
thing heretofore used by these squadrll-
las. 1t is equipped with a 260 horse
power motor and attains a. speed of
from 100 to Is miles an hour. II can
rise to an altitude of more than 1000
yards in nine minutes, and carries two
machine guns. The machines travel in
groups of six or eight, according to the
position and needs of the army to which
they are attached
Corps squadrillas or troop fiers"
which are attached to the staff head
quarters of the various German armies
and which are commanded by captains
These generally remain within the sector
of the armies to which they are attached
and are used in general for reconnais-
sances, photogrsphing trenches, batteries
and making patrol flights.
3-Hunting squadrillss, as there are
about forty of these squadrilas, with
about dozen machines to each. 9th |
ers in the same category have as their |
duty the protection of the large German |
cities that lie within airplane flight of
the French and English, such as Stras- |
burg, Freiburg Mulhouse, Friedrichshaf- |
en-, Stuttgart, Essen, Cologne and Treves,
The pilots of these squAdrillas are care
fully chosen from among the best of the
German aviators and their exploits are
encouraged by frequent mention in the
general staff reports.
4-Battle squadrillas or "fiotillas" are
under the direction of great headquar
tiers. and shift from army to army to
carry out bombardments on military es
adjustments behind the front as well as
ever and again upon open towns.
There are three of these squadrillas
now Formerly there were more, but
he others have been dismembered and
heir units attached to other arms of
he aerial service. Squadrillas one and
.wo are generally transported by train
rom place to place, wherever they are
most needed.
There are from forty to fifty machines
n each squadrilla, which when complete ,
md ready for action is divided into four ,
IT five sections Each airplane is armed
With two machine guns and each carries
,ombs weighing from 20 to 100 pounds
hat weigh more than 200 pounds. II
While perfecting their service in the i
ir, the Germans have also rapidly bet /
cred their aati-aircraft measures and
The II millimeter guns have | a
iven way to rapid firing guns of l05 v
lilimeter calibre, and at certain points
long the front they use shrapnel guns \
t 0-millimeter size. a
They possess special bullets for the
estrllction of captive balloons, but in p
lany instances have used them with a
reat cruelty against opponents in air
lanes. At least one squadrilla captain,
Lieutenant Eilers, finally forbade his III
ZEN to carry these bullets with them
Mess they were definitely charged with Of
Iiding balloons.
The Germans, it is said, are constant 81
putting new types of machines into
lie field The famous Taube went out al
style long ago, and it has now been
flowed by the even more famous FOX al
n, which less than year ago was as
the last and final word in sh
lacking airplanes. It's inventor,
Itchman, is now said to be devoting tr
mself to the perfection of machine TO
til a $50 horse power motor, which
III break all records for speed and eff du
iency
To-day the Rumpler seems to be the tn
vorite machine, though those with 100 us
rse power motors are not fast enough
suit. and yet the machines will hard do
stand up under heavier motor. The ice
ds on London were accomplished with do
tina machines, but these, though so
,ent that little is known about them
France, are already giving way to ly
'ter airplanes, especially to powerful to
mpler biplanes which have tremen- Ion
rs speed and rising power. These ma
mes, of which there are not fewer than pre-
in the third battle fiotilla, can make inc
at distances both because of their J
verful motors and because of their of
re gasoline tanks, two of which with be
capacity of $50 liters are carried on int
h machine. Y
-. yot