The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-09-14
IMPROVEMENTS IN
TEUTON A|RPLANES
Enemy Straining Every Nerve to
Meet Expected Accession
to the Allies

Paris, Sept. 2.-(Correspondence
of the Associated Press).-The en-
trance of America into the war and
the probability that it soon would be
lending the allies tremendous aid IN
the aerial department of the strug-
gle has led Germany to re-organlze
and strengthen its own aviation
branches materially, according to the
Temps. This reorganization does not
date exclusively from the break with
the United States, but rather from
the battle of the Somme, but it has
been accelerated and intensified by
the reports that hundreds if not thou
sands of airplanes with the corre-
spending aviators to man them are
soon to be supplied to the Entente
| forces The reorganization of the
German forces has taken the form OF
creating four principal divisions into
which the f1iers are now placed,
roughly as follows:
I, 1. Army squadrillas or army
! fiers' division" which are directly un-
! der command of the army chief of
aviation and the work of which con-
sists mainly of expeditions far to the
rear of the lines. They also are en-
ployed for commandments, night
flights, Photographic work, and the
airplanes employed are the most var
led type, according to the character
of the work they are to do.
Recently captured prisoners say
that a recently constructed biplane OF
the Albatross type is vastly superior
to anything heretofore, used by these
auadrillas. 1t is equipped with .
26O- HIP. motor and attains a speed OF
from 100 to 115 miles an hour. Il
can rise to an altitude of more thar
1000 yards in nine minutes, and car
ries two machine guns. The machine:
travel in groups of six or eight, ac
| cording to the position and needs o.
the army to which they are attached
2. Corps squadrillas or "trool
, fiers" which are attached to the stat
Headquarters of the various German
armies and which are commanded b,
captains. These generally remain
within the sector of the armies t.
! which they are attached and are USE
in general for reconnaissances, pho
] tographing trenches, batteries an
making patrol flights.
3. Hunting squadrillas, as the,
are called both by the French an
the Germans, are the main attacking
4 instruments~of the German air force:
/ and for chasing enemy machine
! which venture over their lines. The
> are charged also with the destructio
z of the stationary balloons.
On the west front, it is estimated
there are about forty of these squad
rillas, with about dozen machines
each. Others in the same categor
e have as their duty the protection {
: the large German cities that lie witt
|, in airplane flight of the French an
n English, such as Strasburg, Freiburi
; Mulhouse, Friedrichshafen, Stuttgar
g Essen, Cologne and Treves. The pilot
y of these squadrillas are CAREFUL
chosen from among the best of tt
It German aviators. and their exploi
% are encouraged by frequent mentic
n in the general staff reports.
lie 4. Battle squadrillas or "fotilla!
le are under the direction of gener
is headquarters, and shift from army
army to carry out bombardments {
ct military establishments behind Il
r front, as we'll as ever and again upC
open towns.
There are three of these squadrill
now. Formerly there were more, b
the others have been dismember
1e and their units attached to other arr
30 of the aerial service. Squadrillas o
so and two are generally transported
or train from place to place, wherev
v, they are most needed.
n. There are from forty to fifty m
chimes in each squadrilla, which VIII
complete and ready for action is